Final Thoughts: Turkey

Now that we have invaded Europe and are spending less amount of time in each country, our Final Thoughts posts aren’t going to be anything great. (Hey, we never like what we write for these posts anyways…so it all works out.) In Asia and Oceania, we spent almost a month in most countries we visited and thus got a better feel for each place.  We only spent eleven nights in Turkey, but herewith are our oh-so-thoughtful thoughts about this country:

Mike’s Thoughts:
Turkey is the first country which we’ve discovered wholly with a friend, and our time there raced past us before we realized it. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect because we left all the planning to Bonnie. (You’re welcome for all of the research-induced headaches, Bon. We do what we can.) Though Istanbul is a massive city, we mainly stuck to the historic area where all the major attractions are. We walked for a bit and sat for a long time in various places because Hanna and Bonnie like to sit and gab, but I’m totally okay with that. Being in this area, however, means being surrounded by tourists, and we almost heard the voices of as many Americans and Germans as we did Turks. Since the restaurants cater to this tourist crowd, they try to entice you as you pass by. There could have been flashbacks to Balinese vendors and “Oi, mate!”, but the restaurant hosts actually made me laugh as they used humor to lure you in. Once seated I found the waiters and restaurant owners extremely friendly. It wasn’t just an artificial kindness; they introduced themselves and genuinely wanted to know about us. On our last night in Istanbul, one host latched on to me for some reason, kept hugging me and calling me “brother,” and grinned from ear to ear as he spoke. For some reason, however, many a waiter and vendor thought we were Australian. Sorry, mate.

We only rented a car for two days, but I discovered driving in Turkey is expensive and frustrating. Putting those factors aside, I’m glad we did it because I’m not so sure we would have made our way to Aphrodisias. The ruins there were quite impressive, and it’s crazy that a majority is still not excavated. The marble statues and sarcophagi are excellently preserved, and you get a real sense of history and place.

With the exception of our four nights in Kuala Lumpur, it has been about three months since we have been in a country where English is not the primary language. My Turkish skills are non-existent, but getting directions while driving or buying ferry and train tickets wasn’t as simple as expected. The language barrier definitely was nowhere near our experiences in China, but it was a fast reminder that travel becomes a bit more challenging once other languages are thrown into the mix again.

I could eat doner kebabs and rolls with fake Nutella every day for the rest of my life.

Hanna’s Thoughts:
I had mixed feelings about going to Turkey. On the one hand, I was excited to explore the markets, baths, and eat kebabs. On the other, however, I had been told by fellow travelers that Istanbul was dirty and very reminiscent of Asia. I was worried that we would get to Istanbul and be reminded of all the things we disliked about Asia (i.e. dirtiness, pushy vendors, staring, etc.). Thankfully I was pleasantly surprised.

Istanbul is a beautiful city that really felt like a mix of the Middle East and Europe. Parts of it reminded me of wandering down a Parisian street, while the mosques and call to prayer reminded me that we were in a country where 99% of the population is Muslim. There was garbage, pushy vendors, and staring, but it just didn’t really bother me this time round. I think Asia has made us more tolerant of less Western places.

Turkey was made even more fun because our good friend Bonnie came to meet us. Having a friend from home was refreshing, and we had such a good time getting caught up on all that we have missed since we’ve been gone.

My favorite parts of Turkey included seeing the ruins at Ephesus, wandering through all the shops in Istanbul, getting my back scrubbed by Bonnie at the Turkish bath, eating kebabs, and seeing a bit of the Turkish countryside. I could have done without the 5am call to prayer every morning and the staring by men when I walked somewhere by myself.

I am really glad we decided to go to Turkey and hope to return one day. Maybe I will be able to find a Turkish lamp that suits me next time; this time I couldn’t decide on one that was just right.

Days Spent in Turkey: 11

Total Money Spent in Turkey: US $995.36
(This includes overpriced lodging in Istanbul, adequately priced lodging everywhere else, car rental, extremely expensive gas, and more kebabs than you could shake a stick at.)

Average Spent Per Day in Turkey: US $90.49
(It’s official: we’ve entered expensive Europe. This figure is slightly skewed because of the price of the car and gas. Eating street food was very affordable, but the high prices of attractions and transport around Turkey helped to bump the average up even more.)

Average Spent Per Day for the Whole Trip:US $73.31
(Our average bumped up another forty cents. After getting used to seeing our average go down after each country all throughout Asia, it’s a little hard for us to watch the average go up now that we are in Europe. Only to be expected… We are still budget-conscious but are doing the activities that we truly want to do. This average is only going to go up more because of the high cost of European train travel. We are working on being okay with this.)

The Couple That Exercises Together Stays Together.