Blogs from Turkey, Middle East - page 374

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So there it was in the distance. I was the first to spot it, so my friend Errol called it, “Keith’s Discovery”, though it had not really been lost for over a century. The two of us were standing on a deserted two lane road that, for all intents and purposes, was in the middle of nowhere. The tiny symmetrical talus summit I had spotted still seemed like it was miles away across some lovely, but somewhat foreboding desert landscape. The brown, boulder-strewn hills that separated us from our destination rose steadily towards the summit, but there were a few deep ravines that sliced across their barren undulations, which would have to be dealt with. Luckily, the sun was getting low in the sky and the scorching heat that had accompanied us for most of the ... read more
Keith
A Lion and an Eagle
The Heads of Gods and Kings

Middle East » Turkey » Aegean » Bodrum August 27th 2007

Geo: 37.0391, 27.4302Yesterday we hosted friends up at our pool for a while and then headed down to the beach. We called it "baby day" because much of the activity was centered around playing with our two toddler friends. Kids and adults fetched water from the sea for Alp Doan and Ipek to play with and Ipek had a day of beauty that included doing her hair and nails (in a very stylish blue). It has been wonderful becoming part of the long-time resident community. Whenever we arrive there is always someone there we know, even if they don't speak English and our Turkish is till lousy. We exchange pleasantries in Turkish and watch the kids play. More often than not their is a group of 15 or 20 of us milling about from seat to ... read more
Alp Doan loves the water
A boy, a truck, a bottle of water
Taking a break from the Aegean

Middle East » Turkey » Marmara » Istanbul August 26th 2007

Ive been to Turkey three times in the past 12 years. These photos are of my trips to Istanbul the capital city. Turkey is very inexpensive and very affordable for the most budget traveller. There are lots of hostels, I stayed at the Paris Hostel a couple of times while in Istanbul. There are lots of things to do in Istanbul, Blue mosque, St. Sofia, the Turkish Baths, The Bazaars, and dont forget to haggle your cost down. You can walk almost anywhere in Istanbul, atleast I did, but taxi's are really cheap if you cant do the distance and all the hills. Ive attached some photos of my travels to Turkey.... read more
Turkey trip
Turkey trip
Turkey trip

Middle East » Turkey » Southeastern Anatolia » Urfa August 26th 2007

One of the things I love about traveling without an itinerary is that plans can change on a moment’s notice. My plans were to leave Cappadocia on an early bus to Kahta, near the base of Mt. Nimrut, with my Canadian friend Errol and then continue on to the mountain. We packed our stuff up in the morning and checked out of the hostel. Then we headed down to the bus station to buy some tickets. The man at the counter informed us that every bus (they were not that regular) to Kahta was full for that day and the next. We briefly considered a tour to the area, but the thought repulsed us both. We asked the man what other destinations were available that day and in the general direction we wanted to go. He ... read more
The Spiral Staircase
The Ancient Fortress
Through the Hole in the Wall

Middle East » Turkey August 26th 2007

Kayseri (Silvan alone) This Central Anatolian city is one of Turkey´s fast growing cities. A brand new tramway (is it a Bombardier?) is being built on the central Cumhurriet square, a lot of streets are being completely re-done and an ultra-modern otogar (central bus-station) will open next month. For sure this city will look quite different in a few years. By arriving in Kayseri we left most of the tourists behind us. Not many go further east from Cappadocia although it is really worth the trip. In Kayseri, I assisted for the first time to the Friday Prayer (theoretically, all adult men are required to attend Friday prayer (one of the five daily prayers, but most of the time the second one of the day) at the mosque). I was pick-nicking in a small park in ... read more
Kayseri - Medresesi
Kayseri - Ethnological Museum
Landscape in Eastern Anatolia

Middle East » Turkey » Aegean » Bodrum August 26th 2007

Geo: 37.0391, 27.4302Our days have been split between the beach and the pool, but our social lives have become quite the whirl. Since summer is winding down we're all trying to make the most of our last days. Last night I was invited for a "Girls Night Out" in Turkbuku which is where the Rich and Famous go when they visit Bodrum. It has a line of shops and upscale restaurants along the water. They all looked very inviting, but we contented ourselves with strolling up and down the strand on Star Patrol. We saw a very famous Turkish movie star (I promise I'll get the name later). My friends asked what time the night life kicks off and the answer was midnight--too late for me. So we pulled up stakes and headed back to Gundogan ... read more
Alex on the Elmaskent dock
Eating like a Sultan

Middle East » Turkey » Marmara » Istanbul August 25th 2007

Good afternoon everyone, İt's currently about 35 degrees and 1,000,000% humidity!! Everything is just a little uncomfortaable when you sweat constantly. Even sıttıng stationary outsıde causes you to start sweating... Anyway, enough about that. we,ve been in İstanbul for just over 2 days now and found the time to visit the Hagia Sofia, the blue mosque, the Grand Bazaar and the Topkapi Palace. İt's all been very spectacular!! Wer've also enjoyed countless cups of apple tea and genuine Turkisk kebabs. We're hanging out for some Turkish delight too. Anyway, got to go fınd some air conditıoning (or at least some cold beer, the next best thing). Til next time stay safe!... read more

Middle East » Turkey » Marmara » Istanbul August 25th 2007

During my three weeks in Turkey I have been debating about what to write. Turkey is incredibly diverse and hard to describe in a few short words. It wasn't even until about the last week that I began to really appreciate and enjoy the country for what it is. I arrived in Istanbul to join my second of three Intrepid Tours. Our group was 11 people, 2 Kiwis, 1 English woman living in Turkey teaching English, me, a 70 year old scot living now in Australia (yes 70 and a legend! looks 50 and has the most amazing travel stories), 1 Canadian living in London, and the rest Australian. Our tour leader hails from Brazil, but has spent most of his life in Asia, called Cleverson (yes and his brothers names Emerson and Jefferson!) Our tour ... read more

Middle East » Turkey » Aegean » Bodrum August 24th 2007

Geo: 37.0391, 27.4302Alex: The other day we went to the beach bright and early in the morning and had a little fun. On the way home we stopped by Kate' new Turkish friend's house. She was going to the beach and we asked if she would like to come up to our house to the pool in a little while. Then we organized the time for 2:00. We met her there and had more fun and then Kate and her Turkish friend and we came back to our house for chai and popcorn. She loves puppies, so we showed her the puppies in the bush. The neighbors feed them. I like to drink tea so I had 3 glasses of it. Mom didn't let me have a fourth, even though the tea pitcher was full to ... read more

Middle East » Turkey » Central Anatolia » Cappadocia August 23rd 2007

Any traveler that has ever considered a trip to Turkey has at least heard of Cappadocia. It is a famous place because of its strange, early Christian history and unique, subterranean architecture. It is a sparse landscape of unsurpassed beauty and boundless mystery located in central Turkey and it is the perfect place for any adventurous tourist to explore at a leisurely pace, provided that they are not too claustrophobic. Everything I had heard about Cappadocia excited me greatly. Being a troglodyte at heart, the stories of intricately decorated rock-cut churches, mysterious subterranean cities reaching several levels underground and the virtually unknown, thousand year old culture that built it all made my imagination run wild. My excitement began to build when the maniacal bus driver slammed the bus into a lower gear, throwing us forward in ... read more
A Surreal Landscape
A Hiding Place Suitable for a Tortoise!
The Canyon Land




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