Saturday 22nd
This morning we have breakfast inside as it's raining. Yesterday we could enjoy the sunny roof. I hear from the Spanish cameraman whose lady friend interviewed me on our arrival that there is a "press conference" at eleven. Later a crowd of us pile into a minibus to one of the docks. One of the big ships - Mavi Marmara the (ageing) Luxury Cruiser - is docked - lots of Turks assembling - flag waving and dancing. Ship draped in tenement-sized banners. Little pleasure boats and ferries circling about with flags and banners and occasional coloured smoke. Then come The Speeches. Even if they were in English I would soon have tired of them - increasingly bombastic and even hystrionic. I leave the thickly crowded close-up for farther away to watch and wait. Finally she pulls out and away, with fireworks in the sky and red green and black balloons clouding up from the stern. We all go back towards our hotels. These people - so motivated and united in purpose - can't just stride home. They dither - fart about - wonder about taxis (taksis) or buses or the metro. We stop for grilled fish and a few of us share a taxi for what I now know is only a half-hour walk.
In the evening Peter and I are again confronted by our tardy acceptances. A bloke appears after we wait upstairs drinking lots of tea - you are not allowed to sit here and not at least drink tea if you are not shaking hands or eating - a bloke - Durmus Aydin -, brings us the message. We are not being taken on the voyage as the total number of volunteers has been sent off to the naval security people and it is set in stone. He offers to take my books for Majed Badra and Peter's books for the university. Later I discover that Mr Aydin is not a mere messenger. There is no real hierarchy in I.H.H.- He's the Vice-Chairman.
Looks like that is IT - but wait and see!
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