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Published: December 8th 2012
Egyptian Obelisk
Sultanahmet Park, İstanbulWhile most of you were eating turkey for Thanksgiving, I unexpectedly found myself in Turkey for the third time on this trip. I was supposed to go to Israel after Tunisia but with the recent conflict I thought best to give it a pass. It turned out to be a hasty an unwise decision as a cessation of hostilities was announced a couple of days after I was scheduled to arrive. It's been quite a different scene in Turkey since I was last here in September. This time it wasn't brutally hot or brimming with tourists. The Mediterranean coast was almost deserted and the temperatures maxed out around 70°F. It was a bit cooler in İstanbul and 55°F or so in Cappadocia but around freezing there at night. Thankfully there was copious sunshine everywhere in stark contrast with dreary Tunisia. Last Monday I flew to Egypt for 2 weeks amid the protests but I am not planning on visiting Cairo which is where the demonstrations have been centered.
$US ≈ 1.80 Turkish lira (TL)
İstanbul
Necessary transit point for me. Even though I’d been to İstanbul a couple of times over 3 previous trips to Turkey,
I stayed for 2 days mostly to relax but also to check out the Basilica Cistern.
Accommodation and food I wanted to stay at the Grand Ergün Hotel at the Aksaray Metro station again because of its location and excellent value. It was unfortunately full so I had to settle for the nearby and pricier Hotel Prima for 60TL (after bargaining) for a single with private bathroom, AC (definitely not necessary in November), WiFi, and breakfast which included warm milk for the infinite cups of tea. I stayed one more night before flying to Egypt at the Grand Ergün Hotel for 40TL which included the same amenities as Hotel Prima and breakfast was buffet style. There are so many restaurants near the hotels but I ate almost all my meals at Sükrüoğlu which is a lokanta but also serves basic kebap grills for ~10TL. Best was a 2.50TL bowl of
cacık – cold yogurt and cucumber soup and oddly difficult to find in Turkey. Great espresso drinks at Çemberlitas Muhallebicisi near the Roman column and bazaar. For a quick nosh before hopping on a ferry,
balık ekmek (fish sandwich) can be grabbed for 4.75TL at the corner restaurant across
İstanbul Boğazı
Straits of Istanbul, a.k.a., Bosphorus Straits. Beyoğlu and Galata Tower across the water. from the train station which also serves kokoreç for the daring.
Transport Without reserving in advance, I took an overnight bus from the main
otogar to Alanya with Alanyalilar for 60TL, a bit cheaper than all the other companies but probably the slowest as it inexplicably took 3 hours from Antalya to Alanya. We left İstanbul at 8:30 pm and arrived in Alanya at 11:30 am the following day. For getting around town,
jetons (transport tokens) now cost 3TL. Aksaray to the
otogar on the metro takes about 20 minutes and 45 minutes to the airport. I walked to Sultanahmet from Aksaray in ~45 minutes; hop on the tram at nearby Yusufpaşa and get there in 10 minutes.
Yerebatan Sarayı (Sunken Palace, a.k.a., Basilica Cistern) Beautiful underground well supported by dozens of columns dating from the Byzantine era. 10TL entry fee.
Alanya
Totally devoid of any soul or Turkish character whatsoever. It seems to be one elongated strip mall punctuated with apartments inhabited by retired European ex-pats. As far as I could tell the only redeeming feature is Cleopatra’s Beach which is admittedly very nice.
Accommodation and food I booked 2 nights in
İstanbul Boğazı
One of the two massive suspension bridges crossing the straits. a private room with bathroom at Hakan Aile Pansiyonu on booking.com for the bargain basement price of 23TL/night taking advantage of the low season. Very new, family run pansiyon, convenient to the beach,
otogar and its cheap but good restaurants. The rate included breakfast, bottled water, and WiFi which was crucial for watching the New England Patriots dismantle the New York Jets on Thanksgiving although I had to watch the game commencing at 3:30 am the following day. Alanya’s restaurants are generally overpriced the exception being around the
otogar. Simit Sarasi in what appears to be Alanya’s center slings
Türk kavesi for the surprisingly low price of 2.50TL.
Transport Güney Akdeniz runs buses along the coast in both directions about once an hour. Alanya to Anamur takes 3½ hours and costs 25TL, a bit cheaper if you have a Turkish cell phone which is necessary to purchase on their website.
Antalya Kalesi Can walk up to the castle from the Red Tower in a half hour but there are taxis and buses plying the route. I did not think it was worth the 10TL entry fee as there is practically nothing inside the walls. The views are spectacular
but are similar from Ehmedek which is free… but not for long as there was a ticket booth under construction when I was there.
Tersane The only Seljuk built shipyard remaining in Turkey. Much more interesting than the castle. The entry fee is 4TL but there are combo tickets for 6TL including the Red Tower and 10TL including the tower and Damlataş Mağarası (Dripping Stone Cave). Skip the castle and spend the 10TL for the combo ticket.
Anamur
Nice, friendly, hassle free town with no other tourists when I was there.
Accommodation and food Hotel Dedehan right at the
otogar was 35TL for a single with private bathroom, breakfast buffet, and WiFi but there was no electricity during the day until 5 pm. It’s also close to the mosque so take a room on the opposite side of the hotel. The best place to eat in town is Adanalı, a few minutes walk up from the
otogar. Refreshing homemade
ayran. Across the street is Sira Pastanesi serving all types of Turkish sweets. For something quick there are many
lamahcun restaurants near the hotel where a huge portion is 5TL and 2TL for an equally
massive salad.
Transport After Anamurium I chowed down for the second time at Adanalı before boarding a Kızkalesi bound Güney Akdeniz bus departing at 1:30 pm and dropping me at the central Kızkalesi highway stop at 5:10 pm for another 25TL.
Mamure Kalesi The castle was much better than Alanya’s. It is located right between a moat and the beach which is a protected sea turtle nesting area. For some reason there was no one staffing the ticket booth but I think the entry is 3TL. Unlike most castles, there is no prohibition to climb all over the ramparts set high and unsecured above the grounds. Climb the castle’s tower for great views along the coast. Very well preserved and cool place. A Bozyazı bound
dolmuş passes the castle for 1.50TL.
Anamurium Expansive, crumbling pre-Roman ruins also right on the beach. 3TL entry and ~20 minute walk from the Önel highway
dolmuş stop (1.50TL from the
otogar).
Kızkalesi
Must be a buzzing beach town in summer, not so much happening in November but convenient for the local castles and Heaven and Hell Caves.
Accommodation and food After arriving a little late from
Anamur, I walked around for only 10 minutes checking out a few hotels and settled on Hotel Nisan on the beach for 35TL per night for 2 nights. I had my own room with bathroom and the rate included breakfast and WiFi. The room also had a balcony overlooking Kızkalesi. Nothing remarkable about the dining scene as all the restaurants have nearly identical menus.
Transport My last ride along the Eastern Mediterranean coast was to Mersin. Silifke Koop runs the route every 10-15 minutes for 7TL. Journey time is 1:20 to the Mersin
otogar.
Kızkalesi The town was named after the Maiden’s Castle built offshore. There are paddle boats with skipper for hire from the beach.
Cennet Çöküğü ve Cehennem Çukuru (Chasm of Heaven and Pit of Hell) Very large holes in the ground, 5TL entry, ~30 minute walk from
dolmuş stop. Take a Silifke Koop bus to Narlıkuyu from Kızkalesi for 2TL. The conductor will let you know when to get off for the caves.
Mersin
Fair sized city that sees few tourists but is pleasant enough for a day. I probably could have skipped it and headed to Göreme soon after
arriving from Kızkalesi and not missed anything significant.
Accommodation and food Akdeniz Hotel is right across the street from the
otogar along with several other hotels, most of them fine for a short stay. It was probably the nicest place I stayed in all my trips to Turkey and cost only 45TL for a single with private bathroom, breakfast buffet, tea all day, cable TV, and WiFi. At the hotel is Akdeniz Hamam where entry, scrub, and massage cost 31TL. The bath is open until 10:00 pm. The hotel is a 20 minute walk to center where there are dozens of places to eat and try
tantuni – minced meat with onion rolled into a sandwich – the specialty of the region. The Eastern Med also seems to have a penchant for insanely hot peppers served with turnip slices. A popular drink is
şalgam, a wicked sour concoction made of turnip juice and vinegar which must be an acquired taste. I unwittingly tried a sip along the Black Sea Coast in summer thinking it was the similarly colored
nar which is much tastier pomegranate juice. For something sweeter than pucker inducing
şalgam, Tadım Patisserie in the center sells ½
kilos of
baklava for the absurdly low price of 5TL.
Transport Mersin/Tarsus/Adana to Cappadocia is served by Nevşehir Seyahat for 35TL. Buses from Mersin terminate in Nevşehir where a
servis shuttle transports passengers for free to their final destination. I left Mersin at 10:00 and arrived in Göreme by shuttle 15:45. At the Göreme
otogar is a tourist office that is more than happy to help sort out accommodation or call a pre-booked hotel for a free pickup.
Göreme
I made a return to Cappadocia since it was sort of on the way back to İstanbul from Mersin. The end of November was much, much cooler than when I visited in the peak of summer 2011 and while there were far fewer tourists than last year there were many more than I expected but it was by no means crowded. Daytime temperatures were perfect for hiking, ~15°C for a high with abundant sunshine while nighttime was close to freezing.
Accommodation and food I must have stayed at the cheapest place in Cappadocia. Nirvana Cave Hotel had a 10 bed cave dormitory for 17TL/night including a great breakfast buffet and WiFi. The dorm was actually
very nice and no more than 4 people slept there any given night of the 3 that I stayed. The staff was very friendly and helpful and not at all pushy about booking tours through them as is often the case in Göreme. I hadn’t planned on taking any tours anyway because I took a couple last year. The restaurant scene in Göreme has not changed much since last year which is unfortunate because it is the only place I visited in all of Turkey where the value and quality of the food is not that good. Last year I ate several meals at Fırın Express which I found to be an exception but this year it was not up to snuff except for the
pide. Close by, Sarmaşık serves a good
testi kebapı (pottery kebap) which must be cracked open with a hammer after baking. Across the street huge drafts cost 7.50TL at Fat Boys pub.
Transport Best to book transport out of Göreme a day or more in advance even in November as many services are eliminated after the peak tourist season. For the long trip back to İstanbul I took another ride with Nevşehir Seyahat for
55TL and once again an easy transfer in Nevşehir was necessary. The first bus left Göreme ~7:00 pm and the second bus arrived at a satellite bus terminal in İstanbul at 8:00 am from where a
servis shuttle took passengers their final leg into the city center including Sultanahmet. That was surprising because last year when I arrived at the same terminal in İstanbul from Kuşadası the shuttle only dropped me along the tram line which I had to ride to Sultanahmet. Local buses run all over Cappdocia but not so frequently outside of summer.
Cappadocia Hikes The first day I hiked the Pigeon Valley to Uçisar, home of the famous castle (5TL entry, open until sunset). That took a little over an hour. The second day I walked through the Rose Valley to Çavuşin also a bit more than an hour. Easy hikes but there are much longer ones for the motivated.
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