#4) A Whirlwind Week

I’m finding it exceedingly difficult to summarize and condense a week’s worth of travel into a singular blog post. Even in what seems like such a short span of time I've journeyed to multiple new places, stood in awe at some of the most spectacular sights, interacted with and befriended many interesting and diverse people, and experienced a multitude of different (and sometimes conflicting) feelings. I’ll do my best to give you some insight into the marathon that was this past week of adventures.

A series of buses and trains led me to first to Selçuk – a smallish town in western Turkey famed for being close to the ancient ruins of Ephesus (or Efes in Turkish). (Sidenote: Efes is also the name of the most ubiquitous pilsner beer available here but I’m pretty sure they are unrelated. It’s not half bad, but it’s got nothing on a true Michigan microbrew) As opposed to Troy, these Greco-Roman ruins are the most well preserved in the Anatolian peninsula and perhaps even in the whole Mediterranean region. Walking down the wide promenades lined with old columns was probably about as close as you could get to being transported back to another time. The enormous theater and the elaborately decorated Library of Celsus are the most famous of the landmarks here, but I was particularly impressed by the beautiful frescos and mosaics that are still visible in the remains of some of the houses.

The view of one of the main columned promenades as the sun was beginning to set 

The remains of the theater which was capable of holding up to 25,000 spectators

Me in front of the famed Library of Celsus - I'm a lot tanner than usual from all my travels

I couldn't resist taking this "artsy" looking photo. I met a former professional photographer James and his fiance Belinda while in the ruins who just so happened to have the same camera as I did - he taught me a few tricks about how to get the most out of my photography. So glad I met him early in my trip! 

Along with some great memories, I picked up two new friends in Selçuk, Cate and Bob, and together we caught a train to Pamukkale to see terraces and bathe in the hot springs which give the town its namesake. Pamukkale means “cotton castle” in Turkish and refers to the natural hot springs which carry calcium deposits from deep underground to form soft, white terraces which cover the local hillside and pool with warm water from the hot springs. It was/is believed that the water from the hot springs has natural health benefits so people have been visiting the site for centuries to bathe in the mystical waters – in fact, the ancient Greeks even built an entire city, the Hierapolis, atop the hill in order to be closer to the terrace’s rejuvenating waters. With the size of the city’s ruined Necropolis (i.e. graveyard) I’m a little skeptical of the actual health benefits, but the dip in the terrace’s light blue (albeit murky) water was refreshing and fun nonetheless. Cate had to leave early, unfortunately, to catch her train back to Selçuk but Bob and I decided to stay on the hilltop and wait for the sunset since we were staying in town for the night.

Some calcium deposits and a few terraces - I thought they looked cool against the clouds

These are the real terraces pooled with the "healing" water. Since they are all on the hillside, from the top you can see out to all the Turkish farms that surround the small city of Pamukkale.

These terraces here are man-made and they divert some of the water to fill them for people to bathe in. In the 1960s they had built a bunch of hotels on the top of the hillside that caused considerable damage to the natural formations. When the area was declared a World Heritage Site, they demolished the hotels and began to protect the terraces and their precious water. You're only allowed to bathe in these concrete pools, but I didn't even mind since the formations are so fragile/vulnerable.

My feet in the murky, warm water

As we waited we walked around and talked for a long time and I really got to know more about Bob and his life. Bob is originally from Indonesia, but he is currently living and working in South Sudan as an accountant for a refugee relief organization. He told me all about his own culture in Indonesia and what conditions are like for people living in South Sudan. He is an extremely passionate individual and he does the work he does because he truly just wants to help people. It was really a profound experience for me to hear about his passions and life.  Just as I will not forget the colors of the last rays of sun reflecting off of the terrace pools, I will definitely not forget what I learned from speaking with him on the hillside.

The view of some of the water-less terraces at sunset. They divert and channel the warm water to various locations throughout the hilltop throughout the day and so some areas were left high and dry. I'm not certain why they do it this way - perhaps there is only so much water during certain seasons? Or maybe the result of the tourist exploitation that occurred in the 1960s?

This one speaks for itself really. Simply marvelous.

Bob and I atop the hillside of Pamukkale. 

After Pamukkale, Bob and I moved on together to Fethiye along the southern Mediterranean coast of Turkey. There was so much to see and do here that it was almost overwhelming - beaches, boat cruises, sea turtles hatching, paragliding, jeep excursions, mountain hikes, diving, kayaking, Lycian ruins and much more. We decided to go see Kayaköy (or Kaya in Turkish) – an old stone Greek village that was completely abandoned after the (forced) population transfer between Greece and Turkey after the Turkish War of Independence in the 1920s. The walls of the 500 houses in the village (they were very adamant about the exact number) are more or less still standing despite an earthquake in 1957 that caused extensive damage, but the straw roofs have all disintegrated with time. The place had an eerie feel to it, especially since we were some of the only visitors there that day. 

The view of Kayaköy from near the roadside entrance

A fig tree growing up through one of the abandoned houses. You can still see the fireplace just behind the trunk and on the right-hand side there is a small cistern that was used to collect rainwater for daily tasks.

This house is in bad shape, but you can tell it was pretty large at one point and there were multiple levels since the fireplaces (in the left corner and on the right) are "floating"

From a hilltop just slightly above the village I spotted a pristine white Greek chapel resting effortlessly on the nearby hilltop and after my boyish nature took hold I was determined to reach it despite what looked like an intimidating slope through some pretty dense trees and shrubbery. With big, childlike grins across both our faces, Bob and I agreed that we would conquer the hilltop and make it to that chapel.

And damn if it wasn’t worth it.

When we reached the top we were greeted with the most amazing panoramic views of the verdant mountains juxtaposed against the turquoise blue waters of the Mediterranean coastline. We could see the farms of the nearby Turkish villages on one side and the boats and masts of the island day cruises of the foreign tourists on the other – the scenery was made all the more complete with the scent of the droppings that were left behind by the mountain goats who had made the chapel their new home. After some extensive gawking and a brief photoshoot, we made our way back down and enjoyed our lunch in the shade of a fig tree growing through the hollowed out remains of one of the stone houses.

The white chapel on the hilltop.

The view from the side of the hill that we had climbed - you can see the various Turkish farms in the area. Even from the top you could still here their goats bleating.

This is what really impressed us - the view of the Mediterranean behind the top of the hill. In the center and right inlets you can make out the various tourist cruises advertised all around town. They were incredibly cheap - around $15 with lunch included - and they'd cruise you around the coast and stop at 5 or so times at the little islands to let you swim and snorkel.

At the end of what was a momentous day I had to say goodbye to Bob – he was moving on to Cappadocia while I stayed behind in Fethiye. I was sad to see him go, but I know we will remain friends forever and we may actually reunite in November when I am in South Africa. I learned so much from him – both in cultural understanding and also in practical life skills. I mean, I never expected I would leave Turkey with a better understanding of how to use Excel to keep track of my personal finances. Who said you can’t be a real adult and a world adventurer at the same time?

Check out the updates to my travel map to see exactly where I've been and where I am now

Also – I’ve gotten lots of awesome feedback about the blog and I’m really glad you’re all enjoying reading it as much as I enjoy writing it! I've heard that y’all want to see some more pictures so check out the separate “Photo Album” pages on the right-hand side to see some more of the pictures that didn't make it into the full posts! 

#3) Çanakkale Challenges & Ayvalik Adventures

The Lonely Planet guidebook that I flipped through briefly from the shelf of my Istanbul hostel’s modest book collection made out the trip to Çanakkale to be a breeze - it was as simple as a ferry across the Sea of Marmara to Bandirma and a quick transfer over to a bus to take you the remaining 3 or so hours to the port city of Çanakkale.

Suuuuuuure.

This “short jot” was when I learned not to place all my faith in everything written in a guidebook – after all, the authors have a vested interest in making travel seem exotic, exciting and (most importantly) easy.

Luckily, however, I had the good fortune of meeting a very kind Turkish University student on the ferry and we talked for the whole 2 hours, alternating between broken English and sign language. He informed me (unlike the guidebook) that I had to get on a municipal bus to take me to the bus station that was located multiple miles away on the outskirts of the small city in order to catch the bus to Çanakkale.

Once I was on the bus and served çay (tea – pronounced “chai”) and cookies I figured all was right in the world and I would just hop off at my destination and easily find my hostel right in the center of the city. But, alas, in the darkness of the early evening when my bus pulled up to Çanakkale, I discovered that the bus station here was also located multiple miles from the city’s center. With no other option, I followed my intuition (aka the other passengers) onto a much smaller bus which was about the size of one that a nice hotel would use to shuttle its guests to a nearby airport.

Wide-eyed and confused, I made quick friends with the duo packed next to me – a pair of Iraqi refugees who had pegged me for an American as soon as I stepped foot on the minibus. They were also nice enough to inform me (unlike the guidebook) that this bus would be able to drop me off at the city center. So ultimately I made it to Çanakkale safely with the help of some awesome people, but not without a constant, overarching feeling that I had no idea what the hell I was doing all along the way.  

 The view across the straight from Çanakkale. The sandy-colored building is a castle built during the early years of the Ottoman Empire

The Dardanelles Straight which passes through Çanakkale is the busiest shipping lane in the world - it connects the Aegean & Mediterranean seas to the Sea of Marmara and the Bosporus Straight (which runs through Istanbul) to the Black Sea 

After almost two weeks of travel, I’ve come to discover that this is what solo-traveling feels like sometimes – and it’s totally okay. You may not know exactly what you’re doing at any one particular moment, but you will get by just fine if you’re patient, use your intuition, maintain your flexibility, humble yourself, and ultimately draw upon a healthy sense of humor.

But enough about the moral of the story – you want to read about all the adventures I’ve had for the past week! And adventure I found both in Çanakkale along the Dardanelles Straight and in Ayvalik a little farther south on the Aegean coast.

While in Çanakkale I ventured out to the ancient site of Troy – as written about in Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey. The unearthed ruins weren’t particularly well preserved or imposing, but it was the mythology surrounding the location and the legends of Achilles, Paris, and Agamemnon that made the ancient city all the more magical. The history of archeological excavation was quite fascinating as well as the discoverer of the site was really more of a glorified treasure hunter than a professional archaeologist. Furthermore, I made lots of great friends while in Çanakkale with both travelers and locals alike – definitely memories I will have forever and people I will be keeping in touch with throughout my travels.

Rather than just the ruins of one ancient city, Troy can actually be categorized into 7 separate settlements that were built one on top of the other during various time periods. Troy VI is was is commonly thought to be the settlement that Homer wrote of in the Iliad. Here are the remains of the temple complex with features from multiple periods of settlement.

The alleged remnants of the legendary "Scaean Gate" where Achilles was shot with an arrow through the ankle and died. A huge cache of treasure was found to the left of the ramp by Heinrich Schliemann - the German "archaeologist" who discovered the location of Troy. He was quite the controversial figure. 

The remains of the theater at Troy - because it just wouldn't be a proper Greek ruin without a theater.

The major highlight of Ayvalik (other than the gorgeous beaches) was my trip to Şeytan Sofrasi – the Devil’s Table. Not only did it have an interesting legend associated with it, but I had heard that this was the best place to watch the sunset and after an already busy day of exploring I was determined to make it to the top of the large hill in order to see the spectacle. It turned out to be more of an adventure that I bargained for. I had heard that there were buses available that would bring you to the top for a modest fee, but I couldn’t see to find them so I took the municipal bus to the closest stop and just started walking. It wasn’t a particularly difficult walk, but I was going directly towards the sun and it was still quite hot. After the 45 minute hike I definitely worked up a good sweat and I drew some interesting looks from everyone else who had done the sensible thing and drove themselves up to the top. The view was definitely worth the effort – and then some. I’m not sure my words could do it justice so I’ll just refer you to the pictures below.

The view of Ayvalik (on the right) and Cunda (on the left) from the top of  Şeytan Sofrasi. The area is known for its  production of olive oil and Cunda is a village that was historically Greek so the influence can still be seen in the architecture and food today.

Ayvalik is located on the mainland shore next to an archipelago of islands - here you can see some of those islands. There were boat tours available where you could island hop all day to enjoy the remote beaches and some minor ruins on the outlying islands.

It is said that Şeytan Sofrasi is the most beautiful place to watch the sunset in all of Turkey and I might just have to agree with that statement.

After my adventures in Ayvalik I took a bus to Izmir where I now sit in a café and write this post. Although it is the 3^rd largest city in Turkey, I only spent the day in Izmir. I have so many more things to see and learn still in Turkey – so I’m off again via train to Selçuk to see the remarkably well preserved ruins of the ancient city of Ephesus and then onwards further to see the famed salt terraces of Pamukkale.

Check out the updates on my travel map: Bonderman Itinerary