Muhammad
Turkey had originally been planned as a side trip from Greece (see previous blog posting on Greece). I had not completed any planning or research and was completely unaware as to what kind of adventure awaited me. To ease myself into an unknown country, I decided to purchase a 'package tour' that included: transportation, accommodation including breakfast, guide service and most importantly; visits to all the important sites of the country in 7 days. Not the normal way I travel, but I couldn't ignore the convenience and I definitely couldn't ignore the cost - $169US. Travelling with two buses of like-minded people, having great fun in the process and meeting new friends were all part of the adventure.
Turkey turned out to be a complete and total surprise. Yes it is an Islamic country, but not a radical one. Yes it is an European country, but 90% of its land is located on the Asian continent. Yes it is a poor country, but it is rich in diversity and culture. And yes it is only one country, but geography and history puts it far ahead of just about any other country I've visited.
Republic of Turkey
The historic palette of Turkey is traced to Stone Age settlements constructed in 7500BC, and today, unforgettable names like Cyrus the Great, Homer, Alexander the Great, Troy and the Trojan War, the Holy Roman Empire and the Medieval Crusades leap the pages of its ancient history. Many relics and ruins of the same still stand for all to view.
The modern Turkish republic was founded in 1923 after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire and is a nationalist, secular, parliamentary democracy.
Turkey offers a wealth of destination varieties to travellers: from dome-and-minaret filled skyline of Istanbul to the Roman ruins along the various coast, from heavily indented coastline against a mountainous backdrop of Lycia and wide and sunny beaches of Pamphylia to cold and snowy mountains of the East, from crazy "foam parties" of Bodrum to Middle Eastern-flavoured cities of Southeastern Anatolia, from verdant misty mountains of Eastern Black Sea to wide steppe landscapes of Central Anatolia, there is something for everyone's taste - whether they be travelling on an extreme budget by hitchhiking or by a multi-million dollar yacht.
***Please note the image quality is limited as these pictures were not digitally captured but rather are prints that have been scanned.***
On Monday we head for.....
Gallipoli
For nearly 9 months in 1915 and 1916, Gallipoli witnessed some of WW1's most intense fighting. The battle pitted untested troops from former British colonies (including Newfoundland) against Turks fighting to protect their homeland from foreign invasion.
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| Ataturk was the first president of Turkey after World War 1 and is revered in Turkey. This is his famous message to the Aussies, Kiwi's and Newfoundlanders over the Battle of Gallipoli. |
On Tuesday we start the day by heading for the city of.....
Troy
In his epic poems, the Iliad and Odyssey, Homer related the events of the Trojan War. With a combined force of all the armies of Greece, including Odysseus, King of Ithaca, they waged war with Troy for ten years. Finally, Odysseus came up with the idea of deceiving the Trojans by introducing into Troy, in the guise of a religious offering, a wooden horse filled with Greek soldiers who, once inside the city walls, emerged and seized the city!
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| A tacky replica of the Trojan horse is about all that stands today of Troy. |
There was very little left of Troy, so after a brief stop we were back on the road to the town of Behramkale to see the........
Temple of Athena
Atop a hill surrounded by olive groves are the ruins of the Doric-style Temple of Athena (530BC) surrounded by crumbling city walls and an ancient necropolis (cemetery).
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| Turkey was once part of the great Roman Empire and the legacy from that time are ruins that are by and far in much better shape than those found in neighbouring Greece. |
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| The Temple of Athena from another angle! |
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| Greek God OR God-like good-looking young fella? |
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| More of the Temple. |
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| The 5,000 person amphitheatre overlooking the town of Behmakale. |
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| ....and another view of the amphitheatre, this time from the bottom. Look hard and you'll notice a good-looking young fella about half-way up! |
After a couple of hours exploring the Temple of Athena we are again on the move. Our next stop is at an old Turkish town, where we were able to eat and explore before moving onwards.........
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| The streets of this ole town. |
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| Old mosque and minaret in this ole town. |
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| Good-looking young fella wandering around this ole town. Where is everyone?? |
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| Old Turkish man selling his wares. |
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| My artistic side coming out. |
On Wednesday we head for.......
Ephesus
Ephesus is the grandest and the best preserved ancient city in Turkey, dating back to 1000BC. Ephesus was a great trading and religious city, its Temple of Artemis was counted among the Seven Wonders of the world. After more than a century and a half of excavation, the city's recovered and renovated structures have only been 20% unearthed!
As capital of Roman Asia Minor, Ephesus was a vibrant city of over 250,000 inhabitants, the 4th largest in the empire after Rome, Alexandria and Antioch. As an after-thought, legend has it that the Virgin Mary; accompanied by St. Paul, came to Ephesus at the end of her life, around 37 and 45AD.
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| The 'Marble Way' at Ephesus is one of the three main roads in the ancient city. |
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| Scenes from a doorway! |
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| Public shitters! These are made from marble and apparently, during the winter when marble could be a tad cool, the rich and famous would send their slaves to the lue about 1/2 hour in advance to 'warm the throne'.....if you know what I mean! |
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| The Celsus Library was the largest library of its time holding over 160,000 scrolls on two floors. The four statutes represent Wisdom, Knowledge, Intelligence and Destiny. |
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| Another view of the Celsus Library. |
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| Greece must be so envious of the intact ruins found here in Turkey. |
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| The 'Great Theatre' is capable of seating 24,000 people. Can you imagine the shows of old that must have been performed in such a place! Madonna (the singer) put off a show in this place in 2000.....almost 3000 years after the theatre was built!! |
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The group. Let's see who I can remember: 1st Row: Nija (our Turkish guide), 2 American Peace Accord workers, Pieter (Holland), Moi, Joost (Holland), Ian (Kiwi).
2nd Row: Jessie (Canadian), James (Canadian), American Peace Accord worker, Aussie couple, Moonham (Korean), Javier (Argentina), 2 Aussie girls.
3rd Row: Aussie couple. |
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| The road to the coast (known as Arcadian Street). Entering from the port, traders and sailors would first arrive via this street. 50 streetlights lit up the colonnades and water and sewage channels ran beneath the marble flagstones. |
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| So where did the Ancients bury their dead??? Why, in a cemetery of course!!! |
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| The cemetery outside of Ephesus was huge. There were hundreds of tombs going up the side of a slope, such as this one..... |
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| ....and this one. |
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| The ruins just up from the cemetery. This is where the Dead would receive their final blessings before moving onto the other side. |
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| My friend Pieter performs while the rest of us watch! |
On Thursday we are on the road to......
Pamukkale
Pamukkale is a town in western Turkey known for the mineral-rich thermal waters flowing down white travertine terraces on a nearby hillside (known as the Cotton Castle). The travertines form shallow pools supported by stalactites, and filled with warm, calcium-rich mineral water.
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| We spent a couple of hours wandering around these terraces soaking our bones in the warm calcium-rich water. |
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| The terraces were huge and they reminded me of snow covered hills...... |
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| .....I had said at the beginning of my trip, that I wanted to spend at least one winter without snow, so this was just a little reminder of what it looked like back home!! |
At the top of the travertines is the ancient ruins of Hierapolis....
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| The Cotton Castle has been a spa since the Romans built the spa city of Hierapolis around the warm-water springs. The 'Antique Pool' is still there, littered with marble columns from the Roman Temple of Apollo. |
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| Built in 160BC, the water is supposed to have healing qualities and can be considered the first spa ever built in the world.....and what healing power it must have had!! An oasis of hot springs and palm trees set among the Pamukkale white terraces. |
On Friday, after a long drive on Thursday, we arrived in......
Cappadocia Region
Ancient volcanic eruptions blanketed the Goreme valley with thick ash, which solidified into a soft rock - called tuff - tens of metres thick. Wind and water went to work on this plateau, leaving only its harder elements behind to form a fairy landscape of cones, pillars, pinnacles, mushrooms, and chimneys, which stretch as far as 40 metres into the sky.
But human hands performed equally incredible works here. The rocky wonderland is honeycombed with a network of human created caves; living quarters, places of worship, stables, and storehouses were all dug into the soft stone. In fact, tunnel complexes formed entire cities, with as many as eight different stories hidden underground.
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| ....this good looking young fella is known as the Dark Prince (for what reason I cannot say)!! |
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| Exploring the various chambers within! |
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| The Turkish town of Gerome was full of these human created caves. |
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| Not all of Cappadocia's troglodyte dwellings are museums. Some still serve homes, restaurants and bars. |
After wandering around Gerome for a while we decided to rent some scooters and head for the hills to explore.
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| Pieter, Javier, myself and Joost rent scooters and took a drive on the wild side into the countryside. |
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| All around this region is dramatic landscape......perfect for exploring! |
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| Springtime in Turkey! |
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| Pieter getting ready to jump......DON'T DO IT PIETER, you'll get over her! |
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| Joost and I looking for Pieter after he jumped! |
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| Pigeon Valley. It was here that the early Christians raised pigeons.....not for food, but rather for the highly nutrient fertilizer that they produce. |
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| Looking out from a cliffside cave onto Pigeon Valley. What the picture does not show is the 30 metre drop to the valley floor right at the lip of this cave entrance. |
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| Looking for Papa Smurf. |
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| I'm going to leave this one to everyone's imagination!!! |
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| I should leave this one for everyone's imagination as well! |
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| Perhaps the world's first high-rise. |
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| If you can find the optical illusion of a sleeping dog, you'll win a prize. |
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| If you were curious as to what the places look like inside, then this particular structure tells all. It lost part of its face when there was an earthquake here a few years ago. |
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| OK boys......giddy-up! |
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Ancient Christian civilization and modern Islamic civilization share the same space.
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On Saturday we stay in the Cappadocia region and head for the underground cities, but our first stop was a small town for lunch......
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| Ingrid (American girl) sitting near the ledge of the canyon we were about to drive into.... |
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| ....The river on the canyon floor. We stopped at a restaurant here for lunch. |
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| The small village where we stopped for lunch. |
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| The small people in the small village. |
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| While in the small village we visited a small carpet factory where they made the world famous Turkish Knot Carpets (perhaps the best in the world). |
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| Carpet anyone? |
We finally make it to the underground cities......
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Steps leading down to an underground city. Not the place for anyone suffering from claustrophobia.....which, as it turns out, I do!
Close to 25,000 people lived in this particular city. There are many such cities spread all over the Cappadocia region. |
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| Going from floor to floor. This city went down 8 floors and without the aid of an experience guide, you would quickly become disorientated and confused and then simply lost!! |
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| Claustrophobia setting in. Okay time for me to get the hell out of Dodge...... |
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| YES. This is more like it!! |
Later that night we went out for a few beers and to smoke some nilgiri.....
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| Nilgiri (also know as hookah and sheesah), is a large water pipe filled with a mixture of fruit paste and tobacco. Hot coals from the fireplace are placed on the top of the pipe and everyone joins in for a tasty puff of the ole pipe!! |
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| The tavern was carved out of a stone structure. Notice the guy in the right-hand corner playing traditional Turkish songs on the bazooka! |
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| "Okay people, listen up........it's my turn for the Nilgiri!!" |
On Sunday we head out for the long drive back to Istanbul, but first we stop in the Turkish capital of Ankara....
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| During World War I, the Turkish forces were commanded by Mustafa Kemal (later to be known as Ataturk), a young general who also belonged to the Young Turks, a group of army officers pressing for western-style political reforms. Mustafa Kamel is now a national hero and his remains are housed in this massive building......one room with one small coffin in the middle. Seems like a waste of space to me. |
Back on the road.....
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| Passing a couple of shepherds and their flock of sheep. |
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| The snow-capped mountains in the distance as we pass Sariyar Baraji Lake. |
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| Kids answering role call at a local school. |
We finally make it back to........
Istanbul
Constantinople (Istanbul) was the capital of the eastern empire of Rome and reached its peak in the 12th century. After its conquest, it was to become the capital of the Ottoman Empire, which flourished around the 16th century under the newly adopted name of Istanbul. After World War I, the Republic of Turkey was formed and the seat of government was moved to Ankara. Today Istanbul remains the largest city in Turkey and serves as a very important port and commercial and cultural centre. It's the only major city in the world that actually exist on two continents, Europe and Asia.
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TOGA PARTEEEEE!!
We arrived back from our cross-Turkey trip and held a Toga party in the Youth Hostel Bar.....we partied until 6:30AM. Included in the fun were Chris & Wendy (Aussies), Nija (Turkish guide) and Moi.
"May good fortune be with you,
May your guiding light be strong,
Build a stairway to heaven,
whether prince or vagabond
And may you never love in vain,
And in my heart you will remain
Forever young."
Rod Stewart, Forever Young
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The next day I was on my own, so I wandered around and explored Istanbul........
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| Burka covered Muslim woman walking down the cobblestone street. |
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| The Aiya Sophia, an early Christian church in the heart of the old walled city. The cat was gracious enough to pose for me! |
The next few pictures are from my time in Amsterdam......
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| This time around in Amsterdam is only for a 5 hour stopover. I grabbed the train into the town centre but it was only 8:00AM and a Sunday, so there wasn't much opened, except Madam Tussaud's Wax Museum. So I went there..... |
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"Good friends we had and good friends we lost along the way.
In this great future you can't forget your past,
So dry your tears I say,
And no woman no cry.
Here little darling don't shed no tears
No woman, no cry."
Bob Marley, No Woman No Cry
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| So I said to Albert: "It's all relative b'y !" |
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| The four wise men: Mahat Ghandi, Deli Lama, Nelson Mandela and Brian MacPhee (missing from the photo). |
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| "I said to the girl......I'll be back........????? What's wrong Arnie? You don't get the joke? Lighten up b'y !" |
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| Always wondered what Marilyn wore under that dress! |
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| I return to the Greenhouse Effect Coffeeshop and Hotel. This is where it all began on January 12th, 2002, (three months ago). It seems like a long time, but it flew by, and now as I look back at my photo's, I also realize what a brief period in time the three months actually are.....but WHAT A THREE MONTHS!!! Four continents, seven countries, countless new friends and an unimaginable amount of new experiences. |
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| And for those who are wondering what the current prices are like in Amsterdam..... |
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"Pole Pole man, it's a long trip"
Captain Magic, Dhow captain
(Pole (pronounced Pole Lee) means 'Slowly ' in Swahilli.)
Captain Magic was a character I met while in Lamu, Kenya .
(see previous blog entries in the 2002 series).
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DIARY ENTRY: Thursday April 4, 2002 1:33PM: On Monday (04/01/02) we headed for Gallipoli, the WW1 battlefield. On April 25, 1915, Allied forces were sent to take the Gallipoli Peninsula but they miscalculated their landing and it is here that "Johnny Turk" slaughtered the Kiwi's and Aussies......apparently they didn't stand much of a chance. This is a major pilgrimage area for both countries but to be honest it didn't hold much interest for me. From there we crossed the Dardanelles and stayed in the small city of Kilibahir.
On Tuesday (04/02/02) we headed for the ancient city of Troy. There's actually little of Troy to be seen, it's estimated that there are nine consecutive cities built on the same site, with Troy I going right back to the Bronze Age, however most of the ruins are of Troy IX.
From Troy it was on to Behramkale where the hilltop Temple of Athena looks out across the Mediterranean to Greece. It was considered one of the most beautiful cities of its time. One of the most notable ruins is the very steep 10,000 seat amphitheatre.
And again we were on the road to Selcuk, where we stayed the night. This night instead of going out to a disco and restaurant, I opted to go for a couple of beers with Ian, a Kiwi, and check my email.
The next day (Wednesday 04/03/02) we were heading for Ephesus, where splendid Roman ruins are situated. In Roman times this was Asia's capital. Ephesus flourished as the centre for worship of the Goddess Artemis. The immense 'Great Theatre' holds 24,000 people. The 'Temple of Hadrien', the 'Celsus Library' and the 'Marble Way' are all still in amazing good shape. After an hour or so of wandering around here it was off to Pamukkale for the night. The hotel we stayed in had one of the coldest pools I've ever been in but one of the best jacuzzi's!! After a buffet supper, it was on to a disco for a little dancing.
Today (Thursday) we were up early and off to the famous 'white terraces'. They're brilliant white ledges that has formed from the calcium-rich water that seeps over the hillside ledge. They look almost man-made from cement and then whitewashed, but they are very real.
I'm now on the bus heading for the world famous Cappadocia region where the underground cities are located.
DIARY ENTRY: Monday April 8, 2002 10:54AM: Well it has been a great week here in Turkey and I must say I'm disappointed that it is over.....but all good things must pass!
Cappadocia was absolutely the most unusual place I've ever been. The rock formations were unbelievable. Large phallic type formations all over the place and the early Christians would carve their homes out of them. We arrived in Cappadocia Thursday night (04/04/02) and found out our original hotel was overbooked so we ended up staying at a different hotel from the "party bus". That night we basically didn't do much and we were all in bed at a decent hour.
Friday (04/05/02) we headed for the rock formations that are found around the region, which in reality are everywhere. We visited several areas, took lots of pictures, etc.... got back to the hotel at 5:00PM and decided to rent some scooters with the Dutch guys (Joost and Pieter) and Javier (Argentinian). That was great, we drove around the countryside and had a ball!!!
That night, we went to a 'Turkish' night where there was traditional dancing taking place and all-you-can-drink!! Got half shitfaced and then went to a disco where we partied hard until about 4:00AM. We had new arrivals on our bus and Ingrid was celebrating her birthday (23) so she was up for a good party!
The next day (Saturday 04/06/02) we headed for the world famous underground cities. These places were fascinating, upwards of 25,000 people would live in them and the region is full of these cities carved out of the rock. After supper everyone from our bus went to a small cafe/bar for a couple of beer and to smoke the water pipe! Because of the late night last night and the long day today, everyone was beat to a snot and we all crashed early.
Yesterday (Sunday 04/07/02) we faced a long bus ride back to Istanbul. We arrived at our hotel at about 10:30PM and after checking in everyone went to the bar located in the hostel. When the 'party' bus arrived they were all dressed up in Roman toga's.....yes bye, a toga party!! Not to be outdone, all of our bus including Nija (the tour guide), ran upstairs and grabbed sheets off our beds and got into the swing of things. We partied until 6:30AM in the morning!!! Wasn't that a party!!!!
Unfortunately today I was hung over badly and couldn't bring myself around to do very much of anything in Istanbul. Tomorrow I head back to Athens in Greece.
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