Plenty to do in Istanbul

Istanbul for 6 nights is by no means too long. This city has been around for about 25 centuries, has a population of about 12.6 million (and growing by 1,000 per day), so there's lots to see and do here.

We keep passing artifacts that seem to originate from below ground level, by sometimes ten feet or more. I continually point out that that used to be the ground level, and now this is the new ground level ten feet up. Today we visited the archaeology museum and I can see that I hit the nail on the head: In fact, some 100 generations have constantly been building and re-building new over old. If you excavate, you come across a new century every meter you dig! Crazy. It's a very complicated archaeology and it must be frustrating for developers.

I have plenty of new photos in my Turkey album. They range back to our visit to Cappadocia two weeks ago, right up to our visit to the spice market this afternoon. Sorry, no time for captioning. This will have to do for now.

I hope you will be happy with these.. I assure you, I've spent more time uploading photos and blogging for your amusement, than I ever would have if I sent you a personal postcard. Obviously, you're not getting a postcard. ;-)

You can view the slideshow by clicking below:

Speaking of Turkish

I have some urgent questions surrounding a delicate topic... I hope you don't object..

If you haven't travelled much, then you may not have had the opportunity to try a so-called Turkish Toilet. It's basically a hole in the ground, with some sort of in-ground toilet apparatus, usually porcelaine, similar to this:

You put your feet on the textured part, squat down, and the rest is your business. In Asia and Turkey where we've been the last few weeks, usually there is no flusher, but a bucket of water is nearby, and you "flush" your business down the drain by washing it down with the water. Often you have to bring your own toilet paper too.

So, my questions are

1. How the heck did Turkey get saddled with this naming? Did they really invent this toilet? Somehow I doubt it!
2. In public places in Turkey there is usually both a Western sit down toilet and a Turkish model. My question is, "who would actually choose the turkish model over the Western". Is anybody still using this, if given the chance?

In one of our hotels, there was a label on the toilet graphically showing how one is NOT to squat on the Western toilet. Very amusing indeed.

Anyway, all is well, I'm not sure why this is on my mind! haha.

We have arrived in Istanbul and our bathroom is very swank indeed. We are staying at the Witt
http://www.wittistanbul.com/eng/ It seems rather lovely, and is well located near everything. We are just about to head out and see what's what. Don't know if we're going to go uphill, or downhill just yet. We can eat dinner in Europe OR Asia tonight, that's still up in the air.

Cheers!

Turkey anyone?

Turkey is fabulous. The weather is just incredible. A beatiful 25 to 30 degrees, all dry and sunny with a lovely breeze coming off the Mediterranean all the time. We have travelled along the south coast, along the Med, and we are now resting in Bodrum, a larger seaside village with two harbours and a big castle. Lots of tourist shopping, ice cream and kebabs all around.

Today we are going to head out in the car and see what beaches we can find in the area. Being a spoiled child, I've usually shunned the European style beaches... sometimes you have to pay for a lounger or a cushion and umbrella, and lord only knows what the drinks will cost, but I think we're going to go in for a try. The water is cool, but very swimmable for us Canucks.

The new slideshow at right has a few random shots. One day I'll have time for captioning, in the meantime you'll have to use your imagination.

Sick of eating out yet ?

We went to this restaurant that Frommers says will feed you the "best meal in Turkey". It's right in our town; who are we to pass up such an opportunity?


After getting our meal, we wonder if we read it wrong and it said, "the biggest meal in Turkey"... have a look! (Yes, this meat is just for Mike.... thank the LORD I didn't order this dish, described as "Leg of Lamb"... we didn't know it was the WHOLE leg!!!)



We said good night to the restaurauter at the end, and Mike commented that perhaps the meals were a bit on the large size. The cheecky French owner just looked at Mike blankly and said, "well, I have two dogs to feed....". Hahahaa

The Crazy Part

So, they do this parasailing thing over the beach at Oludeniz, near Fethiye in Antalia, the coast of Turkey. They drive 45 minutes up a big hill over the beach, some 1500 metres or something, don big protective suits, helmets, sensible shoes and take a few steps off the mountain. Half an hour later, it's practically raining paragliders down onto a big runway running down the beach.

It costs only maybe $100 or so to go, and seriously, I hadn't ruled it out, except we were visiting that beach only for the day, and I had the convenient excuse of my bruised toe to justify the consolation activity of a ringside, beachside table at a comfy restaurant with a burger and beer instead.

I was still half considering it, but would you beleive that in the two hours we were in town, we saw not one, but TWO crash landings? These were not tandem rides like you get from an experienced "pilot" supposedly, but perhaps more inexperienced riders. But who knows, who tells the tourist observer anything? All I know is that I saw two of these parachuters come down on top of buildings/awnings/overhangs just nearly missing coming down into a table of restaurant guests!

Maybe next time....

Crazy, Colourful

The Mediterranean is impossibly blue right now. Indescribable.

How's this for a try....colourful enough for you?

Sensible Shoes

I have always belittled, berated, ridiculed those who hike wearing sandals. We see it all the time in Vancouver... silly tourists who don't know any better walking on trails with roots and rocks in their little flip flops, or worse, high heels. I can't say why, but I've just always felt it was not right, not respectable, not well, the Canadian way for goodness sakes. What person in their right mind would do that?

Now I can justify my critical view..... this was not even a hike! Just a little walk in some ruins off the beach...

I'm just trying to keep it up a bit between walks.... it's just bruised, don't worry!