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...
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...