Blogs from Turkey, Middle East - page 450

I've spent nearly 10 months in Turkey. It's time to say Good-bye now.Maybe not Good-bye....maybe just See you later. You never know what life's got in store for you...but for now I know it's Good-bye. It's not easy leaving. It's not easy leaving behind people I've grown to be very fond of, to care for a lot, to call 'friends' for a life-time...My teaching experience here's also meant the world to me and I enjoyed every second of it. I have grown both professionally and personally and I love the fact that I've done such a great job living on my own in a foreign country, far away from home. I'm sorry to leave Waldo behind, Umut, Fatma, they are all so dear to me, friends that I will treasure forever,wherever life might take me... ... read more

Geo: 37.8091, 34.1348Quite a surreal place. Never seen anything like the landscape here. This is where many of the early Christians tried to build up the Christian Church faced with huge persecution. Now it's like a Mushroom fairyland!!Moonscape valleys and fairy chimneys.... read more

Geo: 37.9031, 29.0495Another surreal and beautiful landscape. These pools really look like ice but they're not, they're just stone. I was able to explore them at night too which was like walking on the moon!... read more

Geo: 41.0078, 29.1678Istanbul is somewhere I'd always see on Holiday programmes and always want to visit. So I jumped at the chance to visit. Even better, I was able to meet Nurlan on his way back to Azerbaijan. Perfect excuse! I had no idea Turkey, was such a wonderful country as a whole. I had a fantastic time, being a genuine independent backpacker, meeting lovely people on route. Despite common belief, it's fine being a lone female traveller in Turkey. You do get a bit of hassle but most of it harmless, just need a sense of humour. Plus you meet so many people (mainly Australians who have been working in Britain!) on route anyway it doesn't matter. the Turks are really friendly and lots of fun once you get past the compulsory chat up lines. ... read more

Once back in New Delhi, I went to another dentist to get my tooth looked at. This time, I went to the dentist that the US Embassy uses (or so I was told). By this time my tooth felt much better, and the swelling had completely gone down. Much to my relief, the dentist said that everything looks fine, and that there was no need for me to go through surgery. As you can imagine I was pretty happy, I went back to my hotel room, bought a ticket for Istanbul, Turkey, and packed my bags. I was on a flight by that same night! I'stanbul: "Straddling the Bosphorus, its skyline studded with domes and minarets, Istanbul is one of the truly great romantic cities. Its history tracks back from Byzantium to Constantinople to its place ... read more