http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/Gorkem-Turan/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from Gorkem Turan en-us Fri, 01 Jan 2010 23:26:08 +0000 Fri, 01 Jan 2010 23:26:08 +0000 After my two days in Batum I crossed the border from Sarp. The taxi drivers on the Turkish side annoyed me before by asking more money they should so this time I made sure about the money I should pay. But this time they tricked me once more by squeezing me in a taxi full of people. There are some places in earth which you should never ever take a taxi and Turksh side of Sarp border is definetely http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Turkey/Black-Sea/Artvin/blog-405924.html As spring arrived once more I felt an urge to be on the green mountains of the Black Sea. I always feel spring is the best time to be in the nature while everthing is awakening and water is coming out of every hole it finds out. So as we were in the end end of May this was the right time. The begining of my trip would be from Batumi simply Batum in Turkish where I would stay for two days then cr http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Georgia/Adjara/Batumi/blog-403987.html There are some places for everyone which you feel a belonging without knowing really why and Black Sea region of Turkey is somewhere like that for me. Ok my father is from this region and when I seek my ancestorywhich ever branch I look for at my fathers side I always end up somewhere in eastern Black Sea but still I spent a very little time of my life in this region and I was in my end twenties http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Turkey/Black-Sea/Trabzon/blog-345980.html This time for a training I headed my way to Dubai. Stayed 6 days totally and the great thing was I spared one day for some things that I could not have chance to do last time. One was doing jeep Safari in the desert and second one swimming in the Basra gulf which is part of the Indian ocean. So among the three oceans in the world only Atlantic would be left where I had not put my feet in yet.Durin http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/United-Arab-Emirates/Dubai/blog-333684.html There were many times I saw Van Lake in my dreams. I don't know why actually those dreams usually start from Ankara or Istanbul and after a ride with a car I end up in the coast of Van Lake. Maybe why this place so much took a place in my under concience is I always find this great junk of water which is in the middle of the high mountains so far from the sea interesting. I should have seen a pl http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Turkey/Eastern-Anatolia/Van/blog-317661.html It has been over two years I have not been to my fathers home town. As Turkish Airlines started flights between Istanbul and Sinop now there is an alternative for the hectic 12 hours bus journey. Also another good reason I have was to see my fathers boat in the sea which he has been struggling to build for three years. Sinop is a very old port city of Anatolia whose history dates back to the Hiti http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Turkey/Black-Sea/Sinop/blog-305220.html That is how we hear about Libya for the first time in Turkey in history lessons with the word Trablusgarp. The last soil of the Ottoman Empire in Africa would be the first place I would put my feet in Africa. There are also other firsts and lasts in Libyan history. Like the word Asia was first used by Greeks for the land where Turkey is located today the word Africa was first time used for Li http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Libya/Tripoli/blog-286600.html At last I saw the city which I wished to see for a long time and I was on my way to Moscow. This time my ticket was for a 4 bed compartment in the train. I was expecting to travel with males but again Russian culture which does not distinguish between genders surprised me. My room mate was Tanya a lady in her 50's. She was very talkative and nice. She asked me a lot about Turkey and life there. T http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Russia/Northwest/Moscow/blog-273807.html When the train started to move from Rostov I was tired enough for a sleep. The destination was from one big river of Europe to another big one which draws the border between Euorope and Asia. I started from Don and I would end in Volga. The wagon I was traveling in was like a dorm. Beds were located right and left along an aisle and wagon was full of both men and women. As someone who was born i http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Russia/South/Volgograd/blog-272682.html The journey which I have been dreaming for a long while did not start very well. My friend who wished to join me could not come because of his visa problems secondly I was very very close to missing my plane from Istanbul to Rostov and thirdly a corrupt officer sticked me and a few other Turkish citizens to the Rostov airport for a few hours just for his wish for getting some small presents li http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Russia/South/Rostov-on-Don/blog-271211.html So another exhibition in a gulf country and I was on my way to Kuwait. Totally spent five days there. If you were a kid like me in the 80's Kuwait has a different meaning for you. It was the ground where another episode of Star Wars took place and this was shown on TV's live. Good allied forces were fighting against the bad guys to save Kuwaiti people from torture killings and rapings. It was http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Kuwait/Al-Kuwait/blog-267017.html Last week I was in Dubai for Arap Lab exhibition. Actually before Dubai was somewhere I have been and I have not been. During the times I used to fly back and forth to Australia when I was studying I had to stop in Dubai for transfer. I saw the city from the sky with all lights and skyscapers and even from that distance I could feel the wealth and luxury city had. This time I had chance to get o http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/United-Arab-Emirates/Dubai/blog-246878.html The day started with meeting with dear friend Ugur Seker. Ugur Seker and his home town Corum is a story of another blog. The Canon compact camera Ugur Seker bought for me was the hero of the day and the reason of this blog.First camera after 30 years of life travelling in three continents and seeing towns and faces I can barely remember now. I know that is pretty late but better late than never. http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Turkey/Marmara/Istanbul/blog-224305.html