Turkey Highlights

Turkey was the first stop after India and oh my....I fell in love! I don't know if it was a reaction to getting out of a developing/3rd world nation or what, but everything was so clean and so nice and I experienced quite a bit of culture shock. For example, when I was riding the trolley to my guesthouse, I got freaked out because it was so quiet. Cars weren't honking non-stop. It was a strange moment.

Smitty met up with me in Istanbul and it was surprisingly easy to get her there. All I had to do was say "Wanna go to Turkey in October?" and she was there. We spent the first part of our trip exploring Sultanahmet, going to the Aya Sofya and the Blue Mosque. They were both beautiful. The Blue Mosque looked like something out of a fairy tale and it was very lush inside. The Aya Sofya was magnificent and so freaking big. I have to admit, I wasn't as overwhelmed as I thought I'd be because after seeing the Taj Mahal....it didn't hold up well in comparison. It takes a while to get the most beautiful building in the world out of your head.

After a few days in Istanbul, we headed down to a town on the southwestern coast called Fethiye. This place was gorgeous! We went on a day tour on a sailboat and I was pretending I was Jackie O. We would stop and get to swim in the water and it was so wonderful and relaxing and just...that is what a proper holiday should be. We also spent time at a Turkish bath getting a lovely soap massage and we loitered on beaches a bit.

We ate our combined body weight in fish while we were in Turkey. There was this fish market in Fethiye where you'd buy a fish and then take it to a restaurant and they'd cook it up for you with potatoes, bread, and salad for about $4. The fish sandwiches on the street only cost about $3 and they were so delicious.

Oh, we also went over to the Asian side of Istanbul with our holiday friend, Kurt. I found my future house on that side and Smitty found a trail of cats. Good times, good times.

Turkey was so wonderful that I'm thinking of moving there after I finish up in Korea. It was one of the most relaxing weeks of my life and I'm so glad I had Smitty with me to enjoy it with. I highly recommend her as a travel companion.