Waterfalls and Bus Rides

While the last thing that I wanted to do after our 16 hour bus ride was get in any sort of moving vehicle we didn't have much time left so we sucked it up and took a microbus to Barichara.  Barichara is a small coloniel town about 45 minutes away from San Gil.  Our original plan was to explore Barichara, have a nice dinner and then take a taxi back to San Gil.  However, the town is very small and most of the sites were closed as was the place we intended to eat dinner so we decided to hop back in to a microbus and return to San Gil. 

In San Gil we dined at El Mana along with all the other tourists in town carrying a lonely planet.  After a spectacular four course dinner for about $5 each, we went in search of a place to book a trip for the following day.  Since both Lisa and I have been white water rafting a number of times, we decided to try our hands at rappelling down a waterfall. 

We arrived at the Juan Curi Cascades and we disappointed to realize that what goes down must first go up.  After signing our lives away and learning that we could not bring cameras (and therefore I have no photo-evidence of our trip) we headed out for what was supposed to be a 30 minute hike to the rappelling site.  30 minutes was a bit optimistic considering the people in our group and it actually took about twice that long. At the top, we were given brief instructions about how to rappel down during which one woman was very distraught to learn that if she let go of the rope she would indeed fall.  And then we waited, and waited, and waited until it was finally our turn to harness up and rappel down.  The power of the water falling from the falls made it nearly impossible to look up and soaked me to the bone with cold water.  In no time I was back on the ground and rushing off to catch a microbus back to town in hopes of being able to shower before check-out.  We were quite a bit late but no one was around so we quickly showered, changed and headed back to the bus station.

The next bus was supposed to be a four hour ride to Tunja with no meal stops.  Except that we stopped almost immediately after boarding the bus for about 30 minutes so the driver and others could eat and then were stuck in stop and go traffic all the way to Tunja.  What made it worse was that we were in the last row of the bus ensuring that we felt every bump and turn all with the accompaniment of the toilet.  This was by far our worst bus ride so far.  Once we got to Tunja we managed to catch the very last car to Ville de Leyva - another well-maintained colonial town. 

We spent the morning exploring the artisan's shops in Ville de Leyva and wandering aimlessly along the streets.  There were a number of Clint Eastwood ala The Good, the Bad and the Ugly look-alikes wandering the streets and ponchos were by far the biggest sellers in the town.  It was difficult but Lisa and I both resisted purchasing one.  By 11:00 we seen just about everything there was to see so we decided to catch the 1:00 bus back to Bogota. 

The bus seemed to take forever but we finally made it back to Bogota and tomorrow we head back to the states and once again I will have to work my way back in the black in terms of vacation time before I can head out on a new adventure. 

P.S. I'll be adding pictures as soon as I get home.

Forget Bucuramanga... Let's go to Valle de Cocora

On the evening that we arrived in Santa Marta the gentleman at the bus ticket counter assured us that the road to Bucuramanga would be open on Monday.  So rather than wake up early as originally planned and head to the airport to try and book a flight, we decided to sleep in and enjoy a leisurely morning.  In the morning on our way to breakfast we learned that the road, in fact, was still closed but could open later.  He would know by 2:00.  After grabbing a bite to eat we decided we better come up with an alternate plan so we headed to a travel agency to see if they could help.  The earliest that they could get us to Bucuramanga would be 4:00 PM the next day, flying via Bogota.  We did learn that there was a flight the same day to Armenia in the coffee region but they were not confident we could get to the airport in time.  After we assured them we could, she booked the ticket and we ran back to the apartment to finish packing.  Fortunately, I had already done some in the morning or I never would have been able to get my bag to close so quickly.  We found a taxi driver to take us and off we went on a new adventure. 

We had a long layover in Bogota and thought the airport was going to get hit with lightening during a rather striking (pun intended) thunder storm.  We boarded the plane a little late and the plane drove so much on the runways that I thought we had taken off but didn't notice.  However, I looked out the window and discovered that we were still on the ground.  Just when I thought we were going to drive the plane to Armenia, it finally took off.  We arrived in Armenia without a place to stay so we went in search of a phone only to discover that there is not a single working phone in the airport and no phone vendors selling minutes so we couldn't even try to call any hotels for a place to stay.  We approached the information booth but she didn't have a phone or any suggestions of places in Salento.  Finally a taxi driver approached us and helped us out by calling a few places on our behalf and found us a room and for himself a hefty fare since Salento is 45 minutes from the airport. 

Our room was quaint and very quiet so we were pretty happy.  Unfortunately, as soon as we paid the bill a party started right outside our window (or should I say shutters because there was no glass) and seemed to go on most of the night.  I was too tired to really care but definitely did not feel particularly rested in the morning.  When we awoke, it was pouring rain and while Lisa had an umbrella, I did not, nor did I have a coat of any kind (I accidentally donated my fleece in Santa Marta). Fortunately we found a little store selling heavy-duty plastic ponchos and made our way via jeep to the Valle de Cocoro.  Fortunately the rain stopped for a bit when we arrived. Also on our bus were four kids from Armenia heading out for a 5 day hike that helped us navigate the muddy (yes, more mud!) trail all the way to the cloud forest.  They were all very friendly and were former scouts (hopefully they will earn a badge for assisting us).  For Valle de Cocoro itself was really amazing.  Lush green fields with wax palm trees and lingering clouds - really magical.  We stepped in to the cloud forest briefly but was really muddy and we wanted to get back to town.

After returning to Salento for a bite to eat and then went in search of a Finca (coffee plantation) tour.  According to the trustly lonely planet, there are three fincas in town but on the Plantation House offered tours in English so we headed there.  When we arrived we were informed that they only conducted tours in English on Lunes, Miercoles y Viernes (Monday, Wednesday and Fridays) but we could take one in spanish anytime until 4:00.  Since we were planning to take the bus out that night we decided to go for the spanish tour and Lisa could translate for me.  When the saw our shoes they offered to let us use rubber boots they kept on the premisis and we gladdy accepted.  The boots were great in keeping mud from oozing between our toes but lacked in traction and I constantly was afraid I was going to fall.

We had to walk from the Plantation House about 10 minutes through the mud to Finca del Edwardo (second Finca on the left and straight on til morning).  After a cup of what we think was Edwardo's home grown coffee our guide, Andres, walked us through the steps of growing and processing coffee (picking, peeling, soaking in water to remove sweetness and removing floaters, drying, picking out brown and mishapen beans) the beans are sent to a local roaster for the roasting process (peeling the second skin, roasting, packaging).  In addition to growing coffee, the finca also grows pineapples, bananas, blackberries, oranges, bamboo, and other stuff I've forgotten already.  Apparently all the different sizes of the plants keep the soil in good condition.

After our tour was complete we returned to the heart of Salento and browsed in a few stores before returning to our hotel to change clothes and pick up our bags.  We did find that the ponchos we purchased earlier in the day proved extremely valuable walking from the hotel to the bus stop as the rain started up again and didn't look like it was going to let up any time soon.  We took a bus to the Armernia bus station and bought a ticket to Bogota.  I was dreading the 7 hour bus ride but within moments of sitting down I was asleep and barely woke up until we arrived in Bogota.  It was such an easy ride that I thought we should go ahead and book another 7-8 hour bus ride to San Gil.  This ride was not as easy.  We hit a lot of traffic and while I slept a lot of the way, my allergies kept me sneezing and sniffling all the way to San Gil.

Internet is a little slow... will add photos soon.

Slip Sliding Away



Volcano de Lodo



For New Years Eve we decided to pamper ourselves and go the Volcano de Lodo (Volcano of Mud) for a mud bath. For some reason we expected the volcano to be a volcano. Instead it was a very large hill made of mud. You climb up a set of stairs and find a large pool of mud about the size of a large hot tub. One by one you enter the mud, lay on your back and then are pushed head first to a massage station where you receive a rub down. After a few minutes you are flipped onto you stomach and for the rest of the massage. When they are finshed you are pushed out of the way towards everyone else that has finished. Since you can't touch the bottom, and can't really swim in the thick muck, you come to a stop when you bump in to someone else. Everyone is so slippery and equally incapable of manuevering on their own so there is a lot of grabbing and bumping in to eachother only to slide right off. After you've enjoyed enought mud wrestling you make your way to the exit where they scape off the excess mud so as to preserve it for the next tour group and then you carefully walk back down the stairs to the small pond for your cleaning. Here a women with a plastic bowl dumps dirty water over your head and cleans most of the mud off. Just when you think she's done, she pulls off your swimsuit top and then bottoms (fortunately the water is so murky no one can see) so they can attempt to scrub the mud out of your swim suit. I will say that the did a pretty good job but it is still a little dingy.



The mud



After our mud bath experience we headed back to Cartagena and relaxed by the pool in our dingy swimsuits hoping that the chlorinated water would help return our suits to their natural colors. While we did look a bit like Pig Pen from the Peanuts gang, surrounded by a cloud of dirt in the water, the suits did not fully recover.



One of the many bands on New Years Eve

To celebrate New Year's we headed back to Old Town Cartagena to celebrate on the streets. It was like a huge tailgate party with table and chairs every where. Some were sponsored by neighboring restaurants serving a late prix fix menu others were brought in by locals along with elaborate home made meals. Others just rented plastic chairs and sat in circles with their friends and family. Lisa and I just wandered around listening to various bands and music, taking in the sights. We finally settled near a fenced off square where a live band was playing to ring in the new year. Midnight came and went without us really realizing since their was no countdown. For the second year in a row, we were tipped off mostly by the popping of corks and kissing of the people around us. We decided to head out shortly after midnight so we could catch an eary bus in the morning.

Hammock room after check-out

On the morning of the first we headed to the bus station in hopes of catching a bus to Santa Marta further North along the Carribean coast. This turned out to be a bit of a problem. The only buses head in that direction were going to Barranquilla and from their we could take another bus to Santa Marta. All in all it took about 5 hours. We were planning to leave all but one day pack in the lockers at the bus station and head into the rain forest at Tayrona but since it was New Years day the lockers were closed so we decided to go in with all of our bags. This proved to be even more difficult once we got to the park. The area that we had hoped to stay was a two hour hike from the entrance. We tightened the straps on our packs and started down the path. Before we had gotten very far, the wet path turned into slippery muck, ankle deep in parts. After what seemed like two hours of rough going we arrived at Arrecife which was only supposed to be 45 minutes from the entrance and it was starting to get dark. Rather than continue on, we decided that this was a good a place as any to stay for the night so we walked up to a surprisingly nice looking reception desk to inquire about a hammock for the night. Our hearts sunk when she told us that they were all booked for the night. She did indicate that there were a few more places in Arrecife so we headed back to the muddy path and continued on to "The Paradise" . Fortunately, they had room for us and escorted us to what looked like a green house but rather than lined with plasic, it was lined with mosquito netting. Inside, there were three hammocks hanging all at one end and the inn keeper hung ours directly next to them leaving the majority of the space free (in the off chance of selling more spots). There were two Brits that checked in at the same time as us and got the two hammocks on the other side of us.

Our muddy feet after hike to Cabo San Juan de Guia

After our muddy hike we were in desparate need of a good shower and a good meal. We started with the shower but were disappointed to find them lacking in both privacy (four concrete stalls with no curtains) and lights. Oh, and ceilings. As soon as we were ready to jump in it started pouring rain. I suppose I should look at the bright side since the rain increased both the temparature of the water as well as the water pressure. But it also drenched the clothes I was wearing.



Once were completed our showers, we discovered that the inn's (it isn't an inn but I'm not sure how to describe it) restuarant was closed for the night but that we could return to the neighboring inn that turned us away and use their restaurant. Now, freshly clean, we headed back up the muddy path to the other inn and discovered a very nice restaurant as well as a large table of people that we met on New Years in Cartagena. They had left after us in the morning and arrived in Tayrona much before us by chartering a bus direct from Cartagena (it helps that they had two Colombians in their group). The dinner was spectacular, although I'm sure that even straw would taste good after the day we had.

Upon returning to our inn and hammocks we realized just how close together they really were. Both Lisa and I accidently bumped in to our neighbors climbing in and then throughout the night the guy next to me elbowed me several times.

Lisa on her horse, me on my mule ready to get the hell out of dodge

After a cold, damp and uncomfortable nights sleep in the hammock we decided that we were definitely going to stay only one night. But after hiking all the way here with our packs, in the mud we decided to enjoy it for a bit. We met up with the international group that we met in Cartagena (three Canadians, one Mexican, one South Korean and two Colombians) and hiked to Cabo San Juan de Guia (the beach where we originally planned to stay). It was a yet another muddy hike but at the end we were rewarded with a stunning, swimmable beach (the beach in Arrecife is too dangerous for swimming). We relaxed for a bit out of the water and for a bit in the water before heading back to Arrecife to pack up. Rather than hiking back up the trail in what was sure to be even more mud due to the previous night's rain, we chose instead to rent horses to take our packs and us back up to the top. About eight years ago I swore I would never get on a horse again and perhaps that is why they gave me a mule instead. While I hated every minute of the climb out of the park on the mule, it was far better than the hike in and much faster, only about 30 minutes. Once we reached the entrance our new friends found a truck that would take us and all of our gear into Santa Marta proper for only $10,000 COP each. While the truck was designed for four passengers, we somehow managed to squeeze nine of us in (two in the front seat, four in the back and three in the bed of the truck). Our driver also had to bribe a policeman $10,000 COP when we were stopped at a check point (it would have been more but he didn't see the three in the bed of the truck hidden by our bags).

 

The full truck to Santa Marta

Once in Santa Marta, the two Colombians, Luisa and Carolina, went straight to work finding us an apartment for the night. It was much cheaper than a hotel, but it also did not include those things that you expect from a hotel... toilet paper, blankets, towels, soap, etc. Lisa and I decided to buy some towels in town since I only brought my travel towel which has only been used following muddy events leaving it a little too dirty to use after another shower. After a shower, we all headed out to explore the Santa Marta nightlife. It was amazing how many people were out and about on a Sunday night. The streets were packed with music blasting from the backs of cars and nearby clubs. After making the rounds we headed in to a club for a little dancing before heading back to our apartment where you could clearly hear that the party was continuing without us until the wee hours of the night. Fortunately, I had earplugs to dull the noise and fell asleep without much effort.

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.