Tales from Turkey

“Merheba”, I said. “Merherba”, smile on her face. Looked at my passport, and the smile grew wider. “Amerka??”, she asked excitedly. Pointing to my passport, I said, “No, India”. “No, no, Amer ka” and with a sweeping gesture, “Bollywood, Amer Ka?”. The excitedness on seeing someone who knew Amir Khan (Dangal fever was still on then) was palpable on her face, and this is exactly how my immigration went at the Istanbul airport. The city is spread across Asia and Europe, we had landed on the European side. Judging by how long my visa had taken to come, I was expecting shenanigans at the airport, but on the contrary, I was already liking Turkey by the minute, especially as our luggage was already waiting for us by the time we came out. Getting a metered cab was easy as well, and we were off to Sultanahmet – the historical part of Istanbul, our home for the next 3 days.

Istanbul

With so much of history to cover – history stares at you from every wall in every bylane, or so it seemed in Sultanahmet. 

The most famous sights of Instanbul in a single frame

Our first stop was the Topkapi Palace – the seat of the Ottoman Empire from the 15^th to 19^th century. The highlights are visiting the Four Courtyards, as you go deeper into the palace – the more restricted the access for the outside world. Being connoisseurs of the good food, the Royal kitchens are a sight to behold, replete with magnificent porcelain. However, the highlight for me was seeing the collection in the museum – from construction material of Mecca to a stick belonging to Moses – it is literally going back in time, with the oldest artifact dating back to 7^th century BC!! I would suggest taking an automated audio tour guide (It's a device available for rent in umpteen number of languages), as it covers all the facts you want to know, and at your own pace.

The other notable mentions were the Blue Mosque, and a church-turned mosque-turned museum (Hagia-Sophia Museum) – quite unlike anything else, taking the sunset tour of the Bosphorous (covering the bridges which span Europe and Asia), which gives a detailed account of the Yalis, and a glimpse into different suburbs of Istanbul. We also visited the Taksim Square to imagine what a revolution would look like, 

Heritage tram at Taksim Square

and the Galata tower to feel like a medieval knight. 

Happiness on finding Galata Tower (Actually, it's not that elusive :))

The grandeur of the Grand Bazaar was right out of a movie, and the aromas in Spice Bazaar were a jolt to the good ol’-factory. With the various street markets, Istanbul is a heaven for souvenir shopping. 3 days was tight, but we just about grasped the essence of the city before it was time to move to our next stop.

Pamukkale

The reason we decided to visit Turkey was this. 

Getting up early, and walking our way up, we were soon in the middle of the travertines. A formation of limestones, it is a good place to get your summer clothes out in what looks to be snow. 

Nope, not snow

The pools and the thermal waters are a sight to behold, but sadly are disappearing fast. When we were there, only 4-5 pools could be enjoyed for taking a dip. 

The fast disappearing travertine pools

It is a unique experience, and highly, highly recommended. I would suggest start hiking from the bottom, and make your way up while enjoying the view. In case enjoying in isolation is the objective, the idea is to get into the pools by 8.30 or 9, as very few people would have made it by then, as many do it as a day long excursion from Selcuk. After this, I would recommend skipping Cleopatra’s pool (nothing special, while paying a premium), and making your way up to the Theatre in Heirapolis. The panoramic view from here is spectacular, and I would recommend enjoying the theatre to yourself as much as you can!

Having your own ancient stadium, well - Almost!

Selcuk (Ephesus)

The ancient city of Ephesus, which was rebuilt thrice, first as a Greek City (one of the Ionic League) in 10^th Century BC, and then as a Roman bastion, this was a city you wanted to control to exert your dominance. It is home to the temple of Artemis (one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, unfortunately, only some columns remain now), the place where Virgin Mary spent her last few years – and has a Wishing Wall for the believers, the Isa Bey mosque, one of the oldest in Turkey. The ruins of Ephesus are also a place here you can imagine how an ancient city looked like (where was the seat of power, the limit upto which the lower class could access the city, dwellings of the ancient rich, middle class, and the poor), see where the first Social Network was established (sitting and s*itting in a social environment)

Facebook - version 2nd Century BC

 

and visualize where they spent their weekends – they did have their Theatre and Library, only it was very grandiose!

The Great Library - Ephesus

If you are only interested in getting seeped in history and are NOT interested in walking the ramp (like us😊), do ask your guide to avoid trips to Leather Museums and Pottery Stores .

Cappadocia (Goreme)

Staying in a cave is something that hermits or saints (or Prime Ministers recently do). And you would usually associate it with meditation. Not in  Goreme -  staying in a cave which is airconditioned, luxurious and connected with a tunnel to their wine-cellar is the way to go here!

Many firsts here, obviously the hot air balloon experience is unlike anything. On a good day, there are about 300+ balloons, and seeing them all together, in the topography is just wow! 

Merrily, Merrily Merrily, Merrily.....

... Life is but a dream!

Recommendation would be to get up early, and to enjoy the sunrise atop a balloon. Obviously, having a super-experienced pilot who takes you right outside cave-hotels, and you can act as a rooster was a plus (Imagine being a few feet above the ground, shouting out to people in their cave-rooms and asking them to grab their dream pic😊.) 

Good Morning Folks!

There are many balloon rides which are available, make sure you research and take the one as per your budget and requirements. We had opted for Butterfly Balloons, and were really happy with it, as they were friendly and punctual, and we got the perfect sunrise. The landing was celebrated by popping the champagne bottle open - another first!

Next up was going for an ATV experience - a good way to explore some of the valleys like Pigeon Valley, Love Valley (I will let you find out why it is called so!), the Red Valley or the Sunset Point in Goreme for the sunset.

A panorama with the Love Valley

And obviously, while staying in a cave, imagine having an underground cave city, complete with livestock and a church. That’s what people in Derinkuyu and Kaymakli did to escape atrocities of wars. An hour inside had us claustrophobic and wanting a way out , to embrace the sunlight again, we were in awe of people who did it for years at an end! But it is a good place to try that Batman tune (A bit of trivia – there is a city of Batman in Turkey, though we did not visit it)

Modes of Travel – Hot Air Balloon, Foot, Tram, Train, Boat, Air, Bus, Taxi (In decreasing order of interest)

Time of Travel – September – It was a blasting furnace, and while that meant a great hot-air balloon ride because of clear skies and placid winds, it was also draining to walk 10+ km everyday under the sweltering sun.

Places to Avoid – Eastern and South-Eastern Part of Turkey was unsafe to travel during our visit in September 2018

Places we did not visit, but would do a Turkey trip again just for it - Antalya

Top 5 Immigration Experiences (So Far)

Serpentine queues, bored faces, kids howling after hours of travel, and the urge to check into the hotel and use the restroom. Sounds familiar? Immigration is usually the most dreaded part of international travel, and we have had our share of those experiences as well. But sometimes immigration is fun as it is your first experience with the people from that country and can give you amazing and hilarious moments. Our entry into Turkey was one, which though it did not make the top 5 , will be described in a later blog. Enough of rambling. Do read on.

5. Johor Bahru (actually, Malaysia) – Singapore

So, you are having a meal in Johor Bahru, and across what you think is a wide river, you see the glitz of Singapore and decide, well, let’s do this. A late-night surprise date in another country, and back! You go to a mall (JB Sentral), take a train and 5 minutes later, Hello Singapore! Its not uncommon for people to go to Singapore for work while staying in JB - so avoid the rush hours and go as per traffic flow – then it’s a breeze. However, some people I know have been stuck for up to 7 hours when going in the direction of traffic.  Ways of crossing  - Drive (the fanciest), by a 5 minute train ride (the fastest), shuttle bus (most practical) and yes, walk along the causeway😊 . If you are frequent visitors to both countries, it is possible to be in both countries 365 days a year, without a stamp on the passport (My wife managed 300 in 3 years).

Tale to Tell: Not quite Johor but If you stay near the Subang Airport (KL), and don’t need to check in stuff, you can technically leave home 25 minutes before an international flight departure (True Story, being the protagonist)

4. Beijing (China)

Our flight landed on time, and we said right, let’s get to it. But 30 minutes of taxiing, and when we peered out of our window, we could see that the airport extended till the eyes could see. At on point on the tarmac, I could see a sign which said 3500m to the north, and 3500 to the south (7km in length), and the east-west was more than 3 km as well (to the naked eye)! On reading up, we realized it just became the largest airport in the world (December 2019). A 5 minute train ride later, we completed our immigration and were on our way – but not before a sign which welcomed us  -“One Way Entry Only, No exit”. Scary, reminded me of Hotel California lyrics. But yeah, even if you miss it, there are plenty of fun pictograms and Google translate meme worthy photo-ops.

Obviously the word TRAIN has not made it to the lexicon yet, or is obsolete

3.  Hong Kong – Macau

You get to feel like a gangster, well almost. International waters, a speedboat and the allure of big money 😊. The 24x7 speedboat is the most common – day escape. However, with 24x7 buses on the 55km long HZM Bridge and accessible from the Hong Kong Airport, it is a fun experience to see the road literally swallowed by the sea in the middle of THE SEA! Don’t believe me yet? See below 😊

 Just the feel of riding in a 4-wheeler in the open seas for miles makes this trip worth it. And once back in the open – the dazzling lights of Macau (The largest casino concentration in the world, beating Vegas) or Hong Kong inviting you (depending on which side you are travelling). Technically speaking (well, writing), your immigration gets done first and then you purchase a ticket, as if daring you to make that 55 km on foot. You think of it for a minute, but the allure of Macau makes you stop right in the middle of your daydream. The ticket is purchased, and you are promptly on your way.

Tale to Tell: Getting up one morning, and suddenly deciding let’s do Macau. Take your passport , wallet and arm-candy (if you have one) and you are on the way to a 24-hour gambling session without staying in a hotel 😊.

The sea devours everything, even roads

2. Georgia – Armenia, by road

So, the trains were full, and we were not interested in a 6 hour mashrutka (Mini bus) ride where my long legs would not fit. So, we booked a Bla Bla car - a highly recommended hitchhiking app, great for budget travellers in Eastern Europe. Sceptically, we decided to give it a try. Vrooming through very scenic routes you reach the border that says the usual - Nakhvamdis Georgia, and Barev Dzez Armenia - well you need not master the language to know what that would mean! Now coming to the scary part, all non-drivers need to leave their luggage in the car and proceed separately for immigration, while the driver immigrates with the car and luggage along and you meet on the other side – well hopefully! Fingers crossed, we took a leap of faith and decided to leave all our luggage from our 2-week trip in the boot with a stranger we met through a random App a few minutes back! Fortunately, our fears were unfounded, though in hindsight would have been another adventurous (or not so!) story to tell if otherwise. But thankfully our newly found friend was waiting for us on the other side and we listened to the latest Armenian pop on the beautiful drive to Yerevan.

Tale to Tell: Not knowing our car number when asked during immigration without any Internet to look it up. Luckily, we were allowed through after getting hotspot by the friendly immigration officer 😊

A nice song to get into the Yerevan Mood : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aiktoDHSnRA

Always fun to do these screenshots

The scenic route (Lake Sevan) on the way to Yerevan. 

1. Azerbaijan – Georgia, by train

You have heard of breakfast in bed, right? How about immigration in bed? Wait. What? So, the train leaves from Baku at night and reaches the Azeri-Georgian border at about 6 AM. A matronly woman, the train attendant, asks us to open the doors of our personal compartments and wait for the immigration officer. At the Azerbaijan side, the gentleman occupies the train attendant’s compartment. We go one by one, answer a few questions and get the exit stamp. All in the train. The train moves for 15 minutes and enters Georgian territory. The immigration officer enters and takes our passport. A few minutes later, we see him on the platform with hundreds of passports in his hand and walking out of sight (probably to the immigration office in the station premises), while we are locked in! Again, the fear of being in international territory and passports out of sight is a bit unnerving. Perhaps a lot of people feel the same, and so I guess as compensation, we get tea served in bed, chat with our friendly co-passengers while our documents are being checked. Mind you, all of this has been done without having to move out of our compartments. Just when the royal treatment starts giving way to restlessness to start exploring Georgia, the officer walks in with our passports duly stamped, and says Gamarjoba to Georgia 😊

The "Automated People Mover" which ferried us from Baku to Tbilisi