After Blake and Caitlin left, I really just hung out a few days in Cairo, taking a break from playing host. I did not have any concrete plans for the rest of the break, but I knew that I needed to do something worth while with the rest of my time. I mulled over a few ideas, and after some consideration I decided to travel to....
TURKEY!
For those of you who didn't take any Islamic Art and Architecture classes (a must), this is the Blue Mosque, certainly one of the most prolific mosques in the world. I decided on Turkey for a couple of reasons. First of all, everybody I've spoken to about Turkey or traveling around the Middle East (I know I know saying Turkey is in the Middle East is a stretch) has said its an absolute must. It is also close enough to warrant a $450 round-trip flight from Cairo, a definite bonus as well! So about 5 days before my flight I booked the ticket, went to the local bookstore in Maadi, purchased a Lonely Planet: Turkey, and started doing my research on where to travel. I decided to follow this rough itinerary: Istanbul for a few days, then south to Selcuk (famous for well-preserved Byzantine ruins @ Ephesus) then up to central Anatolia and the town of Goreme (famous for its "fairy chimneys"), then back to Istanbul for my departure back to Cairo. Overall I had 9 days in Turkey and planned to do all of my traveling across the country by bus.
Upon arrival, "I knew I wasn't in Cairo anymore". Immediately upon stepping out of the airport I felt as though I were in Europe (even though I've never been) and was amazed by the efficiency, cleanliness, and speed of their tram and subway systems. For those of you that don't know, Turkey created their own new alphabet under their historical reformer Ataturk, and it is a latin alphabet-ish system (I's without dots, umlauts, and more!) which was quite confusing for me. This aside I managed to find my hostel, in which I stayed for my first 3 or so days of my trip. Bahaus Guesthouse is tucked away in Sultanahmet, the coolest part of Istanbul which is on the hillside between both the Blue Mosque and the Hayasofia. You really can't beat the location.
Istanbul is such an amazing city. It is extremely European feeling as I said, and is the only city in the world that actually spans two continents! I could literally go on for hours about my experiences, the people, and the food, but I'll save you the boredom. Basically, I hit all the hot touristy spots, and then some. Here are some highlights from my massive collection of pictures I returned with:
A lone traveler in the Hayasofia
Outside of Topkapi Palace, home to royal crowns and religious relics alike.
The Grand Bazaar. Completely covered, it offered welcomed respite from the snow outside.
From the inside of the Hayasofia (Hagia Sophia).
From Istanbul I moved on to Selcuk, a slightly dull town which is home to one of the best preserved Roman ruin cities in the world called Ephesus. I stayed a night, enjoyed the ruins, then promptly moved on... Here are some pictures from the ruins:
The ruins above Selcuk
Amphitheater at Ephesus
Beautiful :)
Leaving Seljuk and and the ancient ruins of Ephesus behind I headed to Goreme, a land of so-called "fairy-chimneys" and one of Turkey's hotspots during tourism season. I should mention that there is virtually no winter tourism season in Turkey, so I was one of the few travelers throughout many of my travels. I arrived in sleepy Goreme around 4am (it had just snowed) and booked it to the nearest hostel I could find. I ended up staying in Goreme for a couple of days, and it was definitely one of the highlights of my trip. The atmosphere is just surreal, and the inhabitants could not have been nicer. The manager of my hostel was the supplier of endless entertainment, and him and the chef made me meals and shisha to boot! It continued to snow during my stay in Goreme, which only added to the feeling that I was staying in a winter wonderland... Enough talking, you have to see to believe:
View from the Goreme Open Air Museum. This place had been inhabited by Christians back in the day, and churches and hermitages were carved out of the bare stone walls!
One of the stellar breakfasts from the hostel
Definitely two of the cutest stray pooches I've seen! They put the Cairo street dogs to shame :(
My last day in Goreme it cleared up. What a spectacular place!
I left Goreme slightly ready to return to the big city of Istanbul, and even a bit more ready to return to the warmth of Cairo. Overall the weather on my trip had been pretty cold, rainy, and snowy. I took the bus back to Istanbul (about 9 hrs), and returned to my hostel in Sultanahmet. The last activity of note I partook in before returning to Cairo was something that involved a hairy Turk, buckets of water, and a hot shower... That's right, I went to a Turkish Hamam!
Also known as a Turkish Bath, I have to say that this is an experience that I highly recommend to any of you that might be planning on traveling to Turkey. Despite the horrifying description above, the experience was quite relaxing, and honestly just what I needed. It's something like a spa treatment, but more of what I'd call a manly one. No mani-pedis here boys!
http://brookfarmgeneralstore.files.wordpress.com/2009/09/cagaloglu-hamam2.jpg
After finally getting the spa treatment I deserved, I was ready to head back to the dirty, chaotic, but ever-enchanting Um Al-Dunia, or mother of the world.
I was welcomed back to Cairo with 70+ degree weather, and of course a 100 pound cab-ride from the airport. Alas, my cries of "ana mish khawaga" (I'm not a foreigner) were to no avail.
With love,
Eric
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