izmir interlude

After leaving Cappadocia, the immediate future of our trip was a set of speculative plans to visit Africa.  Do not get us wrong, it was not as though we picked Africa randomly from the where-to-go-next hat.  It could not have been more to the contrary, as everything we had planned up until then (and it was mid-August at the time) had us perfectly positioned to arrive in Africa in time to see 1.5 million wildebeest and herds of other animals reach Kenya's Masai Mara during the Great Migration, one of the most spectacular animal migrations in the world.  It was probably the most highly anticipated stop of this year's journey and, from Turkey, we were monitoring closely the progression of the migration as the animals made their way from Tanzania's Serengeti Plains north to Kenya's Masai Mara National Reserve so we would know exactly where to find them when we arrived.

But, like we said, it was mid-August and we had yet to confirm any plans.  The main reason for this strategic procrastination was my knee.  It had been ten weeks since I had partially ruptured my ACL and been confined to a heavy-duty knee brace.  As we watched my recovery unfold on a day-to-day basis, we were hopeful that I could continue on, but both strongly agreed - if there was any reasonable likelihood that I might need to seek medical attention for my leg in Africa, we would not go.  It was not worth the risk. Fortunately though, my recovery had been going incredibly well.  We decided it was time to put our plan forward in motion.

With our minds made up that we were going to Africa, phase one of our great plan in getting there involved finding a place in Istanbul to get yellow fever vaccinations.  (This was another deal breaker - if we could not get vaccinated, we would not go.)  It took a little research and a lot of patience as we called place to place in search of sarihumma ("yellow fever" in Turkish) vaccinations, but within a day, we had appointments to visit a nearby health clinic run by the Turkish government.  Finding the clinic was no easy task either, but when we finally arrived, we showed our passports and had the vaccinations in minutes.  The best part: the vaccinations were completely free.  Thank you, Turkey.

The only hitch was that the doctor had advised us not to travel to Africa for at least ten days (i.e., the length of time that it takes for the vaccinations to kick in).  Not a problem, we thought.  We could use that time to plan our next steps.  And seriously, we could be stuck in worse places.

We decided to mission plan from the coast since (a) it was way too hot to stay in Istanbul for ten days, (b) we had such a great time on the coast earlier in the month, and (c) there was more area (i.e., the Aegean shore) to explore.  Fortunately, domestic travel within Turkey is very easy and there are a lot of cheap flights leaving from Istanbul every day.  We chose to fly to Izmir, which is the third most populous city in Turkey, the largest metropolis in Turkey's Aegean region and a short one-hour flight from Istanbul.  From Izmir, we had easy access (courtesy of a brand new six-lane highway) to several beach spots on the Aegean coast, including Cesme, a coastal town on the western tip of the Karaburun peninsula surrounded by the Aegean Sea.  This is where Aman and I spent our first four nights back on the coast.  It was a great feeling, as we pulled up to our hotel just in time to see the sun beginning to set behind Chios, the large Greek island off the Turkish coast which Cesme faces.  As night turned dark, we watched the town of Cesme light up and the headlights of traffic as distant cars moved steadily up and down the eastern-facing shore of Chios:

In between planning Africa, our next few afternoons were spent checking out the beaches in neighboring towns.  It was a great way to relax, but also (and more importantly), we reasoned that spending the day in the water was excellent therapy for my leg.  (In addition to the swimming and sheer physical exercise, the locals will tell you that the minerals in the sea water are naturally curative and we liked to think that they were right.  I was healing remarkably well, after all.)

Windsurfing Competition on Alacati Bay:

Fun Beach Club in Altinkum (a.k.a. our favorite of all the Turkish-Aegean coast beaches):

A Day at Ilica:

Another thing that we loved about Cesme was the food (of course!).  Turkish cuisine, in general, is pretty outstanding.  This was something that we had concluded quickly in Istanbul, and our subsequent travels along the coast and in Cappadocia only reaffirmed it.  In Cesme, we continued to dine on some of our favorite staples such as fresh seafood, yogurt, salads and various mezes, but also tried local specialties such as kumru (a warm sandwich made with special sesame seed bread, Turkish sausage, grilled cheese and tomato) and pide (a delicious type of Turkish flatbread pizza).

Chow-time:

Throw in a striking sunset or two (the below, at the marina in Cesme), and there you go. That was how our second trip to the Turquoise Coast essentially unfolded.  Not bad.

We hit the road on day five and drove back to Izmir, which we used as a base camp from which to explore nearby Ephesus, an important ancient Greek (later, Roman) city and one of the most significant archaeological sites in Turkey today.  This place was beyond impressive; it has a history that you can literally feel as you walk through what remains of one of the world's most ancient civilizations - an elaborate library, an enormous theater... connected by avenues lined with temples and terrace houses.  All the ruins were in remarkably good shape, and really amazing.

We skipped the Cave of the Seven Sleepers (for us, the story is too implausible) and the Temple of Artemis (it may be one of the Ancient Seven Wonders of the World, but there is not much left to visit today), before heading back to Izmir.  But, we made a quick stop at the House of the Virgin Mary, a modest stone cottage located on the top of Bulbul Mountain (or Mount Koressos) where many believe that Mary, the mother of Jesus, lived until the end of her earthly life.  Intriguing.

Back in Izmir, we were lucky to meet up in the evening with Mehmet, one of Aman's friend and former business school classmate, who we had briefly seen in Istanbul a week earlier.  He and his wife lovely wife, Ozlem, were in town and wanted to take us to a local restaurant where they insisted, for good reason, that we try cop sis, a traditional dish of small lamb skewers.  Great food, great company.

The rest of our nights Aman and I spent lazily strolling along the area of Kordon, a great waterfront promenade lined with cafes where you can rest for a cup of Turkish tea or a cold beer and play a game of tavla (backgammon) or smoke tobacco from a nargile, which were available just about everywhere.

And, as the nights slowly passed, our time in Turkey calmly came to a close.  We would miss the fancy swimming pool at our hotel and the hours of entertainment it provided (see below), but we were ready to move on and get back to spending time in lesser developed countries.  Africa, we were coming...

cappadocia

The locals will tell you that Cappadocia is a special place for many reasons, not the least of all, because its stark lunar-like landscape was used in the movie Star Wars.  There is even a “Star Wars” lookout point on one of the local roads.  Behold, the view.

Contrary to local lore, however, Star Wars was not filmed in Cappadocia, at least not according to our research (Reportedly, George Lucas inititally wanted to shoot Star Wars Episode I in Cappadocia, but that film was actually shot in the Tunisian desert, among various other places).  Oh well, never mind.  It may not be the original Tatooine, but Cappadocia still has a lot going for it.  And, the fact that it very well could be mistaken for the place where Star Wars was filmed says a lot about its unique topography, the result of ancient volcanic eruptions that occurred millions of years ago.

Cappadocia is a region in central Turkey known for its surreal landscapes, cave-dwellings and churches carved into cliffs, ancient underground cities, and hot air balloons.  Aman and I flew there to spend three nights with good friends Brian and Leslie, having said good-bye to the other half of our Turkey road crew (a.k.a. Lindsay and Jodi) in Antalya earlier in the day.  Our group went the "cave-dweller" route by opting to stay in a tiny, sleepy village called Ortahisar at one of the several "cave hotels" that have become increasingly popular in the area.  It was perfect.  Half of the town of Ortahisar is deserted, so things were peacefully quiet.  One of the only and most distinct noises that we heard was the adhan calling out from the local mosque, which would echo all around us, five times a day.  Here is a view of "Ortahisar Castle" and the village from the outdoor terrace of our hotel where we spent our evenings lounging after long days of exploring the area and hiking.  Surreal, right?

Through our hotel, we arranged for a local guide to show us around during our first day in town.  Fascinating stuff to see in Cappadocia, which made for a very busy day of exploring.  The first stop was in Kaymakli, where we toured one of the underground cities.  Early Christians mainly used these cities as hiding places before Christianity was an accepted religion.  Impressive in size, each city consisted of a vast network of tunnels and multiple levels of rooms for sleeping, cooking, storing food, making wine, etc.  It was an interesting place to walk around and wonder what it might have been like to live there in ancient times (apparently, when claustrophobia was not an issue...).

Then, we stopped briefly in Uçhisar to check out another "castle" and some natural landscapes. 

Uçhisar Castle:

Unique landscapes:

Our guide also took us for a stop by the Goreme Open Air Museum, which was a significant monastic complex from the Byzantine times.  Much like everything else in Cappadocia, this settlement was carved into the soft rock of the cliff walls.  It contains monasteries and several different churches and chapels that, despite some vandalism over the years, still have beautiful frescoes dating from the 9th century to the 11th century.  

Aman, sitting at the head of the table where the monks dined:

There were a lot of monks, and it was a very long table:

After a stop in Avanos for lunch, we continued on to Pasabaglari (Monks' Valley) and Devrent (or Imagination) Valley for rock formations (known as "fairy chimneys") and more natural landscapes.  

Fairy Chimneys:

Camel Rock at Imagination Valley:

The second day in Cappadocia involved an early start for Brian and Leslie, who had signed up for a balloon ride.  Aman and I awoke early that morning to the very distinct sound of hot air balloons hissing overhead as they flew nearby our cave.  Brian and Leslie said that it was amazing.

After breakfast, we piled in the car and drove to the Ihlara Valley for a moderate hike.  There are loads of places with varying degrees of difficulty to go hiking in Cappadocia.  We picked a relatively easy one that we completed in a couple of hours, since it was my first long hike since the bicycle accident in Amsterdam.  Plus, there are good views as you walk the trails along the Ilhara valley floor and, equally as important, a place to rest and enjoy a cold Efes and a savory crepe along the way.   

The crepe lady:

Enjoying a break:

In the afternoon, we continued to drive around and enjoy the passing rural landscapes. The land in Cappadocia is quite fertile, with fields full of potatoes, pumpkins, apricots and sunflowers.  The region is also a big producer of wine.  And the locals raise plenty of livestock here.

On our way back to Ortahisar for the night, we stopped at the Agzikarahan Caravanserai, which is longhand for "caravan palace."  These buildings were important in former times for merchants traveling the Silk Road and in need of accommodations and a place to stable their animals for a few nights.  This particular one was in great condition, especially considering that its construction began in the 13th century.    

Our last day was filled with more hiking (for Aman and Brian, at least; the route was too advanced for my healing knee and, thankfully, Leslie hung back to keep me company), and afterwards, delicious local food.

Brian and Aman, at the summit of a difficult trek:

Best lunch that we had in Cappadocia, at the Center Cafe & Restaurant in Uçhisar:

Bottom line, Cappadocia is not just for Star Wars fans.  The entire region has a charm about it, a simple village way of life, the perfect contrast after a few days in the bustling metropolis of Istanbul or a busy week of exploring the coast.  Great for outdoorsy types who like good hikes in unique places, history buffs, foodies, wine-lovers, cave-dwellers, etc.  Basically, everyone.  One of the more interesting places we have seen this year, we are glad that we did not skip it!