Syria, on the other hand, was too complex a society to even begin to get a handle on in the few days passing through so I will reserve my opinion until the next time…

(Be sure to check out the Turkey and Syria photo gallery here)

Favorite moments:

• Kebabs!
• Tea
• Friendliness
• Traditional Turkish art
• Cappadoccia
• Turkish wildflowers
• Turkish architecture

Not so great:

• Aleppo
• Expensive prices (Turkey)
• Unequal transport opportunity to Syria
• Being stared at (is there something on my face?)

Total Money Spent Per Person: $555.49

Average Per Day Costs Per Person:

• Lodging: $10.45
• Food: $11.67
• Transportation: $13.01
• Misc: $7.60 (park and museum entrance, internet, etc.)

Total Average Per Day, Per Person: $42.73

Number of Days: 13

Rolled into Istanbul in the early morning, too early to check into any hostels so we waited in the public park area between the two grand mosques until the city began to wake up. Slow day of getting ready for our flight to London tomorrow.

Saben getting ready for the flight

Spent much of the day hanging around the pier and enjoying the carnival atmosphere down by the water’s edge. Kids playing, food vendors strolling by, a string of colorful balloons bobbing in the sea awaiting someone’s good aim with a BB gun, young couples giggling at each other, plenty of unsuccessful fishermen and men selling everything from baby bunnies to cotton candy to kites.

(We forgot the camera so you will just have to pretend)

We’ve decided to skip the beach in Izmir (it seems that they are not very great, according to several locals and a few other travelers; you decide for yourself though) and are heading back to Istanbul tonight on a rather long night bus.

Travel day from Pammuakle to Izmir (3-4 hours). Hoping to catch a good beach in Izmir tomorrow or next day. Nothing for posting today but a travel tip.

Travel Tip:

When planning a visit to Izmir, you will likely find it extremely difficult to secure lodging. For some reason, places like hostelworld and hostelbookers have only a few places online but in reality, there are literally piles and piles of places to stay. We took a city bus toward downtown and just walked around price checking 5-6 places. We finally found something to suite us and it was very cheap, about TYL 17. It can be a bit frustrating not knowing where you will be sleeping for the night but rest assured that, in the right area of town, you will definitely find many cheap hotels (no hostels really).

Sitting in a gritty calcium pool is a surprisingly nice way to spend an afternoon. After an over night bus and most of the morning spent traveling we arrived in Pammukale to see the famous calcium deposits. The views from the natural pools are amazing, with mountains lining the horizions in all directions. Despite the massive tour groups and sagging, sun-wrinkled bodies wearing smaller than desired bathing attire, Pammukale is actually a fun place to visit.

Lindsey enjoying the pool

The ground is white, perpetually cool and a bit like sandpaper which makes your feet nice and soft by the time you leave the pools. It’s easy to get there alone and there is no need to take a tour. Just follow the signs and walk uphill til you get to the admission booth, pay for your ticket and spend a day as you please.

The restricted pools

As you might guess, early morning and late evening are perfect times to be there because most people are either not there yet, or are beginning to leave. Depending on the time, you could potentially have the place mostly to yourself!

Lindsey on the calcium falls

Travel Tip:

Pammukale the town is very tiny but there are endless hotels and guest houses to choose from. We stayed at the fabulous Venus Hotel and got a beautiful (not exaggerating!) double room, ensuite with TV, wifi, towels, swimming pool, and a huge, scrumptious (also not exaggerating) breakfast for US$13/pp. As you come into “town” on the minibus from Denizli, you’ll see several hotel signs on telephone poles, in the grass, on buildings and Venus Hotel will be one. Sometimes there are a few touts at the bus drop off point as well.

Even though the town is small and quiet, there are plenty of places to eat if your hotel doesn’t serve food or is too expensive (Venus Hotel is a bit pricey on food). We easily walked into “town” 5-10 minutes to where there are several restaurants that serve fresh, delicious Turkish food like pides and kebabs.

With such an important location in the Old World, Istanbul brags a wonderful Archaeology Musuem that holds massive amounts of fascinating bits of history. We spent most of the day going through floor after floor, building after building of incredible artifacts.

Tiles in the hall

The museum’s collection ranges from ceramics to coins, sculptures to burial wall fragments, intricately carved stone capitals, glassware, and even the old Golden Horn chain and the burial sarcophagus of Alexander the Great.

Stone relief

Of course there is so much more than that and it’s all so exciting but admittedly does get tiring. Luckily, there is a beautiful courtyard between the buildings and inside there are some armchairs and couches on some floors that are nice for a rest!

Alexander's Sarcophagus

Although we had intended to go visit Topkapi Palace after lunch, we didn’t make it back. It was so nice sitting in the shade and drinking tea with no worries in the world!

The air rose up and stung our bones with a damp chill. We switchbacked down, down, down into the Basilica Cistern on stone ramps to see what remains of Justinian’s savior of Constantinople.

Inside the cistern

It was originally constructed to protect Constantinople in case of siege so the citizens would still have water to live. Luckily, it was never needed but the underground structure remains today although with less water so the tourists can come have a look around.

Along the bridge

The shallow water is home to many obese (no joke!) fish who swarm toward the bridges just begging for something they (don’t need) to eat. The rows and rows of wide stone columns provide an eerie atmosphere as you walk along the bridges in the near dark. Catching a glimpse of the heads of Medusa just before looping back to leave is neat but don’t look into her eyes just incase.

Head of Medusa holding a column

Back above ground, we went back to the Grand Bazaar to pick up the trinkets and things we decided we wanted after yesterday’s browse. We found our way to the Egyptian Spice Bazaar and picked up an assortment of Turkish delight (lemon and strawberry were our favorites) just outside it in the continuation of the market into the city streets. It was cheaper and fresher than that inside the Spice Bazaar and the street markets were fun to wander through even though we didn’t plan to buy any bedcovers, clothes, or kitchen cookwares.

In the spice market

We wrapped up the day eating Turkish Delight (kind of like a flavored hard-ish marshmallow) as we watched the boating passing in the harbor under the warm, cloudless sky!

Turkish Delight (aka supper)

Quite a busy day today! This morning we sat on the carpeted floor of the Blue Mosque watching the hoards of tourists pour in one side and back out the other within seconds. There were only a few local people there to actually pray and I have no idea how they could have done so with all the noise!

The (massive) Blue Mosque

The Blue Mosque, despite its name, is not blue on the outside! Instead its nickname is because of the thousands of beautiful blue tiles lining the inside. Its official name is Sultanahmet and very few locals know it by its nickname (good to know if you’re at the bus station trying to get to it! Tons of hostels are just a couple streets over). Also, just know that you can’t go into the mosque with bare legs or shoulders. If you arrive at the entrance in shorts or a short skirt and sleeveless top, the attendants will provide you (free of charge) with a cloth shawl to cover up with. There were even several men who had worn shorts and had to wrap a shawl around their legs before they were allowed in. You’ll also be required to remove your shoes and place them in a plastic bag provided outside the entrance and then carry it with you as you walk around inside in your socks or bare feet. It’s always good to be prepared!

Outside the Blue Mosque

Inside the Mosque

Gold detail inside the Mosque

From the mosque we found ourselves walking through the Arasta Market just adjacent to it. Shops line both sides of the small boulevard selling various trinkets, glass and ceramic wares, scarves, prints, and the like. The shops in this market are typically overpriced as you’ll surely be able to see by their very nice store fronts. And we had many of the store owners tell us they “do not negotiate” but this is more than likely BS since they would prefer to make a sale than nothing at all! It would be worth a try and the worst they can do is say no.

After a great kebab lunch (about $4 pp for a big kebab roll and drink), we were ready to see the everlasting grandure of the Hagia Sophia. Admission is a bit steep ($12 USD) since it’s technically a museum now but it’s worth every penny and a trip to Istanbul isn’t complete without seeing this amazing structure. It was beautiful inside but they were doing massive renovations to much of the interior. Even through all the scaffolding, it was still a really amazing sight!

Outside the Hagia Sofia

Lindsey in the corridor

Down from the balcony

Half repair of the walls

Well, the fun doesn’t stop there. We carried on and plunged into the Grand Bazaar, a highly competitive raucous place. There are 4,400 shops and most sell about the same things. There are knockoff purses and wallets, scarves, boxes with Turkish motifs, chessboards, clothes, Turkish glass lamps, ceramic bowls and platters, evil eyes of all sizes, and much much more.

The Old Bazaar

The Grand Bazaar has a reputation for being overpriced because it draws so many tourists. Be a very hard negotiator and don’t be afraid to say no thanks and walk away—that’s almost always a surefire way to get the price lower, but keep bargaining from there. Most of those trinkets and scarves and things are made in China and despite the swearing oaths that the shopkeepers give you, they’re typically not real cashmere/handmade/mother-of-pearl inlaid/etc. That doesn’t make them any less interesting items but just use that info to make sure you get a good price (typically on larger items, 1/4 or less of the asking price is about right). There are so many neat things there but the shopkeepers are just dead set on scalping the tourists who come through. Good luck and have fun!

Wares in the market

Last stop of the day: ice cream! Turkey is famous for its thick, stringy ice cream and its tricky showmen who serve it to you. It is made with wild orchid extract to give it a stringy texture but as strange as it sounds, it is absolutely delicious! We went with the lemon flavor and they really stack it up for you. Chances are that you will have a stomachache from all the sugar but it’s worth it if you love ice cream.

Ice cream!

Somehow we managed to get ourselves into another 16 hours of traveling and after a long, hot search for lodging we broke down and took the cheapest place we found.

Down by the sea

Unfortunately it was also the worst place we saw and one of the worst places we’ve ever stayed. With little drive to do much else, we spent a wonderful evening down by the harbor watching the fisherman casting nets and the sea gulls flying overhead laughing at us, the silly bi-peds.

Travel Tip:

Avoid the Best Island Hostel in Sultanahmet like the plague, or at least the basement rooms. The dorms were all booked up  and all they had left was a double room on the bottom floor. But Istanbul is pretty pricey in terms of lodging and we needed the cheapest thing we could find. After a few hours we noticed everything in the room had taken on a dampness and was starting to smell weird, like mildew and maybe a cat. Not only was the room shit, the staff were pretty ridiculous and rude. When we left, one even had the nerve to ask us to go online and pay to make a reservation just so that we would write a nice review for them. Even though they seem to be the cheapest place in the Sultanahmet area and have a good location, it’s definitely worth spending a couple extra dollars on a better hostel just up the street. And the breakfast was awful (decent bread but served with rotting sliced vegetables and olives).