No 3. Antalya

see all photos »

Istanbul is a very livable city -- everyone speaks English well in the tourist areas --for good and bad. The touts aren't too bad if you ignore and/or have a decent sense of humor about it. Decent hotel rooms to be had for 15-30D/night including breakfast. It is really very clean.

The bazaars -- both the Grand Bazzaar and the Egyptian bazaar are packed with fun, cheap stuff --unfortunately I have no room to buy anything right now until I get rid of some of the stuff that's loading me down -- shampoos, snacks, etc. Kebabs are the main eating at cheap restaurants and breakfasts, included with my room has been bread, cheese, coffee/tea, tomatoes and or cucumbers, & olives at each place I've stayed. So I'm eating less than 5D per day.

I took a tour of the Bosporus on Wed. and it is really a beautiful perched atop the water -- much like Sydney (although maybe not just quite as beaut\253ful.)

Compared to Cairo it's a very western city and the differences between rich and poor don't strike me quite as much as they did there. Saw most of the major sights in 5 days --but missed the Kariye Museum as the outdated Thomas Cook guidebook had the wrong

day it was closed -- that's what I get for stealing one versus just buying a new one.

Thurs. and Fri. were spent in the Cappadocia region in Anatolia -- old Christian settlements in volcanic rock formations and underground cities built to escape the various invaders over the centuries. I had a 2 day tour around the sites -- they call it the valley of the fairy chimneys -- really stark beautiful scenery made from years of errosion and natural digging by man.

Now I'm in Antalya on the Mediterranean. Have taken 2 overnight buses in the last 2 days and they are remarkably well run and organized -- no smoking, safe, and extra person to serve coffee or cola and tell you what stops to get on and off. The bus station in Istanbul was the most amazing thing I've ever seen, there must have been 100 bus companies and 1000 buses going everywhere in the world. Am almost used to turkish toilets now and they're really not all that bad.

Trying to get to Aspendos or Terminos today and then on to Olimpos where the Aussies are hanging out in treehouse dorms -- thought that might be some fun. Then I'll probably go on to Fethiye farther north and make my way up to Efes to see Ephesus before going to

Greece -- need to lay on the beach a few days here and there rather than seeing all the sites.

It's interest\253ng that about 75% of the women are veiled in one form or another, but that most of the girls (and boys) wear Catholic-like uniforms and shortish skirts with opaque tights to school each day. I'm left wondering if they will all end up veiled when they reach adulthood and when that cutoff time is or whether the girls are going increasingly western.

I'm still doing well being alone, although am looking here and there for travel companions -- if at least to spare me some of the think\253ng, plotting and planning sometimes. Istanbul was nice that way. Lonely Planet Europe doesn't have maps or much about some of these towns I'm in so it's a challenge to find the tourist off\253ce and wait til it's open etc.

Everyone \253s tell\253ng me how funny my typ\253ng looks -- sorry maybe \253t w\253ll be better w\253th the keyboards \253n Greece.

Love, El\253zabeth