(Pictured: Shop storefront; The Spice Bazar; Lanterns at the Grand Bazar; Turkish Delight Candy)
Jayne teases that I am stealing all of the attention, as "boyfriend #104" continues to flirt with me. Today, the cook, the guy at Turkish night, and the tour guide have each privately mentioned to me that they like me. İt seems that, in Turkey, İ am quite popular. İ am never ignored when walking down the street. İ get lots of looks--some observing, some curious, some flirtatious, but never unkind. Everyone wants to know where İ am from. They guess Japan, sometimes China, and the good ones guess Korea (They usually ask a second time when I tell them I'm from America). Just as the white people in Korea were often stopped at random and asked to be in a photo with strangers, now I'm the freak (say cheese!). I have been in a number of photographs with unknown Turkish friends and families. They love the way my eyes disappear when I smile. Turkish men and women who pass me in a shop, the bathhouse--anywhere really--lovingly smile at me and pinch my cheeks! The Turks sure love me, yes they do! And, İ would be lying if I said I didn't love them back.
İ`d like to attribute these positive interactions to my cheerful disposition and friendly manner, but İ think the reason stems farther than that. The Turkish people are extremely friendly, but I have a one up because of my face. İ have been told numerous times that Korea and Turkey are friends. İnterestingly, a lot of men in the tourism industry in Turkey (and İ say men because I`ve rarely noticed women working in the restaurants, shops, etc.) know the same or more Korean words than İ do! I`m often greeted "Annyeonghaseyo!" by Turks and given a big smile when İ reply İ`m from South Korea. Looking at history, Turkey sent a number of troops to fight in the Korean War, which initiated a strong a partnership. This feeling of brotherhood was strengthened when Korea hosted the 2002 World Cup. During the final match, Korea vs. Turkey, players from both sides of the field waved both flags. There seems to be a special relationship between Turkey and Korea, and I happen to recieve the benefit. Click here to read more: http://times.hankooki.com/lpage/nation/
200606/kt2006061420175053000.htm
(Pictured: Carpet weaving; Learning the double knot technique; Dogs in Cappadocia; Preying Mantis` dinner; Raphael; Pebbles at Olympus Beach)
Our travel itinerary wasn`t fully sorted when we arrived, as Jayne and I had booked this excursion only days before, but we quickly made plans; one week sitting on the beach, one week traveling around. İn reality, our 14 days panned out: four beach days, four rainy days, two days in Capadoccia and two days in Istanbul, and two days traveling. (Pictured: intricate pottery design)
My traveling partner Jayne and İ were quite a pair. She is a tall blonde measuring in at 6 foot one, and I am just barely five feet. We laughed as we were constantly greeted as a German and a Jap, "Guten tag!" "Konichiwa!" We had a lot of fun, though we didn`t always see eye to eye, both in stature and ideas. We stood on opposite ends of the table on many topics--which was interesting for discussion, bad for our nerves--both of us learning to agree to disagree many a time. (Pictured: sunburned bottoms)
(Pictured: Shopping at the Grand Bazar)
We had a unique experience in Turkey, as our visit fell during Ramadan (Ramazan), which is a special time (thirty days) for Muslims devoted to fasting, praying, and helping the poor. Jayne disliked being woken up every morning at 5am to the wailing "Come and pray!" call coming from the mosques. But, İ almost enjoyed the soundtrack as a piece of culture (of course İ slept through the 5am call but heard it four other times throughout the day). I learned a bit about the Muslim religion, visited some mosques, and got to observe a few special rituals during my visit. 
(Pictured: Women only section for prayer, A Mosque in Mangavat, The Blue Mosque in İstanbul)
During Eid ul-Fitr (Şeker Bayramı), the sweets holiday and the three day celebration at the end of Ramadan (Ramazan), I met a kind and genuine Turkish family. They lived in a tiny stone house near an former monastery in Cappadocia. A woman wearing a headscarf stood outside her hut, and stated, "Japan?" as I walked by. She smiled and nodded when İ told her İ was from Korea. We stood there for a moment, realizing we probably could not talk to each other any more than that, but I stepped forward hoping we could continue. The woman waved for me to follow her inside her stone house, where İ met her mother and her two girls. I grasped the woman`s palm, kissed the back of her hand, and then pressed it against my forehead; a ritual that young people do to older people during Ramadan as a sign of respect. In return, she offered me a sweet (ie. the Sweets Holiday) and squirted some lemon Pine-Sol scented oil in my hands for cleansing. İt was really special to participate in this cultural ritual.
We also got to spend Eid ul-Fitr (Şeker Bayramı) among other Turkish families at the touristy Turkish night. We saw all kinds of traditional Turkish dancing, belly dancing, and even whirling Dervishes (a twirling dance performed to obtain relgious ecstasy)! We even practiced whirling a bit ourselves later that night...
Naturally, along with every celebration comes food. İ sure do love a bit of Turkish Delight! "Skyrockets in flight, afternoon delight!" Actually, İ Jayne is the real lover of Turkish Delight candy, and İ really enjoy a hot cup of apple tea. Jayne and İ tasted a variety of kebabs during our stay: the iskender kebab, sis kebab, donor kebab, and, our favorite, the testi kebab ("the crack pot")...Serefe (cheers)!
We also ate loads and loads of Turkish bread--did İ hear there`s a national statistic about Turks being a top eater of bread??? According to the bible--İ mean Lonley Planet--"Turks eat four times as much bread as any other nationality." The pomegranate orange juice mix was also very tasty.
WEEK ONE: SIDE (SEE-DAY)
Our first week of holiday was designated for sunshine and relaxing on the Mediterranean Coast, thanks to the cheap 94£ (about $160, airfare and accommodation included) package deal. We, along with a busload of mostly unfit English tourists and families, enjoyed the Mediterranean off-season as best as we could. Four days of unusually horrendous downpours spoiled the fun at times and our moods were understandably variable like the weather. İ threatened to forever call Side "Sucky Side" before the sun came out again. The lightening storms did provide understanding as to why this area produced so many stories about Greek and Roman gods. 
(Pictured: Temple of Apollo)
In Side, we had one sunny day and burned our butts bright red! We then pampered our asses with a Turkish bath (hanam) later that evening. After soaking in two saunas, İ was scrubbed down with a scrubbing glove (similar to the Korean method), washed with warm bubble water (again, again!), and then given an relaxing oil massage.
İt was nice to be in once place for a week. We became familiar with a few restaurants and got to know some of the locals. Özcan and his pet turtles Donatello and Leonardo had us back at Harmonie for seconds and thirds. Actually, it was Ozzy`s Turkish dancing and singing that we came back for ;)
We also rented a car and explored around Olympus and Chimera. First of all, let me tell you, there`s nothing like a game of "Get the hell out of my way" of to get your heart pumping. Just as we had been warned in the guidebook, the Turks overtook anytime, anwhere. Cars passed me at high speeds, on blind curves, in the dark, in the rain, AND at high speeds on blind curves in the dark and in the rain! They overtook on hard shoulders. They pulled out at a moments notice. They rode rear ends at speeds seen in the Fast and the Furious. Hallelujah we were home at last!
Olympos and Chimera were memorable, too. We wonder if this is the site where the Olympics were started. Chimera, the eternal flame, was probably the coolest sight seen on this trip. We watched the mysterious flames shoot straight out of the ground, thanks to the mystical forces called spontaneous combustion. This is supposedly where they got the idea to carry a torch for the Olympics.
(Pictured: Flames from Chimera; Flames from Chimera; Ouch, my poor feet walking on Olympos beach; The view from the top of the ruins;)
(Mosaics found in the ruins at Olympos)
WEEK TWO: CAPPADOCIA AND İSTANBUL
Week two was off to a late start, being that the 5am tour bus to Cappadocia forgot to pick us up two days in a row! By the second day, we gave up on our 3 day tour and decided to do Cappadocia ourselves, taking an overnight public bus instead. At 5am on day three, we two oddballs were dropped off on the side of the road, alone but with a bus station in sight. We sent positive energy to the Turkish woman whom helped us book that ticket--Since the real bus was fully booked, a new Turkish friend organized another bus to make a special stop for Jayne and İ. At that hour in the morning, there wasn`t much we could do, especially running on such little amounts of that thing called sleep. We were hurting! A second wind, and İ had convinced bus some bus station employee to open the travel agency office. İ begain organizing accomodation and a day tour for Jayne and me, making myself at home, by helping myself to the computer and phone. We laughed when the real agent walked in and found me in his desk! İ cheekily smiled and asked if he`d like me to book him a tour...
Cappadocia was so cool. The picturesque views were stunning and unlike anything İ`ve ever seen before. This area is a special place for Christians, as early Christians moved here to hide and practice their faith. They carved houses out of the volcanic rock and lived in fairy chimneys! They also dug out underground cities; the one we visited was over eight floors deep! İ loved Cappadocia because of the scenery (especially from up above in the hot air balloon!) and because we got to sleep in a cave...As you can imagine, İ took lots of pictures.
(Can you see the animals?)
And then, we arrived in Istanbul. "İs it İstanbul of Constaniople?" lyrics sang in my head as İ reveled at the fact that İ was in the only city in the world built on two continents! I rode the ferry North on the Bosphorous Strait, and looked to Europe on my left and Asia on my right. I`d been to both Europe and Asia, but never at the same time! İ have been traveling in Anatolia, the Asian part, this whole trip. Interestingly, only 3% of Turkey lies on European grounds. Isn`t it funny that Turkey could fight for accession into the EU with only 3% of it in Europe! But, that is a whole other topic. I spoke to a few people about the issue, and it seems that there are mixed feelings about joining the EU, just as there are mixed arguments for the whole of Turkey. Some parts are extremely modern while other areas are not.
Istanbul was another big city, full of cool looking mosques with minarets at every hill top. I crossed the bridge for which the cardgame Bridge was named after, and watched the men fish in the Golden Horn, and women wearing beautiful headscarves passed by. Jayne and I haggled like crazy at the Grand Bazar, saw the Blue Mosque and famous Aya Sofia, and visited the Black Sea. Perhaps a turquoise pashmina and belly dancing costume and were the perfect souvenirs.
Though my trip through Turkey was a long one for this trip-- staying for two weeks in one country was longer than any other country on this trip--it was a short visit in the big picture. İ have barely scratched the surface of the vastly interesting, fascinating country called Turkey. The moment İ arrived, I knew my time here would feel short, and it did. Oh, Turkey, how İ hope to come back!
