Turkey Wrap-up: Part II
Part II
And on with the story…
Bodrum is quite the little resort town. It’s full of hotels, water-front restaurants, over-priced trinkets and daily boat excursions. While pricey, it wasn’t as bad as it sounds. The town has two pebble beaches and swam and soaked up the sunshine. We befriended a man who ran, what had to be, the cheapest restaurant in town. His store-front was right down the street from our hotel and he eagerly ushered us to one of his three tables. There was a bit of a language barrier but he spoke pigeon-German to Zakaria, and in the end we were able to order. We stopped in often, and he waved hello and greeted us every time we passed.
We spent some afternoons walking along the harbor, joking around while shopping (with the ever present evil-eye protector trinkets), and watching sunset over the castle on the waterfront. By moonlight we explored the dark, winding streets.
We also took advantage of one of the numerous boat trips that leave everyday from the Bodrum port. An all-day cruise lands you in 6 or 7 different spots for swimming and water sports in amazingly blue waters. We both took to the water, but Zakaria did it with a bit more flare then me.
Every night there seemed to be a football game on tv. One night Turkey’s two favorite teams were playing each other and it was quite the event, with people crowding around big screens at the waterfront cafes. It was hard to ignore the excitement and I was pretty enthralled too. The game finally ended with a 2-1 score…though I’m not sure who won…the crowd went crazy…there were flares involved!
From Bodrum it was on to Koycegiz, picked randomly from our guide book, a really tiny town on the edge of a lake. Our hotel had a swimming pool of which I took advantage…becoming quite the little fishy at this point, I never wanted to leave the water.
We didn’t do much in Koycegiz…walked about and enjoyed the cafes mostly, especially the excellent in-season fruit! I stole flowers from the fruit plate to wear merrily in my hair.
At one café we learned to play tayla …or backgammon, whichever you prefer. And then continued to play at every opportunity over the next two weeks. Every café in Turkey has boards for the patrons to play on, and it’s not uncommon to pass a café and see tables upon tables of older gentlemen bent over the board, playing furiously.
From Koycegiz we went on a daytrip to Dalyan, where you can take all sorts of boat tours. We missed the ferry boat by a few minutes but soon realized hiring our own boat, complete with smiley capitain, wasn’t too expensive. We left from the gorgeous harbor and we quickly deposited on another planet…one where people emerge from the primordial ooze, green and slimy. It was only the nearby mud baths, but I thought for awhile I was on Mars. We jumped in, but neither Zakaria nor I want to share the pictures of us covered in mud…too frightening. Instead, you’ll have to content yourselves by laughing at these people instead….and these. (Thank god…we beat this crowd! The pool was virtually empty when we were in it!)
After we showered off all that mud we were off to the beach…seeing the amazing King’s Tombs along the way. The tombs are carved in the cliff face and are quite impressive, dating back to 400BC. All the scenery was impressive though, as we sailed through bamboo islands, passing ferry boats, and sitting on the front of the boat (the stern? The bow?) and gliding over the water. We finally docked at Iztuzu beach, a gorgeous little stretch of golden sand with sea on one side, lake on the other. Very nice…
We realized time was flying by and decided to head to Olympos the next day. It took us 5 buses to get there…no joke! A mini-bus, a midi-bus, a coach, a mini-bus and another mini-bus. It took us all day, and we were very happy to finally set foot on stationary ground.
Olympos is known for it tree-house and log cabin accommodations, and we were eager to join in the fun. We stayed at a lovely place with a great communal feel. Breakfast and dinner in the orchard garden, and nights around the campfire. We even went dancing in an open air club, surrounded by cliffs, with some zany guys from New Zealand and Canada in the picture.
Of course, there was more to Olympos then this…we had yet another gorgeous beach to visit. A short walk from our hotel, through ancient ruins and past a lake, and you arrive at another pebble wonderland. (Though, man, pebble beaches hurt the feet…very uncomfortable.) While I bobbed up and down in the warm, salty water, Zakaria hiked the surrounding cliffs for a bird’s eye view.
Why not thrown in one last Olympos attraction? Nearby are the Chimaera, natural eternal flames, simply popping out of the ground. It reminds me, vaguely, of the Fire Swamp…and if you missed that reference, never mind.
We had time for one final destination before heading back to Istanbul, and chose Cappadocia. We headed to the town of Goreme, where we quickly realized there was entirely too much to see.
Cappadocia is famous for it’s strange rock formations, called Fairy Chimneys, and cave dwellings. There are even cave churches, with elaborate frescos.
The rocks, worn away by wind and rain, form all sorts of different shapes and if you let your imagination wander, like cloud gazing, you can see all sorts of different things. Like families, or a man yelling, or, um, other things.
In order to see as much as possible, cover more ground, we employed several modes of transportation. First up, horses. We went for two hour trail ride over some pretty rough terrain. It was Zakaria’s first time horse riding, but he took to it like a natural. The ranch’s dog had just had some puppies, which I couldn’t resist snuggling. So cute!
Next up, hot air balloon! Wow! We got up at 5:30 in the morning for our trip, and by the time the company picked us up there were already lots of balloons in the air. Our balloon waited on a hillside on the edge of town. We were soon up in the air, looking down on the earth. The landscape looked somewhat lunar from the air. We eventually climbed to 2000 meters! Back down on the ground we toasted with champagne (at 8 in the morning) and Zakaria was smiling from ear to ear.
Last transportation mode? A bright, shiny… scooter…not my favorite, though Zakaria thought the helmet suited me…I’m not so sure. Zak loved it though and, long after I’d had enough, rode around town checking out the sights.
Then it was time to leave. We boarded an overnight bus to Istanbul that was supposed to take 11 hours…but took 14.5. To be fair, most of the buses in Turkey were right on time, so this was just unfortunate.
We traveled many miles in Turkey and saw truly amazing things. Had I been by myself, I doubt I would have ventured so far…and I definitely wouldn’t have rented that scooter! Turkey is surprising in its diversity and I’m glad I gave it a chance…and traveled outside Istanbul.
Now, I’m off to Singapore for a few days, on my way to Australia. I’ve got a couple of really long flights ahead of me…but I’m flying Singapore Airlines, supposedly the best in the world…bonus!
I’ll write as soon as possible…and promise not to fall this far behind again.
I hoped you enjoyed the stories and pictures.
Tags: Turkey
LizG
Loved your commentary! The pictures alluded me, though. I’ll have to look at them when I’m fully awake.
Take care of yourself and be good.
LOVE
MOM
Just click on the words in green and it should open up a seperate window with the picture. (This may be hidden somewhere beneath other windows in AOL.)
Let me know if you still have problems.
*Liz
This is the best diary yet! I love all the photos. The photos of you are nice but they make me miss you too much. 🙁
You look great by the way.
I can’t way for your update in Singapore. Woo hoo!
This is the best diary yet! I love all the photos. The photos of you are nice but they make me miss you too much. 🙁
You look great by the way.
I can’t way for your update in Singapore. Woo hoo!