Compromising my principles for a cheaper flight

For years I have been boycotting Turkey and Turkish Airlines after the brutal clampdown on opposition and civil rights following a failed military coup in 2016 against President Racep Tayyip Erdogan (photo). A main reason? To protest a more pro-Islam stance on the part of Erdogan eroding the country’s secular traditions. Yes, there are coup attempts and civil rights violations in lots of countries, but this was a particularly atrocious one, of a scale that absolutely appalled me. Not just the leaders of the coup (more than 300 were killed) and perhaps some of their bases were arrested but hundreds of thousands, extending well into the civil

society including academics, journalists – more than 100 news organizations were closed - and teachers. More than 500,000 were detained and 127,000 arrested. Even judges (some 2700) were arrested and more than 1000 schools closed down. The attempt played into the hands of an authoritarian-minded Erdogan, long accused of civil rights violations, who called it “a gift from God” since it allowed him to purge virtually all significant opposition. One historian called it Turkey’s Reichtag Fire. “Since the 2016 coup attempt, approximately 3 million citizens have been tried and 527,000 detained on terrorism-related charges in Turkey,” says Wikipedia. These events have stayed in my mind ever since, and though I would love to visit the country for its historically rich culture, antiquities and people, I purposely have not. Until this trip, that is. I’m flying to Thessaloniki in northern Greece and the best way to get there is via Turkey. Well, the most convenient way. Flying Turkish Airlines from Detroit via Istanbul was the quickest, most direct and $300-$400 cheapest way to get there compared to flying out of Windsor via Toronto. So not only will I be flying on an airline I’d long decided to boycott I’ll be setting foot, if only for a five-hour layover at the airport, in the country’s largest city. It seems sometimes principles are compromised for expedience, right?

As for Turkish Airlines, some research is revealing. It serves more destinations non-stop and to 131 countries, more than any other airline. Meanwhile Istanbul Airport, built in only four years and opened in 2019 with just one single if humongous terminal (largest in the world), is the biggest privately-operated airport worldwide. And still adding more runways it's thought to eventually become the world’s busiest service 200 million annually. So, I will board the Turkish flight this week a little guiltily. But one bright spot: unlike most airlines – parsimonious to a fault – this one is offering not only one checked bag for free but two. But damn, I travel light.

- Ron Stang, Windsor Ontario Canada, a frequent traveller

From Detroit to Helsinki and back

 

My go-to to Detroit Metro Airport has been the Smart 125-bus stopping near my GF’s place in Lincoln Park. For only 50 cents (seniors rate, $2.00 regular), it will take you directly to the Evans and McNamara terminals, saving lots of money on airport parking or Uber. Except when it’s not working properly. That happened last week when, the day after Labor Day, I waited more than an hour for a bus to come along. The schedule is every half hour. I called the 800 number on the bus stop and spoke to an agent. She said drivers had booked off and there was not staff to drive the buses. Incredible. Have never experienced this on any other transit system. Doesn’t Smart have a roster of part time or on-call drivers? Finally one came and the driver good-naturedly put her hand over the fare box and said to get on for free. But the same occurred yesterday returning from the airport. For 45 minutes no bus came. Finally, one did but the driver was only going to the Evans terminal and not beyond. He said there’d be another in 10 mins. That came and went and I called Smart again. The problem? “There was a shift change.” Huh? Any other transit system that I’ve been on changes drivers efficiently at actual bus stops. The driver leaving their shift gets off and the new one gets on. But for Smart shift changes appear to be like those at factories and everything must come to a halt....BTW at Metro Airport can someone please turn off the  announcements by Wayne County Executive Warren Evans (the North Terminal has been renamed in his honor) telling of the wonderful aspects of the Detroit area and then "Welcome Home" to local residents? It runs every several minutes and if you're in the terminal long enough, rather annoying. 

Meanwhile having spent several days in Helsinki Finland, with a very efficient transit system, the entire network works on the honor system  (photo left) There are no fare boxes on buses or turnstiles at subway or tram stations. The only box is a payment tap if you’re taking a one-way trip and use your bank card. Otherwise, you buy a transit card or download tickets, such as a day pass, through the system’s app on your phone. You don’t even have to show that. But if you’re caught without a ticket the fine is 100 euros. Riding both trams and Metro all weekend I saw not one inspector. Still, buy the ticket.

But one problem did occur. This was returning yesterday to the Helsinki airport to catch my flight back home. My flight was at 7 am. The first train to the airport from downtown Central Station was at 4.18 am. Upon arriving at the station before 4 the station’s doors had notices saying it only opened at 5 am. What??!! Taxi drivers parked at the side shouted “it doesn’t open until 5” at bewildered travelers. Hmmm. One person went back to her hotel across the street and was told the station indeed was open but only the outside platforms on the other side. You’ve got to wonder how many unwitting tourists those taxi drivers take advantage of every morning. I wrote both Helsinki Tourism and the city’s transit system HSL pointing this out. Helsinki Tourism responded within a few hours. “We have forwarded this information to the Central Railway Station. Thank you for bringing this to our attention.”

One other thing: how is it that US Customs at Metro has only two counters staffed (when there are more than two dozen) for perhaps 300 people arriving all at once yesterday afternoon?

- Ron Stang, Windsor Ontario Canada, a frequent traveller

Bogota: you have to pay $100 to enter the country

That was a first. Upon arriving at Bogota Colombia’s El Dorado airport - the busiest in Latin America – and after spending 40 minutes in the longest cattle lineup I’ve ever experienced at Customs, I was pulled aside and taken to – what!? - another kiosk. Oh no, an interrogation? Nope, a “reciprocal” fee to enter the country, working out to just over $100. Really? Yup, because Canada also charges Colombians such a fee to enter our wonderful land. Who knew?

Bogota is one of the highest cities in the world at 8596 ft. It also goes by the name DC just like Washington, because it’s the capital. Its pop is 8 mil, 11 mil if you count the suburbs. 

I went there because I was fascinated by the city’s pioneering TransMilenio Bus Rapid Transit system, which I first read about in transit & travel writer Taras Grescoe’s book Straphanger. Being a transit freak I knew I had to check this out. I missed my plane last year – seriously (see post July 27, 2025) - and eventually rebooked the end of August. So yes, I spent a day riding the system, with mixed results.

But first, a few things about Bogota and Colombia. For one, inhabitants speak next to no English. I’ve never been in a foreign city where English is so little spoken, though Mexico City comes close. I’m not complaining. I have about 100 Spanish words and phrases and there’s always Google Translate. But it was still difficult. Otherwise, the city is fairly normal, with a range of social classes and neighbourhoods from the outlying sometimes desperately poor barrios to affluent northern districts. I stayed in Chapinero, just north of downtown, in the perfect boutique hotel, Abitare 56. Yes, I had trepidation before I went, not least after I read a story about an Orthodox New York Jew who went there to meet a bride and was killed and his body chopped up. But after arriving I really felt safe and didn’t even encounter any menacing personalities though the streets were bustling and pedestrians everywhere. 

Getting around? I walked, as my want in exploring places, interminably, though I did take up the slack with public transit, a confusing array of various coloured buses with arcane route numbers mixing letters and numbers. You need a reloadable smart card to use the system. Often the buses were packed and you had to stand for long durations as the routes were long. Strangely the buses had turnstiles. To open you had to tap your card but then slide through a narrow gate. But one of the neatest things was the TransMiCable cable car, a series of stations that transport you up a mountain and over some and into the poorest barrios. The ride down on a packed bus through narrow twist and turn streets was, shall we say, an experience.

Tour highlights (I tour myself, and don’t take official tours as much as I can help it), included the famous Monserrate, where another cable car takes you atop a mountain with an outstanding view of the city. The Fernando Botero museum was a knockout, the artist internationally acclaimed. The Gold Museum was interesting as the city seems to identify itself with the luxury metal, as per the name of the airport. Cafes are everywhere but it was difficult to find open patios, especially ones that served alcohol. There is a strong cycling culture with dedicated lanes on virtually every street, pedestrians and cyclists seemingly respecting each other’s turf.

There is a mix of architecture - from downright Brutalist 1970s era concrete ugliness to delightful classical buildings that make you think of Ivy League campuses.

Now for the reason I came: riding the TransMilenio. Think of it as an above ground subway. Buses run on dedicated lanes. You can only board at designated stations about six blocks apart and pay at the station entrance. The buses are “articulated” in two or three segments. The concept is great, the execution not. And it’s probably a victim of its own success. So many people rely on it that the vehicles are extremely crowded, uncomfortably so. There is often standing room only and sometime literally shoulder to shoulder over long distances. Moreover, there are the usual transit jerks. Like musicians who insist on turning their amp full volume. Or touts who shout in your ear (one was right behind me and I felt his spit). It got to such a point that I started calling the system the "TortureMilenio" and even vowed “never again” to ride it. Well, I didn’t have to, I don’t live there.

- Ron Stang, Windsor Ontario Canada, a frequent traveller