What I like about Turkey

For all the complaining I do about the idiot driving and the ridiculous red tape here in Turkey, there is a lot I like about it.  Like once you get out of Adana it is quite pretty.  There is also a lot of history to be seen here.  And the travel opportunities are abundant both inside and outside of the country, just to name a few.  One of the coolest things about being here is that you can get just about anything made just for you; exactly how you want it.  It's kinda like Burger King, you CAN have it your way.

For example, in the States, if you want a new desk you go to the store and you pick and choose which one suits you best.  You may find two or three where each one has a different feature that you really like and would love to see them blended together to make the perfect desk for your needs.  But unless you are quite wealthy, that's simply not an option.

Things are a little different here in Turkey though.  About a year ago Linda and I went into the alley just outside the gate to buy, you guessed it, a desk.  We took a picture of what we wanted and very specific measurements to fit our computer just right.  We also wanted some details changed on it like moving a drawer here and putting a cabinet door there.  To do that in the States would easily cost several thousand dollars.  But not in Turkey.  In just a few weeks we had our brand new, hand-made, custom designed desk delivered to our doorstep.  It was everything we wanted, and nothing that we didn't.  And all for far less than even one of those pre-built, store bought desks from any given store in the good ole US of A.

We have done the same with bookshelves and an entertainment center as well as a few other pieces.  But the one thing I like the most, is my new leather coat.  When we arrived in Turkey, one of the first stops I made was to Pop's leather.  This place has been in business since before I was stationed here in the 90's and they are still going strong.  The owners son and I share an affinity for motorcycles and when I was in the shop I noticed his riding jacket hanging in his office.  From the front it looked like any ordinary riding jacket.  It had the standard shoulder and elbow protection built in and was quite nice.  Looking at the back though was a whole different story.  It had a hardshell back protector that was sewn in so that it was exposed.  I was instantly sold.  I had to have one.

I spent the next several weeks researching back protectors made by the best motorcycle armor companies in the world.  They ranged in price from $100 to $300 dollars and some of them looked like something that should attach to a stormtrooper costume.  Eventually I settled on the one I wanted and made my purchase.   I also bought elbow and shoulder protection.  Here's where the cool part comes in and how this all fits into the custom made theme of this story.  I was able to pick out and customize literally every detail of my jacket....right down to what color stitching I wanted.

It all started with picking out the leather.  At any given time, Pop's keeps enough leather on hand to re-upholster half of the cars in Houston, and I had my pick.  I wanted something that would look worn and distressed but obviously it had to be strong in case of a crash.  So I went with a medium brown, distressed cowhide.  Here is a photo of it before cutting.

So now that I had the leather picked, it was time to get my measurements and start cutting.  The number of measurements they took was insane.  It's not like going to buy a sport coat and you just grab a 44 long and have the sleeves hemmed. Oh no!! They had to take measurements for this padding, and measurements for that padding.  They had measured the front and back length to the very centimeter.  Literally everything had to be measured out.  And even once it was finally complete, there were adjustments to be made.  After that, they make a pattern and cut out each individual piece.

And here they are

These are the back pieces laid out.  Notice there is no place for the protection....yet!

Okay so this is going to be a summer jacket right.  And leather isn't exactly the coolest, most breathable material in the world.  So, let's perforate it.  The next step was to select the pieces I wanted to be perforated and take them to have that part done.  So we drove down into old Adana where all the cobblers are.  Yes, there are still real cobblers making shoes by hand.  And yes, you can have a pair of them custom made just for you, if you so desire.  Anyway, tucked into this little hole in the wall on a random alley with no name is a little shop.  We took the pieces inside and for 20 Lira (the equivalent of about $12) we had all of the pieces punched with tiny little holes all over so that the air will flow freely and help to keep me cool on those hot summer days.

As you can see, the piece that does the hole punching is smaller than the piece of leather, so the worker had to do it a little at a time and make sure it was aligned just right for the next part.  He did a great job and here is one side of the chest after it was done.  The three raised sections are small pads that Pop's glued in before hand so that the perforation would go all the way through them.  What good is venting it if you're just gonna cover up the vents with solid material right?

So now there was only one more piece to complete prior to final assembly.  Since I have a British made motorcycle, (And always will) I wanted a Union Jack embroidered onto the coat.  I drew one up and gave it to the taylor who had a sample done up for me.  After picking out the stitching color and giving my approval, they did the final embroidery and everything was ready to go.

It was really cool watching them sew each piece together.  They know which pieces need to go together first and just how far to sew and where to place this piece and that piece so that in the end you have a perfect jacket that is exactly what you want.  Here is the front of the finished product.

 Of course sometimes a seam might not line up exactly with another, but that's what gives the whole thing character.  It lends to the "hand-made" aspect of the deal and in my opinion, is just plain cool.

You can't see it in this picture, but the entire chest and both arms are almost entirely perforated from top to bottom.  Oh and remember the back protector that got me hooked on getting a jacket made in the first place?  Yeah, it turned out awesome.  In fact, I specifically picked one that was made to let air flow through it so that all that air going into the front will have a place to get out once it's in there.

That piece is one of the best money can buy.  At least for those of us who aren't professional racers.  Anyway, in the case of a crash, it is designed to protect my back from bending too far the wrong way as well as keep the road from turning my skin into ground beef.  I'm sure my mother will be happy to read that despite the fact that I will always own and ride motorcycles (Which she hates), at least I am doing my best to protect myself from injury.

Now let me ask you.  How much do you think this would have cost in the States?  $1,000? $1,500? Maybe more?  No matter what, it's something most people would never be willing to do.  It is the stuff of rich people, not us normal folk.  Not including the protection (which was even less), I had it all done for less than $300.  Every detail, every stitch, every seam: all designed and selected by yours truly.  Now how cool is that??

So, yeah.  I complain about some of the aspects of being in Turkey.   But when it comes to stuff like this, I love this place.  We will be leaving Turkey soon.  And with the exception of a short visit next year (Lord willing), I doubt we will ever return.  I suppose that will be the end of our custom made furniture and jackets.  Glad we got 'em while we could.  Thanks Turkey, it's been fun.