WANDERLUSTER: Turkey

I haven’t felt inspired to update my blog, not because I’m horribly disappointed in how the majority of my 1,000+ photos came out, but because the jury is still out on how I feel about my trip to Turkey. After hearing about other people’s fabulous experiences in Turkey and listening to them adamantly profess their love for the country, people, culture, and food, I think I went with too high expectations (which I try not to ever travel with). I’m not sure why I was swayed this time around when I’ve never been before, but perhaps visiting the country during Ramadan had an effect on my experiences.

If you were abruptly forced out of a deep slumber every night by a drummer boy banging on a drum, parading up and down the streets as a wake up call to start preparing your first meal of the day at 2:30 am, you might not be in the best spirit during your waking hours. Certainly, the first call to prayer at 4:00 am, being interrupted by blaring loud speakers from every mosque on every block in the entire country reminding you to stop and pray five times a day, not eating, drinking or smoking (yeah, right) from dawn to dusk for a month might not put a spring in your step or a smile on your face. My point is that I didn’t feel a sense of warmth or hospitality that I’ve felt in other countries. This faraway, exotic land with sultans and whirling dervishes that I dreamed about when I was a child was not what I expected. Sure, it was faraway (a 15-hour flight), but was it exotic? Can you say Starbucks, Pizza Hut, KFC, and Burger King?

Speaking of food, those of you who really know me know what a big food snob I am. I admit that the countries I have traveled to (and many that are still on my travel list) were chosen in large part for their cuisine. Maybe I always expect the food in the country of choice to be naturally better, but growing up in California has made me spoiled. When I’ve had the best of every ethnic cuisine, which has been “californiacated” (in a good way), it’s difficult to settle for anything less. I did, however, have a few memorable meals, while the rest were mediocre to bad, and grossly overpriced.

Despite certain less than favorable experiences, there were definitely some memorable highlights. One of them was a hot air balloon ride over the chimney-like volcanic rock formations in Cappadocia. These rock formations were one of a kind. The balloon ride was a splurge, but if you’ve never been ballooning at least once in your life and aren’t afraid of heights, I highly recommend it (anywhere in the world). Another highlight was getting a Turkish bath on my last day in Istanbul. It was a perfect way to end a vacation. (I’ll save the details for another post…maybe.) Finally, another memorable experience was seeing the whirling dervishes. Like the Turkish bath (for obvious reasons), there was no photography allowed while watching the dervishes, since the entire ceremony was considered sacred. (So, I don’t have any photos to share.) The ritual, which was accompanied by live Sufi music, was very mesmerizing. It was something that I had been looking forward to seeing for a very long time.

Below are a few of my best salvaged photos. I hope you enjoy them!

SUNRISE OVER ISTANBUL

KALENDERHANE MOSQUE, ISTANBUL

CITADEL WALL OF TROIA (TROY)

TEMPLE OF TRAJAN, PERGAMUM (BUILT IN AD 117-138)

LANDSCAPE OF OLIVE TREES AND OTHER CROPS

LIBRARY OF CELSUS (BUILT IN AD 117), EPHESUS

WHITE TRAVERTINE TERRACES OF PAMUKKALE HOT SPRINGS (THE TERRACES FORM WHEN WATER FROM THE HOT SPRINGS LOSES CARBON DIOXIDE AS IT FLOWS DOWN THE SLOPES, LEAVING LIMESTONE DEPOSITS.)

NECROPOLIS WITH MORE THAN 1,200 SARCOPHAGI AND TOMBS (FROM THE ROMAN, HELLENISTIC, AND EARLY CHRISTIAN PERIODS), HIEROPOLIS

DINNER BUFFET AT THE DEDEMAN ANTALYA HOTEL & RESORT ON THE TURKISH MEDITERRANEAN COAST

OVERLOOKING THE AEGEAN SEA IN THE COASTAL TOWN OF ANTALYA

BEST PRESERVED ANCIENT ROMAN AMPHITHEATRE (BUILT IN AD 162), ASPENDOS

ARCHED GALLERY AT THE TOP OF THE AMPHITHEATRE IN ASPENDOS

CORINTHIAN COLUMNS IN THE AGORA (THE CENTRAL MARKET OF THE ROMAN CITY OF SMYRNA DATING BACK TO THE 2ND CENTURY AD)

OLD KUR'AN AT THE ANTALYA ARCHAEOLOGICAL MUSEUM

PLATE OF KOFTE KEBAB

WINDOW WITH STACKED JARS OF PICKLED VEGETABLES

HERD OF SHEEP CROSSING THE ROAD

TURKISH VIAGRA FOR SALE (DRIED APRICOTS, FIGS, AND NUTS)

ROCK CHAPELS AND MONASTERIES MADE OF VOLCANIC ROCK IN THE GOREME VALLEY, CAPPADOCIA (THESE HOLLOWED-OUT FORMATIONS WERE ACTUAL HOMES AND PLACES OF WORSHIP WHERE MONKS AND NUNS USED TO LIVE AND PRAY, DATING BACK TO THE 9TH CENTURY.)

HOT AIR BALLOON RIDE OVER THE "FAIRY CHIMNEY" VOLCANIC ROCK FORMATIONS IN CAPPADOCIA (THEY ARE CALLED "FAIRY CHIMNEYS" BECAUSE EARLY INHABITANTS OF CAPPADOCIA BELIEVED THAT THEY WERE THE CHIMNEYS OF FAIRIES WHO LIVED UNDERGROUND.)