Blogs from Middle East - page 1026

Geo: 37.0391, 27.4302While the dateline on these entries says Bodrum, all our entries (for the most part) going forward are from Gundogan. We visited Bodrum briefly yesterday and it was really a madhouse. The don't call it the Monte Carlo of the Aegean for nothing! That place was hoppin' with discos and upscale restaurants. All the prices on the boards went from lira to Euros and Pounds. We also heard a lot more English.Josh: Today we hung out at the villa in the morning. We found Special K at the Kipa and we ate that for breakfast. We walked out to a beach that we didn't usually go to. We had more fun there than at the other beach. I liked it better because it had two rafts, it was great for snorkeling, there was a ... read more

ok, the trip has ended. And I have procrastinated sending this last entry The truck expedition ended when we got to Istanbul. Dennis and I had booked three more nights in Istanbul so we could assemble our luggage, etc. and just enjoy the last few days without a lot of pressure to hurry up and pack , catch the plane, and so forth. This was good for us because we both bought some bulky carpets and stuff to bring back; we had to figure out how to get it all in our luggage!! We traveled rather quickly from Gallipoli to Istanbul. Then the truck stopped at a truck park by the airport, about 30 miles outside the city, and we unloaded all of our stuff onto a mini bus shuttle into the city. Istanbul is ... read more

Geo: 36.9575, 27.131This is information from our host. It's about a holy day that is celebrated today:Kandil It is necessary to add that Turks have a personal way of following Islam. A great number of Muslim Turks will enjoy a nice alcoholic beverage, smoke cigarettes and make the most of the "good things in life", though taking care not to do these during religious occasions such as Ramazan (Ramadan) or the Kandil. This is, of course, an unofficial declaration on your researchers part.Ramazan is the holy month when for thirty days a good Muslim lets nothing pass his/her lips during daylight hours; no eating, drinking, smoking or even licking a postage stamp. Some restaurants and nightclubs are closed during the month of Ramazan. Mosque festivals are called Kandil, which means Candle. It is so called because ... read more

The ship docked in Izmir, Turkey (aka Smyrnia) and we walked off the gangway and into Asia. We boarded a bus for a tour to ancient Ephesus, about an hour away. It was surreal to be walking where Paul walked and to be experiencing the city that has been the setting of so many sermons over the years. My Mom and I had both made a point of reading the book of Ephesians before going. It was strange to have this whole other dimension added to a text that can become almost too familiar. The Library of Celius was particularly thrilling- the 3rd largest known ancient library. I had the great self satisfaction of being able to read some of the Greek inscribed on the walls of various ruins. It’s hard to describe the kind of ... read more

Yes, it happened yesterday. A full celebration, the girls putting on some make up on me, fixing my hair, bringing me some tea during the whole preparation, dressing me up in pink, even got the youyou part. I did marry in pink, don't ask me why. It was intense, the little girls wanting to be close to the bride, "aaroussa", because she is special and the queen of the day, I was lucky to have some girls dancing for me too, in the yemeni style. The men were upstairs chilling and chewing Qat in the meantime. Yes, men and woman do not share the celebration together. They shoot guns, they dance with their dagger holding up in the sky, and the woman dance, and ... chew Qat too. I got married in Yemen, but I ... read more