Blogs from Turkey, Middle East - page 32

After checking out of our hotel in Selçuk we were dropped off at the station where we eventually boarded a train to Izmir Airport which is about an hour away. At the airport we found our way to the car rental area and picked up the car we’d booked before arriving in Turkey. This car was a whole lot nicer than the previous three we had hired so far in Turkey which was fortunate as we’d be driving from Izmir to Istanbul via Gallipoli; a total of about 700km (excluding wrong turns). We were supposed to be picking up our friends Kat and Rob along the way to Çanakkale and spending the rest of our holiday with them but unfortunately they had to cut their trip short due to illness. After checking the fuel tank was ... read more

Our train pulled into Selçuk station just over 3 hours after leaving Denizli. We then walked across the tracks (after the train left!) and made our way to our hotel which was about 1km away. As we walked through the door we were met by the very friendly owner of our hotel and his puppy Lokum (Turkish delight). We checked in and got his recommendation on what we should do with our time in Selçuk before heading up to our room to relax for a bit. That evening we had dinner at the restaurant recommended by our hotel; we ordered some lentil soup to start as well as a mixed grill (various different kebabs and a token bit of salad) for Scott and a fried aubergine stuffed with onions, tomato and rice for me. My dinner ... read more

We arrived in Denizli, the main city near Pamukkale, a little than expected. Along the way our bus stopped to pick up a guy on the side of the road; it looked like his whole village had come out to say farewell. There was lots of dancing, cheering and throwing him up in the air. Eventually he climbed onto the bus and we continued on our way towards Denizli…with a motorcade of his (drunk) friends driving in front of us very slowly, weaving in and out of each other and blocking entire width of the road so that we couldn’t overtake. After about 15 minutes of that they stopped in front of the bus and the guy got off the bus to dance with them for a while longer before he finally hopped back on and ... read more

Tourist visas in Turkey are good for 90 days which would normally seem like a long time unless you rent an apartment in a spot that you love and then those 90 days just whizz on by. By the time we left Canakkale; the Dardanelle wind had taken on a wintry bite and early morning walks required thick jackets and woolen caps. In Turkey, a visitor doesn't just 'move on' when they feel like it. At least not a courteous visitor. Our last week in Canakkale was filled with goodbye dinners and farewell breakfasts and tear-soaked, boat rocking, Grizzly-bear clinches that none of us wanted to be the first to end lest our ardor be questioned. This autumn we supplemented last year's list of Turkish friends with yet another long roster of tongue-twisting names and I'm ... read more

A (Turkish) Delight to the Senses…… And so my next great adventure begins with a fairly decent (for me) departure time of 7:30am, with the first of my 3 flights across the globe to Istanbul, Turkey. First stop is Seattle and after a smooth breakfast flight of 2.5 hours I land at SeaTac, and spend my 3-hour layover relaxing in the Delta Sky Lounge, as usual. I find my favorite corner lounge chair – the one I had on my way to Hong Kong a couple of weeks ago – with the view over the concourse and the multiple takeoffs of Delta and Alaska flights headed around the world. Sipping on coffee heavily laced with Bailey’s Irish Cream, I doze until I hear the announcement that my flight to Amsterdam is boarding…..time to once more depart ... read more