Istanbul to Ayvalik

We packed up our whole flat into our snail-bags yesterday, dropped off our suitcase at a friend's place and set off for Yenikapi to take a ferry to Bandirma. Sadly our spur-of-the-moment "plans" didn't quite work out as the 12:30 ferry was full. Instead of opting for the 8 hour bus to Ayvalik we decided to wait for the 6:30 ferry and catch a movie while we waited. Given my penchant for big-budget action films and the fact that "Salt" was out with Turkish subtitles, this worked out perfectly.

The ferry to Bandirma took about 2 hours. Sadly, we didn't take any pictures as our energy was focused on getting non-sleazy accommodation for the night. We did walk around a bit later on after getting a pile of fasulye (beans) and pilav (rice). Surprisingly, Bandirma's center is quite well planned, with a large square and Ataturk statue (of course!) and a lit up bridge linking two parts of the harbour that provided a pretty cool vantage point for the sea as well as the city. There's not much to see in the city, but that's exactly what was nice about being there. That it was just a normal place.

After an uneventful night we took the bus to Ayvalik, sleeping most of the 4 hours. The countryside looked more and more arid, but absolutely gorgeous - stretches of nothing but olive groves on one side, a smattering of buildings and the sea on the other.

As always, we managed to find a delightful guesthouse in the center of old Ayvalik, surrounded by crumbling Ottoman era houses. We finally found what was eluding us in Istanbul - the opportunity to swim. It was awful to be surrounded by water and yet not be able to take a dip in the scorching weather. The beaches of Sarimsakli are only a 15 minute (gorgeous) bus ride away from Ayvalik.

So far, so good. There aren't even any bugs here. Tomorrow we head to Alibey/Cunda Island, where there are apparently fishing cats. We will report on this soon.

Eyup and Santralistanbul

If I had more time in Istanbul, I'd repeatedly visit SantralIstanbul museum and the Energy Museum on the campus of Istanbul Bilgi University in Eyup. The Energy Museum is basically a disused power plant (and I do love derelict factories) and the parking lot has breathtaking views of surrounding Eyup and the Golden Horn. We were able to catch the tail end of one of the free jazz performances from the Istanbul Jazz Festival, while P's frisbee team played nearby. Eyup is one of the more interesting areas in Istanbul, packed with colourful hillside houses, a beautiful cemetery, one of Istanbul's 2 cable car transport systems, and a bizarre carnival park. You can take the ferry from Uskudar or get there by bus/Bilgi's free shuttles from Taksim.

Eat: Tamirane, a converted warehouse, has delicious (though pricey) cocktails and a well thought out menu. Has the added bonus of live music.

Galata and Around

The area behind the Galata Kulesi is one of my favourite parts of Istanbul. Right next to the tower there are, of course, a fair amount of souvenir/trinket shops and tourist restaurants, one of which is the excellent Kiva Han, which serves specialties from the South East like tomato sweets and walnut fig compote. Getting away from the souvenir tack is easy enough, though. The newly-installed but ancient-seeming cobbled street leading away from Galata to the famous Dogan apartments has been transforming quite quickly, and is now home to a photography school and various independent Turkish designers. The buildings are old and gorgeous, and aside from all the well dressed and in-the-know Istanbullu, you're definitely aware that something creative and amazing is happening in this place. The end of the street is full of ceramic studios and antique shops. Though I'm not a huge fan of jewelry, Aida Pekin's workshop on the corner of Serdar Ekrem Cikmaz has the most whimsical collection inspired by Istanbul. There are little necklaces moulded into ships, stray cats, and the Istanbul skyline. Next doors ceramic showpieces are designed in house - we were lucky enough to get a peek at the process. The neighborhood behind Galata on the hillside that leads down to Tophane is a buzzing residential area with a few grocery stores and kiraathanes, coffee/tea houses traditionally frequented only by men with Turk kasis (Turkish bellies!). We found some delicious bal kaymak here - a type of creamy yoghurt with honey. Yum! Apparently there is a really old and famous kaymakci in Besiktas, but unfortunately we haven't managed to find him yet.

Sultanahmet and Pazarlik

Most tourists in Istanbul don't venture much further than Sultanahmet, which is a shame because all of Istanbul is breathtaking, and Sultanahmet is hardly representative of Turkey . In the two months I've been in this beautiful city I've only made it out there twice, once for train tickets to Europe at Sirkeci and once to show P's family around. We went to the Blue Mosque and the Yeni Camii (the New Mosque in Eminonu, which isn't new at all) and waited while the fam visited the Hagia Sofia since we didn't want to drop 20TL again.


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Then we went to Misir Carsisi (The Egyptian Market or Spice Market) to check out the smells and the leeches - there are a few shops outside Misir Carsisi advertising them as the cure for all ills.



After a short apple tea break we went to Kapali Carsi (the Grand Bazaar and the world's largest covered mall) to bargain for tea cups and other exciting goods.

Sticky Istanbul

After winding our way through Thailand, Laos and Vietnam, we are finally in Istanbul, where my Turkish skillz are improving daily thanks to intensive lessons.

Thailand was a modern miracle, Vietnam a heaven of motorcycles and amazing fresh street food - we ate like two greedy fools on about $5 a day, pho, bun bo hue, banh mi... oh my, Laos basically the best place I have ever been to - tranquil, lush green, and full of spicy and delicious food. The Lao principle of never wasting anything is wonderful. Nothing goes to waste (not even spiders and bugs). We skipped Cambodia in favour of an amazing island paradise in Vietnam (which I shall never name, The Beach style, because it is just that amazing).

Istanbul, by contrast, appears to be sprouting Alisveris Merkezi's (Shopping malls) like wild mushrooms. Nevertheless, the city is still charming, and you will never want for a beautiful view. It's a pretty livable city, and we're enjoying it immensely. P gets mistaken for a Turk frequently (as do I) and I'm pretty sure people also think I'm Roma. I don't think I've been in a friendlier place in my life. Turkish hospitality is excessive and wonderful! The only downside is that it is insanely humid here, which means every day is a bad hair day. That being said, the produce is unbelievable, which makes up for everything else. All in all, Turkey: all the benefits of Muslim countries, none of the defects.


Next up - Izmir and Cesme in the south on the Aegean Coast, followed by a couple of Greek Islands until we head to Cairo in September - during the last week of Ramadan!