This is coming about a week late but I’ve been sleeping. It was a long 3 weeks!!

During the month of Ramazan I didn’t have many classes so I was able to travel quite a bit (since most students would rather not learn English for 3 hours on an empty stomach). With two weeks off I decided to make my rounds through Central Anatolia in the SE of Turkey.

With only a small day pack and a sleeping bag, I decided start my trip in what has been coined “backpackers paradise”: Cappadocia! And since I’m often annoyed by the watered-down package tours you usually get at these places, I decided to set out alone with a map (and a little good sense) into the heart of Cappadocia.

It took 2 bus rides and an overpriced taxi to get to my launching point but the site of the Ilhara Valley was more than enough to make up for my disappointment. Usually hikers start from the Ilhara Vally village and hike south to Selime but, being the hard-heading and often idealistic traveler I am, I decided to hike it the other way around to add a little adventure to the 7 hour trek. The only problem was my starting point was probably the most difficult part of the hike and the trails were somewhat wayward. All hazard aside, I was able to explore the cave monasteries (dwelling places of Byzantine monks, covered with colorful frescos)and trek some of the less traveled territory and at my own pace. All in all it was quite wonderful.

At the end of the trek, while sipping some tea and recovering from near exhaustion, I happened to meet and older American couple staying in Goreme who happened to have a personal guide. Luckily, they told me I could hitch a ride back with them back to Goreme and even tag along for a private tour around the area. What luck!! Turns out they were quite a globe-trotting twosome-spending half of the year in Washington state and the other half kitesurfing at their beach house in Mexico. We all stayed at the same pension and they even let me come along the next day for a private tour of the underground cities and fairy chimney sites. On my last day, I rented a bicycle and rode the 17 km loop around the major outline of the area… completely misjudging the difficulty because I was quite sore the next day. However, the views from the ride were breathtaking. I’ll just make sure I’m in better shape next time so there will be more admiring and less time spent trying desperately to catch my breath. The beauty and magic of Cappadocia cannot possibly be described. I suggest checking out my photos for that!

From there, I took a flight far-east to see Van and the surrounding Van Lake area. I stayed with a friend, Semet, from Couchsurfing who was just great. He took the afternoon off of work to pick me up from the airport and take me directly to see my first site at Van Castle! And wow. It really is stunning. After a night of Turkish coffee and foreign films, Semet and I went to an island on Lake Van to see an ancient Armenian church and to catch some magnificent views of the lake. I didn’t have much more time in Van because I had to catch a minibus to my next, and most anticipated, destination: Dogubayazit and Mt. Ararat!!!

Dogubayazit is Turkey’s eastern-most city, 34 km from the border of Iran and just on the other side of Armenia.  On the 2 hour bus trip I met 3 Polish travelers also going to Dogubayazit and immediately befriended them, as it is often nice to have companions when traveling into the unknown! They agreed to let me stay in their hotel room and travel to see the sites with them… I’ve got splendid traveling luck I tell ya! Aside from the dreamlike view of Mt. Ararat in the distance, the main site in Dogubayazit is IshakPasha Palace. We made our way to the stop to take a gander and while waiting for the doors to open we met a guide who happened to be on his day off, but who also happened to be willing to show us around the place for free. Again, jackpot! The guy was friendly, incredibly funny, and was full of historical information about the place. Walking around I really felt as though I was in a dream. The view from this place is unreal. I had to pinch myself. Afterward the guide took us to eat at a local spot and over several pots of tea and a few games of arm wrestling. And just when I though the day couldn’t get any better, he invited us to partake in a Bayram tradition with his family! (During the Bayram at the end of Ramazan, it is traditional for people to spend time with their extended families and eat lots of Bayram goodies! Children often going door to door partaking of trayfulls of baklava and lokum.) So, we all went door-to-door to his families homes and sat down for many glasses of tea and an obscene amount of chocolate and baklava. One of my best nights in Turkey.

It was on this trip that I received my most genuine displays of hospitality and kindness. Definitely my favorite part of the country. Next time I’ll be back to climb that Ararat!!!

Soon I was on the bus for a 10 hour journey to my next destination. I was set to meet up with some of my friends from Bursa in a place called Antep (known for its baklava which I bought, and subsequently ate, a whole box of). From there we drove to the prized Mt. Nemrut to catch the most breathtaking sunset I’ve ever seen. Since we wanted to see the sunrise, we decided to sleep in the car at the top of the mountain. Needless to say we didn’t get much sleep because of the near freezing temperatures. After thawing out over breakfast, we decided to check out one more place before going home. The town of Urfa was only about a 2hour drive so we though we’d make the trip. Urfa is the supposed home of Abraham (like father Abraham. you know. the one with many sons.) Also, its the site of one of the earliest civilizations: Harran (which is mentioned in Genesis). Aside from the blazing heat, it was great. The place had a definite Middle Eastern feel with one of the most magical and exotic bazaars I’ve seen in Turkey.

By this point in the trip I was so exhausted and ready to be home in my own bed. Unfortunately, I had an 17 hour bus ride back to Bursa….

TURKEY FOR STARTERS!

Where do you start with a country so large, so diverse? Turkey offers the visitor everything from superb beaches and water sports, some of the world’s greatest historical sites, palaces, battlegrounds and monuments, and a climate offering everything from lazing on the beach to skiing – and a genuine welcome from its people (even when they’re not trying to sell you a carpet or some Turkish Delight!)

Visas:

The nationalities of many countries (including the United Kingdom and the United States of America) can purchase a sticker Visa on arrival at the airport, sea port or border crossing. You hand in your passport and the fee in cash, the official sticks a stamp in your passport and you’re on your way.. The whole thing takes 10 seconds from arriving at the front of the queue. The visa fee is really just a tourist tax. It allows you to stay in the country for up to 90 days – not three months (i.e. calendar months) as often printed on the sticker!

Your passport should be valid for at least three months from the date you enter Turkey.

Money:

The Turkish Lira (TL) is divided into 100 Kuruş (pronounced koo-ROOSH).
Although you can sometimes use foreign currencies (Euros, US dollars and UK pounds sterling are accepted in some places for larger transactions), you will probably want to use TL most of the time.

You can easily exchange foreign cash at an Exchange Bureau (Döviz Bürosu), much quicker than using a local bank.

You will certainly receive a better rate for Turkish Lira in Turkey than your home country so it’s wise to arrive with just a small amount of TL for immediate expenditure. ATM’s accepting Cirrus, MasterCard, Maestro and Visa and  cards are in all major town cities and tourist areas and major credit cards are accepted in many of the larger shops and restaurants in the tourist areas.

Travellers from the Unite Kingdom should be aware that Scottish and Irish bank notes are not accepted or exchangeable in Turkey.

Travel:

Hiring a car does of course give you greater flexibility to explore off the beaten track but petrol is expensive. Roads are being upgraded all the time and there is a motorway system in western Turkey with many major cities throughout the country now having Ring Roads. You need to exercise great care as the rules of the road are quite flexible with a number of grey areas! However road signs are clear, are similar to more familiar European ones. Seat belts are compulsory for the driver and front seat passenger.

Inter City Coach travel has been the way to go for many years. Coaches are comfortable, operate safely on time and with great efficiency. Stewards are in hand to serve free tea, coffee, soft drinks and for longer journeys, snacks.

However, a number of airlines now serve many routes throughout the country with fares equalling the cost of travelling by coach. For example, the coach journey from İzmir to İstanbul takes about 10 hours – or under one hour by plane, excluding getting to the airport and checking in, of course. Turkish Airlines now has fierce competition from a number of efficiently-run ‘budget’ airlines.

Dolmuş (shared minibus) services ply local routes between towns and villages at low cost, stopping and setting down wherever the passenger wishes. A great service.

When to Go:

April to May) and September to October are the best times to visit for sightseeing and exploring in İstanbul and on the Aegean and Mediterranean coasts.

For sun worshippers, mid-May to September is perfect for the Aegean and Mediterranean coasts, but in July and August the temperature can rise and being close to the sea for a cooling dip can be a distinct advantage.

The Black Sea coast is most welcoming from April and September when there will be much less rain.

Central Anatolia and Cappadocia:
The best time is probably May to September but Cappadocia makes for a quiet escape in spring and autumn. Indeed I visited the area one December and the covering of snow on the rock formations gave them quite a different and mystical beauty
Eastern Turkey is best visited from late June to September, but not before May or after mid-October unless you’re prepared for snowdrifts, road closures and sub-zero temperatures.
High season is from July to mid-September when prices are at their highest.

Where to Go:

İstanbul, Turkey’s largest city, has been a magnet for travellers and traders for centuries. You could spend weeks here and still not see everything this bustling cosmopolitan, once imperial city, straddling two continents has to offer. Istanbul is divided in two by the Bosphorus, a narrow strait between the Sea of Marmara and the Black Sea and separating Europe from Asia. Principal must-sees are the Topkapı Palace, Aya Sofia (the Church of the Divine Wisdom) and the Blue Mosque and a cruise along the Bosphorus is on many visitors’ itinerary.

If you want to ‘shop ‘til you drop’, head for the Covered Bazaar (Kapalı Çarşı) with sixty-seven streets and alleys and over 4200 shops!

Just southwest of İstanbul are the Dardanelles, site of the 1915 Gallipoli landings by the Allied troops, and its World War I battlefields.

Aegean Coast:

Most visitors arrive at either Izmir (Adnan Menderes) Airport or Bodrum (Milas) Airport. Although comprising some of the country’s most popular tourist regions, the Aegean Coast also holds some of Turkey’s most fascinating and diverse treasures, from superb white-sand beaches, picturesque harbours to the largest and best-preserved ancient cities around, Ephesus, the most visited single tourist site in the whole of Turkey – and not forgetting the beautifully sited Roman City of Aphrodisias.

The most popular resorts are Çeşme (one of the quieter spots with reputedly some of the best beaches on the Aegean Coast), Bodrum, the longest and most attractive of the Aegean resorts with great nightlife in the town and lovely beaches dotted around the peninsula, Marmaris, second busiest resort after Kuşadası and popular departure point for Blue Voyage Gulet cruises, and Kuşadası, a busy resort preferred by the younger set with a seaport welcoming Aegean and Mediterranean cruise liners.
Mediterranean Coast:

For quieter resorts with character, Kalkan and Kaş are popular choices. Although having no decent beaches, nearby Patara offers the largest and most beautiful stretches of sand on the Mediterranean with accommodation options, too.

The most popular resorts include Antalya with its a charming old quarter. Most importantly, it’s the coast’s transportation hub, with a huge, busy bus terminal and a modern international airport. Nearby are the ancient cities of Termessos and Perge. Beach bums head for Lara Beach, 9kms southwest of the town. Side, 25kms east of Antalya, has fine sandy beaches and an ancient city gate with well preserved walls and a colonnaded street running down to the Agora.

Much further east is Antakya, the heart of the Hatay region, culturally part of Syria. ‘Must-sees’ here are the Archeological Museum (Arkeoloji Müzesi) with a collection of Roam mosaics which class as some of the best in the world and Sen Piyer Kilisesi, the famous Cave Church of St Peter where it’s said the apostle preached to the Christian population of Antioch (ancient name of Antakya).

Cappadocia:

What can be said about Cappadocia that hasn’t been said already?
A unique landscape formed by deposits from ancient volcanoes approximately nine to three million years ago, the rocks of Cappadocia eroded into hundreds of spectacular pillars and minaret-like forms. The volcanic deposits are soft rocks that villagers at the heart of the Cappadocia Region carved out to form houses, churches, monasteries and even huge multi-storied underground cities..

The Göreme Open Air Museum is the most visited site of the monastic communities in Cappadocia and is one of the most famous sites in central Turkey, comprising more than 30 rock-carved churches and chapels containing some superb frescoes, dating from the 9th and 11th centuries.

And did you know?

Two of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World are located in Turkey. The Temple of Artemis, near Ephesus and the Halicarnassus Mausoleum, Bodrum.

This Starter Kit is only a taster of a country with so much to offer the traveller. I hope you will enjoy your journeys with confidence and find, as I have discovered, the more adventurously you explore the country, the more you gain. I have often said Turkey is one of the best places to lose your way. There is always someone close by who will offer help, directions and friendship – and you could even end up sharing their meal!

It’s friendly, beautiful, culturally rich and good value for money. It’s modern enough to be comfortable yet traditional enough to be interesting.

Turkey is one of the world’s top 10 travel destinations, welcoming more than 24 million visitors every year.

Culture & Art: Turkey’s history of human habitation goes back 26,000 years. Some of the earliest-known human communities are here. Hittites, Phrygians, Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, Crusaders, Seljuks, Mongols, Ottomans and others have all left their works of art and culture in what is now the Turkish homeland. Modern Turkey has all this—and more mobile phones than you’ve ever seen in one place before.

Special-Interest Activities: With nearly 8400 km of coastline, water sports and yachting are big favorites. Hiking, white-water rafting, mountain-climbing and bicycling are all important, and growing, as is skiing. My favorite of all is hot-air ballooning.

Cuisine: Turkish food is now world-famous, and rightly so. The abundance of its fields, farms, orchards, flocks and fishing boats is exceptional, and Turkish chefs take full advantage of this bounty. Everyone comments on how good the food is. Not only that, the moderately-priced gourmet dinner (plus wine) is still easy to do. Then there’s Turkish tea….

Good Times: Sit at a long table in a meyhane (taverna) in Istanbul, Kusadasi, Bodrum, Antalya, order a glass of beer, wine or pungent raki and join in the songs and stories. Turks revel in good food, good friends, good times, and good nightlife.

For stories of life and travel in Turkey, read the excerpts from my travel memoir Bright Sun, Strong Tea.

Side is one of the best-known classical sites in Turkey. It is now a resort town on the southern coast of Turkey, near the villages of Manavgat and Selimiye, 75 km from Antalya) in the province of Antalya. It is located on the eastern part of the Pamphylian coast, which lies about 20 km east of the mouth of the Eurymedon River. Today, as in antiquity, the ancient city is situated on a small north-south peninsula about 1 km long and 400 m across.

This unique seaside resort lies on a small, flat peninsula which is 300 meters wide and 800 meters long and is just packed to the brim with archaeological wonders and surrounded on both sides by the deep, blue water of the Med. At certain points along the main street that runs through the centre and down to the quaint fishing harbour, you can look between the buildings and streets and see the sea on either sides.

Side was once an important commercial town. With its large merchant fleet it traded with the countries of the eastern and western Mediterranean and served as a port for many parts of inner Turkey . Side was a slave market from which African slaves were sold and also a center for piracy. After this period, Side turned to legitimate commerce and still prospered.

Whilst Side has become extremely popular with European and Turkish holidaymakers alike, it has managed to retain its ‘quaintness’ and authenticity. Due to its abundance of archaeological treasures, all the architecture in the old part of Side is of a certain style – pretty, two – storey stone buildings with varnished, wooden balconies all along the labyrinth of narrow, winding alleyways.

Side has just everything you could want. For the culture – vulture there is obviously a treasure chest of ancient history all around which includes: The Amphitheatre dating back to Hellenistic period and is one of the largest (after Aspendos) in Turkey seating approximately 15,000 people; The Roman Temples of Apollo and Artemis; The City Gates; Aqua ducts and Museum. One of the most enjoyable experiences is walking through these ruins at night when all are illuminated.

During summer time no motor trafficing is allowed downtown and you need to walk about 1 km to reach to sea. The best fish restaurants in the area.