Saturday, October 13, 2012
Monday, October 8, 2012
The trip back home
Our flight from Ismir, Turkey was pleasant and trouble free. We caught a cab from the airport to our hotel because it was the only option due to the hotel's location. After we were settled in our cab, the driver busted out a package of cookies and handed a stack to Tom and I, took a stack for himself, and off we went (come on now, when is the last time you had a taxi driver share cookies with you?). As we approached the hotel the traffic became unbelievable! It was after 7pm and it was still full on rush hour. Our taxi driver suddenly pulled over into a shopping center parking lot, looked at me and said"I will take you", and jumped out of the car. Tom asked we "where is the hotel?" I told him the driver would take us, and we jumped out, grabbed our packs and followed the driver. We dashed through the rush hour traffic, trying to keep up as he took us up a hill, around a corner and down the street to our hotel. He set down our bags he had helped carry, took his fee, and left. Talk about curbside service!
Our last night in Turkey, and we had Turkish Lira left in our pockets... What to do? First, We ate dinner at our hotel. It was this funky, fresh, totally hip and cool hotel with a good little restaurant in it. After dinner we went out to walk the streets and see what we could find. We ended up at a huge, 4 story outlet mall. The moment we walked in I spied a shoe store with a boot display on the next level down. We wandered the top floor looking in the windows of all the American brand name stores and then we went down to the next level where the boots were... I know you know the end of this tale... Tom shopped for some sunglasses, with no luck before we went to look at boots. I'll spare you the details but will tell you that I ended up with the cutest pair of half boots! They were a bargain at 99.90Turkish Lira (about$50.) and it was fate that we meet because I had exactly 100 Turkish Lira in my wallet that needed to be spent.
The trip home was long and exhausting with two trips through TSA (Turkish equivalent) and then two trips through the German equivalent in Munich (they take security VERY seriously in both places). Plus we had passport control at each place, and that was BEFORE we re entered the US. Two hours from Turkey to Germany, 9.5 from Germany to New Jersey, and then a final 6 from Jersey to Cali. Like I said, exhausting. However, we arrived home safely (thanks for the pick up Vince!).
I am busy trying to re adjust to Pacific time. Tom is great at adapting due to his odd work schedule, I however, suck at it. My goal is to stay up past 8:30 tonight.
Our next destination is uncertain at this point.... Wherever we end up is bound to be full of adventure though! (And I am ready to go anytime, just let me get a nap!)
Our last night in Turkey, and we had Turkish Lira left in our pockets... What to do? First, We ate dinner at our hotel. It was this funky, fresh, totally hip and cool hotel with a good little restaurant in it. After dinner we went out to walk the streets and see what we could find. We ended up at a huge, 4 story outlet mall. The moment we walked in I spied a shoe store with a boot display on the next level down. We wandered the top floor looking in the windows of all the American brand name stores and then we went down to the next level where the boots were... I know you know the end of this tale... Tom shopped for some sunglasses, with no luck before we went to look at boots. I'll spare you the details but will tell you that I ended up with the cutest pair of half boots! They were a bargain at 99.90Turkish Lira (about$50.) and it was fate that we meet because I had exactly 100 Turkish Lira in my wallet that needed to be spent.
The trip home was long and exhausting with two trips through TSA (Turkish equivalent) and then two trips through the German equivalent in Munich (they take security VERY seriously in both places). Plus we had passport control at each place, and that was BEFORE we re entered the US. Two hours from Turkey to Germany, 9.5 from Germany to New Jersey, and then a final 6 from Jersey to Cali. Like I said, exhausting. However, we arrived home safely (thanks for the pick up Vince!).
I am busy trying to re adjust to Pacific time. Tom is great at adapting due to his odd work schedule, I however, suck at it. My goal is to stay up past 8:30 tonight.
Our next destination is uncertain at this point.... Wherever we end up is bound to be full of adventure though! (And I am ready to go anytime, just let me get a nap!)
Chew your ice cream!
In certain areas of Turkey, they specialize in an ice cream which includes an ingredient different than other ice creams. It is a thickener obtained from an orchid plant called Masas (mar resch). It makes the ice cream chewy and it also melts more slowly than average ice cream (Dondurma). Maras Dondurma , yum!
Random observations on:
Hungary and our experiences with the Hungarian people:
Public transportation is efficient but very dated
They know how to make cabbage taste amazing!
Their cuisine is delicious
Toilet paper.... Remember the brown paper towels you used in your grade school? 'Nuff said.
Hungarian people were nice to us and especially outside of Budapest, not overly accustomed to Americans
We felt very safe here, and didn't worry about our "stuff" at all
Hungarians love their techno music
Romania and our experiences with the Romanian people:
Very inexpensive (we talked abut the possibility of retiring here and living like kings!)
Wow, trains come in two styles: old, and really old
When you use the bathroom on a train, it's an open hole... You can see the tracks go by
Countryside full of people who live very simply
Industrious people who forage in the wild for walnuts, blackberries and raspberries and then sell them for their income
Toilet paper: a red shop towel's country cousin
Crazy drivers
Most Romanians, especially those not involved in tourism weren't really familiar with the United States
Romanians favorite music? Techno. Car radios, buses, taxis, restaurants... It's everywhere.
Bulgaria and our experiences with the Bulgarian people:
Great fresh salads
See "bathrooms on trains" in Romania section. The same is true in Bulgaria
Cyrillic alphabet: Challenging at first but easy to recognize letters after awhile
Crazy drivers 2
Shopska salad (cucumbers, tomatoes, green onions, parsley and Bulgarian feta) simple but so delicious
If you marry a Bulgarian woman, be prepared for her to have a better mustache than you in her later years. (they would make Tom Selleck in his Magnum PI days envious)
Street markets are exactly what they sound like... Produce for sale lying on the sidewalks and street, maybe hanging out of a bag
Ok, I know you will sense a theme here, but Bulgarians favorite music? Yup. Techno.
Turkey and our experiences with the Turkish people:
We love turkey! It's beautiful and welcoming
The Turkish people as a whole have a fantastic sense of humor
Extremely kind people
They will go out of their way to be helpful
Very patriotic. The only place I have been where you see the flag displayed more is Greece
I came to love the call to prayer. 5x per day and I will miss it
Apples, pears, pomegranates, olives, figs, pistachios, walnuts, are all trees you see growing in orchards, backyards and wild
Cotton fields, potatoes, pumpkins (for seeds only)
Street food everywhere you go: fresh squeezed juices, roasted chestnuts, roasting corn, pineapple slices, kepbaps
Everyone is referred to as "my friend"
Carpet salesmen really do exist... In great numbers...everything you have ever heard is true
Their drivers make Romanian and Bulgarian drivers look like grandma out for a Sunday drive
I will dream about their yogurt
Turkish (squat) toilets. Roll up your pants and get over it because they are everywhere
From sales people to people on the street in a neighborhood would frequently call Tom "sir" and not address me at all
Turkish music? Surprise!! They listen to music that sounds like what you'd expect traditional Turkish music to sound like.... Oh, and equally popular... TECHNO!
Random experiences from our trip
Man from Moscow: one morning at the hostel in Varna, Budapest I met a man from Moscow. He asked where we were from and I responded United States. He looked shocked and said "no!". Yes. "I didn't think you would stay in a hostel. All American's are very rich" I laughed, thinking he was joking. He seemed offended that I would laugh and asked "so, you aren't a millionaire?" No, I'm not a millionaire. "I thought all americans were millionaires." (he looked pretty dismayed about this bit of misinformation) We chatted for a few more minutes about our desire to go to St. Petersburg and to St. Basil's and about the areas of Russia he thought we should visit. Actually chatted is the wrong word because it was the most intense, difficult conversation I have ever had with a stranger. I was exhausted when it was over. The man was very intense and confrontational.
Ever thought about learning Chinese?: we met a British man who's is living in China, working as a translator. He was part of the group we spent the day with castle touring in Romania. I asked him about his desire to learn Chinese and he said "lot's of people in China speak English. Not very many English speaking people speak Chinese. They can understand us but we can't understand what they are saying. I don't think that's a good thing." Hmn... There's food for thought....
At the fortress in Rasnov, Romania we were listening to a guide talk about the history off to one side of a building. When we were ready to go into the fortress we walked around the building to the ticket taker..... Well where the ticket taker should have been... Instead, he was standing off to the side, uh... Relieving himself. He realized he was caught (by a group of about 11 people). He laughed, zipped up and walked over to take our tickets. Yes please, urinate in public, don't wash your hands, then rip my ticket and hand it back to me. Nice.
"Let us know when you are coming and we will pick you up at the bus stop" doesn't mean the same thing in Turkey that it means to us. In Turkey what it means is some guy comes and says "follow me" and walks off down the road.
You follow, trying to catch up with your 30 lb pack on your back, camera bag in your arms, trying to dodge the cars intent on running you down as they speed past. One time I got lucky. The guy picked up Tom's pack to carry it and Tom told him to carry mine instead. When the guy put mine on he struggled and grunted and I was surprised that my pack could be so much heavier than Tom's. once at our hotel our assistant tried to get my pack off and couldn't. That's when I realized he had struggled at the station because my pack is fitted for a girl, not a fit 20 year old guy ;)
I swear! I only went in for directions!
I stepped in to a store to ask for directions to the bus station. Only one woman in the store spoke any English and she was on the phone. I had a little down time so why not try on that pair of boots?? By the time she got off the phone I was the proud owner of a pair of cut out boots that all the Bulgarian girls were wearing. The European holiday/boot tradition continues! (By the way, the woman's English did not extend to understanding what BUS meant. Even when I acted out driving with a giant steering wheel!)
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
"I can't stop touching myself!"
10.3.12
This is our last day in Selcuk and our flight tomorrow is an early one.
We decided to spend part of our last morning here getting Tom a real Turkish shave. Tum (pronounced Tom), the owner of our hostel promised to show Tom the best barber in town. We went to the barber and the barber was told in Turkish to give Tom the works. There was one man ahead of him so they brought us apple tea while we waited. This is something that is always done here, guests being provided with an apple tea. After our tea it was Tom's turn and he received a soaping with an old fashioned shaving brush, followed by a shave with a straight razor. The barber shaved is face and his head and then he lit a tiny "wand" on fire and burned off some ear hair (yes, really). He then trimmed nose hairs and put several tonics and lotions on his head and face, which he followed up with a head, neck and back massage... All for 10 tl (equivalent to $5.00). Tom gave him 20 tl! On the way back to the hostel Tom went on and on about how smooth he was. When we reached the hostel he turned to me and said. " I'm so smooth, I can't stop touching myself" (tee, hee!)
After the shave we checked in for our flight and then went out to visit the Isa Bey Mosque, had lunch and then headed out to catch our shuttle that will take us to the airport for our one hour flight to Istanbul.
This is our last day in Selcuk and our flight tomorrow is an early one.
We decided to spend part of our last morning here getting Tom a real Turkish shave. Tum (pronounced Tom), the owner of our hostel promised to show Tom the best barber in town. We went to the barber and the barber was told in Turkish to give Tom the works. There was one man ahead of him so they brought us apple tea while we waited. This is something that is always done here, guests being provided with an apple tea. After our tea it was Tom's turn and he received a soaping with an old fashioned shaving brush, followed by a shave with a straight razor. The barber shaved is face and his head and then he lit a tiny "wand" on fire and burned off some ear hair (yes, really). He then trimmed nose hairs and put several tonics and lotions on his head and face, which he followed up with a head, neck and back massage... All for 10 tl (equivalent to $5.00). Tom gave him 20 tl! On the way back to the hostel Tom went on and on about how smooth he was. When we reached the hostel he turned to me and said. " I'm so smooth, I can't stop touching myself" (tee, hee!)
After the shave we checked in for our flight and then went out to visit the Isa Bey Mosque, had lunch and then headed out to catch our shuttle that will take us to the airport for our one hour flight to Istanbul.
A diverse day
10.2.12
We spent our first full day in Selcuk riding dolmuses. A dolmus is a minibus which is the main form of transportation around here. We took the first dolmus to a town called Tire (Teer uh) which has a huge once a week market. I thoroughly enjoy a good local market. I like to discover fruits and veg that I have never seen before and mixing with the locals in this environment is always fun. As we entered the market we ran into an Italian couple we handmade friends with while waiting for a shuttle the day before (I got to practice my Italian!). They were staying in the same town that we were, but we were all in the market town 50 minutes away!!! (can you hear It a Small World playing again?) At the market I was quite the hit with my camera. Lots of people wanted to pose for me and demanded I take their picture. One guy even asked if I was the Paparazzi! Someone else asked me to make him famous. We bought a few souvenirs and only fruit and freshly roasted garbanzo beans that we could eat as we walked.
After the market we took another dolmus to the beach at Pamucak. It is on the Aegean and it gave me the opportunity to swim in a sea that I have already swum in, but in a new location. I collected my sand and we were off for Ephesus.
Ephesus is the big daddy of ancient Roman ruins. I have been to many ruin sites, in various forms of completeness and repair and I have NEVER seen anything like this before! The sheer magnitude and size of the place blew me away. It has more statues and carvings of things (rather than mostly marble columns) than I have previously seen, and the size of the theater and the streets was almost incomprehensible. You can imagine that Tom and I had a photography field day! There were also many, many attention hungry cats running around and lounging on marble slabs, so Tom enjoyed that too. After that it was a delicious dinner and then bed. Seems to be our routine because we are absolutely exhausted at the end of every day. This traveling thing ain't for sissies :)
We spent our first full day in Selcuk riding dolmuses. A dolmus is a minibus which is the main form of transportation around here. We took the first dolmus to a town called Tire (Teer uh) which has a huge once a week market. I thoroughly enjoy a good local market. I like to discover fruits and veg that I have never seen before and mixing with the locals in this environment is always fun. As we entered the market we ran into an Italian couple we handmade friends with while waiting for a shuttle the day before (I got to practice my Italian!). They were staying in the same town that we were, but we were all in the market town 50 minutes away!!! (can you hear It a Small World playing again?) At the market I was quite the hit with my camera. Lots of people wanted to pose for me and demanded I take their picture. One guy even asked if I was the Paparazzi! Someone else asked me to make him famous. We bought a few souvenirs and only fruit and freshly roasted garbanzo beans that we could eat as we walked.
After the market we took another dolmus to the beach at Pamucak. It is on the Aegean and it gave me the opportunity to swim in a sea that I have already swum in, but in a new location. I collected my sand and we were off for Ephesus.
Ephesus is the big daddy of ancient Roman ruins. I have been to many ruin sites, in various forms of completeness and repair and I have NEVER seen anything like this before! The sheer magnitude and size of the place blew me away. It has more statues and carvings of things (rather than mostly marble columns) than I have previously seen, and the size of the theater and the streets was almost incomprehensible. You can imagine that Tom and I had a photography field day! There were also many, many attention hungry cats running around and lounging on marble slabs, so Tom enjoyed that too. After that it was a delicious dinner and then bed. Seems to be our routine because we are absolutely exhausted at the end of every day. This traveling thing ain't for sissies :)
It's a great day when you don't end up in handcuffs!
10.1.12
We arrived in Selcuck and dropped our bags so we could go out and see the town. We had some directions from Gabi, one of the owners of our hostel and first on our list was the remains of a roman aqueduct. After that we headed toward the old church and mosque for some sunset photos. As we approached St. John's church a man walked up and told us he would show us the perfect , most beautiful spot to take pictures from. He led us in the direction that someone ha already pointed us in a few blocks back. Aldo and I introduced ourselves and he told me he was a worker excavating at the church. We chatted as Tom trailed behind taking pictures. Aldo told me all about the history of the church and pointed out the great view of the castle on the hill. I took some pictures as Tom caught up to us and I introduced them. Aldo had just told me since we were such a nice couple he would take us into the church and show us where he was working. He told me it wouldn't open to the public for a year. Awesome opportunity! I called to Tom to follow as we climbed rocks and over narrow ledges and down a rocky incline and suddenly.... Gorgeous views, picturesque sunset views over this ruined church. Tom and I were snapping away as Aldo hurried us around. I was wishing for more time to shoot but after all, this guy was doing us a favor even bringing us in so I didn't feel like I could ask for more of his time. Finally he said, would you like some time alone in here to take pictures? Uh, sure.... He had mentioned earlier that we might give him a little something for his trouble so when he mentioned again at this point that ticket prices were 25 lira each so that was 50 lira total, I started seeing the red flags. Tm said he would give him 20 lira, did he have change for a 50? At this point Aldo got a little sketchy and insisted on the 50 so Tom went ahead and gave it to him. Aldo left saying if we needed him he would be out front. Tm confirmed where the exit was and after Aldo left Tom turned to me and said "I don't think we are supposed to be in here". I agreed, and we kept taking pictures as we headed toward the exit area. I started to worry the police might meet us at the exit or something. I was pretty sure we were going to end up in handcuffs at about the time we saw the official looking guy come toward us with a big frown on his face. As we approached he asked when we had come in and we told him. He asked if we came in the entrance and had a ticket..... Uh, no... And we told him about Aldo. He frowned again, said he understood and shooed us out the exit.... Phew!!! Clean getaway and no handcuffs or uncomfortable time in a Turkish prison(Hi Shaney!) We agreed we had been stupid tourists and could see all the inconsistencies in hindsight, but.... Totally cool that we got to be in this awesome church alone at sunset without a crowd of people in our pictures!!!! So worth the 50 lira ($25.00)
On the way back to our hostel we had dinner and I went to buy I dress I had seen earlier. Tm got a Nargile pipe across the street while he waited for me. When I walked out of the store Tom called to me, " look who it is!" It was out friend Matt who we had met three days before in another town half way across Turkey! ( everybody sing.... It's a small work after all, it's a small world after all!)
We arrived in Selcuck and dropped our bags so we could go out and see the town. We had some directions from Gabi, one of the owners of our hostel and first on our list was the remains of a roman aqueduct. After that we headed toward the old church and mosque for some sunset photos. As we approached St. John's church a man walked up and told us he would show us the perfect , most beautiful spot to take pictures from. He led us in the direction that someone ha already pointed us in a few blocks back. Aldo and I introduced ourselves and he told me he was a worker excavating at the church. We chatted as Tom trailed behind taking pictures. Aldo told me all about the history of the church and pointed out the great view of the castle on the hill. I took some pictures as Tom caught up to us and I introduced them. Aldo had just told me since we were such a nice couple he would take us into the church and show us where he was working. He told me it wouldn't open to the public for a year. Awesome opportunity! I called to Tom to follow as we climbed rocks and over narrow ledges and down a rocky incline and suddenly.... Gorgeous views, picturesque sunset views over this ruined church. Tom and I were snapping away as Aldo hurried us around. I was wishing for more time to shoot but after all, this guy was doing us a favor even bringing us in so I didn't feel like I could ask for more of his time. Finally he said, would you like some time alone in here to take pictures? Uh, sure.... He had mentioned earlier that we might give him a little something for his trouble so when he mentioned again at this point that ticket prices were 25 lira each so that was 50 lira total, I started seeing the red flags. Tm said he would give him 20 lira, did he have change for a 50? At this point Aldo got a little sketchy and insisted on the 50 so Tom went ahead and gave it to him. Aldo left saying if we needed him he would be out front. Tm confirmed where the exit was and after Aldo left Tom turned to me and said "I don't think we are supposed to be in here". I agreed, and we kept taking pictures as we headed toward the exit area. I started to worry the police might meet us at the exit or something. I was pretty sure we were going to end up in handcuffs at about the time we saw the official looking guy come toward us with a big frown on his face. As we approached he asked when we had come in and we told him. He asked if we came in the entrance and had a ticket..... Uh, no... And we told him about Aldo. He frowned again, said he understood and shooed us out the exit.... Phew!!! Clean getaway and no handcuffs or uncomfortable time in a Turkish prison(Hi Shaney!) We agreed we had been stupid tourists and could see all the inconsistencies in hindsight, but.... Totally cool that we got to be in this awesome church alone at sunset without a crowd of people in our pictures!!!! So worth the 50 lira ($25.00)
On the way back to our hostel we had dinner and I went to buy I dress I had seen earlier. Tm got a Nargile pipe across the street while he waited for me. When I walked out of the store Tom called to me, " look who it is!" It was out friend Matt who we had met three days before in another town half way across Turkey! ( everybody sing.... It's a small work after all, it's a small world after all!)
Cappodocia region tour
9.29.12
On our agenda for today was what is referred to around here as the green tour. We usually aren't the tour type (at all) but in this area all of the locations we went to were all remote and far from each other so public transportation wasn't an option.We boarded are minibus and were introduced to Ezra, our tour guide, and Apfel, our driver. We had a full day of sightseeing and driving through the Turkish countryside surrounding the region known as Cappodocia (Cap a doe key a). We are staying in a town named Goreme (Gor em a). Our tour first took us to an overlook of the area and then on to an underground city named Derinkuyu. The city was first built and inhabited around the 4th century. All of the methods to protect themselves from the enemy, in addition to living underground, were very interesting.
After the underground city we went for a 4 kilometer walk along a gorgeous river in the Ihlara Valley. We saw Agakahli Church (under the tree) an ancient church and lots of beautiful scenery. We would have never known about it on our own. Along the river we came upon the cutest restaurant where we stopped to rest and put our feet in the river. There were tables and chairs and also benches and short tables in the middle of the river! Really clever and so relaxing. After our rest we walked until we reached the restaurant where we were scheduled to have lunch. Through out the day we met a few really nice people. One was a guy named Matt, from the US but living in Paris. Another was a woman named Jeanne, also from the US, living in Nice, France. We chatted throughout the day and got to know one another. We also really enjoyed Ezra, our guide and she and I got along famously. As soon as she realized I was interested in anything she had to share with me, she began to fill me in on all types of things. We discussed everything from why she and her boyfriend can't marry right now (Turkish men traditionally serve their time in the army before they marry and they don't want him to serve right now during these troubled times) to the most important crops to the area (potatoes and pumpkin seeds). We really enjoyed each other's company, and she graciously gave up her front seat for me. After the lunch we boarded the tour bus again and went to Selime Monastery carved into the rocks. The monastery is incredible and very beautiful. The people in charge of location searches for the first Star Wars movie chose the view of the town from the monastery to copy and build a replica of in Tunisia where they shot the movie. Following the monastery we stopped at Pigeon Valley to see the centuries old pigeon houses carved into the cliffs. (Farmers have used pigeon poop as fertilizer and the eggs for paint for centuries). The tour ended with a tour at the onyx factory and a sales pitch for jewelry they sold there (a very fun day despite this part).
We said good bye to our new friends and rushed back from the tour so we could shower and catch the night bus to our next destination, Pamukkale.
On our agenda for today was what is referred to around here as the green tour. We usually aren't the tour type (at all) but in this area all of the locations we went to were all remote and far from each other so public transportation wasn't an option.We boarded are minibus and were introduced to Ezra, our tour guide, and Apfel, our driver. We had a full day of sightseeing and driving through the Turkish countryside surrounding the region known as Cappodocia (Cap a doe key a). We are staying in a town named Goreme (Gor em a). Our tour first took us to an overlook of the area and then on to an underground city named Derinkuyu. The city was first built and inhabited around the 4th century. All of the methods to protect themselves from the enemy, in addition to living underground, were very interesting.
After the underground city we went for a 4 kilometer walk along a gorgeous river in the Ihlara Valley. We saw Agakahli Church (under the tree) an ancient church and lots of beautiful scenery. We would have never known about it on our own. Along the river we came upon the cutest restaurant where we stopped to rest and put our feet in the river. There were tables and chairs and also benches and short tables in the middle of the river! Really clever and so relaxing. After our rest we walked until we reached the restaurant where we were scheduled to have lunch. Through out the day we met a few really nice people. One was a guy named Matt, from the US but living in Paris. Another was a woman named Jeanne, also from the US, living in Nice, France. We chatted throughout the day and got to know one another. We also really enjoyed Ezra, our guide and she and I got along famously. As soon as she realized I was interested in anything she had to share with me, she began to fill me in on all types of things. We discussed everything from why she and her boyfriend can't marry right now (Turkish men traditionally serve their time in the army before they marry and they don't want him to serve right now during these troubled times) to the most important crops to the area (potatoes and pumpkin seeds). We really enjoyed each other's company, and she graciously gave up her front seat for me. After the lunch we boarded the tour bus again and went to Selime Monastery carved into the rocks. The monastery is incredible and very beautiful. The people in charge of location searches for the first Star Wars movie chose the view of the town from the monastery to copy and build a replica of in Tunisia where they shot the movie. Following the monastery we stopped at Pigeon Valley to see the centuries old pigeon houses carved into the cliffs. (Farmers have used pigeon poop as fertilizer and the eggs for paint for centuries). The tour ended with a tour at the onyx factory and a sales pitch for jewelry they sold there (a very fun day despite this part).
We said good bye to our new friends and rushed back from the tour so we could shower and catch the night bus to our next destination, Pamukkale.
Monday, October 1, 2012
Pamukkale, Turkey
10.1.12
Wow, five weeks have flown by! Yesterday Tom and I each seemed to reach the "time to go home soon" point at about the same time. We didn't talk about much of anything to do with home for weeks and suddenly our thoughts seemed to have turned that direction... Work, baby showers, weddings, work...
However, we still have three days left here to stuff with more fun! We had an absolutely amazing day yesterday. We arrived from the overnight bus at about 7 am. We went straight to our hotel where we enjoyed their amazing breakfast while we waited for our room to be ready. This homey hotel is run by a friendly and generous family who serve a SPREAD for breakfast. The usual cucumbers, tomatoes and cheeses. Three types of olives (how will I survive with out my 1/2 lb of olives for breakfast every morning???), fresh fruit, three types of homemade jam, breads, cakes, French toast, hard boiled eggs, a selection of cereals,fresh honey, coffee, tea, juices.... Yum. After that breakfast, (and a difficult night on the bus) we needed a rest. Tom took a nap while I hung out by the pool. Mehmet (the owner) gave us a shuttle ride to Heiropolis (ancient Roman ruins, sacred pool and famous travertines) at 2:30. This was the time they recommended as best to avoid the biggest crush of tourists and some of the heat of the day. We meandered through the ruins for a while (good gravy it was HOT), and then headed to the sacred pool which was the spiritual center of Heiropolis, the Temple of Apollo. The pool contains some of the fallen marble columns, plinths, and capitols from the temple. What you have is a bath water warm, calcium laden mineral pool, littered with these bits of Roman architecture, and people swim around and play on them!!! Seriously, how cool is that? As soon as I read about this place while doing my Turkey research, I knew it was jumping right to the top of my " bucket list". Getting to put that on my list and then check it right off was awesome! Really one of those once in a lifetime experiences. After the pool we went straight to the travertines. The travertines are formed by lava heated water (way below the Earth's surface) full of pure white calcium rising to the surface and running down the hillside. This cascading water deposits the calcium and forms these travertines and mineral pools, all of which you can walk on as you head downhill. Amazingly beautiful, and a whole lot of fun, and let's talk about the photo opportunity!!! Mother Nature is pretty amazing!!!
We are relaxing after another wonderful breakfast, but soon it will be time to head to the bus station to catch a bus to a town called Selcuk where we will see the most famous Roman ruins in Turkey, Ephesus. I am hoping for a trip to the beach for a dip in the Aegean while we are there, and then it's back to Istanbul for an overnight before we board our plane home. (insert really sad face here).
I will post pictures as soon as I can. I have run in to problems with that this trip and haven't found a good solution yet. One of the problems is sizing them appropriately for this blog so that important things aren't getting cut off when I post a horizontal picture. Technology.... Love it/hate it!
Wow, five weeks have flown by! Yesterday Tom and I each seemed to reach the "time to go home soon" point at about the same time. We didn't talk about much of anything to do with home for weeks and suddenly our thoughts seemed to have turned that direction... Work, baby showers, weddings, work...
However, we still have three days left here to stuff with more fun! We had an absolutely amazing day yesterday. We arrived from the overnight bus at about 7 am. We went straight to our hotel where we enjoyed their amazing breakfast while we waited for our room to be ready. This homey hotel is run by a friendly and generous family who serve a SPREAD for breakfast. The usual cucumbers, tomatoes and cheeses. Three types of olives (how will I survive with out my 1/2 lb of olives for breakfast every morning???), fresh fruit, three types of homemade jam, breads, cakes, French toast, hard boiled eggs, a selection of cereals,fresh honey, coffee, tea, juices.... Yum. After that breakfast, (and a difficult night on the bus) we needed a rest. Tom took a nap while I hung out by the pool. Mehmet (the owner) gave us a shuttle ride to Heiropolis (ancient Roman ruins, sacred pool and famous travertines) at 2:30. This was the time they recommended as best to avoid the biggest crush of tourists and some of the heat of the day. We meandered through the ruins for a while (good gravy it was HOT), and then headed to the sacred pool which was the spiritual center of Heiropolis, the Temple of Apollo. The pool contains some of the fallen marble columns, plinths, and capitols from the temple. What you have is a bath water warm, calcium laden mineral pool, littered with these bits of Roman architecture, and people swim around and play on them!!! Seriously, how cool is that? As soon as I read about this place while doing my Turkey research, I knew it was jumping right to the top of my " bucket list". Getting to put that on my list and then check it right off was awesome! Really one of those once in a lifetime experiences. After the pool we went straight to the travertines. The travertines are formed by lava heated water (way below the Earth's surface) full of pure white calcium rising to the surface and running down the hillside. This cascading water deposits the calcium and forms these travertines and mineral pools, all of which you can walk on as you head downhill. Amazingly beautiful, and a whole lot of fun, and let's talk about the photo opportunity!!! Mother Nature is pretty amazing!!!
We are relaxing after another wonderful breakfast, but soon it will be time to head to the bus station to catch a bus to a town called Selcuk where we will see the most famous Roman ruins in Turkey, Ephesus. I am hoping for a trip to the beach for a dip in the Aegean while we are there, and then it's back to Istanbul for an overnight before we board our plane home. (insert really sad face here).
I will post pictures as soon as I can. I have run in to problems with that this trip and haven't found a good solution yet. One of the problems is sizing them appropriately for this blog so that important things aren't getting cut off when I post a horizontal picture. Technology.... Love it/hate it!
Friday, September 28, 2012
The Great Scooter Adventure
We rented our scooter, which was delivered to our hotel along with a quick introduction to the operation of said scooter. After Tom took it for a trial spin we jumped on and off we went. We were almost an hour into our ride and we had just made our third or fourth stop (seeing the Fairy chimneys, think Grand Canyon.... Get out, walk around, look, get back in the car, drive a little way, repeat...). We finished getting the overview of an area and jumped on the scooter, drove about 200 yards downhill to the area where we would see close up the things we had just seen from above. When Tom went to turn the scooter off....... No key..... What? How could it be running with no key? Upon closer inspection we realize there is a key... Sort of.... In the ignition is 1/2 of a key. Huh??? We got on the scooter, drove 200 yards and the metal key was somehow broken off in the ignition??? Ya. Try to explain THAT to the rental company. Well, the good news is, we didn't have to. A helpful Turkish man walked up as Tom was fishing in his pocket for the business card from the rental company. The Turkish man took over and called the company, basically told them our key was missing and they jumped on their scooter and rushed over with a new key.
Upon examining the situation the guy (it was a man and woman from the company) bent over and tried to remove the broken off key.... With his teeth ....(no friends, I am not kidding you). When that didn't work (can we all say DUH!) he stood up, said something in Turkish that I am sure was "maybe I had better try pliers" and then proceeded to try his teeth again, just in case the situation had somehow changed. (at this time I ask you to try to picture some guy, bent over the scooter, overthe handle bars, head on the dashboard ((what else would you call it?)) with his mouth on the ignition) Finally he ran off and found a pair of pliers, pulled the key right out, gave us the duplicate, smiled and said goodbye and rode off. Easy peasy.
The Fairy Chimneys of Cappodocia
9.28.12
After dinner last night Tom's and I smoked another Nargile. Tom loved it but the novelty was what made it fun the first time for me. After dinner it was straight home to bed because we had a 5:15 am date with a balloon. That's getting on the shuttle time, not wake up time. That was 4:30.
We shared a small 8 passenger balloon with 5 other people. This was An awesome set up thanks to Yasin, our hotelier. 95 balloons took off with us this morning and almost all of them were large baskets with 30+ people in them. I don't know how you would ever get close to the edge to take a picture or enjoy the peacefulness of the experience. Our pilot was excellent and our landing was perfect, unlike the time we ballooned at home where it was windy and that made for a crazy landing. The entire crowd of balloons was like a well orchestrated dance with balloons trading places flying high and low. It was such a cool view when a balloon in front of us dipped down and we flew directly over the top of it. It looked like a gigantic jelly fish. I have to admit I was a little worried that it would suddenly pop right up and bump the bottom of our balloon, sending us careening into space!
After ballooning we returned to our hotel and had breakfast while deciding on our next adventure. We had tossed around the idea of renting a scooter and that's what we decided on. We followed one of of the suggested routes here to see all of the different types of Fairy Chimneys. At times we were surrounded by tour buses, however many times we had a place almost to ourselves and we had the bonus of being able to come and go as we chose. We saw (and photographed!) some amazing works of nature. We enjoyed lunch at a really cute Turkish styled restaurant that gave me the desire to open a trendy coffee house where people could smoke Nargiles and lounge around on big cushions and drink their Turkish coffee (Tom's new love!) off of low tables.
We are back at the hotel for an hour of R &R before we heads it on the scooter to a high point in town to catch the sunset. We discovered it just a bit too late last night. After dinner it will be another early night after the early wake up call this morning and the busy day.Tomorrow we have a tour scheduled to see some underground cities too difficult to reach without a rental car. We have to check out of our hotel and leave our bags so we will be ready for our overnight bus tomorrow night. We are headed for Pamukkale (southern Turkey) and an adventure I have been especially looking forward to since I heard about it. That's a secret I'll save for later.
After dinner last night Tom's and I smoked another Nargile. Tom loved it but the novelty was what made it fun the first time for me. After dinner it was straight home to bed because we had a 5:15 am date with a balloon. That's getting on the shuttle time, not wake up time. That was 4:30.
We shared a small 8 passenger balloon with 5 other people. This was An awesome set up thanks to Yasin, our hotelier. 95 balloons took off with us this morning and almost all of them were large baskets with 30+ people in them. I don't know how you would ever get close to the edge to take a picture or enjoy the peacefulness of the experience. Our pilot was excellent and our landing was perfect, unlike the time we ballooned at home where it was windy and that made for a crazy landing. The entire crowd of balloons was like a well orchestrated dance with balloons trading places flying high and low. It was such a cool view when a balloon in front of us dipped down and we flew directly over the top of it. It looked like a gigantic jelly fish. I have to admit I was a little worried that it would suddenly pop right up and bump the bottom of our balloon, sending us careening into space!
After ballooning we returned to our hotel and had breakfast while deciding on our next adventure. We had tossed around the idea of renting a scooter and that's what we decided on. We followed one of of the suggested routes here to see all of the different types of Fairy Chimneys. At times we were surrounded by tour buses, however many times we had a place almost to ourselves and we had the bonus of being able to come and go as we chose. We saw (and photographed!) some amazing works of nature. We enjoyed lunch at a really cute Turkish styled restaurant that gave me the desire to open a trendy coffee house where people could smoke Nargiles and lounge around on big cushions and drink their Turkish coffee (Tom's new love!) off of low tables.
We are back at the hotel for an hour of R &R before we heads it on the scooter to a high point in town to catch the sunset. We discovered it just a bit too late last night. After dinner it will be another early night after the early wake up call this morning and the busy day.Tomorrow we have a tour scheduled to see some underground cities too difficult to reach without a rental car. We have to check out of our hotel and leave our bags so we will be ready for our overnight bus tomorrow night. We are headed for Pamukkale (southern Turkey) and an adventure I have been especially looking forward to since I heard about it. That's a secret I'll save for later.
Thursday, September 27, 2012
Safe and sound in Goreme
We arranged our departure from Istanbul with a travel agent because it was right down the street vs. a semi major ordeal by tram. They set us up with a shuttle to the bus station and our overnight bus to Goreme. The shuttle picked us up late and we thought we were the last pick up before the station. Wrong. We picked up a lot more people, six of whom were unexpected. The shuttle was over full and really running late when suddenly a young woman who had just boarded remembered she had left her cell phone battery and charger at her pick up point. The driver very kindly stopped for her and she ran back, however that made us even more late. Then the traffic was terrible so.... We were told we couldn't make our bus (along with all of the other people riding the shuttle) so the shuttle guy informed us he would drive us to the next station so we would have time to get drinks/snacks for the ride and to make a pit stop before boarding the bus. Saved us some time on the long bus ride and we got to experience more of the Turkish kindness I have spoken of.
The night bus was much like the first... Lots of stops to pick up other passengers and then the usual 3-4 hour pit stops. We slept some and arrived in Goreme at about 9am. We called our hotel and they sent a guy to pick us up. We thought he would bring a car but he hoisted my back pack on his back and off we went. It was only a few minutes walk but we appreciated the guidance because we were tired, hungry and feeling directionally challenged. After unpacking and a shower we went to reception to check in and book a tour and confirm our balloon reservation for tomorrow.
After breakfast (brunch?) we spent the afternoon at the open air history museum of Cappodocia. This area is famous for it's "Fairy Chimneys". Rock formations that have houses, churches, businesses... You name it, carved into them. Most importantly, our hotel room is carved into one! It's very cool (literally and figuratively)!!! I will let you know how it feels to sleep in a cave!
The night bus was much like the first... Lots of stops to pick up other passengers and then the usual 3-4 hour pit stops. We slept some and arrived in Goreme at about 9am. We called our hotel and they sent a guy to pick us up. We thought he would bring a car but he hoisted my back pack on his back and off we went. It was only a few minutes walk but we appreciated the guidance because we were tired, hungry and feeling directionally challenged. After unpacking and a shower we went to reception to check in and book a tour and confirm our balloon reservation for tomorrow.
After breakfast (brunch?) we spent the afternoon at the open air history museum of Cappodocia. This area is famous for it's "Fairy Chimneys". Rock formations that have houses, churches, businesses... You name it, carved into them. Most importantly, our hotel room is carved into one! It's very cool (literally and figuratively)!!! I will let you know how it feels to sleep in a cave!
So long Istanbul
9.26.12
We are sitting in another bus station waiting on another night bus. We spent the last 6 days in Istanbul and now we are on our way to Goreme, Cappodocia, Turkey.
We had a great time in Istanbul. Tom is totally in love with the people and the city. He made several friends while we were there and by the time we left they called him brother as they pounded their fists over their hearts. One was a guy who started out by giving Tom a hard time about his hat the first time we walked past his restaurant. Tom was good natured about it and soon they were the best of friends. We had to walk by that restaurant every time we came or went from our hostel, so that meant a minimum of 4 times each day. The two of them greeted each other enthusiastically each time and stopped to chat for a few minutes. Soon Tom was being introduced to his friends. The other was a young guy who pretty much ran the hostel we were in. His uncle owned the place but Redwon was the only one who really spoke English. He and Tom really liked each other and one afternoon we hung out for an hour or so in the hostel common area and chatted with Redwon about the Turkish people. We learned a lot about the way they think and behave. Much of it is of course based on the teachings of the Koran. One of the pillars of the Muslim faith is to help others. We experienced this first hand over and over while in Istanbul. People were constantly offering help to us and instead of pointing in the direction of some location, they would often walk us there or at least walk as far as necessary to be sure we knew where we were going. We really enjoyed and admire the Turkish people as we have experienced them so far.
While in Istanbul we saw the Blue Mosque,the Hagia Sofia the Topkapi Palace (all inside and out). We went to see the cisterns (the ancient underground water supply for all of Istanbul ) and we wandered around the new part of Istanbul which is on the Asian side of the city. We ate/drank great street goodies like fresh squeezed orange juice and fresh squeezed pomegranate juice. We ate Simiti (sort of like a soft round pretzel) and pastries, kepbaps (lamb, cooked right in front of us) and Turkey's special ice cream called "Maras Dondurma" (more on this later).
We took a day off from city life and got on a ferry that took us to the Prince's Islands. They are islands right off Istanbul on the Sea of Marmara. We went to the main island and after enjoying an ear of fresh roasted corn, I went for a swim in the Sea. After my swim (with the jellyfish!) we went and ate lunch at a seaside restaurant. We enjoyed watching the jellyfish and fish swim by, and of course what is island life without a flock of annoying seagulls.
We are anxious to move on to a new destination but this also means we are quickly nearing the end of our travels (for this time). We still have a week left, which is actually 20% of our entire trip, however compared to the time that has passed, it seems so short. I will actually really miss the 5X daily call to prayer from the mosques!
We are sitting in another bus station waiting on another night bus. We spent the last 6 days in Istanbul and now we are on our way to Goreme, Cappodocia, Turkey.
We had a great time in Istanbul. Tom is totally in love with the people and the city. He made several friends while we were there and by the time we left they called him brother as they pounded their fists over their hearts. One was a guy who started out by giving Tom a hard time about his hat the first time we walked past his restaurant. Tom was good natured about it and soon they were the best of friends. We had to walk by that restaurant every time we came or went from our hostel, so that meant a minimum of 4 times each day. The two of them greeted each other enthusiastically each time and stopped to chat for a few minutes. Soon Tom was being introduced to his friends. The other was a young guy who pretty much ran the hostel we were in. His uncle owned the place but Redwon was the only one who really spoke English. He and Tom really liked each other and one afternoon we hung out for an hour or so in the hostel common area and chatted with Redwon about the Turkish people. We learned a lot about the way they think and behave. Much of it is of course based on the teachings of the Koran. One of the pillars of the Muslim faith is to help others. We experienced this first hand over and over while in Istanbul. People were constantly offering help to us and instead of pointing in the direction of some location, they would often walk us there or at least walk as far as necessary to be sure we knew where we were going. We really enjoyed and admire the Turkish people as we have experienced them so far.
While in Istanbul we saw the Blue Mosque,the Hagia Sofia the Topkapi Palace (all inside and out). We went to see the cisterns (the ancient underground water supply for all of Istanbul ) and we wandered around the new part of Istanbul which is on the Asian side of the city. We ate/drank great street goodies like fresh squeezed orange juice and fresh squeezed pomegranate juice. We ate Simiti (sort of like a soft round pretzel) and pastries, kepbaps (lamb, cooked right in front of us) and Turkey's special ice cream called "Maras Dondurma" (more on this later).
We took a day off from city life and got on a ferry that took us to the Prince's Islands. They are islands right off Istanbul on the Sea of Marmara. We went to the main island and after enjoying an ear of fresh roasted corn, I went for a swim in the Sea. After my swim (with the jellyfish!) we went and ate lunch at a seaside restaurant. We enjoyed watching the jellyfish and fish swim by, and of course what is island life without a flock of annoying seagulls.
We are anxious to move on to a new destination but this also means we are quickly nearing the end of our travels (for this time). We still have a week left, which is actually 20% of our entire trip, however compared to the time that has passed, it seems so short. I will actually really miss the 5X daily call to prayer from the mosques!
Sunday, September 23, 2012
Asia
This is the view of the continent of Asia from the rooftop deck of our hostel. We are on the continent of Europe. It's all Istanbul. Europe is the old city and Asia is the new part.
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