A Slice of Turkey

Tuesday, July 07, 2009
Istanbul, Turkey
We've had a taste of Turkey now, and I can say that we would have liked to sample more of the bird. What an interesting destination, and one that seems to blend many of the elements of our previous stops on this amazing trip--- a complex history, a vibrant culture, and sights galore. Though our experiences and exposure to the country has been limited, having only spent only a week here, we've enjoyed our time immensely,

It all started when we heard about these last-minute specials to the south of Turkey which Israelis appear to gobble up. We thought that since Turkey was in the general direction we were heading, why not wing it (last pun, I promise), and get one last passport stamp before heading home. So, here was the plan: A few days on the beach, a night in Istanbul, and then a flight home.

We said shalom to Israel with a vow to return soon, and off we flew to Antalya, a popular spot on the southern coast. Our resort was a few hours away, and, having been advised to go upscale in Turkey, we did. We were told by the Israeli agent that this place would meet the "high standards of you Americans" (it appears that we are all rich Americans to them), and what we encountered was a monster-sized resort jam-packed with Russians, Brits, Turks, and Israelis. Tour package heaven, it appeared. Sure enough, this place had all the accoutrements-lots of pools, restaurants, shops, even a full-sized water park. It was almost daunting in size and the treks across the property could be long. Dining was a madhouse, as all meals were served buffet style, and if you can imagine 2000 people all wanting to get to the omelette station, you begin to get a picture of what we encountered. It was every man for himself, and the irony was that the food just wasn't all that appealing to us. Everything seemed to be either drenched in gravy, oil, butter, or salty to a fault. Even finding a free table was a challenge. We usually dreaded the mealtimes, cause of all the chaos and effort it entailed. However, meals do not a holiday make. The resort itself was lots of fun, and we indulged ourselves with whole days spent frolicking in the water, midday naps, and long walks. Nights, the party vibe took over, and those Turks know how to party! The Turkish ambiance is infectious. First off, it's impossible to keep your body still while that hypnotic music is playing. The liquor is flowing, the hot days have become warm enveloping evenings, the moon and stars are dancing overhead, and you are filled with a sense of serenity. Your mind is transported to the days of the sultans and sultanas who ruled the Ottoman empire of old, and you ride your magic carpet off into the clouds. Great escapism, and not a bad way to spend a few days.

From there, we journeyed to the thriving city of Antalya itself, full of history, narrow streets, picturesque buildings, quaint shops and stands loaded with tourist-oriented goods, and a lovely shore. We stayed near the beach, and promenaded past the countless cafes, took a moonlit cruise of the harbour, and had a romantic dinner on this, our second-to-last night of our trip.

The next day, we jetted to Istanbul, where we were accosted by the sights and sounds of a city full of glamour, mystery, ancient past and what appears to be a bright future. Turkey seems to be a country where the past and present comfortably reside side by side, and Istanbul appears to be a great example of this. Amidst the centuries-old mosques, cemeteries, and monuments sit contemporary buildings housing offices, stores, etc. The streets were abuzz with traffic and pedestrians, the tourist sites teeming with bodies, as the many cruise ships dock here, dumping thousands of passengers. The huge Grand Bazaar, a must-do. was congested with these folks, and highly-aggressive shopkeepers with every line in the book for luring you into their shops. "Just have a look", "Where you from?" and my personal favourite "How can I separate you from your money?". At last, I had encountered an honest man! How so many carpet shops can exist in this city is beyond me. For Bonnie, this was her last kick at the can for shopping, and because she had shown such constraint all along in her shopping (my standard line for the past 3 months had been: "You buy it, you schlepp it"), and because Istanbul was to be our last European/Asian destination, she felt more inclined to exercise her inherent inclination to hunt and gather, but nonetheless, was quite pragmatic and limited in her shopping (which I can only attribute to fatigue and/or burnout). Suffice it to say that our charge card had skid marks.....

We couldn't let the trip end without a trip to a hammam (Turkish bath house), so we found one and went for the full schmear-- couples steam, full-body scrub, and massage. Unfortunately, we went to what I later called the 'K-Mart of Turkish baths'. The experience paled by comparison to the near-orgasmic bath I had had in Petra. (Bonnie had missed this previous opportunity due to her parasite problem).

Our brief day and overnight stay in Istanbul just whetted our appetite for a return trip to the city and the country, but at least we had had a slice of Turkey. We are about to leave for New York City via Warsaw on a Lot Airlines flight. Needless to say, packing the results of a 12-week trip was a nightmare in itself, as we had to be conscious of issues like liquid and other security restrictions, fragile objects carried, number of bags we could have and the weight limits on this baggage. We packed with near militaristic precision.

My last entry for this blog will come from home, and hopefully, it will be full of positive stories to tell about how much fun we had in the air travel. Am I delusional, or what????

All the best to you all, and as always, thanks for your indulgence of my verbosity and writing idiosyncrasies.

Looking forward to seeing and talking to you soon.
David and Bonnie

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