This is me, he is saying, and this is my way of showing respect to you and marking a small bond.
The Trafalgar Group road trip we are on began in Istanbul, moved to Gallipoli and Troy, and is on its way to Izmir and Ephesus.
We pass through dry, brown countryside on good, well-maintained roads. A shepherd walks a flock through fenceless land. A small group of people bend backs over crops in the field. Beef cattle and goats roam in scrub.
A dog lies on an abandoned sofa on the roadside. A field of wind stalks twirl in the distance. Near the sea, the sun lights the white walls of square homes with balconies on each level and a man casts a fishing rod from a pebble (or shell) beach. Nobody wears helmets on motorbikes.
Closer to Demircidere village, pine nut trees dominate the landscape. The nuts are the main income for the locals, the cones harvested in winter. Olives and pomegranates are grown as well. And wine. This Muslim village of about 200 makes and drinks its own wine.
The coach swings around a corner and shudders to a stop. A donkey has parked itself in the very middle of the road and is braying defiantly at us.
After getting past that small obstacle, we see in the middle of the village square more than a dozen women lined up in traditional finery. There's a lot of gold and silver on the dresses and baggy pants - "Turkish Levi's, one size fits all", jokes our guide - and the women make all the embroidery for the three-piece ucetek outfits, worn on special occasions. There's orange, green, purple, red and yellow, topped by colourful scarves.
Trafalgar has an exclusive deal with the village to bring tourists there twice a week under a scheme the company calls "Be My Guest" which serves the purpose of getting foreigners up close to locals. It also gives the company a way to offer boutique experiences next to the neon-lit highlights on its tours.
And it no doubt brings much-needed tourism cash to the village. There are Be My Guest projects for other Trafalgar tours in other countries, including New Zealand.
A group of men watch on from the sideline. An old man with a loose jacket and cap hunkers with a cigarette on a doorstep. Two others sit in silent companionship, one with a walking stick. We eat newly baked bread in the square and then split into groups of four - each with a hostess. I'm with Doug, Patsy and Hannah.
Our hostess leads us towards her house. She is tall and dark in a purple dress and red scarf; confident, smiling and warm-hearted. But she can't speak English and the best we can manage is "Gunaydin" (good morning) and "Cok sagol" (thank you very much) which we cling to like lost swimmers to driftwood.
There is some communication by signs and body language as we settle in for lunch but also some light-hearted chat between ourselves about what's happening, safe in the knowledge we can't be understood. That probably goes both ways - she is joined by two older women of her family who chuckle and chatter while they watch us.
It's a very friendly atmosphere, though. We have been warned that it is considered impolite not to finish your food but there is so much of it - home-made yoghurt, borek pastry with potatoes, dolma stuffed grape leaves, eggplant cigirtma, olives and local wine. This becomes humorous when Doug gets a second helping of tarhana soup when he is trying to indicate he has had enough.
We try to establish the family relationship between the trio.
Our hostess shows us pictures of her husband and son (they are away at work and school) and takes us around her humble home. We take photos and video of the three women and of all of us. She writes down her name - Nurgul Simsek.
It's an occasion none of us will forget.
It inevitably sits uncomfortably between being too amateurish and too organised or unspontaneous. A translator would have helped us understand and learn but would also have diluted the magic.
As much as I'm enjoying it, I'm starting to feel uneasy. This is all one-way - the four of us taking and giving nothing in return.
As we walk back towards the square I think of what I can give her and remember the $10 note. It's not of any practical use in this place but I get it out and show Nurgul that it is from New Zealand and try to indicate that's where I'm from. This is me and this is my way of showing respect to you and marking a small bond.
CHECKLIST
Getting there: Emirates has flights between Auckland and Istanbul.
Details: The Demircidere village visit is one of Trafalgar's Be My Guest experiences, where guests can dine with locals in their homes. Trafalgar is offering a number of holidays featuring Turkey in 2015 including the eight-day Highlights of Turkey, the 14-day Best of Turkey and 15-day small group Secrets of Turkey.
The writer travelled to Turkey courtesy of Trafalgar and Emirates.
