Pergamum (Bergama)

Running through the sites is a really tiring event. Yesterday, I went to Ephesus (yeah), Ephesus museum, the Basilica of St John and the house of the mary. Today I went to Pergamum and saw the Acropolis, Asclepios, the red church and Bergama museum. Tonight I will take a bus to Istanbul. I went really fast in Pergamum because I thought I might save one day of staying by going on the bus tonight. Actually, it will be more because I paid a taxi driver to drive me to all the sites. Taxis are really crazy expensive. Petrol is also ridiculously expensive - 3 lira a litre(works out to about 8-9 ringgit a liter). I was planning to stay one night at Bergama but it is not a very tourist oriented town and I could not figure out where the cheap guesthouses are. I saw a few later when the taxi driver was driving me around but when I came I did not feel like wandering around with my big backpack in this sweltering 40 degrees heat.

Moving faster

Time is running out for me and there are still so many places to see. I guess I will just move fast. A bus ride every other day I think that is kind of what my plan is. Currently in Selcuk and came to a place called Atilla's getaway. It was highly recommended and it is such a party place - not really my type of place. Too old for all these Aussie/Kiwi/British backpacker's drinking parties.

Mount Nemrut

After Goreme, I made a trip to Mount Nemrut, an ancient burial site for a king. There you can find the big heads of gods that often appear in travel books for Turkey. The trip there was very long as the site is remote. I took an overnight bus to Malatya and took a tour from there. The tour was an overnight trip and we got to see the heads during sunset and another time during sunrise. I was so tired I almost overslept for the sunset tour; the tour leader only managed to wake me up after knocking on my door for a while. Everybody was already waiting impatiently in the van when I rushed out.

Currently, I am at Antalya after an 18 hours bus ride. The weather here is really hot but the city has an incredible sea view with surrounding mountains. The day is so hot I just spent most of the afternoon at air-conditioned eating places.

I think from now on, I will have to move really fast because I have only one more week and the whole west coast to do. I will likely skip many sights as I want one or two extra days in Istanbul to do some shopping and a cruise down the Bosphorus. 3 weeks to see Turkey is rather short I realise because I did not get to see any of East Turkey and will not get to do any of the "blue" cruises on the Mediterranean sea. It seems like everyone I have met really recommended doing the blue cruises but with little time and my skin condition I think spending time in the ruins would be better.

Göreme RPG

Well I planned wrong and got stuck in Göreme for 1 extra day. Not too bad but I kind of need to be rushing because there is still a lot to cover and rather little time.

Anyway, I just did a day tour of the area and it was very cool. They took us to an underground city, the monastery in Selime, a canyon walk and a bunch of other places. Göreme and the area around Kappadokya has such a long history for Christians. Every interesting site here is an ancient church or some Christian thingy. The Christians from the earliest time were already persecuted and so many of them hid in underground tunnels and rock caves that are strewn across Kappadokya. They definitely led a hard life for the faith. Most of the churches are from the 8th to 11th century. Some go back as far as the 4th century and so says the tour guide. Many have beautiful frescoes painted inside the churches/caves once upon a time but are now destroyed by erosion, light and people.

On my spare time (when I wasn't on tours), I did a few walking tours by myself. They were definitely the best part of the stay here in Kappadokya. The walks are so scary because you never really know for sure if you are on the right path - nothing is marked out properly. I really shouldn't be cheapo and should pay for the guides. Anyway, you rely on some hotel map that can be almost thrown away the minute you get on the trails. I feared getting lost or being stuck in the wild at night. Also some of these trails are on the mountain side and some goes through big rocks so slipping will not be a pretty sight. The great thing about the walks are you never know what to expect; sometimes I turn a corner or climb over a rock and I see a deserted church cave or a magnificent overview of the land. This evening I was almost panicky worried (because it was 7:30 and I was afraid to be stuck in the wild at night) and I climbed out the valley and there was a gorgeous view of the land. Much to my relief, there was also a very wide path leading to town. It was like playing an RPG only you could not save the game and retry - a real bummer if I died. Also no "sword of a thousand truths".

Turkey update

Finally found a keyboard that types properly so I will try to keep you updated on how things are in Turkey. The place is beautiful - lots of land, people are friendly and helpful, relatively safe, full of places to visit. Yesterday, I just arrived in Goreme, Kappadokya and the place, as the lonely planet has it, has jaw-dropping scenery. In fact many visitors I met say they stayed here for many days. Definitely gorgeous landscape. I am staying in a place called Flintstones in a cave that they converted to a dorm - I didn't really like the room but it was late and I did not want to lug my big bag around for too long trying to find another place to stay. On the down side, my skin has really been acting up. I suspect it is all the Mediterranean food. I am sure soaking in sweaty clothes, something that happens frequently on travel, doesn't help as well. It started almost as soon as the plane landed. Also, I get a backache from carrying my daypack from the first day. The backache I can handle but the skin problem is literally irritating. I am trying to figure out what are the causes but it will severely limit food choice if I start jotting down what I eat everyday. Currently, I'll just be avoiding eggs and tomatoes which is about everything Mediterranean. Also, I have antihistamines and steroids if I need them.

Safranbolu,Turkey

After 3 days in Istanbul, I headed over to Safranbolu - a small town north of Ankarra. I looked at many of the tourist attractions in Istanbul but there were still quite a few that I have missed. I am expecting a few more days in Istanbul before I head back to Singapore. Anyway, Safranbolu is a holiday because it is a small charming town where I could just sýt back and relax. In fact, I spent a good hour after dinner sitting on a hill drinking tea. Safranbolu is a Unesco heritage site that did not appear much in my lonely planet (because I have the Middle East book instead of the Turkey version). I will stay here for another day because it is such a neat little town. I took a tour around the region with some of the people staying at the 'pensýon'. Anyway, it is a little noisy here and I am a little fed up with this Turkish keyboard, so I will stop here for now.

Istanbul day 3

Istanbul is magical. I have not completed all the sites as I am leaving Istanbul till the last league of the travel. I did many of the major sites around the old city and saw a bit of the new Istanbul. Still there are quite a few things to do.

The Aya Sophia was magnificent. Inside there is so much history. The place was mainly marble and was a church that was converted to a mosque and later into a museum. Currently part of it is under restoration. Inside you will see Muslim and Christian influences. I spent some time sitting at the gardens outside Aya Sophia because the weather was beautiful. It is summer here in Turkey but the weather is perfect. Warm in the morning but not sweaty hot and humid. Cool at night but not freezing cold. I could go around all day in t-shirt and 3/4 pants.

Couple days in Istanbul

Reached Istanbul at 6:00 am 12 July 2007. Followed the instructions to the hostel. Not a direct route but fortunately the instructions were very clear. Istanbul is beautiful - very historical and diverse. All the main tourist sites have so much history. Well I am not in the mood to write much now but just to let you know that I will be staying here for at least one more day. Then I might be heading off to Ankara but am not very sure yet. Things might change when I get to the bus station. I am tempted to go with a tour operator but the prices are so much higher and so i'll just trudge along while I have so time.

Turkey trip

Time 10:07. I am now waiting to board my flight at Changi airport and so I thought I would find this time to quickly update this blog. Isn't it great that Changi airport provides free internet? The last few weeks have been rather tiring because every weekend I was running off to Malaysia. It was fun but it meant that I lost some sleep here and there. This 3 weeks trip to Turkey would hopefully be refreshing. I am a little wary because I really have no idea how Turkey would be like. First time in Middle East, so I really do not know what to expect. Most of the Middle eastern news have been rather negative and so I go with a little apprehension. Anyway, if I hesitate and not go, I think it will be harder to make the trip when there are more commitments later on in life.

Going alone again. Somehow I always end up going alone because of my constant lack of planning. Going with a group just seems like so much work - planning and coordinating. Anyway, time is running out so I will have to end this blog now.