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the mediterranean, kas and shopping bliss in istanbul . . . |
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ATA HOTEL Kas, TR sunny, warm 75° September 29, 1998 Kas was my favorite destination, a small resort town. By this time, we had left all vestiges of American tourism behind and were now hanging with a decidedly Euro crowd. As we drive through the town of Kas, I am completely smitten by the bouganvillea-draped facade of the Kosa Hotel. I'm ready to check in, but Jeff wants to review our options, as Jeff wants to look at the hotel next door, which I reject as too EuroTrash. We do so, and come back to the Kosa - Jeff has gotten really good at negotiating the best price for a room by now. It costs about US$20 (550,000.00 TL), breakfast included. The Kosa has no pool, but "we have the sea", our charming desk guy tells us. This is good enough for me, and after a bit of persuading, Jeff agrees. We dump our stuff off, and head out to the tiny beach nearby for a quick swim. After that, I take a much-needed shower, while Jeff goes out and tries for some sunset pictures. Kas, TR sunny, warm 75° September 30, 1998 Today it was boat trip time again. The boat we were on today was about three times as large, and not nearly as fun as the boat in Ouludeniz. Nevertheless, we were off for some swimming! Can't get enough swimming! And Soleros - delicious mango popsicle and ice cream treats. Mmmm . . . Solero. KOSA
HOTEL 0242 836 10 66 Kuquk Cakil Mah, Mehmet Sener Kumluca: A stop by the side of the road for food provided us with a fun experience. We were driving from Kas to Antalya, feeling hungry, and rejecting all the places we'd seen until then as "too touristy", but getting mighty hungry. We pulled over, ostensibly for me to try the cash machine to see if my temperamental bank card could give me a cash infusion. Suddenly, we spy the familiar doner on a spit. Mmm . . . doner will make us happy! It certainly did, we enjoyed one of the most delicious meals we've had yet. The proprietors of the shop prove to be amusing as well, and happy to see someone from so far away. We spend about 45 minutes, them talking in VERY fractured English, and us referring to my small, inadequate Turkish dictionary and our map. By the time we leave, we've determined that we are on the correct route, and we know what towns the owners of the shop are from. A very serendipitous detour, to be sure! SAHIN CORBA SALONU 0242 887 22 61 Hastane Cad. Torun Apt. Alti No. 15 KUMLUCA Antalya, TR sunny, warm 75° October 1, 1998 We arrive in Antalya with high expectations which are completely dashed once we hit the outskirts. Driving past a beach area, we see what appears to be industrial waste gushing out of a pipe and going directly into a swimming area, turning the water *bright* red. What disgusts me is that people are swimming in it . . . . we drive into town, and find *nothing*. Past the huge, empty Sheraton, with strikers out in front. We then return to the outskirts of town, and settle on a hotel in the midst of an area that seems to be in the throes of development. It looks like the area has suffered an air strike. We happen upon the Starlight Hotel, Jeff determines they have a nice pool, so we check in. Since there's nothing to do in Antalya, we decide to rest up for our final assault on Istanbul, and the bazaar. We eat a *delicious* dinner, included with our room, then decide to drive around and explore a bit. Well, we soon find that there's *nothing* to be found. Not even a Solero in sight. By now it's about 11 PM, and we decide to give it up, go to sleep, and wake up with plenty of time for breakfast, and to make a quick exit to the airport. STARLIGHT HOTEL Istanbul, TR sunny, warm 75° October 2, 1998 Flying out of Ataturk Airport to the second "Ataturk" airport in as many days, we land in Istanbul. Now, we're pros, as we swiftly hail a "taksi" and we're off to Kybele Hotel, waving the card with the address in front of our driver. Well, he becomes hopelessly lost, and in the ensuing race thru the streets of Istanbul, we are treated to neighborhoods we hadn't seen yet, that are obviously not on the tourist agenda. A bonus! Then, we start to recognize the area, and after stopping for directions twice, our hotel whizzes by, the driver oblivious to my cries of "Dur! Dur!" I *thought* that meant stop . . . . he backs up and we are expelled into the street. Laden with all our bags, we are approached by a restaurant owner, "Doner kebap?" he says. Feeling a little snippy from lack of sleep, I snap back "Maybe we can get rid of our bags first?". This does not dissuade him, and he pulls out a chair to seat me. I huff into the street, suitcase wobbling behind me. Truthfully, we did plan to go back to that restaurant for dinner, the chicken doner looked delicious. We drag our bags across the busy street to check into the Kybele Hotel for our final night in Turkey. Another serendipitous experience originally brought us to the Kybele Hotel. We had been wandering one day, when a group of antique lamps in a window caught our eye. Peeking into the hotel attached to the lamp shop, we beheld a small bar/dining room festooned with hundreds of these lamps hanging from the ceiling. When we inquired as to what the deal was with these lamps, we were informed that the lamps on display in the dining room were their private collection, but there were a number of lamps for sale in the shop we saw, as well as the downstairs shop. We came back here a couple of times for aperitifs, because it was so serene, and because we were so taken with the lamps. We booked a room here when we left initially after renting our car, and were now back for, at the end of our trip. We persuaded the shop downstairs to stay open a bit longer so we could decide which lamps we wanted to buy. As we were deciding, the man who knew all the prices, the owner of the hotel, showed up. He was busy at the time, and invited us to sit in his private "museum" while our lamps were brought upstairs for our final decisions. Well . . . . this private "museum" was the coolest room we'd seen in all of Turkey. It was *stuffed to the gills* with artifacts, rugs, lamps, candles, books and all sorts of beautiful objects. Turkish tea appeared for us, and we did not mind the wait one bit. Soon the owner, Mike, came by to discuss lamp prices with us, and also to ponder the "getting them home" problem. Mike, the hotel owner, was probably the most genuine and warm person we'd met in Turkey. He was infinitely amusing, and very generous. Soon, we were guests at his restaurant, and glasses of wine came out as we passed a few pleasant hours chatting with him in his salon. Jeff, who'd been feeling poorly before, perked up considerably, and went to get his camera to take pictures of this fabulous room. We both ended up buying rugs - Jeff got a wild, fun bright orange Angora goat hair rug. (Imagine Persian Lamb dyed acid orange) VERY cool, and I can't wait until it arrives! Me, I got a small, simple reddish rug with a green square in the middle and an almost imperceptible white dashed line running parallell to the square. Together, we spent about $1400 in the last hours of our trip, but the things we brought home will always be interesting - the stories that go along with the objects! The food appeared, as did two more guests - two American women, Kerri a wandering blonde bon vivant, former software engineer, and Nicki, a stylish East Coast equestrian. We had a great time hanging out with these women, and Mike enjoyed lying back on his cushions, chain smoking (his last vice) and listening to his guests' animated converstations. We all dined, and laughed late into the night. Jeff retired, feeling a little under the weather still, but also to wrap up some of his other purchases around midnight or so. I remained up with Mike and Kerri, after Nicki had departed in a cab to her hotel. At about 1:30 AM, I thought I ought to get SOME sleep before our 3 AM departure to the airport, so I bid everyone a good night, promising to email, my obsession! KYBELE HOTEL Yerebatan Caddesi No. 33-35 34410 Sultanahmet, ISTANBUL (90-212) 511 77 66 --------------------- My ramblings would not be complete if I didn't comment on something that appalled me. The bold, and often unwanted attention paid by Turkish men to Western women on the street. Or honestly, to tourists in general. When pondering a restaurant choice for the evening, you cannot simply wander, casually looking at menus at a number of different establishments, then make a choice. The minute you approach, you are assaulted by a waiter or owner, brandishing a menu in your face, pulling out a chair and sitting you down, as a bottle of wine appears on your table. Then, just as quickly, you are ignored, as the next victim is chosen. The constant inquisitive questions got on my nerves as well. I mean, I like to chit-chat with the locals as much as the next savvy traveler, but an almost identical line of questioning, with the same conclusion . . . "I have a carpet shop. Come meet my wife, she is from -country-. Have apple tea, no obligation." Well, there always *was* an obligation, with the initially charming explanation of the history of Turkish rugs culminating in a harsh "I want you to buy a rug from me!". At which point, we exit quickly, with a terse "We told you we didn't want a rug." Okay . . . the Turkish men/Western women thing. Let me say first, that I was dressed *very* conservatively, in Istanbul. I didn't pull out my shorts until the resort areas, where this was not so much a concern. Flat black shoes, ankle-length, loose, dark knit dress. More often than not, I had a hat of some sort on my head, and sunglasses. I felt eyes on me constantly when I was out in public. And I hated it. When I was not hearing comments, there were always those eyes. Once when I ventured out alone just for a half hour to get money, it was almost absurd the amount of attention I garnered. Comments, stares, even a hand reaching out to grab my hand. I found myself walking with confidence, but with eyes downcast and averted. It was hard not to get mad, and shout "Leave me alone!" as I would have had no problem doing at home. But . . . not my country, I left my agenda at home. I found Turkish men to be a handsome lot, but a bit too hardcore Middle Eastern in their attitudes towards women - at least to my fleeting observation. Amsterdam, NL COLD 40° October 3, 1998 We land in Amsterdam, and make a beeline for the train station. We're now seasoned travelers, and we leave the ticket-buying to the tourists. Hopping on the train, we're off to Centraal Station once again! As we exit the train, we notice it's about 40 degrees out, and we're still clad in warm weather gear - sandals and shorts. Time to shop! I find a fetching wool coat, scarf and socks, and Jeff eventually finds a cool pair of grey pants. It's getting quite cold and windy now, as we make our way to the herring sandwich stand. With the procurement of a herring sandwich, my trip is complete. Jeff opts for more traditionally American fare, a pizza, as his stomach is just beginning to normalize. We have time for a quick lunch, then it's back on the train to catch the plane home. Our trip is over, we're ready to go home, but have many happy memories to laugh about! An uneventful flight, and we're back at O'Hare before we know it. Chicago, IL USA 60° October 3, 1998 Happy to be home, we order Thai food (no Turkish food, Andie's will have to wait) and are asleep by 8 PM. |
