Around-the-World 2005

Cappadocia

August 14, 2005
Göreme, Turkey

Emily and I are now in the strange lands of Cappadocia. It is a very interesting and unique sight. It is hard to describe if you've never seen it, although you may have seen it without even knowing it because it was used as a set for one of the Star Wars movies (I'm not sure which one). The whole area is full of these unique rock formations that people lived in thousands of years ago. They actually chiseled their homes out of the cliffs and rock pinnacles, called "fairy chimneys". Our hotel, Dream Cave, is built into one of these rock formations and the rooms are carved out of the rock (but with all the modern accessories of course).

We took a day tour yesterday and got to see a lot of the Cappadocia area. The highlight was probably the underground city, which was 8 levels deep and went down around 85 meters. It was surprisingly huge and elaborate; I can't imagine how long it took to make. The rest of the tour consisted of several scenic overlooks, walking around the Star Wars set, a hike along the river in a gorge, and a stop at a pottery factory where they showed us how they make the ceramic plates and pots.

Tonight we will take an overnight bus back to Istanbul.

Posted by tim at 10:44 AM | Comments (0)

Life on a Mediterranean yacht

August 10, 2005
Olympos, Turkey

For the last 4 days, Emily, Aaron Niedermayer, and I have been on a "Blue Cruise" along the Mediterranean coast of Turkey. We lived on an old-style wooden yacht as we leisurely travelled from Fethiye to Olympos. There were 9 other tourists on board, as well as the 4 person crew. We lucked out with a great group including 2 fellow Americans, 2 Kiwis (New Zealanders), and 5 Aussies. We also had perfect weather for the entire trip.

There appeared to be no set schedule other than the 3 surprisingly good meals per day prepared by the cook on board, and tea time, of course. Everyday we would go from bay to bay, stopping often to swim in the crystal clear, bright blue waters. The water was such a perfect blue that it looked as if it had been dyed with food coloring. After swimming and relaxing on the boat all day, we would sleep out on the deck under the stars.

I would have to recommend this cruise to anyone planning a trip to Turkey. It will be one of the highlights of our time here.

Farewell Aarons
After the cruise Nied began his long journey back to the states, and once again, Emily and I are on our own. Just wanted to say it was great meeting up with you guys. Good to see some familiar faces on the road. And Rosenthal, sorry you couldn't be here for the boat trip. It was amazing....or should I say, it wasn't not amazing.

Olympos
Emily and I are currently in the small hippie village of Olympos. The town consists of just one dirt road that is lined with backpacker guesthouses, which are a combination of treehouses and bungalows. It is unlike anyplace I have every been before. We will spend two days here before taking an overnight bus to Cappadocia.

Posted by tim at 12:58 PM | Comments (2)

Ephesus

August 05, 2005
Ephesus, Turkey




After a long but rather nice overnight bus trip, we arrived in Selçuk at 9:30am (2.5 hours late). We only got a 15 minute break before our 3 tour of the ruins of Ephesus began. Ephesus was an ancient Greek/Roman city that has a rather impressive history that includes serving as the Asian capital of the Roman Empire. It is a pretty large city whose ruins include a large library and a 25,000 seat ampitheatre. It was pretty cool.

After touring the ruins and getting some lunch, we were unexpectedly dropped off at a leather store where we were given a private runway show. Turkısh models showed us the latest in leather fashions whıle 50 cent blasted on the loud speakers. Words cannot explain. It was hilarious.

Tomorrow we are off to Pamukkale. Should be sweet.

Posted by tim at 03:51 PM | Comments (0)

Istanbul (was Constantinople)

August 04, 2005
Istanbul, Turkey

Greetings from Turkey! We arrived in Istanbul yesterday and met up with Aaron Rosenthal and Aaron Niedermayer. It has been great to see some familiar faces here after being away from home for the last 3 weeks. Aaron and Aaron found a great hotel that is right in the middle of everything. We are right next to the Blue Mosque and Aya Sophia, both of which we toured yesterday. We also went for a Bosphorus boat cruise where Europe meets Asia.

It is interesting being in a Muslim country (this is the first time for both Emily and I). Five times a day there is a call to prayer on the loud speakers from all of the mosques. It was a little strange and completely unexpected at first, but now we are starting to get used to it.

I should also note that the kebobs are great here too.

We went to a travel agent today to plan out our entire trip to Turkey. Everything is booked now and we don't have to think about anything for the next 2 weeks. We will be on the move alot, but we will get to see everything so we are really excited. Here is our Turkey itinerary:

Posted by tim at 03:23 PM | Comments (0)