Sakliekent and the goodbye to Kas

We did a lot of driving while in the Antalya region, we went from the city to Kas- a good three hours- and then to all the sites and places Ali wanted us to see. Of course, Ali was quite mysterious each morning when we were getting ready to leave. Alice and I got pretty frustrated a few times because we wanted to know if we should bring bathing suits and towels or if we needed to dress less like tourists than usual and all Ali would say is "We're going somewhere special."

While with Ali we saw so many places it's really difficult to talk about them all. We went to Demre and saw the tomb and church of St. Nicolas- yes, that means the church of Santa Claus!!!

We headed back into the mountains and drove up and around and over and under and all around until we came to Xanthos and saw an old amphitheater and temple. It was a Roman city (??? I think???) and is special because the city was often conquered and reconquered and the citizens of Xanthos prized their freedom so much that on two occasions they burned themselves alive rather than be enslaved by encroaching armies.

After visiting there (a place Ali took us because seeing ancient ruins must be done, not because he was at all interested), we headed farther into the mountains. Cumra is rather yellow, dusty, and dry- there are lots of crops, some trees, and water is abundant, but it looks like one of the yellow and orange Van Gogh paintings while the place we were heading kept looking greener and greener.

As night was falling, we finally parked and got out of the car. We walked a ways and crossed a rickety foot bridge over a river. Halfway across the bridge, I looked to my right and the mountain next to me opened up into this great, massive gash with a river pouring out of it. It was amazing. And as we walked into that gorge, along a thin metal pathway the temperature dropped A LOT and then we found the source of the water...the present source anyway. It was bubbling out of the rock like lava spurting all over and then tumbling out to where we first passed over the river. We kept walking, through a restaurant situated over the water (apparently a popular (and pretty nifty) way to eat in Antalya), to a section of the river that we could cross to continue up the gorge. The water was FRIGID!!!! but we made it through to the other side and walked up the gorge a ways.

Now, most of the gorge only has a trickle of water coming down it and there's mostly just mud- very good for the skin- and mud graffiti. Unfortunately, we went to the beach and Xanthos that day, so we only had a half hour to explore. It was enough to see amazing, beautiful rock formations and feel the water, but the gorge is 18 km long, so we definitely couldn't make it all the way to the end. Ali's father has several times and he said there are trees and water and they call it a hidden paradise.

After visiting the gorge, we ate at one of the restuarants- situated over the water again- and had fish. One of the most surprising things about Turkey is how much fish they eat...maybe it's just Antalya, but I don't know because we had fish in Cumra too. They love it. A lot.

And, from there we parted ways with Antalya and headed back to Cumra for some rest and visiting. We intended to meet some of Mustafa's friends and visit some of the places neared to Konya...We had plans for Cappadoccia and the Mevlana museum and simple visiting. But first we stopped to visit Durmus, Mustafa's brother, in Side...And I started to have what I thought was a small case of car sickness (with driving in Turkey what it is, I thought this a reasonable solution to a slight stomache).

(Side)

Antalya

So, the drive to Antalya was through some really scary huge mountains. And Turkish driving is not like American driving. I never felt like I was going to die, but I can admit there were a few moments that I feared for safety. There aren't as many guard rails and the mountains are steep and the roads are curvy. The middle line isn't a dividing line as much as a line to follow and people honk their horns to warn other drivers they're coming around curves.

Plus, the weather in Turkey is really hot and sunny. My arm got terribly sunburned- something I didn't realize until the next day when it looked like I was half lobster. Halfway through the Taurus Mountains the humidity hit us. Cumra was hot but dry and felt like an escape after the dripping humidity of Istanbul...once we arrived in Antalya, Mustafa, Alice, and I all thought we were going to melt. Antalya is this massive sprawling city that happens to be a resort spot for lots of Europeans, although we saw better beaches when we left for Kas (near Ali's hometown and three hours away). When we were driving into the city, Alice and I were looking around and wondering where the water was because the whole city is surrounded by mountains...we really didn't see water until we'd been in the city for almost an hour, and then I was really relieved...it was really, really hot there!

We stayed in Antalya for one night, but Ali was a fabulous host and set up a distinct schedule for us. The next morning we set out for Kas, a town further along the coast, much less humid, and much more beautiful. Half way there, Ali said "Oh no, I think we're lost" and turned down this windy, mountain dirt road leading to down into the depths of a emerald mountain valley. About ten minutes later it became fairly obvious that we were not lost... We ended up at a restaurant set on the side of a beautiful valley with water flowing everywhere and the eating areas (meals are served on a raised table or dais and all the people sit on cushions around the raised surface) resting on the water. Our seats were, however, in a tree...really, in a tree.

After a delicious dinner we continued toward Kas and ended up there rather late at night, tired, hot, but entirely surprised by the view afforded by the place we were staying. (Another surprise planned by Ali, we were staying in an apartment that some of his friends owned and he tried to act like we were just going to his house, but he had to get directions from his brother-in-law, so it was a little obvious he had something up his sleeve.)

The coast of Turkey is littered with tons of old ruins and buildings and tombs and beaches and Ali did everything in his power to make sure we got a taste of everything. We spent one day on a boat on the waters off Kekova- absolutely clear, crystal blue waters- and swam above the ruins of an ancient Lydian/Roman city. The whole area has been flooded since the city was inhabited, so if you look under the water there are old stairways and buildings and pottery leading up to the island shores. In addition, there are tombs littering the mountain tops and everything is old but still holds some power...

We also visited the longest beach in Turkey (I think Patara, but I can't remember exactly) and some of the other resort towns. All beautiful, Mediterranean villa towns with mosaics and bazaars and ancient ruins.

Updates!

So sorry for the delay, we arrived home safely, but I'm going to pretend like we're still there and write everything down.



There weren't any new posts since Istanbul because we were staying in boondock Turkish towns and villages for most of the remainder of our trip- beautiful, but rather difficult to find internet!



We left Istanbul for Konya and Cumra. Mustafa's family lives there and his cousin's wedding was that weekend - the WHOLE weekend. We took the bus overnight but arrived after the rest of the family had left for the village where the wedding was held, so we headed to the village...Let's just say going to a Turkish wedding is a great way to break the ice when you're meeting people. There were tons and tons of relatives and we met them all. We were there on Sunday, the third and final day of the wedding celebration. There were musicians and huge, HUGE pots of food and everyone walking around happy and glad to be together. It was a little overwhelming for Alice and me, especially since we hadn't eaten for quite a while and we were just meeting Mustafa's family for the first time. In addition to eating our first REAL Turkish meal we were surrounded by a small herd of young girls who were staring and giggling the whole time we were walking around and eating. They were kicked out of the room we ate in, but they peeked through the windows and chirped out our names whenever the door opened for someone else. It was pretty funny. By the end of the day, we had most of their names down and they were learning English phrases from Mustafa so they could tell us we had beautiful eyes.



About mid-way through the day it was time to steal the bride. Most of Mustafa's family got into their cars and drove a few streets over to the bride's house. While the groom's family had a three day celebration the bride's family had a three day celebration/mourning. We all drove up to the house, honking the horns and yelling, then we piled up to the door way and watched as the entire bridal family cried their eyes out. A girl from Mustafa's family was with the bride and led her out of the house, then we piled back in the cars and drove back to Mustafa's house to watch the bride and groom meet. She cried the whole time and they went in the house, then she came out and Mustafa's family pinned gold coins on her dress and gave her gold necklaces and bracelets and welcomed her. Then there was dancing. It was mostly just the women and girls by that time, and Alice and I had a humiliating few minutes in which we were forced to dance with the girls...I know I can't dance at all, but those girls really put me to shame!


After that we finally went home and collapsed. It was overwhelming, but the day wasn't done. We also had visits from Mustafa's family at his house and then we went to his uncle's house and all of his relatives were so intrigued. They were staring and asking questions. The women had great fun putting their scarves on us and telling us we looked really Turkish...and finally we got to sleep.



So, that was our first introduction to Mustafa's family- we met pretty much everyone and although the bride is supposed to cry and be upset, I'd be more upset than normal because all her glory was stolen by the two blonde American girls... really- no one paid attention to her. She just sat there crying and looking pretty and tearful. But, she was saying goodbye to her family forever, so I guess it's reasonable.



After one day of rest, we headed to Antalya to visit one of my other friends, Ali. [Rest meaning eating, drinking tea, visiting Mustafa's extended family, having a few embarrassing moments (for example- we were given woolen socks as gifts but it was a great comedic episode to watch us put them on; all of Mustafa's aunts and cousins watched and laughed while we attempted to fit them on our massively huge feet.)]

pictures...

We visited an island yesterday- it was really pretty and we took a carriage ride all around it. I think the horses really had to struggle to pull all five of us, the carriage, and the driver. They looked pretty sad and bony; they are also the smallest horses I've ever seen. There are only two cars on the whole island- one for the army and one for someone else, we figure maybe a doctor??? The carriages are the island's taxis. It is pretty awesome, kind of quaint. On one side of the island is the dock for the ferry and other boats. That is where the town is with all the restaurants and shops. Up and around the island is a military post and the biggest, most expensive Mediterranean villas I've seen yet. Farther on there is a Romani (gypsy) camp; it was very trashy and depressing to see all the wealth next to the slum-like houses. Then a little longer down the road is a resort. The only access to the resort is by boat, ship, or foot. There is no road that goes there. We had to get off the carriage so it could turn around!

Besides that, nothing really new. The water is beautiful and clear. We rode the ferry to the island and people were throwing a kind of sesame bagel to the seagulls, but when I looked into the water I realized that there were fish trying to eat the bagel too! AND, it was quite possible and easy to see the fish and the different colors--- the water was THAT clear!!! Quite different from the Bay.

For now, that's all. Just want to apologize, however, for using "cool" a billion times in the last post- kind of ridiculous to describe the Hagia Sophia as "reallycool," but I was tired!

Still in Istanbul..

Well, we finally saw Topkapi Palace, the Hagia Sophia, Sultanhamet (the Blue Mosque), and the Grand and Spice Bazaars. It is pretty amazing. Coming from Williamsburg, we've had history infused into life since the beginning, but it is nothing compared to what stands here. These buildings are older than our nation, sometimes twice as old as our nation....it's impossible not to feel some sort of awe. Add to that the fact that most of them are also incredibly beautiful with tiny, intricate details on every part and it becomes amazing.

The weather was finally cooler today- with lots of wind, still VERY hot, but not as bad as the past few days. We only needed one bottle of water instead of five. Lucky for us, the city transportation is pretty effective so we can get from one side to the other quickly. Walking is really nice too because all the stalls and stores are different. And, although there are a good number of pale, blonde Turkish people walking around, Alice and I have that look of amazement sometimes and all the sellers try to get us to buy things "Oh lady, you have beautiful eyes, buy this!" They are definitely persistent.

Today we also stood in the middle of a swarm of pigeons. Although they are pretty nasty bird, it was cool to see them moving all around in the air like cloth. And the people who sold us birdseed were interesting. At first there was just an old man and immediately after we threw all the birdseed, and old woman hustled over and started bickering with the man- it got pretty intense, they were shoving each other. So, we quietly walked away.

The buildings are all pretty cool. We went to the Grand Bazaar which is really cool- it's huge and there are so many vendors. A lot of it is the same, but there still cool stuff. And, the prices are definitely inflated to take tourists' money, but having two Turkish guys around helped us walk away from that. We found the same thing in a different section of the city for 4 times less than they tried to seel it at the Bazaar, soooo....

I don't know if people here realize how lucky they are, I think they do. The whole city has easy access to the water and there are plenty of beautiful parks and places to sit and enjoy the water. Tonight we ate kumpir- a baked potato covered in all these different things, corn, peas (YUCK!), relish, olives, spices, mayonnaise, ketchup, cheese, lots of stuff- then we sat on benches next to the sea for a long time. As night fell, it got a lot cooler and the whole Anatolian side of the city was lit up across the water AND all the oldest buildings were lit up to our right on the Golden Horn. It was amazing.

I think we'll be heading to Konya and Cumra soon, so I am not sure the next time we'll post.

For now, miss you all!
Take care!

The fırst trıp ınto the cıty

Well, we took a boat tour of the upper Bosphorous today and walked around part of Istanbul- we're stayıng ın the suburbs, so ıt was cool to go ınto the center. We also vısıted the bıggest shoppıng mall ın Europe- ıt has sıx floors and a dırect entrance/exıt to the cıty's metro. Tomorrow we wıll be goıng to see topkapı palace, the hagıa sophıa, and the blue mosque! İt ıs very excıtıng and we're goıng to take lots of pıctures.

The weather ıs quıte humıd and hot...surprısıng for me and paınful for the Turks. It ıs apparently not always so humıd...lucky for alıce and me, we are used to the humıdıty.

There were no problems wıth the electıons. They do the same thıng as ın Iraq, voters are marked wıth ınk that wıll stay on thıer skın for up to 3 months. If you try to vote twıce, you are arrested.

When we were rıdıng on the bus back to the apartment, the gırl sıttıng behınd us heard us speakıng Englısh and started to ask us questıons. She was surprısed to see Englısh-speakıng tourıst goıng to her sectıon of the suburbs. But we ended up talkıng about Harry Potter- of course. The Order of the Pheonıx movıe hasn't been released here yet, so she was excıted to hear about that. Also, the LAST book hasn't been released eıther, so she asked some questıons- nothıng to spoıl the end of course! The most amazıng part was that she taught herself most of what she knew- by watchıng the OC and Rachel Ray...obvıously the best examples of Amerıcan televısıon.

Yesterday the boys cooked us dınner- ıt was very delıcıous, but I thınk I saıd that already. Today, we had Iskender and baklava...tasty! Lunch was cheeses and breads and tomatoes...not anythıng so specıal, but also very delıcıous.

So, for now...Alıce looks alıttle sunburned and we're goıng to bed because ıt ıs so hot we are all toooooooooooooo tıred.

:D

We fınally arrıved ın Turkey!!! Hooray! Alıce and I had to run through Barcelona's aırport to end up rıght back where we started + two departure stamps. But ıt doesn't matter because we ended up ın İstanbul on tıme. And Mustafa and hıs frıend only had to waıt 10 mınutes.

The apartment ıs super nıce and so ıs Mustafa's frıend, Aykut. They cooked us dınner tonıght- very delıcıous, especıally the chıcken. :) The drıve to the apartment was pretty ınterestıng, we fınally started to belıeve that we are ın Turkey when we saw only one person use theır turn sıgnal. But the taxı drıver knew exactly what he was doıng and we saw some cool places. The apartment buıldıng ıs on top of a hıll- Alıce calls ıt a mountaın. The road was almost 90 degrees upward! It ıs really hot here, but ıt ıs lıke Wıllıamsburg so ıt ıs ok. And there ıs a really nıce breeze and all the wındows are open and ıt's very pretty outsıde.

Today was electıon day ın Turkey- very ımportant and also a lıttle worrısome. But we were flyıng most of the day so ıf there were any problems we mıssed them..but ı don't thınk there were any problems. Tonıght the results wıll be announced...maybe tomorrow the problems wıll start. just kıddıng, dad...no worrıes. :)

well, for now, goodnıght...Mustafa says hello to everyone readıng thıs. :)
take care!

Countdown -Five Days

So, Alice and I are about to set off on our journey. It's still kind of surreal for me and I am not sure how Alice is feeling about it. The packing and the work scheduling just doesn't add up to getting on a plane and going across an ocean. Actually, I don't think getting on the plane will really sink in either...We'll see.

I just thought this would be a cool way for everyone to see where we get to go and some of the pictures we take. Of course, Alice and I are just soooo computer savvy, we had to do this online instead of sending pictures home. Oh, pictures will come, but we want to be sure you all are able to see the buildings and hear the sounds of market sellers fighting over prices just hours after we do.

I'm going to see if I can't find a map to trace our trip on too...I'm not so sure how that works, but I think it would be neat.

Anyway, probably this will be the only post this side of the ocean, after that you'll get updated as we find the time.

So, thanks for all the well wishes, worries, and gifts!

See you when we return!