Of course the day after it rained all evening...we never did get to see the eternal flames...we woke up to sun and clear blue sky...of course...and left Olympos on the first bus. We spent our last two days on the Mediterranean in Antalya and began our adventures along the Antalya public bus system. After double checking our destination with the bus driver we hopped on and hoped for the best. We quickly discovered that bus stations don't have signs and you can actually make your own stop if you shout at the bus driver loud enough. Never the less we stuck it out long enough that we figured we were close, got of the bus and pulled out the guidebook to figure out where we were. Now looking as obviously tourist as one can get people started asking where we want to go. This was helpful as we were staying in the old Roman part of the city that is full of narrow cobblestone streets and alleyways that seem more like a maze than anything else, and a short time later we were checked into our nicest room yet. Josh was quite excited that the shower actually had a curtain...none of them had had one up until this point. The afternoon was spent wandering the streets, eating the best chicken kebab wrap yet, and wandering down to the harbour where we ran into one of the guys who helped us with directions earlier in the day. He of course worked on one of the excursion boats and we ended up on an hour long cruise of the bay of Antalya. After a little more exploring Josh had had enough walking around so I left him in the room and went back to the harbour to watch the sunset.
The next morning began with public transportation adventure round two. After taking the long way around to what looked to be a dolmus (minibus) stop we again checked our destination with the bus driver, who gave us a confused look, and hoped on after a nod from the lady in the first row, hoping to end up in a park with a waterfall. We had no idea which direction we should be going and after 30 minutes of detours into random neighborhoods we were starting to wonder if we were just getting taken on a scenic tour of the city. But 10 minutes later we saw the tell tale souvenir stalls and knew we had arrived...as well as proving that I have managed to learn at least a few words in Turkish. They weren't the most spectacular falls I've ever seen, but provided a good 20 minutes of fun before we began our trip back to town and the final round of bus adventures. There were about 4 possible buses we knew would drop us off back where we started, but when an older man poked his head our of a bus number we didn't want and said it would take us to the same place we had no reason not to believe him. He turned out to be the next bus driver on shift but as we drove farther and began passing things we had seen on our bus ride from Olympos the day before we decided he had forgotten about the tourists in the back of the bus and decided to abandon ship...or in the case the bus. We weren't quite sure where we were except that we could see the sea and quickly realized that we were at the beach on the other side of town and could see the harbour in the distance. Not wanting to come all the way to Turkey and not set foot in the Mediterranean we proceeded to take off our socks and shoes and walk in the water...the very cold water...until I decided my feet were cold enough.
Back at our hostel Josh and I parted ways again since I wanted to go to the Turkish bath and Josh wanted nothing to do with it. I walked out 1 1/2 hours later the cleanest I'd been in, well, at least since I arrived in Turkey. Short showers in warm, lukewarm, sometimes, cold, maybe hot for 5 minute showers just don't compare to 90 minutes hot, soapy, exfoliating, massaging bliss. I emerged to discover that Josh's last 90 minutes had not been so blissful, as instead of buying bus tickets and maybe a few other things, the bank machine had eaten his debit card. After we went together to buy the fated bus tickets we split up again...he wasn't really into sitting in a cafe...but his luck ran out again when he thought he'd try to take out money with his credit card and the machine immediately turned off. So the last week has been on me. Our two options were to cancel his cards and he could fix it when he got home, or wait until monday when the banks would be open to retrieve his cards. We opted for option #1 and by 8:30 pm were on the night bus to Cappadocia...which I will save until next time.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Thursday, February 19, 2009
More Turkish hospitality...
I forgot something in the last post...hard to believe I know, that thing was like a short story...so you get two in one day.
All throughout our trip the locals have been welcoming and helpful but the guy on our bus from Fethiye to Kas gets points for the most persistent. If you remember from a few posts back, Josh's evaluation of the bus companies we take is solely based on whether or not they give out cakes. Our bus ride to Kas was only supposed to be a couple hours which usually means you may get some water, if you're lucky some tea. When the guy...I'm not sure what to call him, the bigger buses all have one or two guys whose job is to give out drinks and get your bags out from under the bus when you get to your stop...came by with his little cart Josh got some coke and I got some juice. Then he said tea or coffee? He said it like it was a question but when we said no he poured the hot water anyway. Two drinks wasn't too bad but a few minutes later he was back with bottled water. He proceeded to hold it up with a questioning look on his face but again when we said no we got a cup of water anyway. His generosity had convinced Josh that either we were also getting cakes, or he was having fun filling the tourists up with drinks when there was no bathroom on the bus. The trip ended with no cakes so either he was having a little fun...he did have a silly grin on his face everytime he poured a drink we hadn't really wanted...or we must have looked really thirsty and just didn't realize it.
All throughout our trip the locals have been welcoming and helpful but the guy on our bus from Fethiye to Kas gets points for the most persistent. If you remember from a few posts back, Josh's evaluation of the bus companies we take is solely based on whether or not they give out cakes. Our bus ride to Kas was only supposed to be a couple hours which usually means you may get some water, if you're lucky some tea. When the guy...I'm not sure what to call him, the bigger buses all have one or two guys whose job is to give out drinks and get your bags out from under the bus when you get to your stop...came by with his little cart Josh got some coke and I got some juice. Then he said tea or coffee? He said it like it was a question but when we said no he poured the hot water anyway. Two drinks wasn't too bad but a few minutes later he was back with bottled water. He proceeded to hold it up with a questioning look on his face but again when we said no we got a cup of water anyway. His generosity had convinced Josh that either we were also getting cakes, or he was having fun filling the tourists up with drinks when there was no bathroom on the bus. The trip ended with no cakes so either he was having a little fun...he did have a silly grin on his face everytime he poured a drink we hadn't really wanted...or we must have looked really thirsty and just didn't realize it.
Sun, Sea and Sky
There's something about being near water that makes me smile. Case in point, as we came over a hill and around a corner on our bus ride from Fethiye to Kas four days ago and were surrounded on three sides by bright blue sea I was instantly filled with joy and could not get the smile of my face.
I should go back though, since some very exciting fun happened in Fethiye. Actually first I should say our good weather luck kind of ran out when we left Selcuk and it rained the whole day while we traveled to Fethiye which wasn't so bad since we spent most of the day on the bus. It did make the 20 minute walk to dinner from our hostel not so fun...my so called waterproof jacket isn't so waterproof, more like somewhat resistant. The next day was looking like it might be the best valentines day ever but we woke up to rain and clouds which put a bit of a damper on things...literally. It did start clearing up around 11am so we decided to make an attempt at paragliding, yup that's right, running off a cliff and hoping the parachute stops you from crashing into the trees below. After about 30 minutes on a winding road along the sea (no guard rails) then onto a dirt road that became a rocky path we were at the jump site. Our pilot told us to take a look around and 5 minutes later came to tell us that it was too windy to land so we wouldn't be taking off...probably a good idea...and back down we went. All was not lost though, on the way back to town we got dropped of in a place called Kayakoyu. It was largely abandoned after WWI and the Turkish war of independence when Greece and Turkey swapped their Christian and Muslim populations. Problem was there were a lot more Ottoman Christians that Greek Muslims and so lots of Turkish towns were never resettled. Two churches are still intact but the rest of the hundreds of homes and buildings that used to make up the town have started to crumble. We spent a good hour or two wandering in and out of buildings, scared up a few goats and came across some cows and exited at a ticket booth...the one where we entered was closed...which we walked by as nonchalantly as possible, not wanting to make them think we thought we should have paid. When we got back to the hostel we had company, a couple from New Zealand, Sonja and Murray, and we watched a crazy lightning storm before going to bed and hoping the weather would clear by morning...and it did! By 1pm we were up in the sky about 1500m, a little cold, but having an amazing time. Our run off a cliff was more like walking down a hill but it was pretty amazing all the same. To get down our pilots...we went tandem...suggested we try some tricks. This consisted of a crazy spin move where you're basically horizontal and then huge swooping circles to pull out of it. It felt like my stomach was in my throat...the contents of Josh's ended up on the beach when he landed...but a few seconds later we were on the beach. We went back to Fethiye planning on catching a bus to Kas that night but missed the last bus while we were having lunch so we trekked up to the ruins in town instead, thus concluding the best day after valentines day ever.
Back now to the bus ride to Kas. That day the sun was out, not a cloud in the sky and our hostel had a view of the harbour and a Greek island in the distance. A much smaller town that Fethiye there were lots of little shops to look through and we had lunch along the harbour. There seemed to be a gang of town dogs that ran around town and a few had found sunny spots in the outdoor cafe to take a nap. Josh has taken to naming all the dogs we meet. In return they seem to expect a sampling of our meal but they've so far been unsuccessful. The next day we rented scooters along with Sonja and Murray who showed up later the day before we took a trip to a couple sights a few towns over. First was a place called Ucagiz where we took a boat trip to see the ruins of a crusader castle in Simena, and then floated over the sucken city that used to be on Kekova island. Two earthquakes collapsed the town a few meters under the sea but you can still see the ruins on a calm day for about a kilometer and a half along the coast. After our little boat trip we hoped back on and went to a town called Demre and saw the ruins of Myra and the church of St. Nicholas who yes you guessed it, became the legend that is Santa Claus. Our last stop was a small beach where the gulet ships that take people on 4 day cruises in the summer were all up on shore, in various stages of repair and refurbishing and then we were off, 45 km back to Kas through the hills. It was probably the coldest 45 minutes I've experienced in a year as the sun went down and the wind became less than warm, but we were welcomed back to our hostel with a dinner of barbequed fish, soup and salad. Josh and I set out on our own yesterday without the scooter. We took a dolmus (public minibus) out to the ruins of Xanthos and then Patara, both ancient Lycian towns. We had both places all to ourselves which was kind of nice. What we didn't realize was that Patara is a little more than a few kilometers off the main road and there isn't much public transportation back and forth. A farmer picked us up on the way down and took us as far as the turn off to his house...he also gave us two cucumbers and an orange, gotta love Turkish hospitality...and then we walked probably about an hour down to the ruins and the beach, 18km of white sand. Josh didn't quite appreciate the walking, especially as on they way back we weren't sure if we'd have to walk the whole way. In the end we walked up past where we had be dropped off before but then were able to catch what I think was the local school bus up to the main road. It was full of kids who took great joy from saying hello and what's your name over and over again.
Now we're in Olympus staying in a 'treehouse'. Basically a little wood cabin on short stilts. There are some that look a little more like treehouses but they aren't heated so they're a no go in the winter months. This morning we walked down to the beach and through the ruins of the ancient town. We didn't quite get to see all of them because the waves are a little too high today and it would require getting more than a little wet to get to the otherside of the creek that runs from the beach up through town. We had planned on hiking up to Chimera to see the famous eternal flames but it started raining just before we started out so we're now waiting to see if the weather will clear...which is why I've had time for this long winded post. Hopefully those of you who actually made it this far think it was worth it.
I should go back though, since some very exciting fun happened in Fethiye. Actually first I should say our good weather luck kind of ran out when we left Selcuk and it rained the whole day while we traveled to Fethiye which wasn't so bad since we spent most of the day on the bus. It did make the 20 minute walk to dinner from our hostel not so fun...my so called waterproof jacket isn't so waterproof, more like somewhat resistant. The next day was looking like it might be the best valentines day ever but we woke up to rain and clouds which put a bit of a damper on things...literally. It did start clearing up around 11am so we decided to make an attempt at paragliding, yup that's right, running off a cliff and hoping the parachute stops you from crashing into the trees below. After about 30 minutes on a winding road along the sea (no guard rails) then onto a dirt road that became a rocky path we were at the jump site. Our pilot told us to take a look around and 5 minutes later came to tell us that it was too windy to land so we wouldn't be taking off...probably a good idea...and back down we went. All was not lost though, on the way back to town we got dropped of in a place called Kayakoyu. It was largely abandoned after WWI and the Turkish war of independence when Greece and Turkey swapped their Christian and Muslim populations. Problem was there were a lot more Ottoman Christians that Greek Muslims and so lots of Turkish towns were never resettled. Two churches are still intact but the rest of the hundreds of homes and buildings that used to make up the town have started to crumble. We spent a good hour or two wandering in and out of buildings, scared up a few goats and came across some cows and exited at a ticket booth...the one where we entered was closed...which we walked by as nonchalantly as possible, not wanting to make them think we thought we should have paid. When we got back to the hostel we had company, a couple from New Zealand, Sonja and Murray, and we watched a crazy lightning storm before going to bed and hoping the weather would clear by morning...and it did! By 1pm we were up in the sky about 1500m, a little cold, but having an amazing time. Our run off a cliff was more like walking down a hill but it was pretty amazing all the same. To get down our pilots...we went tandem...suggested we try some tricks. This consisted of a crazy spin move where you're basically horizontal and then huge swooping circles to pull out of it. It felt like my stomach was in my throat...the contents of Josh's ended up on the beach when he landed...but a few seconds later we were on the beach. We went back to Fethiye planning on catching a bus to Kas that night but missed the last bus while we were having lunch so we trekked up to the ruins in town instead, thus concluding the best day after valentines day ever.
Back now to the bus ride to Kas. That day the sun was out, not a cloud in the sky and our hostel had a view of the harbour and a Greek island in the distance. A much smaller town that Fethiye there were lots of little shops to look through and we had lunch along the harbour. There seemed to be a gang of town dogs that ran around town and a few had found sunny spots in the outdoor cafe to take a nap. Josh has taken to naming all the dogs we meet. In return they seem to expect a sampling of our meal but they've so far been unsuccessful. The next day we rented scooters along with Sonja and Murray who showed up later the day before we took a trip to a couple sights a few towns over. First was a place called Ucagiz where we took a boat trip to see the ruins of a crusader castle in Simena, and then floated over the sucken city that used to be on Kekova island. Two earthquakes collapsed the town a few meters under the sea but you can still see the ruins on a calm day for about a kilometer and a half along the coast. After our little boat trip we hoped back on and went to a town called Demre and saw the ruins of Myra and the church of St. Nicholas who yes you guessed it, became the legend that is Santa Claus. Our last stop was a small beach where the gulet ships that take people on 4 day cruises in the summer were all up on shore, in various stages of repair and refurbishing and then we were off, 45 km back to Kas through the hills. It was probably the coldest 45 minutes I've experienced in a year as the sun went down and the wind became less than warm, but we were welcomed back to our hostel with a dinner of barbequed fish, soup and salad. Josh and I set out on our own yesterday without the scooter. We took a dolmus (public minibus) out to the ruins of Xanthos and then Patara, both ancient Lycian towns. We had both places all to ourselves which was kind of nice. What we didn't realize was that Patara is a little more than a few kilometers off the main road and there isn't much public transportation back and forth. A farmer picked us up on the way down and took us as far as the turn off to his house...he also gave us two cucumbers and an orange, gotta love Turkish hospitality...and then we walked probably about an hour down to the ruins and the beach, 18km of white sand. Josh didn't quite appreciate the walking, especially as on they way back we weren't sure if we'd have to walk the whole way. In the end we walked up past where we had be dropped off before but then were able to catch what I think was the local school bus up to the main road. It was full of kids who took great joy from saying hello and what's your name over and over again.
Now we're in Olympus staying in a 'treehouse'. Basically a little wood cabin on short stilts. There are some that look a little more like treehouses but they aren't heated so they're a no go in the winter months. This morning we walked down to the beach and through the ruins of the ancient town. We didn't quite get to see all of them because the waves are a little too high today and it would require getting more than a little wet to get to the otherside of the creek that runs from the beach up through town. We had planned on hiking up to Chimera to see the famous eternal flames but it started raining just before we started out so we're now waiting to see if the weather will clear...which is why I've had time for this long winded post. Hopefully those of you who actually made it this far think it was worth it.
Friday, February 13, 2009
From the Mediterranean...
After a week in Turkey I thought I'd fill everyone in on our travels so far. First, I think I had a permanent grin on for the first three days. I did keep wanting to speak to people in Arabic but that doesn't work so well here. There are a few words here and there that are the same but it's mostly a completely different language. Oh, and while people thinking you're married to your brother might not be the greatest thing in most circumstances, it does wonders for warding off the Turkish men. The only downside is the stories of really awful pick-up lines but I'll trade that for hassle free travels any day...especially after six months in Egypt. People are kind of surprised to find a brother and sister traveling together. Most of them think they'd kill their sibling if they tried traveling together. Josh and I have been good so far. Probably helps he's easy going...I think one of his highlights is the chocolate cakes and tea we get on our bus rides...easy to please
In Istanbul we did a lot of walking, and saw the main sights...Blue Mosque, Aya Sofya, and the pedestrian areas around Taksim Square. We also saw our first pro-football (soccer) game when we met up with a bunch of architecture students from the UK staying at our hostel. The game wasn't the greatest I've seen since it apparently didn't have too much meaning, but just going to the game is an experience in itself...you'd never find fans like these back home.
Next was a VERY early morning wake up to catch the ferry across the Marmara Sea and then a bus to Canakkale where we stayed one night to see the ruins of Troy. The ruins aren't that amazing but you go just to say you were there. It's also where we met two Aussie girls were trying to catch the same bus as us down to Selcuk...near Ephesus...one of them is from a town called Oakbank which was quite the coincidence. For those of you that don't know I grew up and went to school in a town called Oakbank. We were in Selcuk for three days and saw, in order, Ephesus, Merymana (the place they say the virgin mary died), Sirince (an old greek town known for their fruit wines), and Pamukkale. In Sirince we wandered into a jewelry shop only to find out that the jeweler there made all the jewelry worn in the movie Troy. I'm now the owner of a pair of earings worn by whoever it was that played the part of Helen...all you sceptics out there can keep quiet, there were newspaper clippings and everything.
Now we're in a seaside town called Fethiye and hoping for good weather so we can do some hiking the next few days. That's all for now...I'm not sorry to say I don't miss anywhere or anyone right now... life is great
In Istanbul we did a lot of walking, and saw the main sights...Blue Mosque, Aya Sofya, and the pedestrian areas around Taksim Square. We also saw our first pro-football (soccer) game when we met up with a bunch of architecture students from the UK staying at our hostel. The game wasn't the greatest I've seen since it apparently didn't have too much meaning, but just going to the game is an experience in itself...you'd never find fans like these back home.
Next was a VERY early morning wake up to catch the ferry across the Marmara Sea and then a bus to Canakkale where we stayed one night to see the ruins of Troy. The ruins aren't that amazing but you go just to say you were there. It's also where we met two Aussie girls were trying to catch the same bus as us down to Selcuk...near Ephesus...one of them is from a town called Oakbank which was quite the coincidence. For those of you that don't know I grew up and went to school in a town called Oakbank. We were in Selcuk for three days and saw, in order, Ephesus, Merymana (the place they say the virgin mary died), Sirince (an old greek town known for their fruit wines), and Pamukkale. In Sirince we wandered into a jewelry shop only to find out that the jeweler there made all the jewelry worn in the movie Troy. I'm now the owner of a pair of earings worn by whoever it was that played the part of Helen...all you sceptics out there can keep quiet, there were newspaper clippings and everything.
Now we're in a seaside town called Fethiye and hoping for good weather so we can do some hiking the next few days. That's all for now...I'm not sorry to say I don't miss anywhere or anyone right now... life is great
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Temporary change of location...
So for the next 3 weeks or so this blog will actually be the adventures of Stephanie and Josh in Turkey. We've spent the last couple days wandering the streets of Istanbul, which I love, and are hopefully catching a ferry south tomorrow morning, but not before ending of our first stop at a football match with our new friends from London. I'm not going to promise much in the way of updates because well, I'm on holidays...if you want you can check out Josh's blog at joshdyck.blogspot.com...
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