Catedral de Sal & Cartagena

One of the Stations of the Cross

For our second day in Colombia, we decided to visit the Catedral de Sal (Salt Cathedral) about 50 km outside of Bogota.  After analyzing all of our transport options we decided to go by taxi.  However this proved more difficult than we expected.  The first taxi that we found was not allowed to leave the city limits.  He offered to call another for us but couldn't get through.  The second taxi was willing to take us but wanted to charge $170,000 COP which was the same as the private car that the hotel could arrange.  The third offered to take us to the boat for $100,000 COP but you can't get to there by boat so we weren't sure what he meant.  Finally, on our fourth try we found a driver to take us for $75,000 COP round trip including 30 minutes of wait time.  However, as soon as we got in the taxi the rate changed to $85,000 COP plus an additional $15,000 COP for each additional hour over the 30 minutes.  Before he could change the rate again, Lisa insisted that he write the price down for us which he did not like but agreed.  This of course did not stop him for trying to charge us more to return us to Candelaria as opposed to our hotel in the North (we mentioned where we wanted to be returned to during our initial negotiations).  He finally agreed to take us because he did not want us to think badly of Colombians.  When it came time to pay, he wanted an additional $10,000 COP because he waited for a long time.  We reminded him that we got 30 minutes included and were gone an additional 60 minutes - but he said it was much longer.  We refused to give in and paid him the $85,000 + $15,000 COP that we agreed to and got out.

One of the larger chapels in Catedral de Sal

 The Catedral itself was very nice.  It was carved out of salt in an underground salt mine.  You walk through the cave visiting small alcoves - one for each station of the cross.  I was expecting each alcove to have a carving of sculpture depicting the station for which it was built but instead everyone had a cross and a couple of stone kneelers.  After the stations you go futher down in the cave and there are a couple of large chapples with wooden pews.  They were somewhat plane in decor but given that they were carved out of salt 150 meters undergroung added a sense of awe.

After the catedral, we decided to visit Museo Botero.  If you are not familiar with Botero, he is famous for painting rather fat people, fat animals, even fat fruit.  What it lacks in seriousness it makes up for in humor.  Besides, who doesn't love a painting of a fat man on a fat horse. 

We decided to dine in the Zona Rosa neighborhood in the north part of Bogota at the Bogota Beer Company.  We knew we picked a good spot when we saw a line of bogotanos waiting to get in.  After a delicious burger and a beer we headed out to explore.  Zona Rosa is definitely where the young and good looking bogotanos hang out.  Every restaurant and bar was packed.  After drinking a mojito while listening to a live band we called it a night.

 In the morning we headed back to the airport to catch a flight to Cartagena.  The moment we stepped off the plane we were sticky from the heat and humidity.  And we continued to be sticky as we walked from our hotel to old town (it was much further and hotter than we expected), explored the old city, had drinks and ate dinner.  We went to Cafe del Mar, a club on top of the wall bordering old town, to watch the sun go down while with a glass of their finest vino tinto.  While we were enjoying the sunset and trying not to stick to the table my neighbor from the flight to Bogota came up.  He was traveling with his two brothers and we joined them for another drink and then dinner.  Our original plan we to return to the hotel and wash the sticky off before dining but they talked us in to just staying for dinner.  It turned out to be a lot of fun, if perhaps too much wine.

Cafe del Mar, Cartagena



Puerto de Reloj, Cartagena





Primero Dia en Colombia

We arrived in Colombia late last night so after locating an ATM at the airport we took a taxi to the hotel to get a good nights rest in preparation for a day of sight seeing. 

Plaza de Bolivar

In the morning we decided to take the bus to La Candelaria, home of most of the tourist attractions.  We found our way thanks to the assistance of three friendly bogotanos. The first gentleman we met lives or lived in San Francisco and was very happy to tell us all about Bogota and what we should and how to stay safe.  The second, Carlos, found us wandering the bus station and told us which bus to take and even went so far as to escort us to the end of the line.  The third, we found on the street corner and he walked us two blocks to the Museo de Oro.  June wasn't kidding when she said that Colombians were friendly.  Before entering the museum we discovered that we were famished so we went in search of La Puerta Falsa near the Plaza de Bolivar.  The Lonely Planet lists La Puerta Falsa among the highlights of Bogota.  Lisa and I each decided to get  chocolate competo.  This is a meal that comes with hot chocolate and bread and butter.  But there is a twist.  In Colombia, you drop cheese into the hot chocolate and let it melt (it really just gets soft). Then you drink the hot chocoate and eat the cheese with a spoon.  The hot chocoate was delicious, but I have mixed feelings about the cheese.

Catedral Primada

After eating, we started exploring.  First we wandered around Plaza de Bolivar which was converted into an outdoor ice skating rink.  Poked our heads in to Catedral Primada where a priest was giving mass to those in the pews and the tourists we peeking around.  Next we returned to Museo del Oro (again with a bit of assistance) and oohed and awed at all the gold nose rings and other relics.  After a while, all the nose rings started to look alike and we were growing tired.  However, before the let us leave a security guard instructed us (and the other tourists to wait) and then escorted us in to a round, dimly lit  room and closed the door.  There was some tribal music playing and every once in a while a section of the wall would light up showing us more gold nose rings.  Then the floor in the middle of the room lit up, showing more gold nose rings (and a very large emerald).  Just when we were wondering if a human sacrifice was next, the door finally reopened to let us out. 

View from top of Cerro de Monserrate

After leaving the museum, we decided to take a coffee break.  We each ordered a cafe pintado (coffee with a little milk, as opposed to cafe con leche - coffee with more milk) and a bottle of water.  Once the caffeine kicked in we stopped by a couple more churches then headed to Cerro de Monserrate.  You have the choice of walking up 1500 steps to get to the top of Monserrate or taking a cable car.  We opted for the latter.  From the top you get a spectacular bird's eye view of all of Bogota.  By the time we returned to the city we were exhausted and starving so we decided to grab dinner and call it a night. 

Colombia Here I Come

Why Colombia?  This is how it came about...

A few months ago I was spending the weekend with some friends in Bodega Bay when Lisa approached Colleen and I and said "I had so much fun traveling with you girls last year over New Years that I thought it would be fun to travel somewhere again this year."  After much discussion we realized that between the three of us we has been to most of the desirable Spanish-Speaking countries already. So I suggested Colombia because June refers to it as one of her favorite countries in the world.  No of us had been so we decided that would be the spot.

So to prepare for my upcoming trip I decided to read Ingrid Bentecourt's "Even Silence Has an End: My Six Years of Captivity in the Colombian Jungle".  About a quarter in, I realized that I really should have saved this until I returned to the US.  (It is really a spectacular story, just not good for preparing to visit the country).  After a good cry, I finished the book (she was rescued) but decided I needed something a little more upbeat to prepare me for my adventure.  I decided Romancing the Stone should do the trick.  I remembered that the movie was funny but I completely forgot the premise.  Kathleen Turner's character's sister is kidnapped and Kathleen Turner and Michael Douglas trek though the jungle avoiding snakes and bugs while being followed by guerillas with guns hunting them.  Again, perhaps not the best pre-Colombia choice. 

More than anything, both of these stories make me wish I thought to buy some bug spray and a machete.  I guess I'll find out soon enough whether I regret excluding them from my packing list.

Istanbul was Constantinople; Now it's Istanbul not Constantinople...

We had a 6:15 AM flight back to Istanbul which meant waking up at 3:45 AM. Fortunately our series of early morning wake-up calls is over! Once we arrived in Istanbul and checked in to our hotel we headed out to the Sultanhamet area of town. Our plan was to visit the Topkapi Palace first but we accidentally went to the Istanbul Archaeological Museum instead. After we spent an hour or so admiring sculptures from all over Turkey we started getting suspicious. Finally we took a look at the Lonely Planet and discovered we were in the wrong place. But since we were already there, we decided to read up on the Archaeological Museum and discovered that we couldn't leave until we saw all of the sarcophagi (sarcophaguses?) so we went back in. It was definitely worth it. 17 of these sarcophagi were found buried all at the same site and were discovered in 1887 when a local was trying to build a new barn.

After the museum we tried again to go to the Topkapi Palace and after walking all the way up the hill we were informed that the palace is closed to the public on Tuesdays. After failing for the second time in one day we decided to go to Haghia Sofia (aka Aya Sofya, Sancta Sophia, and the Church of the Divine Wisdom). Whatever the name, Haghia Sofia lives up to its distinction. While the church is undergoing restoration, we were still able to enjoy the mosaics (although it took a couple of tries to find them) that make it so famous.

After Haghia Sofia, it was time to hit the Grand Bazaar, not to buy, just to get a sense of prices. The bazaar itself can be a bit overwhelming. Every time you stop to admire one shop’s wares, the neighboring shops call out that it is their turn. It doesn't matter that you were looking at ceramics and they sell t-shirts. Sometimes while walking through the corridor shop owners will get right in front of you, attempting to maneuver you into looking at their carpets, bowls, hats, belly dancing costumes… all while asking where you are from and what you name is and where you are staying. It is really quite amazing how much they are able to say in the moments it takes to pass their shop.

After the Grand Bazaar, we did a quick walk through the Spice Bazaar. Not only can you buy spices and tea there but you can also purchase leeches. We didn’t ask why we just kept on walking. On the way to the bazaar we decided that we would try out a Hamam (Turkish Bath) after shopping but we didn’t realize how hard it was going to be to get there. We seemed to find out way into the garment district of Istanbul as we walked for what seemed like hours. I think we passed two entire blocks that just sold underwear and another two blocks of fabric stores and suit makers. By the time we found our way to the hamam we really needed a bath.

I was a little nervous about my first (and last) hamam experience. Fortunately, we picked one that catered primarily to tourists so most people spoke English and realized that we had no idea what to do. First we are shown to the locker room and given a peştimal to wrap in. Next, you enter the haranet (steam room) where you lie down on a heated marble slab and sweat for 15 minutes or so. Then with little warning warm water is dumped over your back and a you are given a “massage”. In other words, a woman with a loofah-esque cloth rubs (scrubs) you from head to toe, pausing occasionally to dump more water or to ask you to turn over. After the initial scrub down, the woman covers you with bubbles and starts over, two more times. Next you are brought into an adjacent room where you sit on the floor next to a sink and get your hair washed (at this point I highly recommend keeping your eyes closed). After the final rinse down, you are shown to a room with a luke warm pool where you can soak as long as you like. You are also free to return to the steam room for some additional sweat time. After the pool you take a traditional shower and then you’re done. All in all, I would recommend you give it a try if you’re in Turkey.

After dropping our bags off at the hotel and changing we decided to check out the Taksim Square area for dinner. Armed with the hotel map and Lonely Planet we were off. It looked to be about a 2 km away so we figured we be there in 30 minutes or so. This did not work out at planned. Most of the streets don’t have signs and most of the streets on the map are not labeled. Also, the park we planned to cut across was not so easy. We had to walk parallel to it for a while before we found an entrance. About 1 ½ hours after we started, we finally made it, starving and sweating, to the square. Taksim Square apparently has 4 million people pass through it every day and it felt like about a quarter were still there when we arrived. I insisted that we actually step foot into the square and take a photo as proof that we actually made it. Also, we needed to spend at least as much time in the area as it took us to get there so we had a leisurely dinner with a couple glasses of wine before taking a taxi back to the hotel.

After 3 days in a row of sub- 5 AM wake ups, we decided to start off our last full day in Turkey by sleeping in. After a leisurely morning we finally went to Topkapi Palace. When we arrived we quickly realized that every tourist in Turkey and its 7 bordering countries were all at the Palace too. Nearly every place we went we had to stand in line jut to enter. But not everyone stood in line… many people just pushed ahead or rushed the door and the security just stood by and shrugged. We did a quick tour of the highlights (according to Lonely Planet) and then got out. Even the quick tour took about 2 hours.

After the palace we returned to the Grand Bazaar, this time intent on shopping. Some shops were more willing to negotiate than others so we happily left one after another until we found one that would give us a good deal. We each bought a lamp from the gentleman that helped us the day before (this will not be fun getting home as the box is a bit heavy and cumbersome). Hopefully I will find a place to hang it one of these days…

No visit to Turkey is complete without seeing the dervishes whirl (we couldn't take pictures so this is from the website). We had purchased tickets to a whirling dervish performance the previous day and now, lamps in hand, it was time to attend. The show took place in a converted hamam on what used to be the round marble slab in the steam room. Now the slab is a stage and the chairs circle around it. I have to say, that after a day in the heat and the crowds it was sometimes difficult to enjoy the show with its melodic music and spinning dervishes trying to lull me to sleep. I managed to keep my eyes open but I saw a lot of nodding heads around the room. It is hard to describe the performance. There were 5 dervishes and one was clearly the captain. Before the whirling began the spent a lot of time kneeling and then slowly walking is a circle bowing to each other (at least 20 minutes of this). Finally, just as I was losing my patience one of the dervishes began to whirl. Seconds later another one started and before long all 5 were whirling with one hand raised to heaven and another faced down to earth. They whirled and whirled for a long time but then the song ended and they all came to a stop. After a short pause, they repeated the process, a total of 4 times and then the all walked away. If any of you plan to attend a whirling dervish performance I suggest having some coffee beforehand and reading up on it because there are no explanations during the show.

This concludes my trip to Turkey. We leave in the early afternoon to head back home.

The Amazing Cappadocia

It took longer than expected to get to Cappadocia. It was delayed two hours for take-off and then the pilots decided to give us a nice circle tour of Nevşihir… a couple of times, so we wouldn’t miss anything. We were also a bit surprised on how long it took to get from the Nevşihir airport to the town of Göreme. We mistakenly believed that the Nevşihir airport was in Nevşihir. Fortunately, we arrived at our hotel Ufuk (more about this later) with plenty of time to book our balloon flight and go to the Open Air Museum before dinner.

I read in the Lonely Planet guide that we needed to go to the Open Air Museum but I didn’t read further. As a result, I had no idea what to expect. I guess I just assumed it would be like a normal museum except outside. This was not the case. It is actually a series of cave dwellings used by the early Byzantines that lived in the area and included a number of chapels. Most of the room and chapels were pretty bare but a few had some very colorful frescoes remaining. We wandered in and out of the caves for an hour or so before heading back into town to explore.

We had two items on the exploration agenda: 1. Book a tour to an underground city for the following day; and 2. Seek out genuine fake sunglasses for Colleen to replace the pair she left in Şirince. We were successful on the first count but not on the second. All over Selçuk and Fethiye we saw signs advertising both genuine fake watches and genuine fake sunglasses but there were few choices available in Göreme.

After dinner we headed back to Ufuk. We booked a cave room so that we could imagine what it was like to sleep like the Byzantines in a cave (that is if the Byzantines had electricity, running water and a bed). After our long day traveling and wandering Göreme, Colleen and I were really looking forward to our “guaranteed hot showers 24 hours a day.” We quickly concluded that the hot water was cold and the cold water was frigid. I guess they meant that we could get hot water from the kitchen 24 hours a day? So after our “refreshing” showers we went to bed already questioning the plan to get up at 4:15 AM for our balloon ride.

It never really occurred to me that the Kapadokya balloon company had more than one balloon so I was surprised to see that about 50 other passengers beat us to the office in town to await their flight. It took about 30 minutes after arriving to deal with logistics – paying, getting our pilot assignment, drinking coffee (or tea) before boarding a mini-bus with 10 other passengers also assigned to the Sanjay balloon. On the way to the launch site we quickly realized that nearly every tourist in Göreme was awake and boarding a balloon somewhere in the vicinity. There were probably about 40 balloons in total flying between 500-750 tourists. The flight itself was spectacular. We hovered above the unique landscape, both soaring high above the hills and dipping deep into the valleys during our hour-long flight. Once we landed we were each given a flying certificate and a Turkish mimosa (champagne with cherry juice) to celebrate the journey and safe landing. All of this and we were back at our hotel by 8:00 AM.

Side note: Our captain, Sanjay Gupta (not the CNN newscaster/doctor) had previously lived in San Francisco and worked for Deloitte Consulting. Colleen and Sanjay spent a great deal of the morning comparing (her current and his former) colleagues and learned that they had a lot in common. Now Sanjay is a bit of a nomad, traveling all over the world working as a balloon pilots (winters in Melbourne, this summer in Cappadocia, and next summer in Kenya).

Since this was really our only full day in Cappadocia, we had to keep busy. We scheduled a tour that started at 9:30 AM. Most of the tour was ho-hum. The sights were beautiful but I could have happily skipped the 4 km walk through the Ihlara valley and the stone polishing demonstration/shopping trip. However, it was worth it to go to the underground city, Derinkuyu. This city was used by various peoples throughout the generations to hide from various attackers. It goes 150 m down and has a total of 8 floors. While very cool, this is not a trip for the claustrophobics. We spent a lot of time walking through narrow corridors with low ceilings. Colleen and I both had to duck. We also went to the Selime monastery. This is another cave dwelling that, in this case, house 600 monks and nuns during its peak.

We got back to Göreme at 6:00PM. The previous day we made reservations at a restaurant named Dibek. This restaurant is apparently the only one in town that serves genuine testi kebabs. This is a dish that is cooked for hours in a clay pot that is then broken open at the table. We’d been hearing about testi kebabs since Dalyan so our expectations were high, but I must say that Dibek far exceeded them. Colleen had the veggie version that made me very jealous because it was so good. I went with the beef, which was also spectacular. I’m now a little disappointed that we didn’t have it the previous night so we could each try it again.

All in all, one of the best day’s so far. Tomorrow we return to Istanbul.

Mud, Kayaks and Ruins

Our final day in Dalyan was our most relaxing day of the trip so far. We slept in and didn’t have to meet up with the tour until 10 AM at which point we boarded a boat and headed to the ancient city of Kaunos. Similar to Pinara, Kaunos contained a fairly well preserved theater (no dance show this time). There was also a temple from the Greek times and a church that was built after the people were converted to Christianity.

After Kaunos, we re-boarded our boat and went to the Sultaniye hot springs and mud baths. This was definitely a unique experience. After changing into our swim suits, the first stop is the was to be hosed down with a fire hose by a guy that seemed to like his job a bit too much. The we slid in to the brown pool filled with muddy water. You had to reach down deep to grab mud that you then applied all over. Then you exit the pool and stand in the sun and wait for the mud to dry. Next you head to the showers to rinse off the mud before entering the hot springs pool. We were a little disappointed to discover that our friendly fire-hose laden guy was standing at the ready to get us again before and after the hot springs. The hot springs have the pleasant scent of rotten eggs (sulfur) so we weren’t that interested in spending too much time floating around in the cloudy, but warm water. After one more shower and a change of clothes we were back on the boat. After a buffet lunch at The Other Side restaurant (cleverly named because it is on the other side of the river from the majority of Dalyan) we took a long cruise back to turtle beach. A few of us opted to stay on the boat (in the shade) rather than head out to the beach in the scorching sun. After the beach the boat took us back to our hotel in Dalyan where we loaded our luggage back in the bus and headed back to Fethiye.

On our last day of the tour, we went on a kayaking trip. We all gathered in the bus and headed to the town of Gocek and reunited with our cycling guides for a day of kayaking. There were four two-person kayaks and the remainder were singles. Sonia, our guide warned us that you should only kayak in a two-person kayak with someone you really get along with. Colleen and I risked it and were fine; Louis and his son Jeremy were not so fine. When they finally reached the beach for our first break, there were both blaming each other for taking the much longer slalom course they took to get there. After the rest, they broke up. Jeremy hooked up with Sonia in the two-person and Louis ventured off on his own to prove that it wasn’t his fault. When we reached the next beach for lunch the results were inconclusive but they both seemed happier. Kayaking after lunch was tough. I think everybody was pretty tired by that time and just wanted to be back on shore but we had to paddle for an hour to get there. Once on shore, Colleen and I had to say our goodbyes to our tour group since we decided to skip the 12-hour overnight bus ride to Istanbul and instead take a bus to Selçuk.

I must say, that Colleen and I were both a bit nervous waiting on the side of the road for our bus to arrive, not knowing what to expect. When it did pull up we found it to be nicer than that Luftansa plane we took to get here. Each seat had its own television and we were served cookies and ice cream during the 4-hour ride. The bus, however, only took us as far as Aydin where we then boarded a dolmuş (mini-bus) to Kuşadasi and then transfer to another dolmuş to Selçuk. We could have taken a taxi from Aydin directly to Selçuk but where is the fun in that. It was nearly 11 PM when we finally arrived at our hotel so after a quick snack we headed to bed.

In the morning we took a dolmuş to Ephesus – also known as Efes which is coincidentally (or perhaps not) the name of the most popular beer in Turkey. Our plan was to arrive at Ephesus ahead of the heat and the crowds. We failed. It was already scalding hot at 8:30 AM and humid. And while at first there didn’t appear to be many tourists, we quickly discovered that they all entered from the upper entrance and as a result we spent the morning like salmon swimming upstream to all the sites. After admiring the library and other ruins we decided to walk (I don’t know why in this heat) back into town via the temple of Artemis. Only one complete column of this wonder of the ancient world still exists and is now the home to a couple of storks that have made their nest on top. Next we escaped the heat by heading in to the Ephesus museum. Both the air conditioning and the relics were worth the price of entry. After lunch we did a quick tour of the Basilica of St. John (of which little remains, although much more than the Temple of Artesmis) and to the Isa Bey Camii which was a mosque built in the 14th century and still operates today (although it’s had some work down). Next we took a dolmuş to Şirince about 9 km away. This is the town where our cherry wine originated. After tasting a number of other fruit wines (raspberry, strawberry, mulberry, blackberry, peach) Colleen and decided that there are some things that should just stay in Turkey. Tomorrow our adventure will relocate to Cappadocia… stay tuned.

Gorges and Bicycles

After two nights in our little tree house in Kabak it was nice to leave and head back to civilization.  But before we got to civilization our first stop was to the ancient city of Pinara. Colleen kept thinking that we were goint to Panera and was a bit disappointed that there was no one there selling fresh baked bread.  But I digress... Pinara was one of the most important cities from the Lichan period (according to both our guide, Mutlu, and the lonely planet).  We saw many tombs, an agora (I checked and there were not any agoraphobics in the group) as well as a theater.  Most of the homes had been destroyed by various earthquakes over the years.  When we got to the theater, Mutlu sang us the Turkish national anthem and then Eram and Amir put on a traditional Pakistani dance (I think it was traditional) and then the whole tour group got together and Eram led us in another dance. 

After Pinara we all hopped back in the bus and many of us napped as we headed to our lunch spot at a place called Yaka Park. You have the option at Yaka Park to stand in the brisk water with trout for 5 minutes and in exchange you get a free drink; 15 minutes for free lunch.  We all decided to forgo the pond and pay for our food the old fashioned way... cash. 

After a leisurely lunch we headed to our next stop, the Saklikent Gorge.  Here we all donned our water shoes and walked hand-in-hand across the very cold stream of water into the gorge.  Once we were in the gorge the water was pleasantly warm and muddy.  Mostly the walking was easy but there were times scrambeling over rocks through the water that were a bit dicey.  Fortunately we all made it back our with all our limbs intact. 

The drive to Dalyan was long and a bit boring but I had no trouble sleeping after spending most of hte day under the beating sun.  Once we got to our hotel we only had a short time to shower, change and head out for dinner.  We decided to try Pita Pizza.  It is actually called Pide which is essentially Turkey's equivalent to pizza. It was one of the better meals so far in my opinion, ranking about even with the Turkish pancake.

In the morning of Day 6 (I can't believe how quickly the trip has gone) we headed our for our day of cycling.  Because the temperature is so hot in the summer we were able to skip the 10 km climb that usually starts the day and instead drive up to the top of hte hill and begin there.  Unfortunately, this didn't eliminate all the climbs but it got us out of the longest one.  Once we reached the top, we were all fitted with bikes and began with some off-road biking.  Mostly it was gentle enough, but there were definitely moments where I questioned whether I was due to break my left arm again (it's been 7 years since the last break).  Furtunately I made it through the and the dirt road turned into a nice smooth asphalt.  Well maybe not smooth but definitely better than the rocky dirt one.  We stopped for tea and lunch along the way and eventually made it to turtle beach for a swim.  The beach, while not as blue as the water at the blue lagoon, was nice and sandy and much warmer than our last swim.  The breeze kept us cool but soon turned a little too windy just as it was time to head back to Dalyan.

Escape to the Blue Lagoon

We flew from Istanbul to Dalaman and took a bus from there to our hotel in Fethiye on the Mediterranean coast. After a short rest we walked along the waterfront which is filled with boats offering tours and diving trips and eventually stopped for a seafood dinner. We all opted for a meze dinner that consisted of a number of small plates of seafood including octopus 2 ways, calamari 2 ways, lumberjack fish cooked in lemon (ala ceviche), shrimp, a shrimp and cheese patty, some kind of miscellaneous seafood egg-roll-like item as well as a seafood casserole which was tasty but hard to identify. I was quite proud of myself for not only trying everything they brought to the table but actually enjoying much of it. By the time we finished, which seemed like hours later, it was time for bed.

We didn’t have to be ready until 10:30 the next morning so after a traditional Turkish breakfast (essentially deconstructed greek salad – tomatoes, cucumber, and cheese) Colleen and I went for a walk through town in the daylight. It was already quite hot so after a bit of walking we stopped at a café and each ordered some fresh fruit juice – watermelon for Colleen and pear for me. While the pear was a shocking color of pink that didn’t seem quite normal, it tasted delicious. At 10:30 we met in the lobby and headed out for our first day of hiking. We walked along a dirt road with spectacular Mediterranean views and then dipped down through a forest to the town on Kaya for lunch. We ate on a breezy terrace overlooking the small village and farms. Since the restaurant was also a wine store we decided to order a bottle of Turkish fruit wine for our table. After a little debate we decided on the cherry wine. I, being a huge fan of cherries, was particularly excited to give it a taste. I’d never had fruit wine before and wasn’t quite sure what to expect but after my first taste I quickly discovered that Robitussen cough syrup was modeling it’s taste off of Turkish cherry wine and doing a really good job of it.

After lunch our hike continued through the ghost town of Kayaköy. It had been inhabited by the Greeks but after WWI the Greeks and Turks made a swap and all of the Greeks living in Turkey were sent back to Greece and vice versa. No one ever returned to Kayaköy and now the only inhabitants are the goats which made me question whether our guide was calling it a ghost town or a goat town.

Our hike continued to the blue lagoon in the town of Ölüdeniz. Once we arrived at the blue lagoon we changed into our swim suits and went for a swim. The water was the perfect temperature and in no way was I interested in escaping from the blue lagoon. We were given about two hours to frolick in the water (although after about an hour I went to watch the Germans destroy England’s hope of a World Cup.)

Eventually it was time to depart the blue lagoon and head to our hotel in nearby Kabak. En-route to our hotel our guide (Mutlu) was sharing details for the following day’s activities. After hearing what was being offered we staged a mini revolt and demanded to go paragliding instead. At first Mutlu seemed a bit annoyed by the request but eventually gave in and coordinated everything for us. The only bad news was that we would have to wake up a little early than other days so we could get to the Paragliding office back in Ölüdeniz by 8:30. While the drive from sea level to the 2000 meter high peak of up Baba Dağ was not fun, it quickly proved worthwhile. I wasn’t out of the truck more than 5 minutes before I was geared up and told to run. I really only got one real step in before the wind got us and my feet no longer reached the ground. While paragliding doesn’t give you the same rush as skydiving, it was still worth every penny.

After paragliding we headed back to Kabak for a lunch of Turkish pancakes. These are nothing like American pancakes. In fact, I don’t really know how to describe them except to say they are a cross between a crepe and quesadilla. Mine was filled with potatoes, cheese and parsley and was quite delicious and just enough food to fuel me for our hike through the butterfly valley back to our hotel. Similar to the day before, the hike gave us some great views of the Mediterranean but I was disappointed that there was not a butterfly to be seen anywhere.

Airpot to Istanbul to Airport to Istanbul

Colleen and I arrived in Istanbul sans luggage.  We watched while the people arround us spied their luggage, smiled, and left the airport while we waited.  And waited. We went into the Turkish Airlines luggage office and they asked us to go back out and wait some more.  So we did but with no luck.  I do not recommend losing your luggage in Istanbul because they apparently can tell you nothing. 

In the morning, after showering and putting my dirty clothes back on we went downstairs and learned that our luggage had arrived at the airport.  We were given two options:  1. Wait for the luggage to be delivered to the hotel or 2. go to the airport and pick it up.  The risk with option 1 is that the bags might not get to the hotel before we would have to leave for the airport to fly to Fethiye.  So we went for option 2.  We returned to the airport and it is a good thing we got there when we did. Colleen's bag was in a pile about to be loaded on a truck for delivery to our hotel and mine was in next to the lost luggage office with a tag indicating it was to be delivered to Alan Jan. 

We quickly changed into new clothes before dropping our bags back off at the hotel and finally we got to see a little bit of Istanbul (besides the airport and hotel) with the rest of the tour group.  First we went to the Basilica Cistern.  This is an underground water storage built in the sixth century to supply water to the Great Palace.  It was forgotten about for a few hundred years when it was redescovered in the 16th century.  Now it is a really great place to escape the heat in the summer as well as check out the Medussa heads.

Next we made our way to the blue mosque.  We only had about 15 minutes to marvel at the beautiful stained glasses and tiled domes before all the tourists were kicked out for prayer time. 

After the mosque we proceeded to the Hippodrome.  I'm sad to say that there was not a hippo to be found.  At one time, this was the site of the beloved chariot races but now it is merely a nice looking park.  Among the sites in the hippodrome was an Egyptian obelisk from Karnak.  When I was in Karnak a few years ago, I didn't notice that it was missing any obelisks but I plan to go back through my pictures and see if I can find the spot from where it was ripped so that it could come to Istanbul and guard the hippos that once lived there.  (I might be making that last part up.)

bir iki üç

For as long as I can remember I've heard stories about my dad and his family arriving in Turkey for the first time. My grandpa had been there for a while and then brought over the rest of the family to live in Ankara while he was setting up a new factory for Minneapolis Moline (for those of you reading this that were there, feel free to comment and correct anything). My dad was only 10 or 11 at the time and either before they left the US or sometime in route my grandpa taught my dad how to count in Turkish. So when they got to the immigration counter and the officer demanded to know if anyone spoke Turkish my dad confidently spoke up and said "bir iki üç". This seemed to lighten the mood and quickly my dad and his family were out of the airport about to embark on their two year Turkish Adventure.

When Colleen told me she was going to Turkey I couldn't pass up the opportunity to embark on my own Turkish Adventure, albeit for two weeks not two years. I'm all packed and just hours away from take-off and ready to impress the immigration officer with my expansive knowledge of the turkish language "bir iki üç"

Heli - Day 1

I was feeling great when I woke up this morning. We arrived in Mazama, Washington late Wednesday, after a long drive from Seattle. We met most of the others partaking on this crazy adventure for dinner and drinks before heading to bed early in preparation for what I was certain was going to be a crazy day. After a bite to eat we made our way along Ithe icy driveway to the heli-barn. The road was so slick in parts I wondered if I was even going to get a chance to ride in the helicopter.

After a safety talk about what to do and what not to do around the helicopter - most important lesson is to be aware of the spinning blades. We had to practice using a transponder and search for a missing boarder in the snow packed field. I was paired up with Jim and we were thrilled that we were not looking for a real person. The guide told us if the numbers on the transponder were increasing we should do a 180 and walk in the other direction. As a result, we were walking in cirles for quite some time. It seemed like every direction we turned, the numbers kept going up. Finally, the guide switched us to a different buried transponder and we finally found the downed "man". Colleen and Ash had better luck on their practice search and rescue - but not that much better. Hopefully none of us was going to have to use our newly honed technique.

The larger group of 12 was broken down into 3 groups of 4 for the day. Each of us with our own guide. I was very happy to learn that I was assigned the most experienced guide for the day, Dale (a.k.a. Fuzzy). Unlike the bear, Fuzzy was a bit Fuzzy, was he?

Our pilot for all three days is Seamus. Close your eyes and imagine what a guy named Seamus would look like and I think you'll find he looks exactly how you imagined (I'll add a picture later). Seamus gave us another quick safety talk... which came down to watch for spinning blades and then the first group was off. At this point of the morning, I'm shaking a little but deep breathing is helping keep me relaxed.

We watched one more group take off before it was our turn. Seamus flew the copter in and then shut it down for refueling. Before I knew it, it was time to take off. Colleen hopped in the helicopter first, I came in next and Ash and Jim followed quickly behind. As the blades starting picking up speed so did my heart. I was still practicing my deep breathing techniques but nothing was keeping my heart from trying to break out of my chest. Finally, we were airbound. Almost skimming the trees below we made our way to our first landing zone.

Dale took us down a fairly easy run for the first one in an attempt to assess our skills. Even though the runs were not nearly as steep as I imagined it still took a few runs (and falls) before I got in the groove. My legs were shaking so much from the helicopter ride that I had a hard time figuring out how to turn. After a few more rides, my fear of both the helicopter and the slopes was gone and I really started enjoying the day. Hopefully I won't be too sore to enjoy tomorrow.

Geneva

We woke up Friday morning and after enjoying our last breakfast at the Park Hotel Suisse in Chamonix we boarded a bus for Geneva. We had our day all planned out. Check in to the hotel and then explore the city's top tourist spots... the Jed d'Eau (large fountain on the edge of Lake Geneva), the Horloge Fleurie (clock made of flowers), the Cathedral Saint-Pierre, and then explore Old Town. Things did not go as planned. We checked in to the hotel ok and headed out on foot stopping for lunch in Old Town.

While we were enjoying the warmth inside the weather outside, cold already, took a turn for the worse. The wind kicked up and started to snow with little snow flakes pelting our eyes. But we're only in Geneva for one day so we put our heads down and went in search of the Cathedral first because it was nearby. While we found the Cathedral, we never found the entrance. We walked the entire perimeter and never saw a door to enter.

Next we headed towards the fountain but as we neared we noticed it wasn't running. Apparently once the temperature drops below -2 degrees celcius, the fountain is turned off. At least we knew how cold it was...

We approached the flower clock only to find it covered with snow so you couldn't see any flowers. So we returned to old town to explore the shops and enjoy the city. However, most shops were closed but we were able to stop into a few to warm up occasionally.

The weather seems to be getting worse the longer we stay in Europe so I guess it is a good thing that it is time to return home to sunny-ish San Francisco.

Into the Whiteness

Have you ever heard those stories about pilots that are caught in cloud and lose all perspective? They can no longer tell which way is up and unless they learn to trust their instruments they fly into the side of a mountain or into the ocean or something? I never really understood this phenomenon until today. We got off the gondola at the Flegere resort and all we saw was white. We were standing in the middle of a cloud and could barely see a few feet in front of us. But since we paid for the day and had not skied this part of the mountain we decided to give it a try. Although we couldn't see it at the time, there was a chair about 50 feet in front of us and we took it further up the mountain and we thrilled when we exited the cloud and were surrounded by blue skies and white capped mountains. Unfortunately, our excitement didn't last long since the only way to go was back down into the cloud. There were moments when the only way I could tell which way was down was because I could just make out Colleen's bright orange helmet or Lisa's maroon jacket below me. It is the closest that I've ever come to being blind and I did not like it. After making our way back up to the top and into the sunlight once again we decided to return to the Brevant resort and see if the visibility was any better.

I will say that Brevant was better in terms of visibility since we were able to stay above the clouds, the spectacular conditions that we experienced the day before were a thing of the past. What were once open fields of light, fluffy powder had turned hard and chunky making and the groomed runs were hard packed and slick. Rather than waste a lot of energy trying not to hurt myself, I decided to end the day early and intact. The highlight of the day was that for the first time since we arrived at Chamonix-Mont Blanc we actually were able to see Mont Blanc. Forturnately it looked exactly as it was drawn on the ski map and we were able to get some great photos (coming soon once I get a better internet connection).

Thursday was our last day in Chamonix so we decided to take the day off from snowboarding and see what other activities were available to us. After considering eliminating many we decided to take the Montenvers railway up a mountain to Mer de Glace. From the top you have stunning views of the surrounding mountains and the Chamonix valley below. After taking some photos we boarded a cable car down to the glacier to see the Ice Grotto. This is a cave built into the glacier. They build a cave twice a year and you can see from the locations of the previous caves how far the glacier has moved in the last six months (apparently it moves 1 cm per hour). After returning to the city we spent the rest of the afternoon peaking in various shops and admiring all of the wares. Ever since we arrived in Chamonix we had talked about having fondue for dinner and since this was our last night we decided to give it a go. Colleen found a great spot for dinner on TripAdvisor so we thought we'd give it a go. It was a cute little restaurant run by an older couple that spoke very little to no english which proved difficult when they tried to explain that they serve house fondue not savoyarde fondue. She attempted to demonstrate the difference with a spoon but even after all her warnings I decided to give it a try. Turns out, I really like house fondue. It is not nearly as heavy as what we saw others eating elsewhere so if you are ever hanging out in the Alps, I suggest giving it a whirl.

Next stop, Geneva.

Chamonix

We woke up early on Sunday and headed to the Lyon train station in Paris to start our real vacation. Not that Paris wasn't great, just that the whole reason we came to Europe was to go snowboarding (skiing for Lisa) in the Alps. The train station was hopping at 7:30 AM unlike the rest of the city which was still asleep. The first leg of our voyage was to St. Gervais and from their we connected to a local train to Chamonix-Mont Blanc.

Getting to Chamonix was easier than I expected. I thought for sure there would be moments of great doubt all along the way but it was really quite easy to navigate the french train system. At the station in Chamonix, the information booth attendent provided us with a map and sent us on a ten minute walk to our hotel. I was particularly happy at this point that I was not lugging my snowboard as well as my suitcase over the icy roads. After checking in and unpacking we headed out in search of food and gear, food first. Our guide book suggested the burgers at Poco Loco and we gave it a try. Along with our food we tried out a local favorite, demi panache, half beer half 7-Up. While a little apprehensive, it turned out to be quite refreshing.

Upon arriving at the snowboard rental shop, Colleen and I quickly realized that Chamonix is a skiers area. Not that I was really surprised but you would think that they would at least have a few snowboards in each size. Instead, Colleen walked out with the only 151 and I with the only 155 in the shop and neither appears to be in that good of condition.

On Monday morning we woke a little later than planned. When I asked Colleen what happened to the alarm she informed me that it went off but is was too cold and too dark to get out of bed. When we did finally get up, we all agreed with Colleen's description and it stayed true all day. Not only were we boarding (skiing in Lisa's case) an unfamiliar mountain (Brevant) using unfamiliar equipment but the visibility was so poor that we could tell if there was a bump in front of us until we already gone over it. It snowed throughout the day and a large part of the mountain was closed due to avalanche control so we primarily did the same two runs over and over. Fun, but not the most exiting day of boarding.

Waking up Tuesday was a whole other story. First of all, we figured out how to set the automated wake up call system so Colleen couldn't decide on her own whether it was time to rise or not. Secondly, we looked out the window to see blue skies - only the second time in France that we've experienced this. Colleen and I had found an actual snowboard shop the night before and got new snowboards for the day and were excited to try them out on the slopes. We decided to try out Les Grand Montets for day 2 and spent the entire day playing in great fields of powder (with a few rock gardens sprinkled throughout). The new boards combined with the great visibility led to a great, but exhausting day of boarding. Additionally, we were able to see the amazing mountain ranges surrounding us for the first time. As I looked out I kept thinking that the alps should be called the Sierra Nevadas which translates to snow-covered saw tooths. The mountains were very jagged with tall, narrow peaks.

We still have two more days in Chamonix before heading to Geneva and if they are anything like today this will turn out to be a great trip.

Bonne Annee - Happy New Year

What better way to spend New Year's Eve than with sidewalk crepes and cheap champagne? We had eaten such a late lunch that a real dinner was out of the question. As we walked in search of a bottle of champagne to ring in the new year we happened upon one of Paris' many sidewalk creperies and decided that would be a perfect amount of food to keep us energized until midnight. Lisa and Colleen went the sweet route with nutella and chestnut butter but I decided on fromage (cheese). Our attempts at buying a nice bottle of French champagne for the occasion were foiled when the only bottle shop we new of was closed. Instead we purchase a four pack of mini bottles for about 7 Euros. Not exactly high class, but it was all we could find. Since we still had a few hours to go, we decided to stop at a nearby restaurant and share a bottle of wine before heading to the Champs Elysees for the countdown. The street was lit up thanks to GE and MasterCard but we were a bit disappointed by the lack of countdown. We figured it must be midnight when we saw bottles popping and home-style fireworks go off.

Next we decided to walk to the Eiffel Tower to see it all lit up at night. This seemed like a good idea but by the time we neared the tower the lights had gone off and we had to walk a long way back to our hotel through all the crowds in heals. And did I mention it was freezing?

Apparently France has yet to really embrace their capitalist side since the city is nearly shut down on January 1st. This really reduced the amount of things we could do. Our plan was to visit all of the outdoor places starting with the Arc d'Triumph. Figures that this was the coldest day that we have experienced so far. It was even snowing when we left our hotel although it didn't last, the sun never came out and it never warmed up. After visiting the Arc, we boarded the Metro to the Eiffel tour.

Did you know that radio saved the Eiffel Tower? Apparently they were about to tear it down when radio caught on and Paris discovered the need for a radio tower. Pretty amazing that one of the most recognizable and visited tourist destinations in the world is only around thanks to radio. But I digress... we arrived at the Eiffel Tower only to see that every tourist in all of Paris was already there. It is the only tourist attraction in the City open on New Years Day and therefore the crowds were ridiculous. We stood in line for about 25 minutes before deciding it was far too cold and far too crowded to wait any longer. I estimate that if we waited two more hours we could have made it to the ticket booth at which time our feet would be too cold to to climb the steps. Instead we moved to a nearby cafe for some hot wine (vin chaut) to warm up.

Just as we were leaving the cafe, the lights to the tower came on and glittered (apparently they do this on the hour). We were in the perfect spot for photos and when we got our fill and turned around we learned that about 50 other people found our same spot. I felt like a movie star being shot by the paparazzi. But then I walked by and realized that the Eiffel Tower was the real movie star.

On January 2nd Paris re-opened and we were able to spend our last day in Paris in full tourist mode. We ordered tickets for the Louvre online and had to head to a FNAC store to pick them up (I highly recommend this method to avoid the hours long lines at the Louvre). Since FNAC is just a few blocks from the Arc d'Triumph, we decided to return and climb to the top. It was the first day with clear skies and the view from the top is supposed to be (and is) one of the best in the city. After enjoying the view, snapping more pics of the Eiffel Tower, we hopped on the Metro, Louvre-bound.

Once in the museum we headed straight for the Mona Lisa via the Winged Victory. I was able to see the Winged Victory up close and personal but couldn't get closer than four rows back from the Mona Lisa. I tried to push up to the front but was neither big enough or aggressive enough and eventually just got too hot to try anymore. I was able to catch a glimpse of her from the back and from the view finders of many more aggressive patrons. After checking out a few more highlights my blood sugar had dropped too low to go on so we stopped at the food court for some grub before heading to our next, and final, tourist destination.

Our last stop of the day was the Sainte-Chapelle Cathedral. If you haven't checked this out, I highly recommend it. It is a rather small cathedral but the walls are covered with stained glass depicting various books of the bible. It is really a site to see.

Next stop - Chamonix-Mont Blanc.