TRAVEL > TURKEY 

see photo galleries [photos will be added soon]

I an indeed thankful that I visited Turkey in June 2006, otherwise the August 2006 spate of bombings in Antalya and Istanbul would have dissuaded me from journeying there and I would have been the poorer for it. As it is, I considered myself fortunate to have been able to experience much that Turkey has to offer - Turkey is a country seep in history, rich in culture and peopled by gentle and charming folks. 

I arrived in Istanbul on the night of 2 June having spent a week in Prague. After a few wrong directions, I finally found the entrance to the Airport Hotel where I spent my first night in turkey. Early next morning, after a brief breakfast, I returned to the airport to await the arrival of my family and friends from Singapore - all 15 of them.  After an inordinately long wait, they started trickling out and I was then introduced to 5 more people who had joined our tour group and to Metin, our Turkish tour guide and to Judy, our tour escort from Singapore. These 22 people are to me my travelling companion for the next 2 weeks and   here then are the places we visited.  [click on photo gallery links above to see a selection of photographs]:

ISTANBUL
The only city in the world than spans 2 continents - Asia and Europe - divided by the busy waterway of the Bosphorus Strait which link the Sea of Marmara to the Black Sea. Like all tourist to Istanbul, our visit would not be complete without seeing some of the impressive constructions of the Byzantine period - the Hippodrome, the centre of chariot races; the Yerebatan Saray - one of the largest and most ornate of all underground water cisterns; the Sultan Ahmet Mosque [also known as the Blue Mosque by virtue of its blue dome] - one of the largest religious complexes in Istanbul and the Hagia Sophia [St Sophia Church Museum] - considered the symbol of the Byzantine period and probably the biggest building at the time of its construction. It was for a period used as a mosque and its Catholic frescos were then plastered over which has served to preserve its beauty now revealed in the museum restoration. 

Other equally fascinating visits were to the Topkapi palace - the seat of the Ottoman Empire after it shifted its capital from Bursa to Istanbul. It is today a museum palace with a wide collection of royal antiquities and holy relics and where an insightful visit can be made to the royal harem suites. Shopping time at the 500 years old Grand bazaar - a maze of over 4000 stalls and shops selling local products such as leather apparels, jewelry, souvenirs, handicrafts, pottery and ceramics ware, Turkish coffee, apple tea etc. - puts one's haggling skills to the acid test. Fall prey to the charms of the often very good looking young Turks that  men these stalls and you are done for price wise.

ANKARA
Now the capital of Turkey and home to the Ataturk Mausoleum, the final resting place of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk -"father of modern Turkey" - a leader much revered by his people, who introduced secularism in the state and gave women the vote. The Anatolian Civilization Museum was also on our visit list and its impressive collection of antiquities did not fail to impress us.

CAPPADOCIA 
The unique landscape of Cappadocia evolved from natural erosion of the ash sedimentation by wind, sun, rain and snow, sculpting the land into countless, strangely shaped pillars, cones and "fairy chimneys" and what better way to see this then in the light of dawn in a hot air balloon. At times it felt like floating over  a sea of delicious meringues - snowy white or tinged with cream or pink or red hues. Truly magical! Another breathtaking experience is visiting the underground city of Kaymakli - one of the largest in Cappadocia and said to have existed since the Hittite period and enlarged during the Arabic attacks in the 7th century. The building we clambered through was 7 stories down though we only were allowed into the first three levels. Many a times we were bent at the waist to get through the many tunnel-like corridors. the ingenious ventilation system in these buildings takes some believing. Not to be outdone is the Goreme Open Air Museum - a compound of some 29 rock cut churches, some as old as the 6th century, with beautiful frescoes depicting the bible; and Uchisar, a troglodyte town situated right in the middle of Cappadocia. 

Our shopping venture was to visit a carpet making factory, where we resisted all attempts to part us from our monies and to Avanos - home to pottery making, using the red clay of the region, where alas we succumbed to the temptation of the intricately decorated wares.

KONYA/ANTALYA/PERGE
Konya was the capital of the Seljuk Turks - the most ancient of the Turks. Here we visited the Melvana Museum where artefakts associated with the Melvana Whirling Dervishes are displayed; and the Sultanhani Caravanserai, a "hotel" for the ancient traders and travelers, where the animals were given as much care as the owners and where right in the middle of the hotel open air compound rise a mosque.

Antalya is the principal resort city of the southern Mediterranean strip and we enjoyed a boat cruise along its coastline before seeing some of its  landmarks - Hadrian's Gate [named after the famous Roman General Hadrian -him of the famous Hadrian's wall in England fame], the Clock tower and the fluted minaret. 

We then drove to Perge to visit the Acropolis where St Paul delivered his first sermon and Aspendos which houses the best preserved Roman theatre of Turkey. a short rest stop was taken at the Duden Waterfalls - a not very spectacular falls by any standard.

DEMRE/MYRA/FETHIYE
Our journey continued along the scenic Mediterranean coast, taking in the panoramic view from our coach window and stopping along the way at Demre, the so called birthplace of "Santa Claus" for here lies St Nicholas, the true Santa; then the Rock Tombs of Myra, and the sunken city of Kekova by boat - a  ride which proved to be all too choppy for us to have a clear view of Kekova. The opportunity was presented to have a swim in the Mediterranean sea but as it was rather windy and nippy only 3 of us rose to the invigorating challenge - Metin, Henri and myself. Refreshed and back on the coach, we continued along the scenic drive, via Kas arriving in Fethiye for dinner and the night. 

KAYAKOY/DALYA//MULGA/BODRUM
Next morning we drove along another stretch of scenic coastline, stopping first at the Ghost Village of Kayakoy. Ghost, not because it is haunted but that it is totally deserted. We then arrived at Dalya, where yet another boat ride awaits us - to view the rock tombs of the ancient Lycia period. The day was prefect, lovely blue skies and warm. Lunch was alfresco under the grape vines, after which we continued to Mulga for our outdoor Mud Bath. First a shower then in the Mud bath to be nicely coated then sunning ourselves whilst letting the mudpack dry on our bodies and working its healing magic on making us nubile again. then under the cold shower again to wash off the dried mud before a lovely soak in the thermal bath. After this beautification, we proceeded on the Bodrum, the port of ancient Halicarnassus where Herodutus was born and where the mausoleum was one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, our abode for the night.

Our first port of call next morning was Bodrum castle, now a maritime museum of sorts for included amongst  its many exhibits were salvaged items from shipwrecks around the nearby coast. From up high Bodrum castle tower we could see where the Aegean and the Mediterranean seas met.

AFRODISIA/PAMUKKALE
Afrodisia - an ancient city dedicated to the goddess of Love and Beauty, Aphrodite. A ruin which was only "recently" discovered and where excavation work still continues.

At Pamukkale, we visited the extensive ruins of Hierapolis, an ancient roman city well known for its thermal baths and health centre, then to the Necropolis, where are found the tombs of the nobles down to the graves of the common man from ancient days. The highlight of the visit was the cotton Castle - the spectacular natural phenomenon created by calcium deposits from the thermal spring waters that tumble down the mountains over thousands of years, forming into white and smooth terraces that look like snow from afar. Sadly with the increasing numbers of tourist resorts that siphoned the spring water for the pa baths, the Cotton Castle has suffered. where in days of old, one could soak in the terraced pool, now it was  a mere ankle soak as we wade through the shallow pools.

EPHESUS
A high point of the trip was certainly our visit to Ephesus, a city which was shifted many times in the course of history towards higher ground. Within this sprawling city complex we visited the Library of Celsius, the Odeon, the temple of Hadrian, the Agora, the Marble Street and the grand theatre with a seating capacity of 24000 people. To test the acoustics of the theatre we put Metin to the test and he can through with flying colours treating us to an aria from a Turkish opera.

Contact Nancy on : nancy@caiger.co.nz

All images © Nancy Caiger