Turkey!!!

I really liked Turkey, so a big thanks to Brook for recommending it. I don't think we would have gone there otherwise. When we arrived in Tsesme it felt and looked like the other coastal towns we had seen in Greece. In fact, the ferry from Chios to Tsesme is only about 30-45 minutes. We bought our visas, went through customs, and then walked about a kilometer to the bus station where we purchased tickets to Izmir. After almost two and a half hours we arrived at the Izmir bus station where we were met with the hustle and bustle of a big city. We desperately needed a toilet when we got there, so we hurried down only to find that, of course, you have to pay. They accepted euros in Tsesme, so we hadn't needed to withdraw any money and as I'm sure you can imagine, toilet attendants aren't exactly the friendliest people around. At the last minute Rebecca remembered that although we had paid our bus fare in euros, the change was in lira, so we had enough to satisfy the toilet guard. Scooping up our large bags afterwards, we wandered into the large hall full of various kiosks with people shouting at us, "Where are you going? Where do you want to go?" At first I thought they were telling us to get out, but they eventually beckoned us over. We were passed down the line to the kiosk selling tickets to Kusadasi. The bus was about to leave so they herded us out, telling us to buy the ticket on the bus. About to board, I turned to Rebecca who reminded me that we still didn't have any lira. We informed one of the attendants who ushered us back in the building where they exchanged some of our euros before hurrying us back out to the waiting bus. Finally in our seats, we sat back in relief and prepared for another two and a half hours. Upon arrival in Kusadasi we called our hotel and Ali, who runs the hotel, came to pick us up. From that moment on, everything was taken care of. They drove us where we wanted to go, arranged buses or other transport, even ordered in food. At first it was nice, but eventually we felt ready to explore on our own and had to kind-of sneak out the door. Okay, not really. They were great! And they really went out of their way to ensure that our stay was enjoyable, which it was!

Our second day in Kusadasi we went scuba diving. The idea had been to do that in Greece, but unfortunately, things tend to shut down in Greece in the winter so diving wasn't available. We decided that if we couldn't dive from the Greek side, maybe we could from the Turkish side. This worked out rather well and due to the time of year, we were the only divers. Our guide was great and Rebecca had her first actual dive (apart from her lessons). Back at the hotel we took a quick nap, then headed to the ruins in Ephesus. Again, so much more fun without all of the crowds. Traveling in winter definitely has its drawbacks, but the benefits make up for it in my opinion. Anyway, afterwards Ali took us to a shop owned by a friend of his where we had tea, chatted, and shopped a bit.

The following day we took a day trip to Pamukkale. Most of the day was spent on a bus, but after all of our moving around we decided we'd rather spend more time on a bus than pack up and move to yet another location. Pamukkale is fascinating and really unique. We've visited so many places that sometimes things start to look the same everywhere we go. Pamukkale was definitely different. When we got there, we walked up this path full of mineral springs. The white rock looks like snow and the water drizzles over all of it. They don't allow shoes, so we went barefoot up the path, stopping to play in the water. It felt like walking up a wall of water and since others were climbing as well, we kept going until an employee came up the path blowing his whistle. Apparently, it's permissible to climb a certain distance, but not too high (no signs to indicate where this imaginary line is, though). Actually, we weren't entirely sure if the whistle was being blown at us or the guys who had climbed even higher...oh, well. Anyway, once at the top there were more ruins to explore, including an amazing theater that is pretty impressive. Brook could probably say a lot more about this. In fact, since we weren't on a tour, I'd love to hear more about what I was seeing! On our way back down to catch the bus, we were beckoned over by a woman who anticipated our hunger and we ate in her tiny little restaurant.

Our last day in Kusadasi was spent doing a little more shopping, a little more bargaining, and going to the Turkish baths. That was nice...very nice. It's like getting a message only there's water and soap involved. That night, we took an overnight bus to Istanbul. We arrived early in the morning, transferred to a small bus that took us to the city center, and then began the hunt for the hostel. It didn't take too long, and they let us check in really early (and gave us breakfast). We slept for about an hour (because sleeping on buses is not easy) and then began our exploration of Istanbul. Between our guide books and Brook, we had a pretty good idea of what we wanted to do and see. Unfortunately, within about 20 minutes we discovered that they have doubled the prices in the last three months. I guess they figured that if tourists paid that much in western Europe, they'd pay it in Turkey, too. Anyway, that changed our plans a bit. We went inside the Blue Mosque, which is beautiful (and free) and then walked quickly through the Grand Bazaar (just wanted to get a taste of it...didn't really care to stop and get hassled). We bought some spices at the Spice Market, and then headed across the canal after buying fish and bread from a street vendor. The bridge was full of fishermen, a line of polls on top and a line of restaurants on the bottom. We actually found that walking on top was better (even though it was cold and windy) because at least the fishermen didn't hassle you along the way! : - ) We tried Turkish coffee, which is slightly better than Greek coffee, although very similar. I have to admit, I don't really like the grainy texture, but whatever!

The next day we opted to be satisfied with seeing Topkapi Palace from the outside and took Brook's recommendation to go inside the Hagia Sophia. The Hagia Sophia used to be a cathedral, but when Istanbul was conquered, it was turned into a mosque. Anyway, there are remnants from both eras inside, making it a really interesting bit of history!!! We also bought some baklava and turkish delight later in the day before heading back to the hostel where we ate dinner (Rebecca went out and picked something up). By the way, I really like Turkish food...very yummy!

That night we were planning to take the train from Istanbul to Bucharest. At about 7:00 pm (or 19:00), the electricity went out all over the city due to poor weather conditions. Poor weather conditions consisted of wind and buckets of rain being dumped on the city. I was a little concerned when the guy at reception said he wasn't sure if the trains would still be running, but figured the worst that would happen would be that we would have to arrive in Ukraine a day late. We poor unfortunate souls were forced to trudge through the aforementioned weather in order to get to the station where we sat on a cold, dark bench until the electricity came back on. Applause filled the air as we all breathed a sigh of relief and then business carried on as usual. Our 19 hour train ride turned into 22 hours (because no seems to plan in enough time for all of the border stops), but we eventually arrived in Bucharest, where we stayed a short night close to the station before departing on a 27 hour train ride to Ukraine. But that's another story...

Picture Explanations:

1. Ephesus

2-4 The mineral springs at Pamukkale

5. Rebecca at the theater in Pamukkale

6. The outside of Topkapi Palace in Istanbul

7-8 The Blue Mosque (outside and inside)

9. The Hagia Sophia

10. This is one of the mosaics from inside the Hagia Sophia

11. Yum! Baklava on the top and Turkish Delight on the bottom! Also, they really like pistachios in Turkey so pistachio flavoring is very common and very good!