July 1, 2007 - Arrival in Turkey

We had to get up at 3am in order to fly out of Bombay, but we were so glad to be leaving India that it didn't matter a bit. The flight went well despite having to pay our most expensive excess baggage fee yet ($300). We had a layover in Bahrain and were disappointed that Michael Jackson wasn't performing at the airport (he lives there now).

We arrived in Istanbul and immediately fell in love with the city. It is clean and pretty with bright colors, beautiful old buildings and quaint cobblestone streets. Sarah and I checked into our hotel and went out exploring. We are staying in the Sultanemhet area of the city which is where the major historical sites are located and you can get views of the Bosphorus Strait. After wandering for a bit, we went to a nearby hotel that boasted great views of the city. They were right to boast. On one side of the rooftop restaurant was a perfect, unobstructed view of the Aya Sofya, on the other side the Blue Mosque and on a third side was the beautiful blue of the Bosphorus. We enjoyed some Turkish wine and food and felt ourselves decompressing from our struggles in India.

We took naps and then managed to wake up in time for the arrival of my good friend Vik who is joining us for our trip through Turkey. It was great to see him again and he played Santa by doling out all the goodies he brought us from home (vitamins, floss, shampoo, hard drives and chocolate).

It is a relief to be in such a lovely city and a joy to be with a good friend from home. I think our time in Turkey will be wonderful.

Enjoying the view

July 2, 2007 - Aya Sofya and the Blue Mosque

Today we played tourists and took in the main attractions of the Aya Sofya and the Blue Mosque. For nearly 1000 years, the Aya Sofya (a church) was the largest enclosed space in the world. The amazing thing about this building is the 30 meter dome that hovers over the empty space beneath. It is truly an architectural masterpiece and it is amazing that the building is still standing considering the frequent earthquakes in this area and the repeated attempts by invaders to tear it down.

We also visited the Blue Mosque which is equally as impressive from the outside, but a bit of a let-down once inside. An interesting aside is that muezzins from these two buildings call out to the city five times daily to remind people to pray and being in the middle of those two was like getting caught in crossfire.

We broke up our day with lots of wine and yummy kebabs and felt good about our tourist efforts.

Aya Sofya

Sofya inside

Blue Mosque at sunset

July 2, 2007 - Vik Loses His Hair

Vik has always wanted to shave his head and he thought this vacation would be the perfect time to do it (so it would grow back before returning home). Sarah and I did our best to talk him out of it, but he was determined. So we joined in the fun by helping shave off his mass of hair

When all was said and done, Vik looked great with his new hair and Sarah and I are trying to convince him to keep it this way. Later that day, I convinced Vik that he should let me pluck his eyebrows (because too much hair is a bad thing) and he readily agreed. I happily plucked away and brought a grown man to tears as I laughed and giggled.

Before

Shaving it off

After

Plucked

July 3, 2007 - Bosphorus Cruise

We took a ferry along the Bosphorus Strait so we could check out some of the surrounding seaside towns. The Bosphorus is a source of pride for Istanbul residents as it divides Asia and Europe and connects the Sea of Marmara and the Black Sea. We got out at the last stop, Anadolu Kavagi, and hiked up the hill to check out the ruins of an old Byzantine fort. After scrambling around up there for a while, we stopped for lunch on the way down and then caught the ferry back to Istanbul.

Three of us on shore

Turkey flag flying high

Three of us on shore

July 4, 2007 - Tiny Her Update

Thanks to all of you who have written to me to express condolences about little Her. I really appreciate the support. I was able to get a phone call through to Her's vet and talked to him about the situation. It looks pretty bad. He thinks she only has a month or so left in her. We put her on some anti-inflammatories to make her feel a bit better and we've found a special food that will help put some weight on her. Fortunately, she absolutely loves her new food. Simon has sent along video and pictures of a happy kitty licking her lips after a good meal and anxiously anticipating the next one. It'll be downhill from here but at least she's happy for now and is eating again.

Hungry Her

July 5, 2007 - Cappadocia

We flew to Kayseri from Istanbul so we could get to the Cappadocia region. This area of the country is also very beautiful but quite different than Istanbul. It is very dry and sand-colored and the landscape is covered with tufa formations (tufa is a type of soft rock).

We stayed at the Elif Star hotel in Goreme and were entertained by the little girl and the kitten who lived there. The hotel is a cave hotel which means that it has been carved out of the tufa rock and it stays amazingly cool during the hot summer days.

Tufa formations

New friends

July 6, 2007 - Scooters!

We decided to rent scooters to tool around town and see some of the local attractions. We had an absolute blast rolling down the street on our scooters. We felt like a little street gang - especially since Sarah and I had on matching outfits ;-)

We first went to a local pottery shop (ceramics are made throughout Turkey and are especially popular in the Cappadocia region). We toured around and got to see the entirely handmade process of how the beautiful pottery gets created and decorated and then they let me throw a pot on the potters wheel. It was really fun! My poor pot had a hole in the bottom but that's not the point.

We then scooted up the hill to check out the Open Air Museum. This is a monastic settlement of over 30 cave churches that date back to the 10th century. The people of Cappadocia built this settlement during the Iconoclastic Controversy which came about as a result of Constantine V outlawing Christian idols. In addition to this, the Arabs were raiding the Christian churches and destroying them. In answer, the Christians fled to the tufa formations to dig out churches and continue their worship. We recreated the dwellings in our mind and took relief in the coolness of the caves as we wandered along.

After all our touring was done, we just rode up and down the streets because we loved being on the scooters so much. My plan is to get a scooter when I get back to SF so I don't have to buy a car. I'm sure it won't be such a peaceful experience, but it will still be fun.

Scooter gang

Throwing a pot

Turquoise pottery

Cave dwellings

Sarah explores

July 7, 2007 - Hiking Ilhara Valley

The Ilhara Valley is said to be one of the most beautiful hiking spots in Turkey. So we set off in a rental car, arrived at the trail head and set off to explore. It was indeed a nice hike through a pretty green valley with a nice stream running alongside the trail the whole way. We hiked for a few hours and then came to the half-way point where we settled ourselves down in a floating restaurant and enjoyed some sandwiches. After that we called it a day and got a guy to give us a ride back to our car.

Stream

Vik on the bridge

Pretty rock

Nature lovers

July 8, 2007 - Hot Air Ballooning

The highlight of our trip to Cappadocia was the hot air balloon ride. Hot air ballooning requires heating the air within the balloon to a temperature greater than the outside air temperature. That is what makes the balloon go up and down. Wind takes it in every other direction. Therefore, a balloon is subject to nature and the only control a pilot can take over the elements is to move the balloon up and down in search of different speeds and wind currents.

We got up before dawn for an early morning cruise. They do this because it gets really hot in Cappadocia during the day and the best chance of having a good ride is to do it first thing in the morning when the air is still fairly cool. We went with a company called Kapadokya Balloons. This husband and wife team have been doing this for 17 years and clearly still love what they do. We went out in 2 balloons with each of them flying one and talking to each other on radios throughout the journey.

We got to see the entire process of attaching the basket, blowing in cool air and then heating up the air to make the balloon rise. It was quite fascinating to watch it all and they were very tolerant of the million questions we had. It was beautiful day for ballooning - the sun was out but the air was cool and it was clear so you could see all the surrounding landscape. We got up to around 3000 feet and reached a max speed of 22 knots. We went up and down through the valleys and tufa formations and ended up going about 60 kilometers away from our starting point. Our pilot said that this was the farthest and fastest they'd gone in several years so we felt lucky to get such a long trip and see so much of the region.

The other balloon had a perfect landing but we had challenges with electrical wires and crop fields and had to fly on to find a decent landing spot. As a result, we came down with what they call a "giggly landing". This is when the passengers have to brace themselves sideways in the basket and hold on to the straps as the basket bounces and skids along the ground. It was quite exhilarating and certain earned it's name (as we giggled ourselves silly throughout the landing). Once we dusted ourselves off and met up with the other balloon group, we toasted our great experience with some champagne.

Shadows

Balloon from above

Cappadocia landscape

Giggly landing

July 8, 2007 - Age of Reason

I just finished Jean-Paul Sartre's book Age of Reason. The book has been lauded for decades as an insightful look into the notion of individual freedom and I wanted to read it and experience Sartre's writing. Overall, I thought the book was okay. I didn't feel that any of the ideas were particularly new or interesting and I didn't sympathize with the characters. However, I think that might have been the point.

Mathieu, the main character, leads a comfortable life with a job as a philosophy professor, a comfortable set of rooms in Paris and a mistress. He strives to live his life without any commitments so that he can be "free". The paradox of this is that he lives a typical life with all the strings and normalcy that he thinks he is avoiding, it's just his mindset and terminology that makes him different.

I think we've all gone through this. We go through periods of wanting to be free from the burdens of commitment and responsibility but as we get older (and reach the "age of reason") we find that we also want lasting relationships and situations that provide security and stability. Therefore, we make compromises and find a balance that works for us. Mathieu chooses to run from this eventuality and creates a terrible fate for himself as a result.

It was worth reading to get a taste of Sartre's writing and philosophy. I think that these ideas were likely unexpressed at the time he wrote the book and therefore were more impactful to those initial audiences. I'd like to know a bit more about Sartre and am going to try to get my hands on the collection of his love letters to Simon de Beauvoir. I'll let you know what I think about it.

Worth reading

July 10, 2007 - Rest and Relaxation Amidst the Ruins

After Cappadocia, we decided that we needed some beach time. So we got ourselves to Side (pronounced see-day), a small seaside town bordering the Mediterranean. We luxuriated in laying on the beach, reading our books and having no commitments. The town turned out to be really nice. It was a small area with quaint streets and lots of outdoor restaurants with great views of the Mediterranean.

We spent a lot of time on the beach under an umbrella reading our books or in the ocean floating around on our newly bought floaty toys. We got in a nap everyday and had several lovely dinners. We saw some of the ruins of civilizations past and managed to make fools of ourselves after consuming a bottle of wine. It was great fun and the perfect respite.

Pretty sunset

Ancient ruins

Group photo

July 12, 2007 - Stormy

We got an update from Amy that Stormy (Sarah's cat) is not doing very well. It turns out she has cancer and doesn't have long to live. This is very sad news and we can't help feeling awed by our parallel experiences. Amy is going to watch Stormy for signs of suffering and will make the decision of when to euthanize her. It's so difficult to be going through this from far away and it's also difficult to have to put our friends through it. Sadness all around.

July 13-16, 2007 - Mediterranean Cruise

Given our newfound love of boats, we wanted to do an extended boat trip along the Mediterranean coast. We signed up with the less expensive company (Big Backpackers) and paid the price. There were all kinds of problems, from beginning to end, but it didn't really matter. There were only 2 other people on board with us - Nicole and Deren - and they turned out to be excellent companions for our journey.

We set off from Olympos and took a bus to Demre where we boarded our Turkish gulet. We then sailed all along the coast stopping in several coves and harbours along the way. We did a lot of swimming and Sarah and I were glad to have the new floaty toys and paddle game we acquired in Side. We were all in the mood to rest and relax so our days consisted of reading, napping, swimming and eating. It was glorious! The water was amazingly blue and great for swimming. Only having 5 passengers on board was lovely as we had space to spread out and never felt crowded.

We were a clear disappointment to our crew who were hoping for party animals and loose women. But we had our own fun by enjoying our wine, bouldering from the lower deck to the upper deck, discussing politics, doing vibration dancing and smoking the hookah. The food was great and the mood was perfect as we all wanted the same kind of trip and enjoyed talking to each other. So while this was a bit different than my previous boat experiences, I'm still a boat lover.

Boat friends

Sunset

Gorgeous water

July 14, 2007 - A House in Spain!

We got excellent news today... after weeks of searching and emailing, we got confirmation that the house we want to rent in Spain is available for us. Woohoo! We are very excited to have found a nice place in a fun part of Spain and it's a relief to be done with all the searching.

The house is located in Frigiliana which is down south near Nerja in the Andalucia region. Frigiliana was voted the "prettiest village in Andalucia" by the Spanish tourism authority so that gives us hope that it will be as good as it looks. It's up in a mountainous area very near a national park. There are narrow, cobblestone streets and lots of cafes and restaurants. In addition, it is only 10 minutes away from Nerja which is a popular beach town. And as if that wasn't enough, it's only an hour away from one of the largest climbing areas in Spain. We couldn't have picked a better location and I hope it turns out to be as great as it seems it will be.

On the map

White-washed houses

City view

July 16, 2007 - Turkish Bath

We wanted to experience a Turkish bath while we were here so Vik found a local hamam when we got to Fethiye and we all went to get cleaned. I had read about the hamam experience in a book about Turkey but I wasn't sure what to expect since the book was written a long time ago (and times change).

We got there and disrobed and wrapped ourselves in sarongs. We then went into the hamam which is basically a large steam room with marble benches and sinks and fountains along the edges. We laid down on the big round marble slab in the center of the room and took advantage of the marvelous acoustics by singing songs (Lonely Goatherd was the best). We were in there for a long time and realized a bit late that the faucets put out cold water so we doused ourselves to keep cool.

After about 45 minutes of steaming, the attendant came in and scrubbed each of us down with a loofah mit. You wouldn't believe the nasty stuff that he rolled off our skin. Once we were all scrubbed down, he led us out and into a peaceful pool to cool off. And boy did we cool off. The temperature of the water was shocking after being in that hot room for so long. We rested on the couches for a bit but soon sought warmth again in the steam room.

The attendant came back in after a while so he could clean us. He put a few bars of soap in a pillow slip type bag, put some water in the bag, blew into it, then squeezed it out. The result was that sudsy bubbles came out. It was really cool. He washed us each down and then doused us with water. After that, he wrapped us in dry sarongs and towels and laid us down on some sofas for a rest.

It was a fantastic experience. We had no idea what to expect so it was fun to just go with the flow and see what was would happen next. It took us about two and a half hours to do the whole thing and we were glad we got in early because lots of people were streaming in as we were finishing up. We were especially glad of being alone because every other person who came in was wearing their bathing suit and we were all naked the whole time. I think it might have been a bit awkward if we were the only naked ones amongst a bunch of clothed people.

Getting soaped up

Hamam

July 19, 2007 - Ephesus

We wanted to see some of the Greek/Ottoman ruins so we took the bus to Selcuk so we could check out the ancient ruins of Ephesus. This city was founded in the 10th century BC and was the capital of the province of Asia during the Roman Empire. Although earthquakes, erosion, invaders andtime have taken their toll on the place, a good bit of the city is still intact and it is nice to go through the remains and imagine what life was like in those times.

Some of the major parts of the city are the Temple of Artemis (goddess of fertility), the Library of Celsus and the large ionic theatre, capable of holding 25,000 spectators. This open-air theatre was used for theatrical events as well as gladiatorial combats. One of the most amazing things about Ephesus is the technologically advanced aqueduct system and building techniques. It seems that these people made several advancements that were later forgotten.

Fairly intact

Remains

Old script

July 21, 2007 - Grand Bazaar

We had to make a trip to the famous Grand Bazaar which is reputed to be the largest covered bazaar (marketplace) in the world. We got lost amid the tiny lanes and thousands of shops but did manage to get into a fight with one of the vendors (all part of the experience I suppose).

We stopped for lunch in one of the cafes and met some fellow Bay Area travellers who we took to immediately. We discussed travel and politics and didn't want to leave them. But luck was with us because we ended up in the same restaurant the next evening and got to continue our conversations.

We did make one purchase while at the bazaar but it's a surprise for someone and we don't want to spoil it ;-)

Cool ceiling

So many shops

July 22, 2007 - Topkapi Palace

Topkapi Palace is the former residence of the Sultan of Turkey. This is where sultans have lived for hundreds of years and it was an interesting look into that period. We were most interested in the wing for the sultan's harem. This building contained 400-800 harems (depending on the sultan) and the audio guide we listened to gave a lot of information on the interesting politics that arose in the harem and the sway that a woman who bears the child of a sultan has in that world.

Topkapi Palace

Harem decor

July 22, 2007 - Turkey Politics

We were lucky enough to be in Turkey at the time of a major election. It was interesting to see it from ground-level and to talk to people about it. The AK Party is currently in control of the government. This party has done a lot to get Turkey into the EU, but they are also pro-Islam and there are real concerns about the party leaders changing the now secular country into one that makes its decisions based upon religion. The good news is that citizens are aware of this threat and are educating the public and making their concerns known to the AK Party.

In 1923, Kemal Ataturk established Turkey as a secular country. He banned the wearing of head scarves for women because he felt that it was behind the times and led to unfair treatment of women. He also banned the wearing of the fez for men because he felt that Turks were discriminated against because of their religious beliefs. He brought the country a long way in bringing it's values in line with Western thought and he is idolized for that reason.

When all was said and done with this election, the AK Party got 46% of the vote. This result will likely contribute to keeping Turkey out of the EU, who has always been concerned about Turkey's Muslim population (98% of Turks are Muslim). It will be interesting to monitor their situation over time, especially now that we know more about their history and culture.

Campaign ad

July 23, 2007 - Vik Gets a Shave

A barbershop shave is apparently an age-old custom in Turkey and Vik thought it would be fun to try it. I went along with him because it sounded fun to me too. The barber was a lovely man who didn't speak any English but was very accomodating and even posed for a couple of pictures (whie holding a blade to Vik's neck!). I could tell Vik was frightened by how stiff he was in the chair while he was getting shaved and his eyes nearly popped out of his head when the barber pulled out a lighter and held it up to his ears to burn off the ear hair. It was good fun.

In serious need

Under the knife

Burn the offending hairs