The Sum of Instant Savings (Discover) Interview published on the Gezimanya.com website. Here are the questions of the Gezimanya team and the answers of A.Buğra Tokmakoğlu…
Could you tell us a little about yourself?
I was born in 1989 in Izmir. I experienced my curiosity about observing and writing in the wall newspaper we brought to life in primary school.. I have not ignored the words “this child will be a journalist”, which is often voiced by those around me.. I have succeeded in being one of the few people who received the training of their job in Turkey.. I graduated from Ege University, Faculty of Communication, Department of Journalism in 2011.. During my internship period at Ege Ajans, I carried out travel-oriented research and analysis news works.
I started my career in Ege Telegraf, one of the oldest local newspapers of İzmir (born in 1960).. With the opportunity of the newspaper management, I shared my travel experiences with the readers on the “Sum of Instant Savings” page published every Sunday.. I made my own way with city news with social content. After Ege Telegraf, I switched to the Izmir-based weekly economy-policy newspaper, Observation.. I still work as a news coordinator at Observation.
I am a member of the Izmir Journalists’ Association, the Economy Correspondents’ Association (EMD) Izmir Branch, and the Rhodes, Kos and Dodecanese Turks Culture and Solidarity Association.. I have a yellow press card and I am still pursuing my master’s degree at Izmir Katip Çelebi University, Institute of Social Sciences, Department of International Relations.
What is the role of travel in your life? How would you describe yourself as a “traveler”?
I consider traveling as my basic philosophy whenever there is no serious obstacle like health.. It is possible to say that the love of traveling and discovery in me passed on to me from my grandfather Ahmet Tokmakoğlu, whom I have never met.. Travel organizations organized by my father for me and my sister, including our childhood, first in Turkey and then abroad, showed that we can travel and enjoy it at any time, under any condition. I improve myself with trips in the lone traveler mode.
I act with the understanding of a new route to each new day, despite all the people sitting in their place and constantly complaining with the assumption that life is not static.. While I get to know the places I have visited in more detail through the studies and research I have done before or after, I also realize that I am equipped at the stage of writing these experiences.
In conclusion, it would be best to say that travel is a family legacy.
Do you have a blog or website where you share your travel experiences?
I have shared my travel experiences in different channels so far.. I can say that the “Sum of Instant Savings” book, in which Elif Türkmen and Alper Elbirler, who have a very important place in my life, brought together all my travel writings that I wrote between 2007 and 2011, emphasizing the initials of my name, was a milestone for me.
We started its broadcasting life with the motto of “Travel, discovery, experience, ‘moments and memories from life”’, the website https://iyonsek.com/, which we established with the initiatives of Alper Elbirler in November 2013.
I started to publish my essays, Eurovision archive and some news works on my website, in addition to my travel articles and photo albums compiled from my trips.. I can’t thank Elif and Alper enough for encouraging me to take this path as I leave one year behind on my own website.. Of course, there are also no words to say to the Tokmakoğlu Family, who are the main heroes of my trips.
Can you tell us about your last trip to Skopje? What are on your list of must-sees in Skopje?
Macedonia’s capital city, Skopje, is a city in the middle of the Belgrade-Thessaloniki line in the Balkans, home to different civilizations, and a shining star in the Ottoman period.
The Ottomans named the city Skopje, which the Macedonians called Скопје and the international community called Skopje.. Skopje, which relaxes people with its wide and spacious main streets reminiscent of the Soviet school, is also the most crowded city of the country where unemployment and inflation are increasing day by day.. I can recommend Skopje to those who are curious about the traditional structure, especially those who are interested in the Balkans, despite the development of Europe. I can recommend the Canyon.
Skopje offers a different experience with its wide streets and structure where you can witness the traces of the Iron Curtain, where the Ikarus brand buses that left their mark on a period in Istanbul, Ankara and Izmir are still standing.. However, it can be visited literally in 2-3 days.. It is possible to witness the days of Turkey 20 years ago in Skopje, where food and beverage opportunities are relatively cheaper due to the exchange rate difference.
How are the eating and drinking habits in Skopje? ? Is there a flavor you would recommend to us?
Food and beverage culture in the Balkans is the same in almost every country.. Meatballs, one of the most consumed foods by Turks who look for flavors close to their own taste when they go abroad, should definitely be experienced in the Historical Old Bazaar of Skopje.. Meatballs accompanied by piyaz and yoghurt are similar to the meatballs with cheddar, which we know as İnegöl Meatballs in Turkey.
What are your impressions of San Francisco, which you have wanted to visit and see since your childhood? What places did you visit in this city you were in in 2010?
After our Work and Travel mission, which we proudly fulfilled, we had the opportunity to travel the United States from west to east in the remaining 15 days.. While I was driving around California, the first stop of the itinerary that we made a rough sketch, in a car that we rented for 2 thousand kilometers from south to north, the part that excited me the most was undoubtedly San Francisco, the last stop of our Western USA tour. We stayed for 1 night in San Francisco.. During our two full days trip, we visited many places that took a place in my mind, including the house where the TV series Bizim Ev, which I watched in my childhood, was filmed, and the famous Golden Gate Bridge.. We had the chance to tour the gay paradise where Milk was filmed, Castro, Pier 39, Golden Gate Park, Fisherman’s Wharf, Bay Bridge, Lombard Street and streets I knew from Midtown Madness. San Francisco is a city that creates excitement with its people, especially with its structure under the influence of the Mediterranean climate.. I say that this city, which is about 16 hours away from Turkey by plane, must be seen.
Which countries have you been to so far? What is your favourite?
In 2007, when I first traveled abroad to Belgium (17 years old), I made 62 different trips in 20 countries to date.. Greece is at the top of the list due to its easy accessibility, while Bulgaria, Georgia, Iran, Czech Republic, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Germany, Netherlands, France, Italy, Vatican, Hungary, Austria, Luxembourg, Slovakia, Montenegro, United States of America. I’ve been to the States.
If I’m going to make a list among the cities I’ve seen, I would definitely put San Francisco in the first place.. Rome, Amsterdam, Cologne, Bruges and Thessaloniki are also among my favourites.
Is there any place you’ve been to that disappointed you?
I think that my biggest disappointment was in Crete, which I had planned very differently in my mind before.. Crete made me sad because it seemed so lifeless and soulless.. While Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria, is on my list with negative points due to its cold appearance and general negative structure, I can also place Tehran, which I went to with different expectations, on this list.
If you have the opportunity, 1 year leave and financial means. What route would you draw if it was presented to you?
If I had the opportunity and I had a year, I would definitely start to travel to South American countries step by step, starting from Mexico.. I think I would set sail for an unforgettable experience by including small island countries in the Pacific in time management… I think that Latin America, which is far from Turkey and relatively more expensive to travel, will one day take its place in every traveler’s route.
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