Boating on the Med

I'm staring at the mid day sky and i had lost my personal battle not to give in to the ultimate cliche in music selection, but hell with blue skies, the sun bright and hot, and while laying on my back on the roof of a yacht nothing sounds better than playing a little Bob Marley "don't worry, about a thing, cause every little thing, gunna be alright...."

I had 4 days on the Mediterranean with 15 guests, 3 crew, and the beautiful Turkish coast line to explore. the guest comprised of a few Aussie females with a couple of their male partners, a mother daughter duo, two Aussie guys, a Texan woman, and a French Canadian woman with hairy armpits who was as crazy as bat shit but made me laugh, and my younger Swedish friend it was a good crew. Much better than the bunch i sailed with in northern Vietnam all 60+ year old french speakers, i was excited for a few relaxing days of nothing.

Still staring into space i think about boarding the boat dropping off my pack in my crowded, tiny, cabin i will be sharing with the 2 Aussie guys, an i knew as i set my pack down that i would only be using that room to change. i would be sleeping exactly where i lay, on the roof of the boat, under the stars, i would be swimming, reading, and relaxing. with the boat sailing east i momentarily drifted off to sleep to the melodic sounds of Marley belting out one of this classics. The gentle rocking of the boat only encouraged my eye lids to shut a bit tighter. Half day dreaming and half asleep i fantasized about small coastal towns, fresh sea food, cool clear Mediterranean water, cold beers in the hot sun, broken Roman and Greek ruins scattered about the coast line, and soaking it all in on the boat with no shirt and no shoes.


The boat had stopped rocking, my ipod had run out of power and the metallic sound of the thick anchor chain clinking against the metal lead on its way off the boat and into the water prompted me to open my eyes. my day dream fantasy was an immediate reality as we were stopping off the coast of St. Nicholas Island. Filled with crumbling old churches and homes, the tiny island speckled in olive trees and rugged oceanic rock was the part of the beauty i had come to see. I open my eyes wide and in the distance I could see the quaint city of Kas and the rapidly approaching blue water of St. Nic's bay, crashing through the surface head first i opened my eyes to take in the stunning clarity of the Mediterranean water. I floated to the surface and laying on my back facing the mid afternoon sun and i smiled, i was happy to have a few more days of this wonderful life.

Turkey

Istanbul: Showing up in Istanbul was fantastic, I was coming in off nearly a year in asia and i was ready for somthing different. getting off the airplane an landing in a western country was not culture shock but a shock none the less it was a change i was ready to make. Heading to the subway i hoped on two connecting trains and was in Sultan Hamet with in an hour and wondered up to Old City Hostel where i stayed for the next week. Istanbul was a great city filled with both ancient and modern sights. Bazaars and Markets were fantastic and the food and restaurants endless. I spent a small part of every day wandering through the Spice Bazaar talking to vendors and learning a little more about local flavors. Eating in Istanbul turned out to be more expensive than expected, although it is easy to get through a day on a budget, when surrounded by new flavors i found it nearly irrisistable and was putting down about 4 to 5 meals aday.

Pamukkale: is a small town about 8 hours south of Istanbul with two major attraction situated right on top of each other. the roman runes and the calcium hot springs. I met up with a group of Italians who were traveling together and tagged along, hiking up the calcium deposits and lounging in the warm water was a great way to spend the morning, exploring some of the runes was also a fantastic afternoon. the town was small and it could have been turned into a day trip but lounging around and being in the country side is not a bad thing, so i enjoyed my day in Pamukkale.

Ephesus: is a very large roman ruines, it is quite impressive, but nothing that got me overly excited, i stayed in the costal town close by instead of staying close to ephesus, it was a better spot for a friend who was leaving the next day for greese (via boat), Selcuk is the closer location.

Fethiye: is a port town and a pretty nice place to lay low and relax, coffee shops, restaurants, and waterfront property all come together to make a nice city. an easy place to make day trips if heading by boat to the blue lagoon, butterfly valley or any other near by water front attractions. It is also a place to organize a 3 night 4 day boat tour to olympus which i did via the V-GO company.

On the Boat: The boat stopped in the blue lagoon, butterfly valley, kas, sunken city, st. nicks island, along with a couple other locations. it was a beautiful way to spend 4 dys, relaxing, drinking, listening to music and enjoying the mediterannean, it was a nice part of my trip.

Olympus: A very Chill city with a ton of low key hostels, i stayed at Bayrams and it was a great place for a great dorm room and a fantastic breakfast and dinner included in the room cost. being close to the beach and the ruins was also a huge plus. i wondered around the ruins for 1.5 days and did my fair share of sitting on the beach. Climbing to the top of Mt. Olympus to see the ever burning flames was unique but nothing overly special, just a fire burning out of gas vents, the flames were relatively small and constant but a nice thing to see at night, unfortunately many people feel the same and it can get a bit crowded up there (30min. hike to the flames from the bottom).

Capadoccia: my favorite part of turkey, my first day i hiked the red and rose valley, the second day i did pigeon and love valley, the third and fourth day i spent on a scooter riding around from sun up to sun down. the town of Goreme and the surrounding towns and areas were simply magic. I was in awe with the landscape and beauty of this part of turkey. I fell in love with capadoccia and could have spent more time here with out a doubt.

Nemrut Dagi: was a 6 hour bus ride that left me and a friend spending the night on a bus station floor, a 7am bus to town, 9am tourist information opened and by noon we were on our way up the mountain to see the remains of the 36BC ruins. the sight was stunning and the history behind the sight was interesting to see and hear about. the trip to and from the location will be almost as memorable as the stunning sunrise that i witnessed on top of the hill. it was along way to go for a small national icon. i enjoyed it though.

Turkey Email

I stepped across the gap that separates the terminal from the airplane and inhaled my last taste of humid hot Indian air, i sat down on my seat and readied my self for the next leg of the journey, I'm finally leaving Asia. I pick up an in flight magazine and start to day dream on where I'm heading, Turkey......

Men with Mustaches in baggy pants slicing meaty Kebabs as it spins around a charcoal flame while dancing in those funny little red hats with a black tassel is what my vivid imagination expected to see when i got off the plane in Istanbul. A huge party with tons of tea the infamous Turkish coffee and plentiful food surrounded by sheep and goat in a country side pick nick. Bottles of Mediterranean wine and a cool breeze as i kick up my feet on a red and white checker blanket while sitting under and olive tree meters from the sea, this is what i thought about. Surely I'm not that naive to expect such a wonderland to exist, but in all honesty i didn't really know what to expect.

What i found was a culture who never really adopted the English language, and really why should they? This was something i was not totally ready for since i was only armed with 15 pages of a guide book which i ripped out of a larger book that remains on my shelves at home collecting dust. Istanbul which held many of my food fantasies did not disappoint in terms of the wonderful kebabs which i inhaled on a bi-daily basis, the presence of the silk road and the spice trade was ever so present when entering the Grand Bazaar (the worlds oldest mall) and the near by Spice Market, where mounds of dry spices coming from as far east as china and as close as the fields of turkey lay in piles ready for purchase.

I couldn't stay in Istanbul for too long but my time there was very pleasant, a city i would love to return to, and looking back after being away from it for nearly a month i already miss it. What is lacking in language and verbal communication is often made up in smiles and generosity, from being offered free tea in Istanbul, or walking through orchards in Capadoccia and being handed some fresh grapes or apples straight off the vine or tree from one of the farmers, i enjoyed talking the one true international language, FOOD. wondering down the rural streets near Goreme (Capadoccia) and watching an old couple slowly stir a bright red sauce over an open fire on the side of the road was a good afternoon, having them break off a big piece of warm fresh bread and ladle a heaping spoon of fresh tomato, red bell pepper, and paprika sauce over it and having that same couple enjoy my smile as the food disappeared into my mouth as quickly as it hit my hand was even better. the burnt roof of my mouth was not so nice, but worth it!

After spending time wandering ancient ruins, enjoying the Mediterranean, climbing Mt. Olympus, I headed to Capoadoccia a awe inspiring part of the world filled with amazing rock formations where refugees of persecution once lived. After spending countless hours on night buses and having the true landscape of turkey hidden from me, i hopped on my favorite mode of transportation, the Scooter, and spent 2 days driving through old towns exploring the center of this rather large country.

Olive trees, grape vines, and small homes which sparsely cover the rather large dusty landscape is what i found. while the Cities are quite modern with all your standard amenities, it is far from the case as you move into the center and head farther east, horse drawn buggy is still a popular means of transportation, farming is still a major source of income and the livelihood for many. a simple and beautiful way of life, personally I'm happy with visiting and don't expect to go MIA any time soon, but it was quite pleasant to explore some of these smaller towns, slowing down life, enjoying a cup of tea and a huge sloppy plate of Izkander Kebab.

A bit difficult to get around at times, the lack of language can limit the variety of food you can get, although the sweets are countless and always pushed in your face, the mustaches are plentiful, the small red hats with a black tassel remain in the tourist stores, and the dancing, baggy pants, meat slicing kebab men will remain in my dreams while the meat that i have devoured will probably remain in my gut for a few more months. I enjoyed Turkey and all the people who I met there.

Photo Link: http://picasaweb.google.com/vaccaro.marc2424/MarcvaccaroTurkey?feat=directlink