Zanzibar pizza, and other culinary delights

Anyone that's been through Africa will tell you that local food is usually nothing much to write home about... with the welcome exception of Zanzibar. After a month or two of injera and sima/ugali, Zanzibar will make your taste buds sing!

Here's a little taste of what visitors to Zanzibar are in treat for.

Spices and seafood. Most of the local cuisine in the restaurants here is a big 'ol seaside Swahili mix. They serve up plenty of seafood with delightfully spiced rice and curries featuring coconut and a host of local spices. With the large Indian population, I hear the Indian food isn't too bad either. No wonder.

Zanzibari spiced rice

Forodhani. For a real treat though, you need to take a trip to Forodhani Market at night. I don't think it's possible to go wrong with anything here: it's all great, but priced well for even the stingiest of budget travelers.

Forodhani Market stalls

Pizza? The highlight of Forodhari Market has to be Zanzibar pizza, although they use the term 'pizza' quite loosely. Seeing how it's one of the most delicious things on the island (and thus the continent), I'll forgive them though. You really can't just stop at one with these!

More like a crepe or chapati than a pizza, it has no cheese or tomato sauce, instead stuffing your choice of meats and veggies in between a ball of dough and an egg. There are also dessert options including chocolate, banana, honey and other treats.

For those interested in trying their hand at it, I found a recipe. As the author points out though, even a good copy made at home just isn't quite the same as experiencing the real thing in all its glory.

Zanzibar pizza

Sugar Cane. Wash down your pizza with another Zanzibari treat, sugar cane juice. It basically involves them squeezing every bit of pulp out of a piece of sugar cane and adding a bit of fresh ginger. Watching them go to town on the sugar cane is pretty fun in itself. It's hard to describe just how refreshing this is in the sweltering Zanzibar heat: you just have to try it for yourself!

Squishing sugar cane into a delectable juice

Beach food. The food out on the beach is fairly similar to the local offerings in Stone Town. You'll see plenty of spiced rice and seafood, notably octopus. We also tried some King Fish, a white fish I'd never heard of that was quite tasty.

King fish

If you can find some local fishermen, try asking them to buy their fish directly out of the ocean and cook it for you for the freshest catch in town. Even at restaurants it can take them a good hour or so from ordering to get around to serving your food though, so just remember: patience is a virtue. 

More on the rest of Zanzibar to come!

*All pictures taken from Google images

Turkey: Visiting a Hamam

For most people who have been through Asia, when someone mentions a "Turkish bath," their thoughts automatically race to the red light attractions of Japan and Bangkok (and apparently South Korea and China, too) under the thinly-veiled guise  of "bath houses." While they now call them soaplands in Japan and massage parlors in Thailand, they were all originally known as Turkish baths (abbreviated as "Toruko," or basically Turkey, in Japanese) until 1984 when Turkish residents of Japan led by Nusret Sancakli raised a stink about the public besmirching of their homeland and traditions. I don't blame them.

With that interesting aside out of the way, we come from the country of onsens and super sentos—we're not squeamish about getting naked in front of others. As such, whenever we hear about some form of public bathing as an attraction when on vacation, we want to give it a try. So we did.

Hamam what?

Now for starters, what is a hamam is really supposed to be? Basically, it's you paying someone to scrub you down, then give you a massage. It's not sexual at all, which is a good thing since you'll probably wind up with a jovially plump and hairy Turk scrubbing you down. Or at least I did. In normal situations, the hamam will be divided for men and women. Men wash men and women wash women. We did find at least one place we asked though offering mixed baths, in which case a man will be washing you both.

For a brief historical explanation, Turkish baths started popping up circa the 15th century, carrying on the tradition of the Greco-Roman baths of the past. Traditional bath houses are usually quite aesthetically pleasing, complete with a big dome on the inside.

I have to admit that this experience isn't going to be for everyone—after all, it involves getting mostly naked and letting someone else touch your body. If you can stop being such a baby and just get over those little points though, it really is an interesting cultural experience that you're not really going to find in many places. Think of it as a little taste regal extravagance that most of us forego in our pedestrian lives. Now how could you pass that up?

Bath Procedure

Like their Greek and Roman predecessors, hamams are broken into three rooms: a warm room, a hot room and a cold room.

You'll start off by disrobing and fitting yourself with a snazzy plaid bathing towel. You keep this on for the duration, except for the bathing part where it is used to cover up your wedding tackle. Guys will normally not wear anything but the towel, while women may choose to keep their underwear on, usually without the bra.

From here, you'll head into the warm room. This room is designed to be dry and hot for you to just relax for a bit and build up a bit of a sweat. Think of it as a sauna, but bigger and not as hot. We showed up a bit late and were pressed for time, but if you're taking your time then this would be a good time to have a look around and enjoy the architecture.

Fancy-schmancy hot room at some place above our budget, but the concept is the same*

Next, you'll move on to the hot room. You'll notice immediately that there's a big dome overhead and a round marble platform in the middle of the room, flanked on all sides with a bunch of fountains and niches.

You'll normally have to wait your turn here, so grab a seat and sweat another bead or two. When the hairy Turk calls, it's showtime. He'll first don a rough mitt for the scrub massage to remove all that deep-down dirt you were blissfully ignorant of just moments before, along with a few layers of skin. From what I hear, you don't want to come after just getting a tan. It's actually quite a nice massage.

Female hamamist sporting traditional towel*

Next comes the bath portion. He'll first douse you in hot water, then lay you down on the marble slab. Next, he dips a towel in soapy water and then waves it around to collect air like an open pillow case, finally squeezing the contents onto your body for your own personal bubble bath (see picture above). You then get your second massage in the form of a full-body scrub down, minus the nether regions (thank God). This cycle repeats twice—once on the front, then the back—after which you get another liberal dousing of first hot water, then cold water.

From here, they give you a fresh towel and move you onto the cold room, which in our case was basically the reception area. They'll normally serve you tea and snacks while you just relax. Some people will choose to linger a little longer in the hot room or even take a shower or nap before moving onto the cold room, but we didn't bother.

The place we went also offered an oil massage in our package, so we took turns waiting in the cold room while the other person got massaged. The whole thing for us took about an hour.

Prices

Down to the brass tacks, you may be wondering what this little slice of heaven set us back. We paid 45 TL at the hamam we chose in Antalya for a package including the scrub massage, soap massage, oil massage and light snack.

You may hear vastly different prices depending on where you ask—I hear Istanbul and Cappadocia are especially pricey if doing the more touristy hamams. Some hotels will also offer Turkish baths, but from what I've heard these will also cost you more.

Our Hamam

Tarihi Balik Pazari Hamami
Address: Tuzcular Mah. Balk Pazari Sk. Kaleici Antalya

Phone: +90 242 243 61 75

Note: pictures courtesy of Google images

Turkey: Saffron and more in Safronbolu

In the northern reaches of Turkey about 100 kilometers from the Black Sea coast lies a little town that I never knew existed before visiting Turkey: Safronbolu. We added it to the end of our itinerary on the suggestion of a few people, and I'm glad we did.

Safronbolu does have its share of notoriety as a destination, but it gets far more domestic visitors than international. While it doesn't seem to get that much attention from Westerners, we found that it is somewhat known by Japanese travelers... or at least was in its day. Imagine our surprise when we found that the owner of our guesthouse spoke better Japanese than English! There were a handful of others around town that were eager to greet and speak to us in Japanese as well.

This sleepy little town has a real small town feel to it, especially in Old Town. We thought Turkish people were nice before we came, but it's almost hard to believe how nice the people we found here in Safronbolu were. Once when we asked directions, the guy got up and walked us all the way to the place we were looking for. We were treated to multiple cups of tea by shopkeepers—including the local specialty, saffron tea—without even buying anything. At one turn, a shop owner who spoke maybe five words of English invited us into his workshop just to show us his work and awards, then sent us off with a hug and kiss in true Turkish style. Salt of the earth.

So what draws Turks and others to Safronbolu besides the people? Well, a few things.

Classic Architecture in Old Town. The entirety of this town within a town is a living UNESCO World Heritage Site, registered for its classic Ottoman buildings. You can go into the old Cinci Hani inn and a few of the houses and view some truly freakish mock displays of ye olde tyme Ottoman lifestyles if you want a laugh, but I'd say it's more enjoyable just to stroll up and down the hills on the cobblestone streets. Actually no, on second though you should pay the two Lira to go see the displays—they're like a train wreck, you just can't turn your eyes away from them. The bath is a hoot as well, but I won't ruin it for you.

As seen through a glory hole in Cinci Hani

Saffron. It's in the name of the town, so I'm sure you saw this one coming. They do have a number of inventive uses for it though which I enjoyed: tea and lokum. Saffron tea comes in that same Turkish tulip teacup we all love, but is served with honey instead of sugar. Delish! You can buy your own saffron tea as well, and I definitely would have if we wouldn't still be on the road for another nine months.

We had our first cup up at the top of the hill, where there is a clearing past a gate with a little cafe and some other things. It's a great place to stare down at the entire town and take it all in.

But what's lokum, you ask? Well...

Saffron tea

Lokum. You probably know it as Turkish Delight. That's right, this place specializes in it, making all types of flavors. They even make saffron-flavored lokum if you're the two-birds-one-stone type. This is the kind of town that they will offer to load you up with free samples if you even pause for a second in front of the lokum store. My advice: don't fight it. It's delicious, it's sumptuous, it's... downright delightful. Akemi wasn't a fan of the stuff we had found to this point, but even she liked the lokum here. If you're a fan, this is the place to be.

Those are the main draws here. It would only really take you a day to tour the entire Old Town, but the people here make you want to stay a week. We compromised on three days and were quite happy we did.

We can highly recommend our guesthouse, the Efe (Facebook here), even if your English is better than your Japanese. It's family-run, and the mother will help you find everything you could want to see in Safronbolu. The rooms were surprisingly cozy for the price we paid, but more than that was the view. I'll leave you with that view until next time.

View from our guesthouse room

Bethlehem, Palestine: The church where it all started

In a continuation of our Bethlehem series, I'll talk about the church. The other posts are here and here.

No trip to Bethlehem would be complete without a stop by the attraction that really puts it on the map: the Church of the Nativity. While thousands of Christians visit Bethlehem on pilgrimage every day, the birthplace of Christ is worth a look for believers and non-believers alike. Bethlehem is also home to one of the highest ratios of Christian Arabs around the world.

As with the Holy Church of the Sepulcher in Jerusalem, this "church" is actually a collection of chapels sitting atop the grotto as no one denomination of Christianity can really stake their sole claim to this holiest of holy sites. It is currently jointly administered by the Roman Catholics, Greek Orthodox and Armenian Apostolic churches with several other chapels from other denominations.

Site Layout

The building itself is quite aesthetically pleasing, even if you're an Ebeneezer Scrooge and don't believe in all this Jesus mumbo-jumbo. (It's OK, he still forgives you.)

Church of St. Catherine

You'll enter through Manger Square, a large paved courtyard in front of the church which basically forms the center of town. Entrance to the church itself is free. When entering the church grounds, you'll have your choice of which area to enter first, the main basilica on the right or the Church of St. Catherine on the left. There are also a few other little chapels hidden around, so be sure to look—I particularly enjoyed the cave section below St. Catherine.

Underneath the basilica is the main attraction: the Grotto. If you thought Jesus was born in a barn, you'd be wrong; it's a little, dinky cave, which is where you would have parked your donkey (let's call him Horace) if you lived 2,000 some odd years ago in this part of the world.

In the cave below St. Catherine's

One of the small pleasures of your visit will be the serenading from other visitors singing hymns. Religious people get really emotional at these kinds of sites, and for good reason. There was a nice rendition of "Oh Little Town of Bethlehem" here in the Grotto, but the real show was at the Garden Tomb in Jerusalem. Hoo boy—all I'll say is that if you ever see an African group touring in Israel, FOLLOW THEM AND WAIT FOR AWESOMENESS. When they sing and worship it is a sight to behold, and they will sing and worship. Often.

All in all, this place is definitely a must-see for any visit to Bethlehem, even for non-Christians.

Other Religious Sites

For those wishing to bask even more in the religious aspects, you can also take a Christmassy tour down to the Shepherd's Fields, where Gabriel and a host of angels were supposed to have visited shepherds to proclaim the birth of Jesus.

While not as important, the Milk Grotto Chapel is another easily accessible religious site. Here, legend has that Mary spilled a few drops of breast milk when fleeing for Egypt, turning the whole cavern milky white.

The tomb of Rachel, wife to Jacob, is supposed to be the second most sacred site in Bethlehem to Christians. Unfortunately, that damn wall is now in the way. Rachel's Tomb is now only accessible from Jerusalem via Egget bus, making it virtually inaccessible from Bethlehem.

Israel (Palestine): Oh Little Town of Bethlehem - Banksy's Wall

Last time around, I talked a little about the whole Israel-Palestine situation that casts its shadow over poor little Bethlehem, not to mention all the other Palestinian towns out there. I hear Hebron in particular is interesting.

Other than the obvious religious connections in Bethlehem, there is a new attraction that everyone seems eager to cash in on: Banksy tours. For those not in the know, Banksy is a British graffiti artist whose art almost always has some sort of message, politically-charged or otherwise. In two trips in 2005 and 2007, he and his crew put up 12 images on the wall and about town in his form of support for the Palestinian cause. (view video here) He's done plenty of work not only in the UK and Palestine, but also New Orleans, San Francisco, Melbourne and other locations.

We saw this Japanese tag in addition to tags in Korean, Spanish and many other languages

Since the wall went up in 2002, there have been plenty of artists from all over the world as well as right around the corner who tag their messages here in protest of the wall's mere existence. The Israeli government hates the art and destroys it at every opportunity, but they know very well that every bit covered up will just be tagged again by someone else in no time—there's nary a place left bare on the entire wall at this point. Banksy wasn't the first to etch something here and definitely wasn't the last, but he is probably the most famous, lending legitimacy and a spotlight to the cause.

This leads us to what has become one of the most common Bethlehem attraction in recent years, the tour. Just about any taxi driver in town will gladly drive you around town in search of the remaining Banksy images in town. A good tour should also include a tour of the local refugee camp, another interesting site that requires explanation to really appreciate.

If pressed for time, you can make your contribution to the local economy by either taking a taxi driver up on their offers for an unofficial tour or soliciting one of several companies who is taking this up as their business. The official tours will probably run about 50 USD/person; if you take an unofficial tour, be sure that both you and the driver are clear on exactly what is included. If you have the time or are just too cheap to pay someone, walking or biking would be another option. As we found out, taking time to talk to local shop owners can be just as if not more informative than a tour guide.

Some locals have also opened a store now close to the checkpoint called Banksy's shop that sells copies of the Banksy originals in several forms along with other choice art pieces and some kitschy souvenirs. We stopped in and bought some postcards while chatting with the owner, who definitely had a bunch to say about the state of things (note: so does just about Palestinian you find that can speak English well).

As for the original Banksy pieces, we saw three of the five that currently remain, all within easily walkable distance from the center of town. I knew where another was, but it wasn't as accessible without a driver.

Here are the locations of the pieces that I know:

• Girl with balloons: right in front of the Banksy Shop. I think this is actually a copy of the original though.

• Girl frisking a soldier: opposite the Intercontinental Hotel, which is only a block or two straight down the street from the end of the wall.

• Armored dove: right outside the Palestinian Heritage Center. I hear the center itself is not a bad way to spend some time if have some to spare. 

• Flower thrower (not pictured): it's supposed to be in Beit Sahour on the way to the Shepherd's Fields.

The art here at the wall is constantly changing as artists write over one another, but I enjoyed just taking my time to view the whole thing. Banksy wasn't the only one with something to say, and some of the work here is excellent. A simple walk up to the wall is rather awe-inspiring if you're not the tour type.

Here's some more non-Banksy pieces we saw:

Palestine: Another Brick in the Wall

It's been a while!

We're now well along with our trip, currently in Sao Paulo, Brazil, and I have quite a bit of catching up to do. Mostly in an attempt to keep myself from getting bored writing only about stuff from fully three months past at this point, I'll be doing a bunch of hopping around. Variety is the spice of life and all that.

What better place to start than Bethlehem? We spent a couple days here back in mid-November—my how time flies. Anyway, it was quite the eye opener into the daily goings of a society effectively silenced by the media and their ruling counterparts in Israel. Travelling the world really is the best education there is for some things. You're not likely to meet a Palestinian abroad with all the restrictions they face, so really the best way to learn about the situation is to just go there.

First, some background for those not aware as this stuff doesn't exactly make the mainstream news, especially in the US. It really is an incredibly complex situation when you break it down.

Let's start off simple. Israel is actually two states, Israel and Palestine, neither of which recognize each other. The Palestinian territories have been slowly whittled down through the years through the expansion of Israeli settlements and various other events.

Israel and Palestinian territories through the years

Palestine IDs and Travel Documents

Israelis aren't normally allowed into the Palestinian areas and vice versa. Doing so requires either a special ID or special permission. We got a breakdown of what this means to Palestinians from our hosts at the guesthouse we stayed at and shop owners around town.

First, Palestinians will have one of two types of IDs: Jerusalem ID or Palestine ID. Those with Jerusalem IDs are allowed free passage between borders at any time, but they are only permitted to sleep in Palestine one night a week. Jerusalem IDs also get spiffy yellow license plates for their cars so the guards at the checkpoints can distinguish from the white Palestinian plates and whisk them through.

Those with Palestine IDs are only permitted entry into Israel with special permission, and even then they have to be back by sundown or face strict questioning and general harassment. This special permission is apparently not so easy to come by; there are no work permits, so this severely limits work opportunities, in addition to limiting access to proper medical care and other things.



Now here's where it really gets complex: what happens when a Jerusalem ID and Palestine ID get married? The family at the guesthouse was in just such a situation. The wife, a Jerusalem ID, comes into Bethlehem everyday but returns to a house on the Israeli side on all but one night a week with her daughter, also a Jerusalem ID. The husband has to stay in Palestine for the duration, although he was never home due to work.

The children born into this arrangement get divided: half get Jerusalem IDs, half get Palestine IDs. They had four children, with the youngest daughter still in high school. The daughter has a Jerusalem ID, so she has to return with her mother everyday to Jerusalem where she goes to school.

While many Palestinians simply don't have the means, those that do want to travel are presented with another headache: passports. The Palestinian Authority does issue passports, but they require pre-arranged visas for all countries but Jordan. Most Palestinians that travel thus have Jordanian passports for travelling, although they aren't issued national ID numbers. Some countries thus have restrictions on Jordanian passports without national ID numbers, effectively meaning Palestinians.

The Wall: Apartheid Alive and Well

Eight meters of love

Between Jerusalem and Bethlehem, we found an 8m-high separation wall (the Berlin Wall was only four meters, for reference), which spanned 486 of a planned 760 kilometers in 2009. This wall was built in 2002 in response to the Second Intifada, which if you're anything like me probably got lost in your memory banks amidst the myriad of endless conflicts in this area. The particular incident that lead to the wall concluded in a standoff with Palestinians in the Church of Nativity in which eight were killed and 40 wounded, some of them civilians and priests. The Hague ruled the wall illegal in 2004, and yet here it stands.

Besides simply casting a dark shadow of general malaise and bad mojo, this wall affects every Palestinian within its confines in a number of ways. First, it was all built in Palestinian territory, closing off Palestinians from 16,000 acres of land that was formerly theirs in the Bethlehem district alone. This separated villagers from their orchards, fields, water supplies, and even stores in some cases. We heard a story of one family who had a store right next to their house: their store is now on the Israeli side while their home still sits in Palestine, effectively killing their livelihood.

Given how voiceless they are on in world forum, Palestinians are very eager to let the outside world in on their plights. In Bethlehem just outside the Church of the Nativity, there's plenty of information on their side of the whole Israel-Palestine situation awaiting the curious at the tourist information center. There are two sides to every story, but most of the time we hear only the Israeli side.

Visiting Bethlehem

Considering all the difficulties Palestinians are subjected to, the hassles you'll experience visiting Palestine are trivial. First, if you plan on visiting Palestine on your trip to Israel, do not say anything about it at the border. Best to save yourself that headache—it'll just mean more questions.

For self-guided tours, only Arab buses are permitted to travel from Israel to Palestine—in our case, Jerusalem to Bethlehem—but even these are limited to daytime hours. No buses will run directly into town after about 6 PM, instead dropping you on the Israeli side of the checkpoint. You'll have to cross the border yourself and find your own transport on the other side. Taxis are lined up just waiting to overcharge you. The bus from Jerusalem to Bethlehem only takes about 30 minutes, so it's best to just leave in time to avoid this situation.

Safety was a non-issue compared to other places we've been, but I'd take care walking around aimlessly at night. Most Palestinians are very welcoming to visitors though and will gladly guide you around. We stayed a good 10-15 minutes walk from the main area centered on the Church of the Nativity, but there are plenty of places to stay closer in.

Given its proximity, there are also day tours visiting from Jerusalem. We didn't take this option, but I'm sure if you ask any hotel in Jerusalem they'll tell you all about it. We ran across at least one guy who rented a bicycle in Jerusalem for a self tour. He seemed to be getting around well enough.

Compared to Israel, you'll experience a noted degradation in quality standards of life as soon as you cross the checkpoint. There's less sanitation, poor access to hospitals, and less upkeep in general. It's like a third world Arab country in the middle of a first world Israel. You also may have trouble finding a bank that'll let you withdraw shekels, so bring enough with you if possible. Some ATMs there even tried to issue us Jordanian Dinars! I'm guessing this means that JD are accepted in Palestine, but I haven't tested that theory.

More on what there is to see in Bethlehem in our next episode.

Happy Holidays from E-Shoe!

How are you spending your holidays this year? For us, it's been quite the eventful year.

Over the last almost five months, we've already passed through 10 countries, most of which were totally new to us. While it's mostly been a pleasure, we've also had our share of obstacles, setbacks and lessons in travel. It may be surprising to hear, but traveling can be tiring, especially if you're working along the way.

Thus, we are currently taking a little vacation from the vacation, so to speak--after migrating south of the equator to evade the winter for the year, we're taking four days on the sunny beaches of Zanzibar to bask under the unrelenting African sun and recharge.

Quite a nontraditional Christmas for us! Here, instead of the Christmas trees and wreaths in the West, or the "illuminations" of Tokyo, they hang arches made of palm leaves with tropical flowers. In place of snow, we have white sands. The closest we've come to Santa red is the unhealthy pink glow coming from my sunburn.

We'll hopefully be back in no time to posting more of the small mountain of travel accounts and stories we've accumulated to this point, but in the meantime we'd just like to wish all our friends, family and readers a happy holiday season, wherever you're spending it.

Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year's!

Turkey: Blue Cruising on the Turkish Riviera

Turkish gulet on the Mediterranean

While Pammukale was fabulous and Fethiye was no slouch itself, one of, if not the highlight of Turkey for both of us was our four-day cruise through the Mediterranean. They sure don’t call it the Blue Cruise for nothing!

Turkey really does have a little bit of everything: friendly people, fine cuisine, a storied history, and beautiful natural features.

When we first put Turkey on our list of destinations, my expectations were to see a bunch of mosques and gorge myself on doner kebabs in Istanbul, then maybe check out some Biblical ruins spotted across vast swathes of dry land. Japanese input from Akemi added Pamukkale and Cappadocia to the list—two fine destinations in their own right, to be sure. While I was aware of Turkey’s position sandwiched between the Black Sea and Mediterranean, neither of us really had any expectations for the Turkish coastline. What a huge oversight that was!

Çalış Beach in Fethiye

The truth is, Turkey has over 8,333 kilometers of coastline in total and is a perennial beach destination for Europeans. While things certainly get warm enough to swim along the Black Sea coastline to the north, the real draw is down south.

Turkey has the Aegean Sea to the west between it and Greece and the Mediterranean to the south. Just south of Selcuk in Kuşadası is where things really start to get interesting—the area from Bodrum to Alanya draws enough European visitors to earn it the title “Turkish Riviera.” This section was the focus of our Blue Cruise: Fethiye to Demre, with stops at St. Nicholas Island, Firnaz Bay (near Kalkan), Kaş, and Kekova, to name a few.

Sunset on St. Nicholas Island

A modest crew accompanied us along with 18 other travelers of all ages and creeds on our gulet, the traditional mode of ocean transport in these parts. We were originally a little concerned about things being too crowded and getting along with everyone, but this soon proved to be no concern at all. The crew was wonderful, and everyone got along swimmingly... quite literally, in fact. There was plenty of space for everyone and then some, and they provided us with enough snorkeling equipment to get by.

While our quarters below were a little tighter than we’re accustomed—and this coming from someone who’s lived in some rather tiny Japanese apartments—they snugly provided all the necessities: a bed, just enough room for our two bags, and a fully equipped bathroom with shower.

Most of our time on the boat, however, was spent up on the deck. The hammocks were perfect for reading or just taking in the sea breezes while the boat took us from place to place.

There were also a bunch of day beds on deck which were a great alternative to the cozy rooms below, especially during the hotter summer months from what I hear. We were fine in October with a blanket or two. Imagine if you will dozing off while gazing at the stars, then waking to see the sunrise over the horizon.

Sunrise on the deck

Another highlight of the trip was the meals—the entire trip is fully catered with three meals of delightful Mediterranean cuisine a day. Being Turkey, there is of course a tea break in the mid afternoon for a light snack as well.

We spent plenty of time between meals working up an appetite hiking through the Butterfly Valley and around St. Nicholas Island, swimming and snorkeling through clear blue waters and exploring small fishing villages along the coast.

Kaş from above

Akemi takes the plunge

Ready to sign up? While our cruise left from Fethiye, other options sail from Bodrum, Marmaris, Kemer and Demre, the terminus of our voyage. The company we used has 2-day, 4-day and 8-day packages with various destinations and itineraries, so check their homepage and see what works for you!

Cruise info

V-GO Yachting and Travel: http://www.bluecruisesturkey.com/

Season: March to November (weather permitting)
Fethiye-Olympos cruise:

• Starts from: Fethiye
• Finishes at: Olympos
• Duration: 4 Days/3 Nights
• Places you will visit: Fethiye, Oludeniz(The Blue Lagoon), St.Nicholas Island, Kalkan, Kas, Kekova, Gokkaya Bay, Andriace, Myra, Demre, St.Nicholas Church, Olympos
• Official prices:  €165-209/person

Last but not least, did I mention how great the people were? I will not soon forget the great times we spent with crazy Brazilians (and one Brit) on this boat. Also, goats now hold a special place in my heart. Vai Brasil!

Turkey: Saklikent Gorgeous!

When we originally arrived in Fethiye after a lovely visit to Pamukkale, we had but one thing on our minds: the Mediterranean. This was our first sea or ocean on this trip, and we were there to take the Blue Cruise. Everything else was just gravy.

After purchasing our cruise tickets, we had four days to see what was going on in and around Fethiye itself. Luckily for us, there’s quite a bit. Probably our favorite destination in the area was a place called Saklikent.

Saklikent Gorge

Saklikent, which means "hidden city," is home to a quite sizable gorge. Even the widest of lenses won't capture the dwarfing height of the cliffs or the roaring of the currents coursing below. The scale of things really puts you in your place.

The gorge is 18 kilometers long, four of which are traversable by foot. This is no walk in the park though.

It’s starts off easily enough—upon paying the 5 TL entry, you go through turnstiles and enter the gorge along a raised walkway for the first 100 meters or so with the cool stream bubbling below. That’s the extent of the man-made paths though; from here, you just have to wade into the water. The majority of the time it only covers your feet, but it does get waist-high in sections.

At the end of the path is a small opening where you will no doubt be approached by a guide. They’ll tell you that it’s dangerous to go ahead alone and offer to chaperon, but we did just fine alone. To be fair, the water does get deep in some areas, especially after rain, and currents can be dangerous. They close the gorge to visitors during the rainy winter months for this reason. 

When we were there though, they had one person posted just the other side of the first deeper section. I heard that there were more such guides strategically placed throughout the gorge, but we didn't see any. This might only be true in the months with more foot traffic. In any case, the able-bodied should be able to wing it, but guides are available for those not too sure of themselves. If you’re not comfortable climbing up wet rocks in what amounts to a shallow river, better safe than sorry.

Knee deep in giddy awesomeness

Walking through the gorge is sheer joy. Remember when you were a kid and went to go play in the creek in those woods at the edge of the neighborhood? It’s just like that, except this time the creek is deeper and flanked by 300-meter high sheer cliffs. And the water is a milky shade of blue thanks to sand deposits reminiscent of the travertine in Pamukkale. On second thought, maybe it isn’t so much like that creek back home.

Not your run-of-the-mill creek

The water is also quite chilly—thanks to the towering natural walls of the gorge, sunlight rarely reaches the waters, if ever. I’m sure it’s quite a delightful break from the heat of summer months, but it can take a little getting used to when we went, at the end of the season in October. It was by no means unbearable though, even at this time of year.

Here's some info to assist on your visit.

Saklikent Details

Entrance fee: 5 TL/person
Season: Roughly April to September, depending on weather and water levels. We went in early October and were fine. Going late in the season will be much less crowded, we hear.
How to get there: Saklikent is about an hour by dolmuş from Fethiye for 8 TL/person. Be sure to confirm the schedule for the bus back if going by dolmuş—it was 6 pm when we visited. Renting a car will be more comfortable if you have the budget, but at 50 km, it's a bit far for scooters. Other than Fethiye, it can also be accessed from nearby Antalya, Kaş, or Kalkan.





Precautions: You will get wet here, and the rocks are slippery. Wear a swimsuit, or at least pants that can get wet. Water shoes or some form of shoe with good grip that you don’t mind getting wet are recommended—absolutely DO NOT wear flip-flops! Rental shoes available if needed.

Also, be mindful of any electronics you bring. Even if you don’t slip, anything in your pants pockets will get wet. There was also a waterfall that we saw, maybe 1.5 kilometers or so into the hike, that you would have to pass under in order to go any further. We turned back here as we didn’t want to risk ruining the camera, but you might be able to get further with a waterproof backpack.

River Restaurants

Saklikent has the perfect remedy for the hungry stomachs of adventurers fresh back from their river treks. The riverside restaurants here aren’t just beside the river, they have tables sitting on top of the river flowing out of the gorge.

You know you want to sip some fresh-squeezed pom juice here

For those more interested in the food than the views, they have you covered, too. Those able to stave off hunger for another 200 meters or so can head past these restaurants to the right upon exiting the gorge to another set of restaurants. These serve up generous portions with all-you-can-eat salad bars for a low 10 TL.

Eat here for 10 TL!!

And there you have it. If you make it down to the Turkish Riviera, don't forget to make time for Saklikent!

Turkey: The Cotton Castles of Pamukkale

Have I mentioned yet how much we loved Turkey? Because it really is quite a wonderful place. One of Turkey’s more well known attractions is Pamukkale. As the saying goes, a picture is worth a thousand words. This is definitely one of those moments.

See what I mean? Stuff like this really does put the “wonder” in natural wonders. How exactly does a place like this come to be? The name Pamukkale itself means "cotton castle" in Turkish, but that doesn't really explain it. Long story short, the travertine pools of Pamukkale are the result of calcium carbonate minerals. The minerals are deposited by the flow of water surfacing through a series of natural hot springs.



You can see this carbonate in the form of soft silt that packs almost like white mud at the bottom of the terraced pools all the way up the slope. It feels strange squishing between your toes, but many seem to think it’s good for the skin. The minerals also give the water a mystical light blue tinge during daylight hours.

The water in the travertine pools is lukewarm at best, getting progressively hotter the higher up the hill you get. While admission permits you to dive in if you want, I’d say the pools accessible along the path climbing up the hill are more aptly described as deep foot baths suitable for wading. Whatever you decide, dress accordingly; also keep in mind that you will be asked to walk barefoot through the entire area to preserve the surfaces.

The Ancient Pool 

At the hill’s crest is a separate resort called the Ancient Pool, reminding us that this area has been a tourist attraction since Roman times. Made famous as Cleopatra’s bath, this pool supposedly gives you a true opportunity to bathe in between Roman columns and ruins which fell into the pool during an earthquake in the 7th century.

I say supposedly because with our meager budget, we were too cheap to pony up the additional 30 TL it costs to gain entry. We learned afterward that if you ask, you can view the pools for free as long as you don't get in. This is secondhand information though, so I haven't confirmed it directly.

Heiropolis 

It doesn’t stop here though—Cleopatra’s bath is merely the beginning of the ruins of the ancient Roman city of Heiropolis. Perched above the natural pools, Heiropolis served as a popular spa in Roman days. Unlike the baths, they don’t charge extra here, so view to your heart’s content. It’s nice, but nowhere near as impressive as Ephesus or Aprodisias.

Entry to Pamukkale and Heiropolis will set you back 20 TL. The optional Ancient Pool will run an additional 30 TL. At least one couple that did pay told us they enjoyed themselves, so you judge for yourselves whether the additional expense is worth it.

Whether you decide to take a dip in the pool or not, Pamukkale is a travertine wonderland for photogs, especially around sunset. The raw beauty of the place is stunning, and this goes double once the sun gets lower in the sky. While buses do make it more than possible to visit Pamukkale as a daytrip from either Selcuk, Fethiye or other regional cities, we recommend staying for the sunset and staying the night. The grounds don’t close at night, so stick around as late as you want.

Pamukkale at sunset

Dissenting opinions—is it worth it? 

Talking with others that visited Pamukkale, opinions were worryingly divided. I think this has to do with expectations. Some were disappointed that many of the pools were now dry, which is unfortunately true. I believe this damage is a result of hotels that were built over Heiropolis in the mid-20th century. The hotels and roads up to the top were removed when Pamukkale was declared a World Heritage Site. Still others were probably expecting to go for a swim, then faced with a steep 30 TL price tag on top of the normal admission and decided against it.

If you appreciate natural beauty and are just going for the view, however, you will most definitely enjoy yourself, especially if you’re camera-happy. While it’s a shame that the far section of pools is totally drained, the near side pools are the epitome of natural beauty and more than worth the price of admission.

Pamukkale is on the short list of most every traveler going to Turkey, and with good reason. Don’t leave it out of yours!

Good Restaurant: Lamuko’s Lokanta 

First, there are plenty of budget meal options in town for those on a budget. We chose to splurge a bit for dinner though and were glad we did! For the first time in our then three months on the road, we opted for a little taste from our home, Japan.

While there are plenty of imitators in town, Lamuko’s Lokanta offers authentic Japanese food made by its Japanese owner with ingredients imported from the homeland. If you’re hankering for some good, home-cooked Japanese food, this is the place for you. And if all you really know of Japanese food is sushi and Benihana's, this is a great place to broaden your horizons. If you're not sure what to order, you can't go wrong with the oyako donburi (chicken and egg, mixed over rice).

Daytrip Option: Aphrodisias 

For those of you that want to see Ephesus but don't like the crowds, Aphrodisias may just be the option you're looking for. We researched it and in the end decided it wasn't for us, but a few friends that did go spoke very highly of it. The ruins are well preserved and a bit cheaper than its more famous counterpart in Ephesus, but it's a bit out of the way and thus often overlooked. This means more open views over largely uncrowded ruins for those that do choose to put in the effort to get there.

Temples, mosques, churches, castles, ruins—in any of these cases, we've found that you can only see so many before you start getting burnt out. For this reason, unless you're a big history buff, limiting yourself to just Ephesus or just Aphrodisias might be enough for you if done properly.

While accessible by dolmuş via Denizli, renting a car or even guide might be an option worth looking into for those interested in visiting Aphrodisias.

One last Pamukkale picture for the road!