Turkey Wrap-up: Food, Nightlife, Shopping, People, Sights

In my 'blogging' break, I didn't get a chance to wrap-up my trip to Turkey.

Food - as a carnivore the seafood, lamb and kabobs are great. The sweets are similar to those found in India with a lot of nuts/coconut/cream/etc.  As a veggie- yogurt, freshly squeezed juices, pide - bread stuffed with cheese, crepes and sandwiches are commonly found everywhere

Nightlife - we tried to experience the nightlife by hitting up a variety of spots (clubs, lounges, wine bar, hookah bar, and a pub) throughout the course of the week, as is typical in most metropolitan cities the clubs/lounges were all about dressing to impress and the later were more casual...but I still think Saigon, Bangkok, Barcelona and South Beach offer the best nightlife

Shopping - bargaining is the norm, this becomes challenging as a visitor as you have no idea what the going rate is for anything...

People - for the most part are friendly, not everyone speaks English, but in the touristy areas everything is clearly labeled so it's easy to find your way around. Most importantly, we felt safe everywhere we traveled to at all times of the day/night

Sights - like everywhere there are some must-see spots and others that depending on your interest you may enjoy. My favorites were the Cistern (Medusa), Topakopi, Museum of Modern Art, Grand Bazaar and St. John's Basilica. I highly recommend the Turkish bath as well.

Bathroom Etiquette

India has a very interesting bathroom policy. Every home has a separate bathroom for #1 and for #2.  As a result everyone knows about your bowel moments. Most of my family is fortunate that both these types of bathrooms exist in their homes. There are other condominiums where there are common area facilities shared by all the residents on that floor. These are older buildings...when my dad was a teenager he had an uncle who lived in one of these buildings and told me about the tricks they would play on some of the elderly tenants in the building who would use the facilities.  The other interesting social norm is everytime you use the #2 bathroom you must bathe.  One time I was visiting my grandparents and my grandfather had the runs, well you can imagine how comedic it became when he would use the #2 bathroom and then go take a shower and change into new clothes and 5 minutes later repeat the cycle!  So it's best to get your system on a schedule so use the #2 bathroom in the morning and shower and are set for the day. However, not everyone has that regularity...so you end up knowing more than you'd like to about your relatives' bowel moments when visiting.

Mumbai - Sensory Overload

Greetings from Mumbai!  It's a balmy 90 degrees out here. I arrived a few days ago and have been busy visiting friends and relatives and EATING. Whatever weight I lost in Turkey from lack of vegetarian options I have regained and then some in a short span with my grandma insisting I eat every 2 hours. My mom and I have adopted somewhat of a schedule, she walks with the neighbors from 7-8am and then hangs out with them in the park for their 'social' hour. Freshly cut coconut is delivered to my grandma's at 8ish so I have coconut water and some of the fruits found in this region. Other than the pomegrante I'm not sure what the 'English' names are, but they are all very sweet.  Then I hit the gym with a neighbor from 9-10 am. It's amazing how health conscious all the women in my grandma's building have become, they have all lost weight since my last visit.  When my mom and I arrive, we have chai and hot snacks (eg. samosas) with my grandma for breakfast. We get ready and by then have visitors dropping by.  My grandma's cook is always asking my mom and I what our favorite foods are and once she gets a sense of who likes what and the level of spiciness prepares different foods for everyone. Our meals are consumed while sitting on the floor. We gather around in a circle and eat on 'steel' plates with our hands. After we eat lunch the servant arrives (he comes in the morning as well to make our beds, wash our breakfast dishes, do the laundry and clean the bathrooms - all these activities occur on a daily basis). After lunch he arrives to wash the dishes and sweep/mop all the floors. After lunch everyone even our visiting guests go down for a nap.  Then it's time for tea and snacks. After which we'll head out to the temple, drop by friends/relatives, go shopping, etc. On our way home we stop by for ice cream or freshly squeezed juice. The ice cream is much lighter than in the states and typically consists of nuts/fruits. When we return our cook asks what we want for dinner and runs out to buy the necessary ingrediants to prepare for our next feast. We change our clothes everytime we leave the home, so we have what are referred to as inside clothes (eg. older saris/salwar kameez, I stick with capris as it is way too hot for the former and easier when sitting on the floor as is the custom in many cases) then when going out I will change into an indian outfit or a long skirt/dress.  After dinner we go for a stroll in the garden. We constantly have neighbors dropping by and they typically bring something they have cooked for me to try. Then the servent arrives after dinner to do the dishes and set our bedding for the night. I've been in food coma and have not lifted a finger since I arrived....I feel extremely spoiled.

Seluck

Day 5...after the long journey from Istanbul to Seluck we checked into our hotel and had some apple tea before hitting up some of the sights. Our primary reason for this leg was to visıt the ancient Roman ruins in Ephesus and get another flavor of Turkey.

Seluck ıs a much smaller town compared to Istanbul and much more laid-back. Thankfully the men are not as aggresive eıther.

We checked out the followıng sights:

Ephesus museum - it had some of the artifacts uncovered from Ephesus and provided insight on how the people in the town lived

St. John's Basıllıca - ruins of the Byzantine church from 500 AD on the slopes of Ayosoluk Hill where St. John ıs rumored to be buried; but everyone in town believes there are no remains there but just a means to increase tourism to theır sleepy town. Regardless, the vıews from atop are amazing. You can actually view the fortress above, which ıs being renovated.

Temple of Artemis - once considered one of the seven wonders of the world...only a few arches from the origınal temple remain

Tram, Funicular, Shuttle, Plane, Train and Minibus from Istanbul to Seluk

Today was crazy! We left at 6:30 am to catch a 10 am flight to Izimir. The airport we were flying out of was about 90 miles from where we were staying and was not the same airport we had flown into. The hotel offered a car service for 100 Euro (we knew it was way overpriced, but they also knew we were leaving at the crack of dawn). By the way everything is priced in Euro since we're in the tourist area and there are ton of Europeans who visit Turkey. So we went to the Tourist Information Kiosk to find alternate modes of transit. We were told to take a tram down the street from our hotel and transfer to a funicular, walk 100 meters and catch a shuttle or we could take a tram and transfer to a ferry, walk 200 meters and take a bus. The first option seemed manageable as the tram and funicular were next to one another. So we arrived to the airport by 8:30ish. The interesting thing is when you arrive you have to go through security and then you obtain your boarding pass and clear security again.

We hung out at Gloria Jean's coffee shop until our flight, which is as popular as Starbucks is in the States.

Our flight was on time, but when we arrived in Izimir, the direct train into Seluck was in 3 hours! So we decided to take a train part of the way and then hop on a mini bus. The mini bus picks up passengers randomly on the way. It was an interesting experience, much safer than what I had read about in South Africa. Many of the passengers were women and children.

So after 7 hours we arrived into Seluk. Upon our many modes of transit we realized it would have been much cheaper and easier to take an overnight bus directly from Istanbul to Seluck for 10 hours. Our intention of flying (1 hour flight) was to have extra time to sight-see.  But it did make for a comical journey and a lesson learned.

Turiksh Bath

I like trying the 'local' spa treatments wherever I travel to...cupping in South Africa, foot reflexology in Malaysia, Thai massage in Thailand...as great as all these experiences were nothing compared to the Turkish Bath in Istanbul. By far the most amazing experience I've had on this journey.

I chose the full spa treatment, which consisted of 3 stages (sauna, scrub and massage) and lasted about 2 hours. Many people opt for just the sauna and scrub. These 'hamams' are open from 7 am to midnight and have separate operating hours and areas for men and women. Once you choose your service, you are assigned a room where you unrobe and are given a 'towel' (it's like a big handkerchief), which you wrap around your body. Then you are taken to a sauna (everything is marble), where you relax on your handkerchief. At first I was self-conscious about being au natural as the entire procedure occurs among other spagoers. However, everyone else is as well and after a few minutes you are chatting with everyone and don't take notice. After the sauna you are taken to another room to rinse off from water fountains with varying degress of temparture. Then an attendent will retreive you, who is naked as well.  I was glad to have a female attendent as it is possible to have a male attendent. Not sure why the attendent has to be naked, they get wet in the process, but could probably wear a bathing suit.

Stage 2: Then you lay on a marble table on top of your hankerchief type towel. The attendent uses a loofah and scrubs you down while you lay on your back and then you flip onto your belly for the same process. Then she will lather you with soap and rinse you off on both sides along with washing your hair and will dry you off. This reminded me of when I was a child or when I would bathe my niece when she was a baby.

Stage 3:  You are taken to another room for you body oil massage. This is similar to a swedish massage, except they massage you EVERYWHERE. My attendent actually sang while she massaged.

It was so relaxing and refreshing. Upon completion of whatever service you have chosen you are offered tea.

If you're ever in Turkey I highly recommend the Turkish Bath.

Bosphorus Cruise and Belly Dancing Show

Day 4
Took a cruise along the Bosphorus, which stopped at several differnt ports. The main attractions we visited were a fortress and a palace. The towns along the ports were not as modern as Istanbul. The majorty of women wore traditional clothing (long skirts, headscarves, sweaters) and not many people spoke English.

Atteded a belly dancing show, which made me reconsider my exercise regimen, these women had abs to kill for. The costumes were colorful and ornate and there was live music.