June 2018 – Teha's Travels- Sometimes You Just Gotta…

June 21, 2018June 27, 2018

Thai fly-by

As I boarded the plane to travel from Istanbul to Bangkok, I thought about how glad I was that I’d embarked on this leg of my travels with both an open ended itinerary and an open mind. In fact, I had ZERO plans following my Flash Pack tour in South Africa, which ended on April 20. Here it was, mid-June and I’d had so many fabulous adventures since the planned portion of the trip… I’d gone on the most amazing safaris, viewed the spectacular Victoria Falls from multiple perspectives, went camping with locals in South Africa, explored breathtaking Namibia, finally saw THE DOLOMITES (although some unfinished business there), became a regular in Istanbul, bike/hiked/kayaked/bussed through Turkey, and sailed among the Turkish Isles. All experiences I likely never would have even thought to plan if I’d planned the whole trip in advance, and also all incredibly special experiences that I wouldn’t have wanted to miss for the world. I also thought about how it had all kind of naturally come about, as each “next thing” presented itself to me at the time when I needed it to. Of course I did a fair bit of research and asking around, but mostly it all just naturally evolved. My only job was to avoid freaking out about a lack of plans and (minus a few tense moments during #zimbabweforlife) I did this pretty well.

My last pit stop on the way (but not actually on the way) home was Thailand, with a new friend I’d met at a campground in Namibia… as one does. Rowan was the guide of another group staying at the same campground and he was friends with my guide, Jeff. If you’re a regular follower, you may recall he was the guy with the “hot tip” on when the most spectacular animals (elephants!!) would be at the watering hole for viewing.

Rowan had some time off after the tour and was planning a trip to Thailand. That sounded nice. And the planning was already underway, meaning less planning for me. IN!

My Thai fly-by began in Bangkok, which is a “big city” as I’d expected, and as had been advertised by assorted Thailand-loving friends. It’s funny as those friends mostly aren’t huge fans of the country’s capital city and the city is viewed as a means to an end (the end being the rest of the country). Despite low expectations, I actually really enjoyed Bangkok. I thought it had a lot of character (as far as those big cities go) and I found the people very kind and welcoming.

We started our first day exploring the floating markets, which would have been much more fun to explore if I had more/any room in my suitcase for souvenirs.

While floating around the market, I was keeping up with the Stanley Cup finals (ice hockey) in the U.S., as my home team (the Washington Capitols) secured victory!!! This was HUGE news in DC as the Caps have NEVER won the Stanley Cup before. For Caps fans it’s been an abusive cycle… every year we were certain “this is the year” as they looked so good, and they would have a great regular season and then the post-season would start and they would play horribly and our hearts would be broken. And then we’d forget all about it next season because they looked so good…cue pete and repeat. However, this year the cycle was thrown off when they actually did not look good at the beginning of the season, so it totally made sense that they won the whole kit and caboodle. So, while the floating market was pretty cool on its own, it is the fact that’s where I was when the Caps won the Stanley Cup that I will remember the most about it. Of course, I had a celebratory beer in their honor… it was the least I could do!

Next stop was the Grand Palace, which is located right in the heart of the city. The Palace is not one enormous building like you might imagine (definitely how I imagined it… more on that later), it’s actually a complex of buildings, pavilions, halls, courtyards, etc. that expanded organically over time. Construction began in the 18th century and over 200 years the various kings added on to it (and of course each king needed to out-do the previous king) and it’s really something else in terms of its grandeur.

Now it’s just a tourist attraction and the government completely moved out when an absolute monarchy was abolished in the 1930s. Okay, so, I need to be overly honest and admit the detail I just shared about the Grand Palace I learned after I’d seen the Grand Palace. Of course I hadn’t done advance research (other than to learn there is a thing called the Grand Palace that I should see in Bangkok) and there wasn’t much signage in English or brochures or anything with information about what we were looking at… or the history of it. I actually thought the Grand Palace was a singular, huge building inside the complex and kept looking for it! In fact, I asked a few passers-by where the Grand Palace was and got confused looks in return. Finally an employee explained “You’re in the Grand Palace. This is all the Grand Palace.” Ahhh… now I get it!

Located behind the Grand Palace is another grandiose complex, this one consisting of temples, named Wat Pho (also known as the Temple of the Reclining Buddha). There are buddhas EVERYWHERE in this place and according to one sign there are over 1,000 buddha images in totality (I did not count but that seems about right). The Reclining Buddha itself is pretty impressive and at 150 feet long it’s one of the largest buddhas anywhere. (Btw, “reclining buddha” means that buddha is laying on its side. Not in a chaise lounger.)

Another highlight in Bangkok was the Night Market, which was recommended as a spot where the locals hang out. I have to say, it’s pretty off the hook and is bustling with locals navigating rows and rows of vendors cooking and selling every food type you can imagine. The Thai currency is the “baht” and the exchange rate is about 30 baht to 1 US dollar. After much deliberation I bought summer rolls (a favorite of mine) and skewers of fresh shrimp and vegetables that they cooked in front of me. All for a grand total of 90 baht!

There are more established shops and restaurants around the Night Market perimeter, as well as a beer garden with live music. Despite my lack of suitcase space I found an item I HAD to purchase from one of the shops. Overall during my travels I’ve been pretty discretionary in my shopping and there are few items I’ve felt that I HAD to have. This board game, however, was not even a question:

I plan to bring it on a family vacation this summer and am pretty sure I’ll be Auntie of the Year, as my nieces and nephews (minus 6 month old Theodore) are ALL at the age where anything involving the word or image of “poop” is worthy of hysterical laughter. [Update: Yes, I proceeded to carry this game around to multiple cities, actually just carrying it in my arms at times. Eventually I got another bag for it and I’m happy to report is has successfully made it to the States].

Despite the fact I was pleasantly surprised by Bangkok, three nights was plenty and I was not sad to board a plane for a quickie flight the next morning, our final destination being the island of Khao Luk. Now, if Khao Luk sounds a little bit familiar it’s likely because it’s the spot that experienced the most devastation during the tsunami in 2004. THE tsunami pretty much decimated the area, which at the time was the fastest growing tourism destination in the country. There was also a significant loss of life and it’s estimated that, tragically, more than 10,000 people died (locals and tourists alike). It wasn’t until very recently that their hotel capacity is close to being back to where it was in 2004, but other tourism infrastructure is still struggling to regain the momentum it once had.

I loved this spot and would definitely go back! It’s beautiful and has a really chill, good vibe.

Known for its marine life, we had ideations of day trips to go snorkeling among some spots named the most beautiful in the world… but learned it’s not exactly peak season this time of year and most of the spots weren’t open (apparently the water is too cloudy to snorkel this time of year?). Between that and the Dolomites... who knew that mountains and islands could be seasonally CLOSED for business?? Definitely a lesson learned for Teha’s Travels! But this minor snafu did not put a black mark on my Khao Luk experience in the least. I found something just innately relaxing about the spot. And there are several places offering $8 Thai massages, which are just about the best thing ever. Did I mention I like it there?

In Khao Luk, we stumbled across a local live music venue, named The Monkey Bar, where we made friends and became locals of sorts. Between a super-talented Thai musician covering my favorite 80s and 90s rock bands (I swear if you closed your eyes you think it’s really Bryan Adams) and an assortment of games, including Jenga and Connect 4, it was perfection. I usually have to make an effort to lose when playing Connect 4 with my nieces and nephews but it was funny how after a few Thai beers the game wasn’t so easy anymore!! We also made friends (a lovely couple in a long-distance relationship from London to Tokyo) and we all got together again the next night, at the Monkey Bar of course! Why would you go anywhere else??

I admit I was a little bit bummed to be leaving tranquil Khao Luk for the hub-bub of Phuket… but I guess it’s good to leave a place wanting more. Now, I’ve been to Phuket before, but only to the quieter beach areas of Kata and Naiyang. My personal favorite is actually Naiyang and I’ve spent a few extended layovers there- it’s literally next to the airport and a hidden gem with a gorgeous beach, national park and adorable beachside shops (with a few massage places, of course). Hotels are super cheap there and if you ever have the opportunity to fly through Phuket, stay a night or two in Naiyang.

Anyways, all this to say that this time I was staying in the Patong beach area, which is the “hub” of Phuket, where all the “action” is. I was only there for two days and one night and did my best to avoid the action, so I don’t have much to report on… but according to new friends we met at the hotel it’s a pretty hopping party scene. Complete with a red light district of sorts and the “lady boy” scene (some people are into seeing these things as a tourist attraction and it was also a thing in Bangkok… I am not. Just a personal preference). We signed up for a day excursion to go snorkeling at two nearby islands, as apparently the weather wasn’t an issue in those parts. The brochure looked lovely and promised white sandy beaches and crystal clear, iridescent blue water! What could be more perfect?

That night we were at the hotel bar and a couple sat down next to us, clearly animated. The woman was trying to calm down her husband who was still amped up from having confronted the travel agent who’d booked the day trip they’d just returned from. He pulled out the brochure to show us and it was the same brochure we had! He then showed us photos on his phone…. of dark rocky beaches and murky, dark water. Hmmm… While Animated Husband was lucky to get 50% of his money back, it was even luckier for us that we ran into them and were able to cancel our journey for a full refund! No matter, I guess I’d have to explore the town, relax at the beach and get a massage instead (which is exactly what I did, as well taking in a spectacular sunset).

As I prepared to leave, I also tried to mentally prepare myself for a looooong journey home, but I don’t think I did a very good job. My flight left Phuket at 1:40 AM and I was connecting through Beijing en route to Dulles. I struggled to stay awake at the chaotic airport, especially as the flight was delayed until 2:30 AM.

I then boarded my five hour Air China flight, and realized quickly there was no in-flight entertainment… but no matter, I would sleep. I was dozing off when meal service arrived and I made the mistake of both accepting the meal and taking a bite of it… shrimp. I wasn’t feeling it and felt a smidge bad I had taken the meal, taken a bite, and was wasting it… but I quickly fell into a deep sleep. I honestly didn’t think of that bite of shrimp again until I was in the middle of the painful security process in China (you have to go through two separate securities, as well as customs, just for a connecting flight!) I thought maybe the process was making me feel nauseous, maybe combined with a lack of sleep. Um… nope. I’d never had food poisoning and now I know what all the fuss is about! I spent much of my 5-hour layover in the bathroom (as a bonus, I was in the lounge but the lounge bathroom was under renovation… the public bathroom required a walk through the food court, which is the last place I wanted to be anywhere close to). It was absolutely miserable. At least by the time I boarded my next flight I was certain there was absolutely nothing in my system. Speaking of systems, this time we had an entertainment system but I quickly realized the movies were mostly in Chinese, so decided sleep was a better option anyways. Hours later I woke up from a slumber thinking I’d put a big dent in the flight… and looked at the monitor to see the remaining flight time was 10 hours and 45 minutes. UGGGG. To make matters worse I was in a window seat with an adorable 5 year old boy next to me who, after much squirming, had finally fallen asleep but kinda nuzzled up against me and I hated to move wake him. To make matters double-worse, I felt HORRIBLE. My stomach was okay, thankfully, but I ACHED all over, like the kind of aches you get with a horrible flu. I finally carefully stepped over the boy and his father and started roaming the plane seeking some sort of relief… any sort of relief. Suspecting dehydration, I drank a lot of water but I needed a quicker fix. I soon realized that I seemed to be the only person on the flight who was not Chinese and I even had difficulty communicating with the flight attendant. I finally got my point across and learned that she did not, in fact, have Tylenol or any other pain reliever. With a silent sigh I moved on, to two woman who were standing in the bulkhead and it turned out that one of them had a son who spoke some English! After much back and forth, the translator’s mother dug in her purse and handed me a little packet of a white powdery substance that she described as a “Chinese herbal remedy.” Okay… that would have to do! Maybe it was the remedy, but I did start to feel better an hour or two later (THANK YOU LORD!!!) Despite this, it was the longest and most uncomfortable flight I’ve ever had. [I’m feeling my blood pressure rise as I’m writing this and quasi-reliving the experience!] Needless to say, I don’t see myself flying Air China again anytime soon… or at least until such time they’re that much cheaper.

So, now, here I am… back in DC. I’ll leave you with a mini-cliffhanger and not tell you what’s next. Stay tuned… I know I will!

June 10, 2018June 27, 2018

More gobble, gobble

Picking up where I left off after my blog on Part one of my Turkey trip! It was no great surprise that we were off on another bus ride following our cycling adventure in Akiyaka. This was the biggest bus day of them all and included a small public bus– the kind where everyone crams on and some people don’t get seats but Fatih made sure we all did– to another public bus, the comfy coach kind with the bus flight attendant guy. (Actually I could be missing a bus in there… I am actually. There were two of the cram-on buses). Needless to say we were bussed out by the end.

Anyways, despite all of this activity we still arrived at our destination, the town of Fethiye, by lunchtime. Somehow we’d worked up an appetite with all that bussing, and we enjoyed Turkish pides at a restaurant next to our hotel. Pides are super thin crust pizzas with various meat toppings, and this was a deal too good to pass up… a meter and a half long pide for 14 Turkish lira (so about $3.50). A very impressive PPC (price per calorie) ratio and it was hard not to feel a smidge gluttonous when they served our pides on long wooden planks that stretched across three people (even though each plank was for one person). But, despite being slightly overwhelmed, we managed to clean our plates!

That afternoon there was an optional hike to the nearby Blue Lagoon and I’m pretty sure I would have opted in regardless of the Great Pide Overdose that took place at lunch, but that certainly removed any modicum of a question. It was very cool as the hike started at the “ghost village” which is an Ancient Greek town (named Kayakoy) built in the mountains in the 14th century.

For a loooong time it was inhabited by Greek Orthodox Christians and Anatolian Muslims, living harmoniously side-by-side. The village was completely abandoned when the Greeks and Turks swapped places at the end of WW I (I believe the official term is a “population exchange” as part of an effort to make sure that both Greece and Turkey had only one main religion). The Muslim Turks who had been excised from Greece as part of the “exchange” were into running water and had no interest in the water cisterns that their new home, Kayakoy, relied on for their water supplies. So, they basically said “eff it, we’ll just start over somewhere else” and left the entire city abandoned. There was some solid construction left behind (clearly, as it’s still there however many years later), so they obviously felt strongly about this water thing. After exploring the ethereal-feeling deserted village, we followed Fatih over the mountaintop and were rewarded with spectacular views of the Blue Lagoon, which is a picturesque lagoon area that also boasts a little resort town.

We reconnected with the group that evening and enjoyed dinner at the local Fish Market, which is an outdoor market with many vendors showcasing their catches of the day. You point to whatever creature of the sea you have a hankering for and tell them how you want it cooked and then a little while later… WAH-LA! The squid that I had said “looked good” in the display case but didn’t really (does raw seafood ever really look good… minus sushi, of course) ended up looking and tasting amazing when grilled and plated.

The next day was… the BIG hike that Fatih had been talking up (aka warning us about) for much of the trip. We were told this was NOT a hike for the faint of heart and once you committed to doing it there was no turning back. Fatih shared this piece of information multiple times. And to really drive home the point, he shared the anecdote of when a group member once was so tired she started crying mid-hike and Fatih carried her backpack for her (and thought he was going to have to actually carry her as well!) My backpack on this adventure was heavy, as we needed to bring everything we would need for an overnight and I way overpacked… I did wonder at one point if I could scrounge up some fake tears just to see if Fatih would volunteer to trade packs. Check out that pack I lugged around:

I have to say (and I’m certain Fatih would agree) that our group totally rocked it on the hike! No crying and barely even any complaining. The hike was a portion of the much longer Lycian Way (the whole thing is something like 500 km long) and included stunning views of the sea.

There were a few (very small) villages along the course of the hike, which felt odd. You really feel like you’re in the middle of nowhere and then suddenly up pops a sign for a coffee shop! Our lunch that day was one of my favorite meals of the trip… it was an outdoor restaurant nestled in a remote mountaintop village where we were the only patrons (not surprisingly) and were hosted by the owner and her three year old daughter. We ordered “gozleme” which is a popular Turkish “pancake,” but really more of a quesadilla made with a thin, crispy yet flaky phyllo-esque thingy instead of a tortilla. We watched the masterful chef create this delicacy using just flour and water (so basically paste), deftly roll it out, and add fillings of spinach, feta and some seasonings (potato and cheese was the other option). Both versions got two thumbs up by all!

After lunch we made our way to our final destination, in another tiny village a few kilometers away, a hotel called George’s Place. Who is George you may be wondering? Well, I’m glad you asked! Turns out “Old Man George” is a bit legendary in this little village and his name is not really George but he got that nickname long ago and named his hotel accordingly. It also turns out that George’s son (who also lives at the Place with his own family) is the MAYOR of the village, so we were pretty much staying in the Governor’s Mansion, I figured. George has amazing sea views from his Place and his wife and the staff provide delicious home cooked meals.

After arriving we were a tiny bit (okay, a lot) exhausted from the hike and most of us thought relaxing by the pool seemed like the perfect late afternoon activity. My roomie Danny and I headed there, and he grabbed his sunscreen on the way out of the room, SPF 10 with tan accelerator. According to Danny the tan accelerator is a key feature of the sunscreen and with SPF 10 it’s apparently hard to find. Personally, I understand as (like Danny) I love myself some sun and am #blessed to tan easily (I rarely burn). And, I will say that I find it slightly annoying when all I can find is sunBLOCK that is a minimum of SPF 50… what happened to good ole’ fashioned sunSCREEN?? I digress, so there we are at George’s pool and it’s lovely with mountain views so beautiful they looked fake.

The only glitch was the pool filter which was making an annoying clanging noise and ruining the peaceful ambiance a smidge. Danny was particularly bothered by this noise and spent some time troubleshooting how to make it stop. He had the brilliant idea of using his sunscreen as a plug in the filter. The only glitch in this masterful plan was that he slightly misjudged the size of sunscreen vs. hole and with a giant “SLURP” the precious sunscreen was SUCKED down into the filter vortex. Danny’s face as this transpired was priceless- like a little kid who had been caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

It took me about 30 minutes to stop laughing and join the sunscreen-with-tan-accelerator rescue mission that had commenced. And it was an intense rescue mission, especially as the pool started to overflow at one point (thankfully Rob found the off switch). The consequences of breaking the Mayor’s pool seemed like they could be grim and Danny was certain he’d be banished from the village and forced to sleep in the woods. Everyone got involved in the rescue operation and I equivocate it in it’s intensity to the baby Jessica well rescue in Texas in the 1980’s (am I the only one who remembers that? I think they interrupted Webster to show the rescue live on TV). Anyways, we tried various tactics, which ranged from whittling bamboo spears, using thorn bush branches, wire fishing hooks, duct tape, rope lassos, and (my personal favorite) Ana making a Coke can diskette that she taped onto the end of a stick and lit on fire, in an effort to melt the sunscreen bottle so it stuck to the can (this did not work).

Finally, Danny opened a scary trap door in the ground and delved into the underground abyss next to the filter, to put his hand over the drain so the bottle would float to the top (pretty much risking his life for the sunscreen).

As he did this, three of us used bamboo spears to extract the bottle (it was really wedged in there).

Then….SUCCESS!!!

I’m pretty sure the whole village could hear our victory whoops. So, it turned out not to be the most relaxing afternoon at the pool, but it was a great team-building exercise!
The next morning we finished our hike (much easier than the day before but with equally amazing views). I think Danny was still on a high from the sunscreen rescue.

Then we were treated to a private bus (oooh-la-la!) to take us to our next destination, the adorable Mediterranean seaside town of Kas (pronounced Kash).

It was there we hit the sea for the kayak portion of our trip- spending a beautiful day on the water and stopping for a delicious lunch on a remote island with a super-cool castle (I think it’s technically a peninsula but there’s no road access so I’m rebranding it as an island).

Then it was time for our final stop, the city of Antayla, where Fatih led us on an exploration of yet another ancient city. This one was less “discovered” than Ephisus and excavation is still underway to see what treasures can be found.

It’s so cool to think about all that is yet to be discovered and apparently even in Istanbul the occasional ancient sword or other amazing relic is discovered under a rock (okay, maybe you have to dig a little… but still). During our final dinner together we celebrated the upcoming birthdays of Fatih and Francisco and reflected on our many adventures over the past two weeks. Parting is always such sweet sorrow!

I didn’t have to say good-bye to everyone, though, as during the trip, I’d learned that my new friend, Ana, had planned a three night boat cruise around some Turkish islands following the trip. She’d done her research and the cost was a real bargain! Danny and I both latched onto this trip right away (thankfully Ana didn’t mind as we didn’t really give her a choice) and then Mary decided to join us too! And how lucky for us that it was only the four of us on the boat, so a private tour! The company is called Before Lunch cruises and I can’t recommend it highly enough.

Captain Ahmet drove the boat, led us on hikes with stunning views and cooked us delicious meals three times a day.

While Capt was hard at work doing all these things, we relaxed on the gorgeous vessel (named Ros), sunbathed, swam, ate, and drank. We were all pretty miserable, clearly.

We also hiked and snorkeled occasionally, but it was mostly relaxing and eating…and jumping off the side of the boat every hour or so to cool off.

Life was a struggle at sea.

It was FANTASTIC and I’m so grateful to Ana for finding this gem of a cruise.

I admit I had a liiiiittle crush on The Captain and creepily snapped a few photos of him. Then this photo transpired on one of our hikes (not sure how that happened!) and it may be my Christmas card this year:

Back on land we made the best of it with a final Fish Market dinner. I then continued my tapered good-bye to Turkey and the friends I enjoyed it with by parting ways with Danny, Ana, and Mary the next morning and heading back to Istanbul.

There I reunited with my friends from THE restaurant Aladdin and Osman (my Turkish boyfriend, although he may or may not be onboard with this) and enjoyed a few more yummy meals there.

During my second solo adventure in Istanbul I couldn’t help remembering how I’d had reservations about traveling to Turkey on my own, due to safety concerns. And, how in the three weeks I’d been in the country I had not felt unsafe once. Not even once. In fact, I found the Turkish people extremely kind and friendly. I enjoyed watching the Ramadan traditions throughout the country, such as this breaking of the fast that happens when they can eat their first meal of the day, at sunset.

During my Istanbul reunion tour I hit up a few sites I’d missed during my first go-round. Osman kindly toured me around the amazing Topkapi Palace, which had been inhabited by Ottoman sultans for only about 400 years. Location, location, location with that place, I’m telling ya, with amazing views of the Bosporus river (btw, aren’t we an adorable couple??)

And talk about OTT in terms of details- with the mosaics, murals, architectures and even the displays of the swords and clocks the Ottoman’s made back in the day. It’s absolutely incredible to look at what they were able to create using the simple tools they had back then. I can’t really fathom how they did it. You could give me access to every modern day tool in the world and I couldn’t DIY my way to anything even the tiniest bit close to anything they created.

It was sad to say good-bye to my buddies and leave Istanbul, as well as Turkey. It’s an incredible city and country, and I definitely plan to return.

And now… one final international fly-by before I return state-side for a bit. Stay tuned!

June 4, 2018June 27, 2018

Taking on Turkey

Before embarking on this leg of my travel adventures, which had no end date at the outset, I was chatting with my sister-in-law’s most amazing parents (Bob and Carol) about their many travels and their trip to Turkey came up. I don’t know many people who have been to gobble, gobble and their enthusiasm about the country made an impression. Also, I LOVED Greece when I went a few years ago and had been curious about neighbor Turkey but admittedly had some safety concerns based on… what exactly was it? Maybe the few terrorism incidents over the last few years? But (sadly) other countries have had similar incidents… I didn’t have safety concerns going to London. Maybe it was their general proximity to Syria that was concerning me? Who knows what kinds of “bad things” can hop the borders? Hmm… seems like a stretch. In my head, Turkey = dangerous, but why?

Fast-forward to mid-way through my African adventure when I was contemplating where I would go next. My tour-friends asked what other countries I wanted to see and I mentioned Turkey right away, but said it was somewhere I didn’t want to travel to by myself (again, no real logic behind this). Also, our African adventure included a lot of time on a bus and I was feeling a smidge antsy at this particular juncture and said I’d like to do a tour that was super active – like maybe a cycling tour. Fast forward approx. three hours and there’s a flurry of activity in the What’s App group of my fabulous Philippines tour group [Side-note: my American friends who don’t know about What’s App, download it! We are seriously the only country in the world that doesn’t use this app for messaging. It’s far superior to texting, especially for groups, AND it’s encrypted…so much more secure for keeping the nosy NSA out of your business!] Anyhoo, the Philippines gang was back at work after our tour and was sharing ideas for future ‘holidays’ (yes, I speak fluent British now). The amazing Danny said he’d actually just booked a “bike, hike, kayak” tour in Turkey at the end of May. It’s with a tour company called Intrepid and was a real deal cost-wise. I mean… HELLO! I had JUST been saying I wanted to go to Turkey AND I wanted an activity-based tour. It never occurred to me that I could do an activity-based tour IN Turkey! And with Danny, who I absolutely adore! Here we are, having a horrible time in the Philippines:

Obviously, I signed up immediately for the tour. Yes, this meant I would be cheating on my favorite tour company, Flash Pack AGAIN. I rationalized it was better to cheat the second time with someone else, so not a serious affair with one entity. And it’s really like I’m conducting a competitor analysis, of sorts, for Flash Pack! Certainly Lee and Radha would be grateful (or at least understand).
I had three days in Istanbul before the tour and (per the ushe) showed up with very little idea of what there was to do or see in the city. As I rolled my suitcase down the adorable cobblestone streets of the Old Town, heading to my hotel, various restauranters greeted me and encouraged me to dine with them that evening. I’m not a huge fan of this marketing technique and I mostly ignored them. Same deal after dropping my suitcase at the hotel and walking back up the same street. Finally, I engaged with one gent who was more friendly than pushy and he said his name was Aladdin, which obviously makes him awesome. They also had a super cute patio area and their Turkish bread looked amazing, so in I went. In hindsight this was a VERY good decision, and it turned out to be the first of several meals I would be enjoying at THE restaurant, Albura Kathisma. It was there I met Aladdin’s colleagues, my Turkish boyfriend, Osman, and his sidekick Drej. They all seem to have the best jobs in the world, hanging out on the patio talking to people all day (and doing other stuff like serving food and “fishing” for customers, but it still seems pretty low stress… although I guess part of their job is to make it seem that way). That night I also I met my new British bestie, Gail, who was also traveling solo and was already a regular at THE restaurant (as in she had eaten practically every meal there, hanging out with the gang, and had a seat, like Norm from Cheers). Here’s me and Osman at THE restaurant, as well as one of the delicious meals I enjoyed there:

As luck would have it Gail had done quite a bit of research and has a good sense direction, so we went off touring Istanbul for two days, using THE restaurant as our home base and getting great advice from our new friends on what to see. We hit up the infamous Spice Market, which surpassed my high expectations with it’s amazingness.

I very much heart spices, so was in my glory and (despite extra space being at a premium in my suitcase) I couldn’t resist buying some spices from Aladdins’s spice-guy friend, Dolphin. Of course Aladdin has a spice-guy friend named Dolphin!

Next stop was the Grand Bazaar… which is most certainly Grand!

They give you a map upon entry and it’s clearly VERY easy to get lost amongst the MANY winding rows of shops, selling pretty much anything you can imagine and a lot of the same things. We also explored the tons outdoor markets selling everything from the most glittery ball gowns you can imagine (unclear where one would wear these dresses), to faux designer purses, to the most delicious looking cheeses, olives, nuts and produce. As well as a bunch of things I don’t know how to describe exactly…

And we enjoyed a boat cruise up the Bosphorus strait, the glamorous waterway that weaves between the Asian and European sides of Turkey and offers spectacular views of the shorelines.

Now, I knew prior to the trip that I’d be in Turkey during Ramadan, which is the holy month in the Muslim religion when many Muslims refrain from eating, drinking (anything, even water), smoking, and sex during the daylight hours (I’m sure there are more things they have to refrain from doing, but those are the highlights that stuck out for me). They also have to do extra prayers during the 5-times a day “calls to prayer” that bellow from the speakers on the minaret towers that adorn the mosques. The calls to prayer are LOUD and also serve as convenient reminders of the time. After the sunset call to prayer (at about 8:30pm) those recognizing Ramadan can FINALLY eat and drink water (no alcohol) for the first time since 5am that morning! I’m not sure how they do it, but according to Osman it’s really difficult for the first three days and then you just get used to it. It seems like it would be TORTURE to be working in a restaurant and cooking/serving food all day and not be able to eat yourself. I greatly admire the willpower of those who participate in Ramadan! VERY greatly admire. Here’s some signs of the Ramadan celebrations:

I had to bode my new friends farewell to meet my tour group and I have to say I felt a little bit like an Istanbul local already, having friends and being a regular and all. Istanbul is thumbs up, in my book! Parting is such sweet sorrow…

I met up with Danny and the rest of the tour group- an eclectic bunch (my favorite kind of people) hailing from Australia, England, Ireland, and Mexico and including one couple and seven adventurous solo travelers ranging in age from late twenties to mid-60’s. Here we are!

Our guide, Fatih, is an old pro at this tour (at age 32) and really seems to know everyone and everything. In summation, he’s a rock star! Here’s the legend, in action and showing off his backgammon skills with a local:

Gavin (one half of our one couple, hailing from Perth, Australia… coincidentally one of my favorite places on the planet) started a game called “Stump the Guide” where one person would ask Fatih a Turkey-related question every night. These questions were TOUGH and I was amazed (but not surprised) when Fatih secured victory three nights before the end of the tour. Here are Gavin and Mary (aka Thurston Howell the Third and his wife, Lovey).

I’m ahead of myself already- the tour commenced in Istanbul where Fatih guided us about on foot (again, I was like a regular so it was old hat- a tour around my own backyard pretty much) and we visited the ginormous Blue Mosque and Hagia Sofia, which was a SUPER OLD Greek Orthodox basilica then an Ottomon imperial mosque and now a museum. It’s still in the amazing condition, about a million years after it was constructed (okay, only 1,400 years but still a lot AND it was the largest cathedral in the world for the first 1,000 of those years!)

We spent the night at a sub-par hotel called the Golden Horn- there are two Golden Horn hotels in Istanbul and Danny accidentally booked the other one the night before the tour and said it was much better than ours. Just to be safe, though, I’d avoid both if you go there. Again, I swear I’m not a hotel snob and I realize I’ve been spoiled by Flash Pack and the glam accommodations on their tours… but I feel like Intrepid could have done a little bit better with hotel choices on the tour. That’s my one complaint of the tour so far and I’ll shut up now.
Anyways we all survived and the next day we were off on the first of several rides on Turkey’s public bus system. Soooo many public buses on this tour! Danny and I joked it should be called the “bike, hike, kayak, bus” activity tour. This first bus ride was great, though, as our chariot was a comfy coach and there was a bus-flight-attendant-guy with a cart who served us complementary drinks and snacks!

Following two buses, we hopped a ferry to the beautiful waterfront town of Cannekale. There enjoyed the first of many delicious fresh seafood meals with a view as we wound down from the travel day.

The next day we were off on a hike through the battlefields of Gallipoli, which is the site of an infamous WW I battle between Turkey and the Allies (mainly the British/Aussies/Kiwis). I admittedly did not know a ton about this particular battle prior to the hike but was fascinated to learn more especially on the very site where the NINE-MONTH battle played out, resulting in a LOT of casualties and, eventually, a defeat for the Allies.

It also turned out that a famous Australian soldier (a soldier known as “the man with the donkey,” as that was his method of transport for the wounded) had been the boyfriend of Gavin’s grandmother at the time of his death during the battle, and he got to see his grave.

It was an active and educational day, and I totally want to see the Mel Gibson movie about the battle (and not just bc it features young Mel). Danny and I got some cool hats and peer pressured others to join in our ridiculousness!

No rest for the weary and the next day we were off on another bus journey- a private bus to a public bus- taking us to the town of Selcuk, where we embarked on a late afternoon tour of Ephisus. Here Fatih dazzled us with his knowledge of the ancient city, that had actually been completely buried for a number of years and was rediscovered. It’s pretty awe-inspiring to look at the remains of the city, complete with a Main Street, a library, and a public bathroom and bath house, and to think about how old it is and imagine what it was like to be there back in the day. The buildings were MASSIVE and adorned with ornate murals and mosaic tiling… they really did it up with the details, with no stone left un-carved (literally).

Next stop…the beachfront town of Akyaca, which we arrived at via a less fancy public bus. This was a smaller version with no reserved seats and we were lucky to get them, as some folk had to stand. Fatih said he’d stood on a similar bus for over three hours in the past! That can’t be fun. The rain Gods descended on us that afternoon, which was rather convenient as we had no outdoor activities planned. This was a theme throughout the trip- we dodged some insane weather perfectly. Louise from Ireland is to credit for her self-proclaimed weather luck, and we all believe her now. Akyaca is where we embarked on a 20km cycling adventure, through rolling hills and winding roads taking us through small villages dotted with fruit trees.

The clouds started to roll-in towards the end of the ride and we could hear thunder in the distance (which did not go over well with me, given my irrational TERROR of lightning. Like, complete terror). Alas, (thank you Louise!) the TORRENTIAL downpour held off until minutes after we were nestled under the awnings of our adorable late-lunch destination, and it stopped just as we finished our chicken shish and pides. I’m telling you, Hollywood could not have timed this better!

Having completed the “bike” portion of our activity tour, we rested up for the forthcoming hiking and kayaking… with much bus-ing in between, of course!