to that too. Ask the Pilot, always a great feature.

Thank you, Andrew. And a big thank you to Mr. Smith for his article!

Thanks Patty, for saying it all so much more eloquently than I could. Glad to hear that the Turkish people are as nice for you, who live there, as they were for me when I visited. In conversations with them, all across their country, I came away with the impression that these are just naturally very kind people. I envy your being able to live there.

Sorry, I meant that America's Greyhounds are a far cry from Turkish buses (coaches)!

I'm an American who has been living in Turkey for the past 8 years and it has been an incredible experience (tens of thousands of foreigners live in Turkey, mostly Europeans - they like to vacation and retire here, though there are some Americans including an American ex-congressman who lives in my town part of the year). It is true what Mr. Smith says about the Turkish buses - they are a far cry from America's Greyhounds.

I must say that I feel sad that so many Americans feel that it may be unsafe to visit Turkey, I have never had a single problem here as a foreigner, before or after the Iraq war began. I would travel anywhere in the country without hesitation. The vast majority of Turks are very warm, outgoing, polite, dignified, gentle, sentimental people with good values and incredibly big hearts and they treat foreigners much better than we do in America, they will go out of their way to help you and make you feel welcome (I always have culture shock when I go back to visit America - life is so much harsher there in many ways and I have noticed a decline in civility which is jarring after living here). Turkey depends on tourism and foreigners are treated with great respect and aren't made to feel uncomfortable. It isn't in the great Turkish tradition of hospitality to make guests feel uncomfortable anyhow, and you would be a guest in their country - it would be dishonorable to treat you in any way but well (and they'll be interested in you and want to be friends). My husband and I went to Thailand, the so-called "land of smiles", earlier this year and returned disappointed by the peoople because they weren't very friendly compared to Turks, and seemed largely uninterested in us, except for our money. I've gotten spoiled over here!

Also, The Turks have a fierce love of their country but know of its great misconception abroad -they really want to correct this and share themselves and don't understand why some people are so afraid to come. If you saw footage of protests in Istabul over the Danish cartoons, please understand that those protesters are only an extremely small minority of the population. I know this sounds like a shameless plug, but I can't resist the opportunity to let others know about the true situation here, especially since the war has scared off so many Americans. So put your mind to rest and come and visit Turkey, you'll love this beautiful country and have a wonderful time. Ride the buses, they are cheap and very comfortable (I recommend Pammukkale or Koç, the top bus lines) and go just about anywhere. Domestic flights are cheap as well and Turkish Airlines serves a nice in-flight snack even on their shortest flights. I'm not sure about the other airlines. Security is excellent at the airports too.

Way back in 1987 I discovered that Turkish Airlines had come up with an unusual solution to providing a no-smoking zone on its aircraft. The seats on left side of the aisle were for non-smokers, and the seats on the right were for smokers. Now, would you have thought that one up?

Loved your article about the Turkish buses which came out of the blue .When I visited Turkey in 1990, everyone was allowed to smoke on the turkish buses and the only smoke escape was the escape window on top of the buses which was left open while the aircon was also on full blast.there were very few tourists ,as this was 4 weeks before the 1st gulf war,but all buses and bus stops were all crowded ofcourse.

As for Turkish airline it was fine but on the 7am flight to Rome all turkish male around me asked for and got whisky ,gin etc., with their breakfast ;strange .

Look forwards to your articles every saturday am here in sydney australia.

regards

amr marzouk

Ianscot, I don't know how it is since the Iraq War, but I did travel there three months after 9/11, and the people never stopped telling me that this was not what they believed in. My Persian friend told me she wasn't sure if I should go then, but it was one of the best experiences of my whole life. It may have changed since our Iraq incursion, but I can't wait to go back there.

Grumpy Optimist,

Ephesus is not far from Selcuk, if I recall. They do indeed have a huge, impressive amount of Greek and I think Roman ruins there. You can see whole mosaics (I think that's the Roman contribution), and there's a big amphitheatre or two; villas; public spaces; and decades ago, a team of Austrian archaeologists reconstructed their famed library, restacking the stones from the historical descriptions of it. It's well worth a visit. I think that many cruise ships stop in nearby Kusadasi, and offer optional tours of the site. It's a nice, friendly bit of the country (but then, I found the whole country very nice and friendly).

Ianscot, is Selcuk the site of the ancient Greek city of Ephesis, as I vaguely remember? Do any Ephesian ruins remain?

Most Brazilians don't earn enough to own cars, and only business execs can afford to fly within the country, so the bus system is how everyone gets about. This means that virtually every speck of terrain has bus service, and the express buses are professional, on-time (barring unforeseen multi-vehicle crashes on the highways...), and comfortable.