​​​​​We are in Bali. We are discussing another pantone of the orange of the sun, those wandering on the surfboard over the sea like playing with a ball in the backyard of their house, which of the countless varieties of mango to try today. It has been ten days since we traveled to one end of the world, and we are looking for tickets to the other end of the world; to Australia. We think that we should not return without seeing it, while we're there, a bird flight for another nine hours. So be it. We have time. Our target is Melbourne.

Seventeen days after leaving Istanbul, we arrive at this city, which is spread out along the ocean with its single-story houses, where we want to spend our days and weeks in its coffeehouses, and where we visit the murals on the streets like a gallery. Friends ask what would you like to do. We have a long list: we will see Keith Haring's masterpiece on Johnston Street in 1984, tour the public library, drink our coffees at Seven Seeds. They will not be enough; we will drive on the Great Ocean Road.

Starting from tomorrow. But today, we say; should we drink raki. Let's drink some raki. Nobody is surprised. The first thing that comes to mind of three Turks who have found each other in any corner of the world is of course to drink raki. On the seventeenth day, we leave the country, raki is on the list of our most missed ones. And of course the appetizer. The tastes of the Gavurdağ, the Piyaz, and the Şakşuka have infused to our DNA. But the best of all, the conversation, the act of pulling a shawl over the shoulder due to the gentle wind, the memories remembered when passing from Nilüfer to Tanju Okan, from Sena Şener to Yüzyüzeyken Konuşuruz, the people we hugged, the things that were communicated even when we were silent.  We are four people now, not in a restaurant in Melbourne, but on a blanket in the park. Another one has joined us, who heard that we were here. Two icy YENİ RAKI in front of us, a few raki appetizers bought from the shop we stopped by saying 'the mashed broad beans of this place is very good' as we pass by, the smell of anise when we get our nose closer to the glass, white roasted chickpeas and chatter. After the raki we buried and chilled in Çamlıhemşin, the one I carried around in my suitcase in Canada and lifted it against the lake at sunrise, and the one we poured into tea glasses in Ha Long Bay, the clanging glasses on Australia's grasses are among the top five on the list.

I love those tables, snow, grass. Confessions, grief, joy, happiness, hope, dream, all sit there together. A mutually toasted glass of raki tells much more than a clanging sound.  Rakı reminds us of the houses we grew up in, the songs rising from the records, the smell of the soil, the blue of the sea when we open the windows.

We meet with glasses raised to health and happiness when we miss each other, in any corner of the world!

What Do We Do When We Miss Yeni Rakı Tables in London?

First of all, we go for a walk. Destination; 46 Camden High Street or the London way; NW1 0JH. When we turn the corner and look up, a very close table of friends awaits us. The #cheerstotogetherss mural, which will remain on the wall throughout December, attracted the attention of not only those who miss the hometown but also the locals. It shines in the night; they advise us to come at night. Okay! But first, we will reserve a place in Cırrık or Mangal II and order a Gavurdağı, we will not be surprised if a guy comes from the side shop with his musical instrument in hand, with his Conservatory student friend and starts the repertoire of Zeki Müren. If we are going to sit at the raki table at home, we meet all our needs, from tomato paste to pomegranate syrup, from roasted chickpeas to olives from Umut at the corner of Broadway Market or TFC in Dalston and the raki order from grocina.com; for those times when you are too lazy to cook, Cig Köftem in Green Lanes is delicious! There is also a chef serving appetizers in London, we can see his menus by following the @yeklondon account. So when you want to lift a raki against the Bosphorus, there is no bridge, Maiden's Tower, Galata Tower, but there is a small beach in the west of London. You now have this information, which I haven't given to anyone, now: the place is called Ruislip Lido. You can prepare picnic baskets and catch the sunset.

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My Rakı Table Playlist

Let's start with the Londoners first: Billur Yapıcı - Papatyanın Yeri / Gökçe Kılınçer - Bilmece

Then let's continue the list as follows: Sena Şener-Teni Tenime / Melek Mosso -Kedi / Kalben -Çek / Sufle- Pus / Nilüfer - Son Arzum / Cem Adrian & Hande Mehan - Sen Benim Şarkılarımsın / Mehmet Güreli - Kimse Bilmez.

Finally, of course, let's toast to the masters: Müzeyyen Senar - Dalgalandım da Duruldum / Ayten Alpman- Ben Böyleyim / Nilüfer - Ara Sıra Bazı Bazı / Fikret Kızılok - Farketmeden.

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Who is Hazal Yılmaz?

Hello... I'm Hazal! I am on social media with the identity of @anlamarama I was born in Istanbul, I grew up in the streets of Beyoğlu. When I was 15, I lived in Nantes, France for a year with AFS. I've been writing for as long as I can remember. I live by writing sentences and words; First to notebooks as a child, then on papers inserted into a typewriter, and on the following years, to the screens in my hand and front of me.  In 2009, I started my blogger career by writing about the streets, concerts, exhibitions, and neighborhoods of the city I live in on hazalyilmaz.com. I was a dreamer. I went on my own way, not paying attention to those who said it wouldn't work. That road took me first to magazines, then to the Sunday extras of a newspaper, and then to the slowly developing digital platforms.  In 2011 I wanted to get out of the city I lived in and be a part of the world. I founded the Çok Gezenler Kulübü project (@cokgezenlerkulubu). I have been involved in the lives of other countries, cultures, and people. I traveled a lot, read a lot, learned a lot, met a lot of people. I moved to London in 2017. I was no longer a traveler. I was an immigrant. My alternation between two cities, two lives, old and new again, you will not be surprised, has been written. In 2018, my first book ''Anlam Arama (Don't Look for a Meaning)'', and in October 2020, the second book ''Görülmemiş Mektuplar (Unseen Letters)'' came out... I have been vegan for 4 years and have not eaten meat and dairy products. I ride more bicycles and fewer planes to reduce my carbon footprint. (We) started a new project to inform myself and others on this subject @yarininrehberi​. I'm Hazal... I try to understand, make sense of, and change the world by writing.​