MY 2000 ADVENTURE (continued)
May 21 – 7:00 pm
I just had a refreshing swim in the Mediterranean Sea! There are clean bathrooms too and a fantastic view of the clean, blue water of the bay from our campsite. It could probably pass for a Greek/Italian/French Riviera coast. I forgot to mention that the two pottery pieces that I bought in Urgup. One is a replica of a red 14th to 17th century Ottoman Dynasty jar that signifies love. (I later gave it to my mother). The second blue jar is a replica of a 12th to 15th century Selchuk Dynasty piece that means forever. (I kept it). The town where we’re staying is called Kas. I just spent over an hour on the Internet so I didn’t have time to shop in Antalya. I had a good lunch (chicken sandwich and an ice cream) for 1.4 million lira. I’m now ready for dinner and I may help clean out the Kumuka truck. The stale watermelon smells and needs to be thrown out!
May 23 – 11:00 am
I’m enjoying the sun and scenery on a long, wooden boat. I can’t get used to the beautiful, clear water! In the harbor I could see the sea bottom and fish. I’d like to get a tan today and later get a shave in Kas for one million lira. We walked into town last night following a long, windy, road. There was an outdoor amphitheatre with a performance and many spectators. While shopping I contemplated purchasing a leather jacket for $160.00 (U.S.) But it would be a pain to lug around and I could buy one through Craig. Besides I don’t know the quality of the jacket. After much driving over the last two days it’s been nice to relax outside. My nose is stuffed and runny today.
May 23 – 2:40 pm
The ancient town of Kylia was very quaint. It was on a peninsula but was is accessible only by boat. We climbed to the top of an old castle and had a spectacular view of the bay, mountains and ruins of a city underwater. It was caused by earthquakes centuries ago. It has been a beautiful day and I had another good lunch topped off with an ice cream bar (Magnum) that cost 750,000 lira. The boat’s anchor is being raised and now we’re off back to our camp. Two local women followed us as we ascended the hill to the old castle. They tried to be our guides by pointing out things to see and showing us which paths to take. They carried baskets of things to sell for three million lira each. Much too expensive to buy but they remained friendly even though no one bought anything. Poor people but I guess this is their main source of revenue.
May 24 – 7:10 am
I got up almost an hour ago due to suffering from my allergies and likely a cold too. I hope that my allergy pills can last me the next month. I better help Kathy prepare breakfast. I also need to conserve my last nine million lira. Our tent is on a bit of a hill as the campsite is full. So I didn’t sleep all that well.
Later that day I emailed my mother. Here is the text:
Just a quick note. I had to check my email about confirming my next tour with Top Deck. I will meet up with them in Istanbul in four days. Today was another beautiful hot and sunny day. We took a large boat up the Mediterranean Sea coast to an old city that is partially underwater. I had lunch and then we climbed up a hill to see an old castle. The town where we’re staying is called Kas and is pronounced cash. The scenery is pretty and looks Greek with the white buildings, narrow and windy streets, ocean and the mountains. Tomorrow is a long eight hour trip north towards Galipoli. We have a lot of territory to cover before reaching Istanbul! I just bought more bottled water for 200,000 lira. The inflation here is atrociously high. It’s 12:30 am local time on May 24. I need to walk back to the campsite and get to bed as tomorrow will be a long day. I need to check our tent for scorpions. Their bites can be deadly and I saw a tiny one in the Syrian desert near Palmyra!
May 25 – 6:50 am
Again – no hot water! I got very sick yesterday starting around noon. The allergies and flu combined with swimming in saltwater (first time in my life!) and getting water in my sinuses likely contributed to my sickness. I was diving off the big boat! I still fee achy and weak but feel a bit better today. This was the sickest that I got on my overseas trip. I didn’t bother going sightseeing yesterday – it was a geyser/hot spring I think. Instead I relaxed with the tourist police and conversed with one who understood some English. He had written down numerous words and phrases in Turkish and English. We are currently staying near the city of Denizli. Beautiful countryside here with tall snow capped mountains and green farmland. It’s rained a lot since driving inland from Kas. Yesterday afternoon we dropped off our tour leader Kathy. I played my Delerium CD yesterday morning – people on the truck were either sleeping or in a subdued mood. Interesting how the group’s energy level fluctuates. I better get ready for breakfast.
May 25 – 11:25 am
We just left the city of Dadili (sp?) Luckily I was able to use my credit card at the grocery store (Migros). I feel more comfortable with having nine million lira and some change to last me until May 28th when I depart Turkey for Bulgaria on the Top Deck tour. I finished reading Archangel by Robert Harris and am half through the first of a five book series about Ramses II. It written by Christian Jacq who’s French.
May 25 – 6:00 pm
Just came back from an interesting tour of the ancient city of Efes (Ephesus). At one time it was the capital (population of 250,000) of the Eastern part of the Roman Empire. It’s well known for its library (built 114 A.D.) and it had 12,000 scrolls in its collection. The library was conveniently located next to a brothel that ostensibly had a secret passage way! Tonight we’re staying in a hostel near the town of Selcuk. It’s a pleasant city nestled around small mountains that is reminiscent of Coeur d’Alene. I’m looking forward to a good dinner and a warm shower. The place we stayed at last night was a shit hole. The outdoor pool was full of moldy water, cramped rooms and the dinner consisted of murky soup and some vegetables. Right now I’m sitting on a bench near a square of shops selling Turkish paraphernalia. There are no tourists around so naturally when I walk by stores the shop owners flock to me wanting my patronage. They pissed me off a bit but I realize they likely don’t sell much (situation just like in Egypt). I better head back now….
May 26 – 7:40 am
We just had a delicious breakfast that included meusili, yogurt, and fruit. I could have chosen french toast or eggs but I needed to eat fruit and grains! I’m looking at a book about Efes so I’ll write down a few facts about it. It was the largest city in the Anatolian part of the Roman Empire. It had the Grand Theatre that is still used for functions (but the top sections are not used). The aforementioned Celcus Library was named in honor of Tiberius Julius Celcus who was the Governor General of the Roman Empire’s Asian Province. The library took nine years to build 114-125 A.D. The front has statutes of Sophia, Arete, Eunoia, Episteme that symbolize wisdom, knowledge, and virtue.
May 28 – 3:30 am
The Kumuka trip is over! I’m safe and sound in Istanbul in my private and spacious room at the Hotel Sunshine. I panicked a bit after learning about the new tour company’s sudden change of hotels. But it ended up being in walking distance. Upon arriving I had a relaxing shower and shaved. I then walked around the stunning Blue Mosque and St. Catherine Monastery. Unfortunately they were closed and the my new Top Deck departs Istanbul at 7:30 am. So I won’t get to see much of Istanbul. But the last few days have been fun. I last discussed the town of Selchuk/Selcuk. The hostel there had a carpet store on the main floor so that night a few of the tour members gathered around to see the carpets and haggle over prices. I ended up buying Craig and Malini a nice carpet for $300.00 U.S. in cash. The hostel’s driver took us to an ATM where we made our withdrawals. Due to the horrendous inflation 300 dollars equaled tens of millions of lira. The thick wad of bills that almost had difficulty coming out of the ATM dispenser! The price was also reduced because the hostel would not ship it. So I’ll need to carry it with me for a month.
The following morning we took off for Eceabat (European side of Turkey). We took a ferry to from the Asian port city of Canakkale – it was interesting to see two continents so close together! The night of the 27th we stayed at a funky place called the Vegemite Bar – the Aussies and Kiwis on tour felt right at home. It was very warm that night so some of us slept outside the bar facing the bay. I woke up to a beautiful sunrise. The Kumuka truck was parked across the road in a field and some people pitched their tents there. It was a busy road since the ferry dock was down the street. Many passersby probably wondered what the hell kind of truck we had and why some of us were flapping like birds! We were drying our dishes. Everyone had to contribute to meals by either setting up, cooking or cleaning. To conserve paper dishware we hand dried them by holding one piece in each hand and flapping it up and down. So it looked like a person was trying to fly like a bird!
May 28 – 8:30 am
I felt a bit discombobulated when I woke up this morning after getting to bed so late. I rushed to pack up and went downstairs to meet Toni, the Top Deck tour leader. The breakfast was a buffet but pickings were slim and only marginally better than what I had experienced in Egypt. It consisted of hardboiled eggs, juice, bread with butter and jam. But I digress and need to catch up with the last few days of the Kumuka tour. The morning of the 27th was spent at Gallipoli. The scenery was amazing and I learned much of the tragic 1915 battle for the tiny but strategic peninsula that arguable changed the course of the war. The Allied invasion (consisted mainly of Australians and New Zealanders called ANZACS) took place along three beaches. The most famous and bloody was ANZAC cove. It’s now a cemetery at a place named Ari Burnu and there are many other smaller cemeteries scattered throughout the area. The large Australian memorial was at Lone Pine and the New Zealand memorial at Chanuk Bay that had a statue of Ataturk. We also visited the large Turkish memorial. There were remnants of the trenches with the narrowest point of the opposing sides being only twenty feet! So much death and destruction over a small but critical area of land but the Allies were never able to capture and hold the hills on the peninsula and repel the Turks. It was a sobering journey to Istanbul.
We stopped at McDonald’s (dinner cost 2.35 million lira) in the outskirts and arrived at our destination at night. During the way Trevor, our driver, drove through an underpass that scraped the truck’s roof. He had miscalculated the height plus he was in a rush to reach the city. We reached a campsite and then there was a mad scramble to clear the truck, hail the cabs (taksis in Turkish) and stuff our bloated backpacks into the tiny cars. At least I saw the Blue Mosque and St. Catherine’s Basilica at night to brag that I had “seen” Istanbul. There was an interesting confrontation with the “polis” at 3:00 am. I was relaxing with Tony and others from the Kumuka group. The polis were threatening to charge a bar owner for staying open past the curfew. So the Kumuka trip is over and a new chapter begins with Top Deck. We have a nice, comfortable Volvo Top Deckbus/coach and I have no one sitting beside me. I feel very tired but relaxed. The smooth and modern highway along with the lush, green rolling fields is lulling me to sleep. It will be a long eleven hour travel day today to our lone stop over in Bulgaria. I read my email quickly (five minutes) for 100,000 lira. More to write later…
May 28 – 5:10 pm
We’re driving right beside the Black Sea. Bulgaria is 65% forested with hills and is thus very green. We passed through the Turkish/Bulgarian border near the town of Malko Tuinovo. We just passed through another town but I can’t find it on the road map. Lunch was delicious and included juice for dessert. We had a pit stop at the city of Burgas. The next big city is called Varva and our destination tonight is Shurmen.
May 29 – 9:40 am
We’re back on the road after having a delicious dinner and breakfast at our hotel. For dinner the potatoes and pork tasted great with a different flavor from what I’m accustomed. A bottle of beer cost only $1.60 Canadian. Our group was serenaded at dinner along with a synthesizer and a variation of bagpipes. The Shumen Hotel was very nice (four stars in Bulgaria but maybe one star in North America). I had a room to myself because my joining increases the group total to 27 people (odd number). The lights in the hallways were dim and the phone in my room didn’t work. The radio looked old but it worked. I called Dad last night at the hotel’s front desk and left a 30 second voice mail message that cost $2.00 U.S. The Bulgarian countryside looks like home but seeing old cars, people working in the fields, and horse driven carts distinguishes the scenery! Apartment buildings are a drab grey color with laundry lines fluttering from balconies. The land around the Black Sea is flat and somewhat unimpressive. Many houses here have red tiled roofs. There’s barely a cloud in the sky right now. It will be an almost five hour drive to Bucharest – looking forward to seeing my ancestral home country. We’re just passing a Coca Cola truck – one of the inescapable signs of Western capitalism and greed. Only the cities seem to illustrate the fact that Bulgaria is an economically underdeveloped county.
May 28 – 11:05 pm
We’re now stopped at the Bulgarian/Romanian border. There are many trucks carrying cargo here and few cars and tourists. I just saw a woman wearing a pink dress with pink shoes and black gloves. She was sweeping garbage into a garbage can – strange attire for a cleaner! It looks like Bulgaria’s flag has three horizontal stripes (white, green, and red). I saw no pictures of the country’s leader posted anywhere. Once we’re cleared through customs we’ll cross a long bridge that leads into Romania. I’ll find out the name of the river we cross over. I’m looking at three trucks entering Bulgaria that have the name “Orkun” on the trailers. I wonder what cargo they’re carrying. Here we go…We were just informed that we’re not permitted to take photographs of the bridge and river (Danube). There were two large columns at both bridge entrances that said 1952 and 1954. The famous Danube is a wide, brown, slow moving river that’s reminiscent of the North Saskatchewan River. Our bus just got sprayed with water or it could have been disinfectant like what happened with people at the Bulgarian border. We’re now bypassing an immensely long line of trucks. I wonder how long our wait at the Romanian border will be?
May 28 – 11:50 am
A Romanian border guard just collected all our passports. It was a very solemn event as he carefully studied each passport photo and then looked at each individual. I just noticed a small, emaciated dog sleeping in the shade on the other side of the road. It’s getting uncomfortably warm in the bus now. The guard will probably methodically process each passport that means we could be here a long time! Toni told me earlier that I’ll be responsible for writing in the tour book our experiences visiting Bucharest. I also need to decorate my entry. I guess each person has to contribute stories to the book that someone will win at the end of the tour. Here comes another dog that looks like it’s just given birth by having nipples for the puppies. It’s a cute dog that looks like a typical mutt from back home.
May 30 – 4:00 pm
I just sat down to rest by the Senator’s Parliament Building in Revolutionary Square. Downtown Bucharest (used to be called Paris of the East) is fairly modern looking and the women are exotic looking. Many wear very tight cotton pants or short, tight skirts. Many are also extremely tall and thin. Where I’m sitting is the birthplace of the December 1989 Revolution that deposed Ceausescu. A few of the surrounding buildings still bear bullet holes from skirmishes between the people and army. The Palace of Parliament was spectacular (morning tour). Have to go – more later…
May 30 – 5:30 pm
I couldn’t find a pre 1989 Romanian flag or crest/seal. Maybe I’ll find one in Brasov or Cluj-Napoca. Today has been overcast with a drizzle plus it’s rather humid. Dinner last night cost 65,000 lei (pizza and two beers) or about $4.00 Canadian. Lunch today was more expensive at around 90,000 lei but still quite reasonable. 20,000 lei equals about $1.00 (U.S.). Beer here is about 15,000 lei – horribly cheap! I spent 117,000 lei at the grocery store. I may have to exchange some lei back into U.S. currency before we leave Romania because I likely exchanged too much initially. Right now I’m sitting in our little hotel room and sipping on cheap chocolate cherry liquor. Our group needs to meet at 6:00 pm for dinner. Sounds like it’s raining now and there’s a bunch of wild dogs barking. Later tonight we will go to a place called the Sydney Bar. I’m not surprised that there’s an Australian drinking establishment in Romania since one seems to be in many countries for them to feel right at home during their long overseas journeys. At any rate I may be out until the wee hours of the morning. Tomorrow we leave for Brasov and Bran Castle where Vlad Dracul apparently stayed briefly. Thunder!
May 31 – ?? pm
Happy 14th High School Graduation anniversary! Anyway, I forgot to mention that on the Bucharest city tour on the 29th we stopped at the Palatul Patriarhiei. Housed inside this building was a Romanian Orthodox Church – very interesting service and prayer rituals. Anyone could walk in and watch and there was a gift shop. I was surprised to see that. Capitalism has pervaded all aspects of Romanian life. There was much chanting and genuflecting in the church. It was rather dark inside with many paintings and intricate artwork. The surrounding buildings used to be part of the old Communist government followed by the new Republic. The church bought the office buildings in 1997.
Last night we went to the Sydney Bar and then another place that was devoted to traveling Australians. The waitresses were attractive and wore skimpy outfits. We left at 10:00 pm and a few of us walked around trying to find a good local bar. First we went to an Irish pub (there’s almost one in every town on earth too!) but it was empty. There were many amusing incidents along the way including walking past a building that had sentries posted at the entrance. It looked like a very posh nightclub as the name plate on the front of the building said The Establishment. Later on we saw a flashy neon sign for The Jazz Club. There were many expensive cars parked in front including the new Audi T1 roadster. We were allowed in after much discussion with convincing the front desk clerk staff that we had money. There were many lights and mirrors in the entrance and hallway that led to the downstairs. I thought that we were in a “gentleman’s nightclub”. Upon entering the downstairs area we saw many people relaxing in big comfortable chairs and looking forward to what appeared to be a stage. The stage was obscured due to the high number of people. Then we saw a Frank Sinatra type fellow singing so we promptly left.
We wanted to see some action and not some Frankie type impersonator. We soon came to a place called the Blue Moon. It was obviously a strip club but it looked more inviting than the previous one. Drink prices were high compared to what we paid in restaurants (100,000 lei for a beer) but were comparable to a strip club back home. But we then learned that we had to pay 50,000 lei to see the show. Two girls from our tour group were with us so we decide to leave. However, a couple of guys in our group had been watching the entertainment so when we all decided to leave they were forced to pay a hefty entrance fee of 50,000 lei. I had learned from Egypt that one only pays for services if one actively takes part (even if it’s using a swimming pool). I would have stayed as I still had 350,000 lei left to spend! Our last stop was McDonald’s at 12:30 am. The cab ride back to the hotel for the remaining three of us was 60,000 lei. Now we’re back on the bus bound for Brasov – ETA three hours!
May 31 – 6:50 pm
Half the time I think I have dementia. First is that I left camera on the bus AFTER I had paid the entrance fee to see Bran Castle. So I ran back to get it but the driver (Gummy) had already driven off to park it. I waited around a bit and then negotiated a camera refund. Yes, they charged (like many places in developing countries) if you brought a camera. The castle itself was interesting and was built circa 1377. I bought a few things (a leather wrist band, postcards, small table cloth) in the marketplace after the tour was over. Later the group was let off downtown to stroll around. Brasov was a very pleasant area town. Then we headed north a ways to the town of ?? to stay overnight at Monika’s Castle. Not sure who it is named after. I just opened my bag to discover that my bog of shampoo and hair gel is missing. I must have left it in the hotel room in Bucharest. Luckily I have enough money to buy some bathroom supplies tomorrow in Cluj Napoca. Dinner is in half an hour so I need to get organized in our rather cramped quarters. It seems like the entire motel is constructed of wood. At least I have a bed next to a window as I anticipate the place getting stuffy during the night.
posted by Michael at 11:31 AM
