Selcuk, Ephasus, and the End of Turkey Tour

We were up the next morning in Selcuk for breakfast, and the. We made our way in the late morning to the small village of Sirince, which was the home of St. John's Basilica.


We had a fruit wine tasting and then walked to a small restaurant at what had to be one of the highest hills in all of Turkey. The view was worth it, and a local woman straight out of central casting made us lunch. Since the local restauranteur cooked over an open fire, we had plenty of time to enjoy the view and each other's company!


After finishing at the village, we headed back to Selcuk and took a look at what remains of another of the seven ancient wonders of the world, the Temple of Artemis. Not much is left, in fact, all that is left is a solitary column, but apparently this place was really something back in the day.


After a quick rest, it was off to Ephesus to meet our local guide, Celine, who was able to tell us all about the ancient city. As we walked through, I clicked a few snaps of the ruins.




















Ephesus was amazing! We walked all through the ruins, and the heat wasn't too bad since it was later in the day when we visited. We also missed most of the people who were visited, as most come from the cruise ships in very large groups, so it was nice to have missed that. After the long walk through Ephesus, we then were treated to a compulsory gift area which sold some interesting items.


Since our driver was too cheap to pay the entrance fee to the car park, we then had to walk another quarter/half mile in the fading heat of the day to the bus. Once we finally got to the bus, we were taken back to the hotel. We enjoyed a dip in the pool and then freshened up for dinner. We split up this night for dinner, as some wanted to visit a hammam and some didn't. Those who wanted to visit the hammam did so after dinner, while the rest of us just had a leisurely dinner and then hung out back at the hotel. Most went to bed early since we had to be checked out of the hotel by 6:10 the following morning to catch the bus to the shuttle to the airport to catch the plane to Istanbul. We boarded our flight and had a short flight (approx. 1 hour) to Istanbul and then were taken to our hotel in Istanbul in the Taksim area of town. We were on our own this last afternoon, and some went to a different palace, but Derek and I went to the Haiga Sofia and the most famous hammam in the world, the Cagaloglu Hamami. It was an interesting and cultural experience. We then met up with the group for our farewell dinner, followed by clubbing at a club called Tekyon. Since I had to leave at 3:30am to catch my 5:50am flight to Frankfurt, I just stayed up, said my goodbyes to the guys at the club, headed back to the hotel, packed up, and then headed straight to the airport. It was a long and fun two weeks, a great trip with a (mostly) great group of guys, and certainly a trip I will never forget! Now back to Shreveport for 6 days before I'm off on the next adventure: Central Asia!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

From Bodrum to Pamukkale to Selcuk

The trip from Bodrum to Selcuk was a long one. The entire trip took nine hours, but did include a stop at the amazing Pamukkale. We were up early and on the road for about four hoursm where we stopped at Pamukkale for lunch and then a trip to the site. Lunch was at a hotel where we had day rooms at our disposal. We ate and then changed for our trip to Pamukkale, which is a calcium rich spring that used to be a Roman resort. We walked up the steep hill, which was coated with the water, and then visited the roman ruins up top.

















It was another hot day, and we wanted to cool off, so when we got back to the hotel earlier than we needed to be, we had a nice float in the pool, showed off our volleyball skills, and then enjoyed an invigorating shower before setting off for the three-and-a-half hour ride to Selcuk. When we arrived at Selcuk it was already dark, and after such a long, hot day, we decided to have dinner at the hotel and hit the sack!


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Kas to Bodrum

We were up early in order to get a head start on another long, hot travel day. The trip to Bodrum took seven hours, which included a stop at a very local restaurant along the way for lunch. It was hot, and the "air conditioning" in the bus was little more than a fan blowing around the hot air...

We eventually arrived in Bodrum and got checked into our hotel, which had a lovely pool that we took advantage of. We got changed and headed to enjoy a drink as the sun set, and then had a delicious dinner. Bodrum used to be called Halicarnassus in ancient times and was home to one of the seven ancient wonders of the world, the Mausoleum of Mausolus, which is now no longer in existence thanks to the crusaders and Knights Templar who decided the stones from the ancient structure would better serve as a castle for them. So they tore it down and made a castle. Thanks, Knights Templar...

We had two full days here of rest and relaxation, and after the hectic travel days and long days we've had in the past week, I took full advantage of. Our days typically started with a sightseeing venture after breakfast, followed by lounging at the pool during the heat of the day. It was hot, hot, hot and there isn't much relief as for whatever reason, the Turks have not quite gotten the latest AC technology. One morning we visited the castle and nearly sweated to death. The castle is now an underwater archeology museum, housing hundreds of artifacts that were discovered from ancient shipwrecks.


After the visit to the castle (and the dungeons, which really disappointed the group...), we headed back to the hotel and ate by poolside. We eventually got fed up with the prices of the drinks at the pool, so we went by a local market and bought some vodka and Cappy, a local fruit-drink-blend. We named the new mixed drink the Turkish Rosebud. They were delicious. Late that afternoon, we ventured out into the heat once more to the local market, which sold every knock-off you could ever want to find. Here is a picture of us returning to the hotel (notice we are all walking in whatever shade we can find).


The following day, the morning activity was a visit to some gay guy's house. Apparently he was the Turkish equivalent to Liberace. I didn't go, as I preferred to sleep and stay out of the ridiculous head. The afternoon activity for some was to head to a local beach, while for others it was another afternoon around the pool enjoying Turkish Rosebuds. The last night in Bodrum was an early one, as we had to be up very early the next morning to hit the road again!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Antalya to Kas

We had a lazy morning in Antalya before our introduction to Turkish public transport. After lunch, we were shuttled in the extreme heat of the day to the bus station, where we boarded a bus destined for Kas (pronounced "cash"). If you had driven straight there with no stops, the trip may have taken three hours. It took us five-and-half...

Once we boarded the bus, we discovered the air condition was not really functioning. It was just blowing the hot air around. Then, we waited and waited around to see if the driver was going to be able to fill the two empty seats in the bus. He didn't, so he left the station and slowly, slowly crept along the streets of Antalya, hoping someone would flag him down. He also took cargo from various people which was delivered to other people who were waiting down the line. Ah, the joys of international travel! To make a long story short: the trip was long and sweaty. At least it gave us time to get to know our fellow passengers better!

When we arrived in Kas, we were dropped at the bus station and then had to walk about 20 minutes in the heat with our bags, uphill, until we reached our hotel. We checked in JUST in time to enjoy the sunset from our balconies, making the long uncomfortable trip worth it!!!


We had dinner at a great local restaurant called Smiley's, where we were treated to great service, and even better food! We had a few drinks and then called it a night after our long travel day!

The following morning, we were up in time to meet a shuttle bus that took us to a nearby town called Kekova in order to catch a boat that was to take us and some other people out into the gorgeous waters off Turkey. We were not able to venture too far from the shores of Turkey, because Greece has several islands not far off the coast, which extends their territorial waters. Although we had to stay in Turkey's territorial waters, we were not disappointed. First, we were taken to a swimming hole where the water was so blue. We found out that the color turquoise actually comes from a French word describing the color of the waters off the coast of Turkey. In a word: gorgeous.


We then were taken to another swimming spot, then had lunch, then were taken to a natural spring that poured frigid, fresh water into the ocean. We braved getting doused with the water by an all-too-eager Turkish girl because we were told it would make us look young! After this experience, we were taken to the site of a sunken city, which no longer stands as a result of an earthquake. The earthquake happened thousands of years ago, and the town sank into the sea.





Seeing the sunken city was a unique experience and made us feel a bit like Indiana Jones exploring a new temple or something!

After the sunken city, they showed us a cave where pirates used to hide out.


Then we were taken to a small island where a castle was built as a lookout hundreds of years ago. We enjoyed some ice cream (which was a welcomed treat, as the day was another scorcher) and the views of the castle.








Afterwards, we were taken to one last swimming hole before we headed back to the van and back to Kas. We enjoyed another meal, drinks, and then bed, as we had another long travel day the following day.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Antalya

We had a light breakfast at the hotel and were given several options of things to do today, as it was a free day. Some of the group decided to visit a local museum and then a Roman amphitheater. Most of us decided to take a boat cruise up the coast to look at a couple of waterfalls. Since we had a couple of hours before it was time to board the ship, we walked through town, enjoying the quiet that came with exploring town before most tourists (and even shopkeepers) were out and about.








As the time passed and more and more people began to crowd the streets, it was time to head to the marina to catch our boat. After negotiating our fare, we climbed aboard a ship that thankfully had a covered deck.


The ride lasted about two and a half hours, and we saw several blue grottos and waterfalls along the way. Two were pretty spectacular, and the boat ventured close enough for us to all get sprayed by the deluge of the cascading water!








We were able to jump into the water for a quick swim, and then made our way back to the marina. By this time, it was afternoon and we experienced the heat of the day, which was a scalding 97F (36C). We walked through town to find a nice restaurant, ate lunch, and then returned to the hotel. Some people ventured out in the heat for shopping, some enjoyed a refreshing dip in the hotel's pool, and some enjoyed a respite from the heat in their air conditioned hotel rooms!

Before sunset, the group met to go to a terrace for pre-dinner drinks and to enjoy an elevated view of the sunset. Afterwards, dinner and then bed! Another great day in Turkey!


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Cappadocia to Antalya

We were up before the sun on our first full day in Cappadocia in order to get to the hot air balloon meeting point. We met our pilot and were shuttled off to the balloon launching point. As the light began to creep over the hills, we watched as the crew very efficiently blew up our balloon.








We were up in the air with what seemed like hundreds of other hot air balloons minutes later. Cappadocia is apparently the number one place on earth to go hot air ballooning.


The ride lasted about an hour and a half and we enjoyed some spectacular views, as well as a gorgeous sunrise. After we landed we had a glass of champagne, which is the customary way to end a successful ballooning trip. We were returned to our hotel where we had breakfast, and then were off on foot for a walk through town and out into the canyon to have a view from the ground of some of the formations we had viewed from above just a few hours prior. The formations are created by hundreds of thousands of years of erosion by wind and water. In the past two thousand years, some of them have been dug out to create living quarters. The landscape is truly like something out of a Dr. Suess or Star Wars landscape.








We then continued on foot to the Open Air Museum, which was a collection of churches and monasteries dug out of the natural formations, the insides of which were painted with gorgeous frescos. In order to protect the frescos, pictures were not allowed inside; however, I was able to take photos of the outsides.





We walked back to town to have a bite to eat for lunch at a local restaurant, then hopped into the van and drove about thirty minutes to an underground city. This UNESCO World Heritage site was beyond our imaginations. The city stretched over nine kilometers of tunnels and rooms and had over six different levels. They even had rolling doors to help keep out unwanted guests!





After visiting the underground city, we hopped back in the van and headed back to Goreme, stopping at two panoramic viewpoints in the way back to the hotel.





We had a bit of free time once we got back to town, and a few of is went to check out a ceramics store in town. The pottery here is colorful and has some incredible patterns. After shopping, it was time for dinner, and we went to a local woman's house for a traditional Turkish dinner. Fatima had prepared meze (traditional appetizers), soup, a main dish and watermelon for dessert. Since it was Ramadan, we waited for Ishtar (the breaking of the daily fast) to eat. After our meal, we went to a local bar called Fat Boys for a few drinks, and then retired for the evening.

The following morning, we had breakfast, packed up, and checked out of our hotel. We piled into the van and drove for about three hours until we reached Konya. Konya is the most traditional city we have visited thus far. It is apparently the home of the whirling dervish. We immediately noticed all the bedsheets hanging from the balconies, and when we asked our guide, Bruce, about them, he told us it was so the women could go out on their balconies without being seen. In this way, they wouldn't have to cover up while on their balconies. We had a quick bite to eat (which was difficult because most of the restaurants were closed during the day for Ramadan, and the one we did find had a very reduced menu). After lunch, we headed to a museum where several religious leaders were entombed. Also in the museum were several old books, robes, prayer carpets, and some of the largest prayer beads you can imagine...





After we concluded our visit to the museum, we had a little free time and wandered the shops nearby. We then piled back into the van for the remainder of our trip to Antalya. The ride was gorgeous, as we passed through mountains and enjoyed some breath-taking scenery!


We eventually arrived in Antalya, a bustling coastal city, with a population of over one million. We got checked into our hotel, which is located in the old, quieter part of town. We noticed a change in temperature, as the heat and humidity really became apparent... We had dinner outside on a balcony with a gorgeous view of the bay and the lights of the city. After dinner, we had a few drinks and then called it a night!


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad