Turkey - part 3

Welcome to part 3 of my travels. When I left off last I was in Cappadocia and was about to head off on a three day tour to eastern Turkey. Well, now I'm still in Cappadocia, but have had some good adventures since.

The tour started off well. I was picked up from my hostel (where I slept in a cave room) and we hit the road almost immediately. Our destination was the town of Kahta at the foot of Mount Nemrut, some 600km to the east. Back home this would take about 6 hours, but on Turkish roads in took about 10, including several stops along the way.

The first was at a Caravansarai - an ancient trading post set up along the silk road. It was in a dusty town and the locals were clearly as curious to see us - a mixture of Asians and Caucasians - as we were to see the Caravansarai. It was a dusty little town and I wasn't all that impressed with the trading post, but I can say that accomodations for travellers have improved immensely in the past 500+ years, and I'm
ever-so greatful for that.

The rest of the drive to Kahta was spent driving through the impressive Taurus mountains. We stopped once at a scenic viewpoint, and another time to try
"world famous" Mado ice cream. It tasted like regular ice cream but had to be eaten with a knife and fork because it was so thick.

We arrived in Kahta at about 7pm, checked into the hotel, had dinner, and were told we'd be woken up 4:15am in order to catch the sunrise from the top of Mount Nemrut. Unfortunately I was awake even earlier with a massive stomach ache and dizziness. None the less, I was in the mini-bus at 4:30, ready to be driven up the mountain. It was cold and rainy and the road up the mountain was clouded in fog. At times you couldn't see more than 10 feet ahead. The road twisted its way up and up, almost all the way to the top. We jumped out into the cold rain, and ran right into a nearby tea shack, hoping things would improve. Clearly there would be no sunrise on this morning.

Mt. Nemrut is the site of King Aniochus I burial tomb. Its the highest mountain in south-eastern Turkey and about 2000 years ago, at the top he had giant statues erected to the Gods, with one of himself alongside, probably with the assumption he would be joining them upon his death. Over the years the heads of the statues fell off and they now lie on the ground next to them. The site is quite impressive. Unfortunately, the thunder storm raging around us slightly dampened the
experience (pun intended). We explored the top of the mountain and then retreated back to the tea shack to warm up. We later found out that a Japanese tourist
had been struck by lightning shortly after we left the top.

By the time we left to drive back down things had cleared up and we were treated to splendid views of the surrounding mountains and valleys. We stopped for breakfast then drove off to Sanliurfa, near the Syrian border. Sanliurfa's claim to fame is that its the birthplace of the prophet Abraham and where monotheism was born over 4,000 years ago. Its an important pilgrimage sight and people come from all over to pay their respects. The old part of the city was very nice and the bazaar was fascinating because it is actually used by the locals, as opposed to the one in Istanbul, which is pretty much tourists only.

The next day was spent driving back to Cappadocia, with a few uneventful stops along the way. We got back Saturday evening, I checked in to the hostel and pretty much went straight to bed. Sunday was spent lazing around and yesterday I took a tour to the more remote parts of Cappadocia. We visited an underground city where Christians would hide out to avoid attacking Arabs and Persians. It went seven levels underground and people were clearly all very short back then because I spent most of my time doing the duck walk. After the underground city we went for a very pleasant hike in the Ihlara Valley - a very deep Gorge with a river running through it.

I also met a few people on the tour and last night we went out for a very faux-Turkish evening. After a meal of Lamb kebab (about my 20th kebab of the trip), we went to a local bar and ordered glasses of raki (like Sambuca, but better), and a water pipe. I got a nice little buzz going and at about 11 I went back to my room to sleep. And that I did, not waking up until 9:30 this morning.

Tonight I'm heading off down to the coast where I'm hoping to catch a late-year beach holiday. I'll be staying in a treehouse hostel in Olympos.

Turkey - part 2

I hope you're all well. Personally, I'm doing great and couldn't be happier. So far Turkey has been treating me great. The weather has been amazing (over 20 every day), and life is good.

Much has happened since I last wrote. I believe I was in Istanbul then. Now I'm in Capadoccia, pretty much smack in the middle of the country. The scenery here
is amazing, with kodak moments at almost every turn. But that will wait, first back to Istanbul.

The rest of my stay in Istanbul was great. I spent my time seeing the sights, walking the streets, eating the food, and even getting a taste of the nightlife. I
visited Topkapi palace, where many Ottoman Sultans lived it up, and left the treasures behind to show it. There were rooms fool of Chinese pottery, several
dedicated to priceless jewels, and a collection of memorabilia from the Prophet Mohammed. I also took in the archeological museum, showing off the ancient
finds throughout the empire. Most impressive of all was Alexander's tomb - quite possibly the most impressive sarcophogus ever. Also, unlike many other
museums of its ilk, this one actually displayed the skeletal remains of the pharoahs, not just their tombs.

Walking around Istanbul is how you really experience it. I took a stroll through one park where couples were making out on every bench - it was slightly
awkward. Elsewhere, women went almost unseen. One night we got taken out to a pretty shitty club with a Turkish band doing really cheesy covers like "Sex Bomb" and "I Will Survive". Downstairs they played bad hip-hop, but it was interesting watching the kids socialize. It looked much like any club back home. It was incredibly expensive though and I left before the band played the Blues Brothers medley. Ah well.

I must make mention of the great people I met at the hostel. Mostly they were Aussies or Canucks, but there was also a Swede, several Kiwis, and one guy from Iceland. I spent one day wandering about the downtown area with Chris, one of Canada's top figure skaters. And, on my last day, I was accompanied up the Bosphorous by two lovely and entertaining Australian girls. The views from an ancient fortress to the Black Sea and back to Istanbul were amazing. The greasy fish lunch was not so good.

Now I'm in Capadoccia. Getting here was an adventure. I was able to get a cheap flight out here, which I jumped at because I hate taking 12 hour overnight bus
rides, and the price difference was worth it. Unfortunately I decided to leave on the day after Ramazan ended, which is a hug holiday here. The tram out to the airport was absolutely jam packed. I watched five by before giving up and forking over for a taxi. Suddenly the trip wasn't so cheap. I spent the night in a dingy hotel (without hot water) in Kayseri before heading to Goreme, where I am now, having arrived yesterday at noon.

Goreme is a gem of a place and its no surprise there's almost more hotels and pensions here than homes. Its hard to describe the landscape. Its somewhat
mountainous and very dry but what makes it really stick out are the valleys filled with "fairy chimneys" - strange rock pinnacles that dot the landscape and
also provide shelter for many people. The room I'm in right now is actually inside one. Yesterday I took a hike around "Love Valley", which simply provided a
taste of things to come.

Today I walked over to the Open Air Museum, which consists of a series of churches, some a thousand years old, cut into the rocks. Most were decorated with frescoes, some of which have stood up quite well over time. Strangely, when the Ottomans took over the area they decided to scratch out the eyes of all the paintings, for some reason pertaining to Islam.

After that I rented a mountain bike and took off to explore the surrounding area. I stuck mostly to the main roads, but took the opportunity to duck into
valleys filled with fairy chimneys when possible. I also managed to take a nearly disastrous wrong turn on the way back. I though the dirt road I followed would
take me down into the valley but instead it simply ended at a cliff - with 30 foot drops to either side. Grudgingly I dragged my bike back up the hill to the
main road and cruised back into town the easy way. On the brightside, I did see a fox, and the views were amazing.

Tomorrow I'm taking a tour to Mt. Nemrut to see these: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nemrut_%28mountain%29
It's a three day affair and the itinerary seems quite exhausting, but the price is right and they keep staring at me from the cover of my Lonely Planet, so I feel it necessary to see it while I'm here.

Turkey - Part 1

As the subject says, I'm in Istanbul right now. I arrived yesterday afternoon, after a really nice four day stay in London. I stayed with my aunt who provided excellent hospitality and pointed me out to places I haven't been to before. After spending the first day sleeping and getting over jetlag, I spent the next few days wandering about the city, checking out various markets, and making a stop at the British Museum, that great monument to the splendours of empire. I met some old friends at the Tate Modern to try out the new exhibit - a giant slide, and went for drinks at the oldest pubs in the city. My last night there was also spent out sampling the night life, before trekking across the city to the bus station, making my way out to the airport and catching a 6:15am flight to Istanbul.

Istanbul is a very impressive city. The drive into the centre revealed a city that has grown a bit too fast for its own good, but is still very impressive. Despite being a Muslim city, the downtown area could have been anywhere in Europe. The fashions were the same, and the stores included many western chains.

It was only as I made my way to my hostel in the old city that I realized what makes Istanbul so great. The walk took me over the Golden Horn, with great views
around the city and over the Bosphorous. Then, it passed right in between the Aya Sofya and the Blue Mosque, two of the most impressive sights I've ever seen. The hostel I'm at is really comfortable with a great lounge on the top floor and a patio overlooking the old city.

I woke up this morning for a decent breakfast and then found a couple of fellow hostellers and headed off to the Spice Bazaar and then the Grand Bazaar. Shopping in Turkey is an experience unto itself. Bargaining is part of the fun, and what makes it such an experience. You never take the first offer, and walking away can often bring you the price you want. Both Bazaar's have hundred's of boutiques selling mostly the same stuff - spices, tea, rugs, hookahs and more. I haven't bought anything yet, but I think I have a good idea what it takes to get the best deal.

On the way home I stopped off at the Aya Sofya and went inside. It was originally a church, then a mosque and is now a museum. A giant scaffold scarred the inside, but it was still incredibly impressive. The shere size of the building is breathtaking and the mosaics and murals show a really interesting mix of Christian and Muslim imagery.