Modern Arts and Turkish Bath

Since I don't have a picture of the baths, here is one in
front of the Modern Arts Museum

Before leaving Istanbul, it seems like it is absolutely forbidden to miss the Modern Arts Museum.

Located on the shore of the Golden Horn, the museum offers a huge and interesting collection. Even though I'm not too attracted to modern arts, I got swayed. The masterpieces are really fascinating and impressive.

So as a traveler who doesn't really enjoy museums, I can say I recommend it.

The most interesting experience, though, was the Turkish bath, also called hamam. We chose the Çemberlitas Hamami, located in a building dating from 1584, from all of those suggested in the guidebooks.

At the desk, we needed to choose the type of treatment we wanted. Since our flights were leaving in the afternoon, we went for the fifteen minutes session. It would have been possible to add a massage for additional fees.

We were given a little box and a token, which we used to get in the baths. But first, we needed to go on the second floor to change. Changing being a big word. The task here was about taking all our clothes off and to cover ourselves with a towel. We then put sandals on and locked the door behind us.

In the hamam itself, we were shown we needed to lay down on a big circle rock. A very hot rock used to make us sweat. The heat was perfectly intense. But be careful : they don't like that you keep your sandals on when you lay down. Good to know.

A masseur, looking like the stereotype of the Turkish masseur, eventually appears. Mine literally grabbed me by the feet to get me where I needed to be. I must admit it's pretty funny when you see that happening to others.

He then put the massage glove on, the one that was in the box we got when we paid, and he starts scrubbing us. He throws hot water at us, still does a small massage and brings us in another room for a shampoo session.

The masseurs, all wearing a number, then wait next to the exit, hoping for some tip. "Remember my number", they tell us when we leave. The man handling the towels also hopes for some tip...

The experience is totally worth it, whatever preconceived ideas we might have about hamams. I can tell I was weak in the knees when I got on the metro to go to the airport. And I was sad to leave Turkey after that short week in that country.

Pictures of Istanbul

To take a break, here are a couple of pictures of Istanbul.

Detour by Taksim Square

Istanbul University

It smells like the end of a journey in Turkey. But still have another warm day to visit the Beyazit mosque before getting on Istanbul University's campus.

There, we couldn't get too close because of security controls. We gave up and went around the building. What was surprising was the outside stand to sell school supplies...

We visited another mosque before going back down to our hostel, where we would meet our new friend. Together, we walked towards Taksim Square, where most protest against prime minister Erdogan took place. We were told it would be safer to go during the day.

We crossed Galata bridge and walked up slowly along a walking street. We then stopped at a restaurant. The closer Taksim Square was, the bigger the crowd was, even if there was no violent activity.

Everywhere around Taksim Square were police officers. Water canons were aligned so they wouldn't block the traffic. Already, it felt like walking on eggs. Not the time to be extravagant. We needed to blend in the crowd.

We got closer to Gezi park, where there was already some construction work being done. Police officers were watching the entrance, so it was intimidating to take pictures.

We walked on the square itself and took the time to chat with the protesters, most of them being silent, standing without moving.

There were abandoned shoes to symbolize the people who got hurt or killed in the protests. Others were blindfolded, holding a balance to illustrate justice.

We were told about the death of a protester, how friends and family we staying on Taksim Square to pay tribute to him. We pretended to agree with our translator, who said protesters were just people searching for a fight. Was better not to contradict anybody, to listen and avoid stating an opinion.

We suspected some policemen were going around dressed as tourists or civilians. They were always close to us and made two young girls leave the square.

After a long conversation, we determined it was time to leave. Around Taksim Square, my North American head wasn't pleasing the water vendors, who were trying to get more money out of me. It took me four or five attempts to get a reasonable price.

We went back down through new streets to end up in front of protesters going up to the square. They were done working. They were walking together, shouting some slogans. Intimidating.

After hesitating about following them or not, we decided to go back to our hostel... where other travelers were already talking about going out at night.

There again, we hesitated. Pressure was strong. In a group, we negotiated for two cabs so we could go in Beyoglu. In the dark, the landscape had changed. People were running, their mouth and eyes were covered. Others were selling diving masks...

We got to the bar, where we needed to climb six, seven or eight levels to reach the last floor. The view was very nice. Big windows were covering three of the walls. Strangely, there were not a lot of people partying.

We had just started drinking our bear when we passed our heads through the window to look outside. The crowd was running in the streets. Slowly, my eyes started to burn. The tear gaz was going up and up and up. Even if we closed the windows, it was too late. The few people inside rushed to the stairs.

Eyes, throat, lungs were burning. With a little water in the face, between two floors, we were getting better and decided to leave immediately.

We jumped in a taxi, between a line of police officers on one sidewalk, and a line of protesters on the other sidewalk. On the way back, we crossed a taxi with its doors wide open. Men were hitting on the passengers. No time to understand what was happening. We kept on going.

The night before we left Turkey, we had quite a dose of emotions.

In French, here is the article I wrote  for La Tribune and La Nouvelle newspapers as I was still in Turkey. I'm telling about the events I lived there.

Shopping break

Short digression from the adventures to talk shopping.

We almost missed the little Aponia shop and Supermind Coffee as we were walking back from a stroll in Taksim square in Istanbul.

It's because a group of screaming protesters had just passed us. But my traveling buddies are coffee lovers and they also wanted to look at some t-shirts. So we took a little break


What is amazing about this place is you find a counter right next to the door. There, according to the owner, they serve "decent coffee". If you go further in the shop, you'll find some t-shirts and posters designed but Istanbul artists. Everything is made in Turkey.

We stopped to smile while appreciating the catchy designs. They are unpretentious. And because it was cheaper for each t-shirt if we bought two or three, we were very tempted.

We smiled reading "They call it chaos, we call it home", a joke about Istanbul. What about that animal claiming "Love is my leash" or those soldiers shadows, some with guns, some with umbrellas. I was particularly touched by that one with the word "Life". I didn't get it at first, until I could see those two little batteries with the words "Fear" and "Hope"... meaning fear and hope are the power of life. I bought it!

When I went to pay, I could talk with the owner himself. The paper bag in which they put the t-shirts are made to become posters too.

That lovely shop deserved a post to itself.

For those visiting Istanbul, you'll find Aponia shop at
101 A Galipdede
or
116 Istiklal Avenue

You can also visit facebook.com/aponiastore

A stop at the Grand Bazaar

Grand Bazaar

If there is a place you can't miss in Istanbul, apart from the Blue Mosque, it's the Grand Bazaar. Everybody knows their clients are mostly tourists, but it's still interesting to walk through it.

First conclusion : this place is very crowded.

Second conclusion : one needs to negotiate a lot to get a good price. We know they are going to make a lot of money because of us, but most things can be found at different stands, so it is possible to compare the prices.

Other life lesson, after finding very high prices : if the man (most of the sellers are men) is not nice, he doesn't deserve your money. You need to at least have a little fun. If you stay nice too, it is possible to get a very good discount.

Spices, tea, candies, scarves, wallets, chess games, toys, hookahs... you can find anything at any price.

And without a good sense of orientation, it is possible you get lost easily.

What was interesting was to get lost in the small streets behind the bazaar when we exited. The true Istanbul life, with women taking care of children in the streets, was just in front of us. It was beautiful and made us want to take our time.

In the afternoon, we finally stopped in Aya Sofia, that old mosque they converted in a museum. What you can see there is catholic images under the Muslim paintings...

We then stopped at the Blue Mosque again because we found out it was impossible to get in, for tourists, when it's prayer time. But in the community center next to it, they explain what Islam is all about... for free. Tea and sweets are also free...

We ended the night at the hostel, where they offered us fish on the barbecue... and some silly weird games to enjoy ourselves. Hostel life is also about that.

Spice Market and Galata Tower

Galata Tower

The return from Göreme went better than the way to get there. Maybe because I wasn't that sick anymore. But services were better with the Suha bus company.

By chance, a very helpful Turkish guy was sitting just behind us. Not only did he offer some cookies for us to taste, but he let us know when it was time to step down.

Back in Istanbul busy bus station, around 7 AM. Still sleepy, we were wondering how to get to our new hostel. The helpful Turkish man helped us get in a free shuttle. For those who are trying to help, know that the back door will close by itself. No need to try to close it... and have people to laugh at you.

Right in Sultahnamet, we found ourselves on the sidewalk, searching for the hostel. When you're tired, it's harder to find your way around. We searched for a while...

Talking about something that is hard, try getting a good shower on the sixth floor of an old turkish building... You may not get any water.

Anyway! We reunited with our friend Gisele and we visited the Spice Market. Colors and smells are totally worth going there. But if you want to buy anything... negociate. Harder. And if you pretend you want to buy some turkish delights, maybe they'll let you taste some...

For those who want something different, a ferry may bring you in the asian part of the town. When it's sunny, the ride on the Golden Horn is very beautiful. On the other bank, you may ride a dolmus, one of those taxis where you kind of need to know how much you should pay. And you need to ask the driver when you want to get out. Having someone else who speaks english is a big asset.

In Kadikoy, the most interesting thing to do is walk the streets, go shopping or just watch the rhythm of life. Fresh fruit juices stands are really attracting too.

Back on the quay, it is possible to get on a one hour or one and a half hour cruise on the Bosphorus. No need to book ahead. There are a lot of companies and they go almost every thirty minutes... The smarter ones will go just before night falls so they can do one way with day light and come back in the dark : the best of two worlds.

Hungry people will try the grilled fish you can find anywhere near the water for five turkish liras. Eating in one of the Galata Bridge restaurants might be expensive though.

And talking about the Galata Bridge, the tower of the same name offers great views over the city. There again, a meal at the restaurant will cost a lot. But looking around from the top of it is worth it.

Göreme bikers

Exiting Göreme, Turkey.

For those who might have a little hunger before we step into more adventures, Göreme has two advantages for greedy people : the best baklavas in the world... and almost all-you-can-drink tea.

The best baklavas I ate came from Oze Café. There was also a ton of brands of tea. And the owners were very nice.

Talking about tea, it is almost always free, after a meal, in small restaurants. It's not as true in the big expensive and elegant establishments.

That said, our second day in Cappadocia was so full. At the hostel, they recommended a touristic tour in a bus that would show us most of the attractions in the area. Smart as we are, we thought it would be easier to explore at our own rhythm by renting mopeds.

First statement : on dirt, mopeds are not stable. Second statement which would came way later : our map wasn't on scale.

Nevertheless, getting lost at our own rhythm was incomparable. At the very top of the hill we would climb to exit the village, we stopped to watch the view. To take some apricots from the trees too, like we can do everywhere around there. And to blend in the crowd of tourists in a small souvenir shop where they were trying to sell us crap at a high price.

On the uneven paving stones climbing all the way to the castle, we drove to Uçhisar. We were taking our time, since we were only leaving for Istanbul at 8 PM. We were still in the morning.

Some will say Pigeon Valley is a must. Even if there are a lot of birds there, we were not that impressed. It is more my friend's controlled loss of control we will remember. No injury here. Not even a scratch on the bike.

For at least 45 minutes after that, we rode in the back-country waiting for a place to eat. The small deserted roads, the fields, the impression to be alone in the middle of nowhere... and Turkish people looking at us weirdly like motorcycles don't get on these roads often.

In the end, we found food in Kaymakli. That small village was typically asian with its small shops all next to the others. It is apparently known for its underground city. Between the noise in the street and the calmness of the terrace where we ate, there was a complete different world. In the back of the court, old people were playing cards or chess. We were the odd ones in the landscape there.

We then left towards Derinkuyu to visit another underground city protected by the Unesco. There, with all those locals trying to talk to us in their language, we know some probably told us some bad things. But in Derinkuyu, they know what tourists want. On the road, they always point the direction of the underground city to us.

That is where stress came in. The next city on the map was Ihlara, about 50 km away. On a motorcycle... And time was flying.

We took the chance.

On our map, there was no city between Derinkuyu and Ihlara. That wasn't a mistake. While our tank was getting empty, fields kept on coming. More fields. Always fields. And mount Hasan on the horizon.

When we saw a gas station, we gladly stopped. A young boy got out of the building and screamed "No!", adding a sign with his head that left us no doubt. Our motorcycles were thirsty. The arrows were pointing towards the empty sign. Between "nowhere" and "nowhere", our best bet was to keep on driving forward. Too late to go back anyway.

When the engine started coughing, a gas station appeared like an oasis. My friend, usually very calm, just sighted of relief. No breakdown!

From there : no time to lose. At 60 km an hour, we were rushing towards Göreme.

After at least one hour on the highway, unpleasant hour I must say, hour in which my friend received a plastic bottle on his helmet, thanks to a car passenger passing him, we finally came back to our starting point.

We were one hour late from our anticipated return time. 30 minutes to get our luggage, eat, and hop on the bus that would bring us back to Istanbul. Yes, we were able to sleep after that.

Lessons here : 1) exploring by ourselves was more fun 2) mistakes and problems make better stories 3) always make sure the maps are on scale. And you should study the road you plan on taking to avoid highways on mopeds...

Pictures of Göreme

A Long Walk in Gorëme

Pasabagi, Turkey

For those who wonder, there are several bus companies linking Istanbul and Göreme. All of them stop in Nevsehir, from where you need to transfer to another bus.

In some cases, it is possible to book online. We chose Nevsehir company to get there and Suha to come back. I personnaly liked the second one better. In both cases, schedules are about the same, departures being around 7 PM or 8 PM. Destination is reached about 12 hours later.

That said, when we got to Nevsehir, we were told we needed to change buses. We reunited with travelers who left 30 minutes before us the night before... In the end, they had no advantage on taking an earlier departure.

At Göreme information desk, right in the center of the village, they are used to see tourists coming. As soon as you get there, they ask for the name of your hotel so they can call them to pick you up. On our side, we chose a room at Guven Cave Hotel, where service was very good. They gave us a very good apple tea before showing us our room. Even if it was before 8 AM. Elsewhere, they probably would have asked us to wait until 11 AM or noon.

Sorry we didn't take a picture of the room... even if we let another guest get in so he could take one. We forgot to do the same.

From there, the hostel crew recommended a walk around the villages nearby. Considering it was windy and cloudy, I put jeans on. An error I would have to tolerate all day under a very bright sun.

First stop was the Göreme Open Air Museum. Most of it is churches carved in the rock, with paintings on the walls. After a while, they all looked the same.

As most tourists were going back the way they came, we kept on walking on the road to go down in Rose Valley, a walk of approximately 6 km, in a canyon, in total calmness. Bring water. Orange juice stands are spaced out. Same for the food.

At the very end of the road, we got in, Çavusin, a place I liked a lot. It feels like the middle of nowhere, in a village where a moutain where houses we carved is looming. Those were abandonned a long time ago. There is a path, from behind, to get to the very top. We didn't know! We became acrobats and climbed, floor by floor, to visit it from inside. The feeling of being somewhere else!

On our way down, we wanted to go to Pasabagi, known for its giant rock mushrooms. As the sky was getting covered again, we finally got some directions with the universal hands language. 'Cause the road wasn't well signposted.

After thinking of going back to the hotel, we finally found it. There, restaurants, souvenir shops... only things put up for strangers.

Our biggest problem was to find out transportation to go back to Göreme. If it seems like buses are going around, they stop early. We needed to negociate with a local so he would bring us back in town... Because after walking all day long, we didn't want to go all the way back on foot.

Between the mosque and the palace

The Blue mosque

The first night was short. Hard to sleep with the heath (found the clim only when I woke up in the morning) and the prayer call at 4 AM, but I managed to get a little bit of sleep.

When you visit Paris, you should see the Eiffel Tower first, right? In Istanbul, the Blue mosque is THE place to go.

In front, street vendors are waiting for tourists to sell them useless stuff or to try to get them to buy a cruise on the Bosphorus. Can't avoid it.

Inside the inner courtyard is the muslims entrance. Behind is the one for tourists. To visit, women must cover their head, shoulders, arms and legs. Men should at least cover their knees. A woman stands at the entrance to give away clothes to those who need to cover up. So there is no need to wear warm pants all day long in fear of missing out on the mosque.

From there, we went to the Cistern. Very cool (temperature wise) place under the city. Ideal for warm days.

But because the sun was still shining really hard, we went for a turkish ice cream. The real one, sour and kind of elastic. The one for which you have to go through a real show to be able to eat it. The ice cream man just tosses everything around for a while before giving the cone away.

We kept on moving to visit Topkapi palace. The harem is interesting there. Because it had many functions. And even if the view on the city is nice inside, it didn't look fun to be kept inside. At the entrance, our new travel partner found out her camera's battery was dying. But she forgot her charger at home. One less amateur photographer.

The death of cameras wouldn't stop there. Less than one hour later, while I was trying to hurry so a tourist wouldn't get in my picture, I fell and dropped my brand new camera on hard stones. Less than 24 hours after starting to use it, it was already dead. You know, when you stop smiling...

In the end, we went back to the hostel to get our luggage and got into a shuttle, which would take one hour, getting lost in the city, to reach the bus station. That place is pure chaos, with more buses than gates. People are pushing to get their tickets, they won't move to let you walk by them... Tastes like Asia.

We had just enough time to eat at the cafeteria, where the waiter might have never been tipped before... and we left for 12 hours on the bus to Göreme. That's exactly when I started feeling I might have a cold. Like everytime I travel.

In the bus, which would stop every three hours, service was included. But the smile was extra. And it seems like we didn't pay for it. One hour or two after we left, sitting at the back of the bus, we were getting to know the people behind us when we were told to keep quiet. We were disturbing apparently. Probably not as much as the baby who cried half of the night, though. There was an entertainment system too, like in planes. But with turkish movies only. Long road ahead.

Rain and Heat in Istanbul

The view on the Golden Horn, from my hostel in Istanbul

The heat is hard to handle in Istanbul, especially when you have a ton of luggage to carry on your back.

I already had enough because of the delay in the airport when I started my adventure for a one-hour metro-tram ride.

At the very end of the metro line, I had to transfer to the tram. Unlike in most big cities, the transfers won't happen at the stop itself. You have to walk around and find your way to make it to the tram. Ask for the way, it'll save you some time.

Then, a coincidence struck when I met a Kazakh girl in the tram. She lives in Vienna, where my travel partner is from.

We were getting out at the same stop and we realized we booked hostels that are a couple of meters apart. So we agreed to explore together.

For our first night, we walked in a beautiful market, saw a dancing dervish and we tried a restaurant where we had a view on the Blue Mosque. The restaurant was in an old destroyed stable and the tables placed outside were in the ruins. The rain, which brought down the heat a little, forced us to eat inside though.

We tried the testi kebab, that meat stew cooked in a clay pot. The waiter brought the pot on a little table lit on fire. And with a machete, he broke the pot before pouring the stew into a bowl. Tasty!

On our way back to the hostel, in total darkness, we saw a big group of birds turning around the minarets of the blue mosque. We didn't get to see that again the other days. It was interesting but I still wonder what happened exactly.

And while we were about to go back to bed, we decided to stop in a bar, where we literally closed the bar down. It was their last night ever. So we started the action on the dance floor. And for those who think you can't drink alochol in a country where most people are muslims... think again. Unless you're facing the mosque, there is no problem at all. But we were tired and I was jet lagged, so I stayed really calm.

Schipol and Ataturk

Gilly is sitting on the floor in Schipol Airport.

Fort the first day of a trip, is there anything better than spending hours after hours in some airports?

Technically, I spent quite some time in PET in Montréal, waiting for KLM flight to take off to the Netherlands. There, a three hours stopover awaited.

I knew Schipol for spending a short time there on my way to South Africa. But this time, I had to wait longer. And I can't say I appreciated it that much.

Of course, I applaud the fast passport control, if you consider staying in Europe. But for the rest...

First, the wi-fi, free for two 30 minutes sessions, can help kill some time. But when you have three hours to kill, it's not as useful. In the transit section where I was, it was hard to find a free seat to sit. Waiting rooms are locked behind some glass walls, at the gates themselves. So I did like so many others and I sat on the floor.

On the other hand, the marketing thing is pretty good. If you walk around looking for a chair, you might end up sitting in a restaurant, where you'll buy some food...

There is also security, very strict, which you have to go throught at the gate. Problem is they grab you everywhere, more than they need to, even if it is obvious the metal detector rang because you forgot some coins in your pockets.

Nothing to reassure the security guards, or maybe they did know they would be tested, false "terrorists" were standing just in front of me. They had forbidden objects in their luggage but seemed to be working as "mystery clients". They were spotted pretty fast.

Got to Ataturk Airport in Istanbul after that. Got there a little late, and once we walked off the plane, it was total confusion. The queue was very long.

Note that you might need a visa to visit Turkey. You can get it online, on the gouvernement website, or directly at the airport. There, all you need to do is pay the entrance fees to get a sticker. For Canadians, fees are high... 60 $ US.

After, everybody had to wait for passport control. The queue exceeded the gates made for that. It took two hours, after 10 hours on the plane, to get the stamp.

From there, we had to search for our luggage on the conveyor belt because the screens were not showing our flight anymore. By looking around, trying to spot other people from our flight, we finally found them.

After that long day, all that was left to do was to take the metro and the tram to the hostel. Useful and giving you discounts, the Istanbul Card, identical to the Octopus Card in Hong Kong or the Oyster Card in London, is a magnetic card you can charge and use in public transport. Only problem, the vending machine doesn't take the 50 turkish liras bills you get in the ATM's.

On my way to Turkey

Here I am, on the road again. Yes, again you'll say. Never enough, I would add.

So at this point, I'm somewhere between home and Turkey. Crazy? Bah!

I had chosen not to travel this summer. But I changed my mind. Hesitated between Switzerland, Croatia, Turkey, and the UK. Asking around, I found myself a traveling partner ready to board for Turkey. Decision made!

But now, the conditions got worse there. Protests are going on and on in Erdogan's country. Go or not to go?

Of course, there is the financial aspect. Flight was booked and I won't get a refund unless I'm sick or it's way too dangerous to go there. And I have that feeling that the risks, ever present in Turkey, one must admit, are probably concentrated in some public places like Taksim Square. Would be surprised if the protesters invaded the mosques and the other very touristic attractions.

So I'm leaving. I'll see. My instinct will be my first ally. Nothing keeps me from changing my plans if I feel unsafe. But for now, after looking at the warnings on the government website, I'm not worried.

Let the adventures begin...