TURKEY TIME

(Aya Spohia, Istanbul)

The 2010 edition of Middle East Lonely Planet describes Turkey as a perfect bridge between two continents giving it a European modernism and sophistication and an Asian culture and tradition. How true it is! There is enough exoticism and “foreignness” to keep your senses hyper stimulated but you can rely on punctual buses and comfy beds (two things we have grown to appreciate!).

We arrived in Istanbul with no place to stay for the first night and ended up at the “Chill-out” hostel (that’s one word for it…!) .. thinking the only way we would make it through the night with the creepy 80’s posters, a Homer Simpson bed sheet hanging over the window, and the feeling that we could either be robbed or murdered (in a light hearted – joking kind of way), we headed out for mojitos – several of them – and got our first taste (well, my second – I was here in 2007 for work) of the chaotic flow of Turkish nightlife. It felt good to be back in Istanbul, excitingly fresh yet comforting and familiar and it was nice to have some sort of orientation upon arrival. Luckily, we survived the “chill-out” and for the rest of our time in Istanbul we stayed at my good friend Rani’s flat – she is a traveling soul like myself and recently quit her job and left the states to travel for a year! (GO RANI!).. So, while she was off in southern Turkey for a wedding, Adam and I enjoyed her 6th floor apartment right off of the main drag of Taksim Square (for those of you who know Istanbul) in a cute neighborhood which happened to house the MOST arrogant, horrific, noisy pigeons, seagulls and cats EVER. Earplugs and a sense of humor were a must!

After treating ourselves to a little pampering – Adam got a Turkish haircut and came out slicked back and smelling like a Aramis cologne ad, while I opted for the pedicure that took us all around the city to find and came out with only mild satisfaction (no one compares to my Chinese ladies in DC!!) – we threw ourselves into the chaos of the city. Seas of people down the Istiklal (main shopping drag) shopping and eating, music shops galore, fresh squeezed OJ on every corner followed by a doner kabab or honey oozing baklava, we made our way across the Golden Horn (inlet from the Bosphorus river) where fisherman lined both sides of the bridge and pedestrians only stopped to take a look at the breathtaking views.. We maneuvered the old spice market and indulged ourselves in $20 worth of Turkish delight and a few Turkish scarves. And while Adam was referred to as “Michael Jordan!”, “Rambo!” and “business man!”, I was, for the first time in my life, referred to as “girlfriend!” or “wife!”, which was actually quite appealing compared to the things I have been called and hollered at in my past travels when I was alone or with other women.

(spice Market, Istanbul)

We explored the old city- Sultanahmet, the Blue mosque and the Grand baazar but spent most of our time in the Aya Sophia which is just spectacular inside and still shows the unity of it first being a church and then a mosque. Where else in the world can you find a structure with mosaics of Jesus next to the mihrab?? amazing.. After that amazing day of Turkish history, getting lost in the grand bazaar, and dodging and weaving herds of tourists, we found a great little pub and watched US lose to Ghana in overtime of the World Cup. That was enough for one day.

(Inside the Aya Sophia)

Making our way south, we stopped in a little town called Selcuk which is minutes away from one of the great ancient ruins of the world – Ephesus – an old Roman city which was at one point a major political, cultural and religious center of the middle east (aren’t they all!?!). Due to the fact that we had a bus to catch at 10:30am and the ruins open at 8 – we were the first people through the gate and had the whole place to ourselves for about an hour (besides the workers and dogs). What a treat!! Brilliant lighting, no crowds and an unparalleled silence as we climbed and trekked and soaked in the mystery of this amazing place. As the busses started to come and the tourists started to pour, we tried to imagine we were in the hustle and bustle of the city in its thriving times – that didn’t last long – we had to get out!

(Ephesus theater, your basic sibling Greek tragedy)

The Mediterranean Coast! Through the wonderful world of Facebook we figured out that some friends of the boomerang community were living in Marmaris- a coastal town in Southern Turkey – and we decided to pay them a visit! They have been living in the Marmaris Marina parking lot on their 43 ft sailboat while they fix it up and prep to sail it back to Seattle. Marmaris itself is a pretty touristy town full of overweight British men walking around in their Speedos, and a strip of nightclubs and bars each trying to play their techno music louder than the next – Lucky for us we escaped all of this thanks to Mike and Serena! We slept on their boat and experienced life inside a marina parking lot. Surreal... huge ships living on top of stilts only reachable by ladder, awaiting their time to be put in the water, not quite alive, but very present. The four of us got along beautifully and I love my new friends! We spent an amazing day on a boat (not theirs) and sailed all around the coast of the Med.. exploring coves and caves, Islands and inlets.. we swam, snorkeled, sunbathed, listened to music, drank beer, chatted, ate barbeque, fresh fruit, and swam some more.. WHAT A LIFE! Being out on the water like that feels timeless and grounding.. I could do that for a while.. and with each day on a boat or exploring ruins or wandering mountain sides, my hair gets blonder, my skin bronzer, my heart bigger and my soul stronger.. Holding onto this feeling/time/place and recognizing the moment is a gift I will take with me forever.

(Boats at Marmaris, Turkey)

We went to one more cute coastal town to visit Rani after she was finished with her wedding events. A little town called Kas. Cute and laid back we literally spent less than 24 hours there, but had a lovely time eating fish and drinking wine in the evening and in the morning we took a water taxi to a nearby beach where we sent a few hours in the sun and BLUE water. The Mediterranean Coast of Turkey is the bluest, clearest water EVER. Because there is not much eb and flow of water from the Atlantic, there aren’t many fish, plankton, seaweed, sea creatures etc.. hence CLEAR BLUE… and the rugged white rock cliffs that meet the water make for an extra special effect for the senses.
Leaving the coastal scenery and hopping on a 16 hour bus ride to Cappadocia Turkey (central) – where we met up with Mike and Serena again - was a bit taxing except what we arrived into made us forget it all. Eyes still crusted, we stepped off the bus at 7am into the small town of Goreme. Lighting perfect, we took in for the first time a place that’s like Star Wars meets Flinnstones meets the Grand Canyon meets fairyland meets nothing I’ve ever seen before! Valleys and Canyons of rose and gray and brown colored stones, protruding rock formations 100s of feet high – where stores, homes, hotels and restaurants where built right into them….Other protruding rock formations looking like huge penis’s invading the sky next to delicate rolling, folding rock formations looking very vaginal, very Georgia O’Keefe (this specific valley was called “LOVE VALLEY” – DUH!)

(Love Valley, Cappadocia Turkey)

The highlight of the Cappadocia experience was a balloon ride at sunrise over the whole valley/canyon. The sun just peaking over the mountains we watched the balloon come to life as fire breathed air into the giant bulbous head. We jumped into the basket and lift off! Floating slow, steady, peaceful, dipping in and out of valleys just low enough to pick plums from a tree and high enough to see the world below. Dozens of other balloons took flight and for a while we all hovered watching each other and soaking up the incredible, simple mode of flying. The sensation of balloon flying is calming – not scary and the air was soooo fresh! After about 1.45 hours we landed gracefully in a field of wild flowers where a table of mimosas awaited us to celebrate a safe, clear, beautiful morning flight. AMAZING!

(Hot air balloon, Cappadocia Turkey)

By the end of our Turkey time, we became accustom to sipping Efes (Turkish beer) and Raki (Turkish liquor) and cuy (Turkish tea) ,toking the occasional sheesha (hookah), playing backgammon, soaking in the soothing melodic tones of the call to prayer, and genuinely enjoying the lovely Turkish people. Adam especially had an affinity for the Turkish language and was talking jive with the boys like a pro :)

LOVE TURKEY!