From Cappadocia to the Coast

Actually that should be from the Coast to Cappadocia. We traveled from Istanbul to the Fethiye

where we sailed the Turquoise Coast, then north to Ephesus and Sirince... then east stopping in

Pamukkale and Konya, and finally to Cappadocia... all at a leisurely pace, with a fun group and

our terrific guide Omar.

Highlights of Istanbul

Our guide, Omar, met us at Ataturk International Airport after an on-time uneventful flight from

JFK. I slept through the airline dinner, so was well-rested. Omar helped us check in at the Byzantine

Hotel, and we agreed to meet for dinner, when all our group had arrived. After we

checked in and showered, we ventured out to the nearby grocer for water (really beer and diet

coke). Our hotel was on a bustling street with many stores and restaurants, other hotels, and

around the corner a Turkish bath. More on that later.

That evening we met our traveling companions, two other couples, so a nice group. We reviewed

the itinerary together, and then all went to dinner at Justine’s Palace, a restaurant built

on top of an archaeological site. We determined that Turkish beer is quite tasty, and decided

our little group was going to be a lot of fun.

Our first full day of sightseeing was on foot in Istanbul, and very ambitious. We visited the Blue

Mosque which is absolutely breathtaking, the Hippodrome which was the center for sporting

events during Byzantine times, and Topkapi Palace where Omar gave us great directions and

steered us around the crowds. When we emerged, Walter whispered to Omar, “I have the daggar

in my backpack”. That is probably the point where Omar realized just how difficult his

charges were going to be.

We continued on to the Hagia Sophia which is jaw dropping and hard to describe how small one

feels in such an enormous room. I guess that is the idea. It is very interesting to see the mix of

religious symbols in one structure as this started out as a Byzantine church, then a Mosque and

now really a museum.

After a delicious lunch at a buffet restaurant we continued on to the Grand Bazaar and the underground

Cistern. We had several buffet lunches, and we learned that pointing at a dish to ask

what it was, was not a good approach. Instead of an explanation you would get a generous

helping. Like I said it was all delicious, but I think we left the impression that we were really big

eaters.

My favorite site in Istanbul is the small Rustem Pasa Mosque, which is near the Spice Market

and known for the beautiful Iznik tiles with 36 different tulip designs. Next, was an afternoon

cruise on the Bosphorus. The weather was not cooperating at that point, but from inside the

boat we stayed dry and could still see the major sites, like the Dhamache Palace, Ortakoy

Mosque, and the old yali or Ottoman cottages along the shore, all while sipping strong Turkish

coffee. After disembarking up the river, we walked through the Sariyer District and Ortakoy, met

our driver and headed back to Taksim, Istanbul’s answer to Time Square. We spent some time

in the Pera Museum and sauntered through the lobby of the Pera Palace Hotel, where Agatha

Christy wrote “Murder on the Orient Express”.

A Turkish Bath

We couldn’t leave Turkey without experiencing a Turkish bath, so while we were still in Istanbul,

Omar took us to the local bath house around the corner from our hotel. We were ushered into a

small changing room and give cotton towels and flip flops. After changing we were directed to

the steam room where we reclined on a marble bed with several other locals to start to sweat.

Eventually a woman gestured that I should follow her to another private room, where she covered

me with suds, and washed me from head to toe like a large baby. The process included

lots of bubbles and a wonderful massage. After a thorough rinsing, and toweling off, I was

wrapped in more towels, and then sent back to join the others for a glass of tea.

I was so relaxed afterward, it took all my concentration to walk back to the hotel and collapse

into bed.

The Galapagos are magical!                                                                                                                                        April 2009

Our trip started in Quito, and after a day of sight-seeing there, we had an early morning flight on AeroGal in a 727, with a wonderful view of the Andes Mountains.  We flew to Guayaquil, a large city on the coast, and then 600 miles west to the Galapagos.  When we landed on San Cristobal, we met our naturalists, and boarded a bus to the harbor. Our ship was called the Evolution; it held 32 passengers and 18 crew.  It was built to look like a 1920s elegant yacht, but with modern conveniences and safety features. It always felt spacious with big public areas and plenty of shade, important in that area of the globe. We had a huge cabin (all the cabins are the same large size), with a king size bed and full size bathroom; not your typical cruise ship cabin bathroom where you can’t turn around, and when you shower the toilet paper gets wet. We ate and slept and travelled in the ship, going to a new island location every day.  There were two naturalists, and they and the crew were all-stars.  There was a big dining room with four tables and everybody mixed and mingled so that you got to know all your fellow passengers. We ate several meals on the shady veranda at the stern. The food was first rate; daily miracles came from a kitchen the size of a doll house.

Each evening before dinner one of the naturalists would describe some interesting topic in a compelling way... like about the different kind of sharks, how the tectonic plates and volcanoes created the islands, what Darwin saw and wrote.  They would also brief us on the activities for the next day.  They always made sure to tell you if you would step out of the little, motorized inflatable dinghys (called pangas) onto a dock (dry landing) or into shallow water (wet landing). They also told you what kind of shoes to wear, open or closed toe depending on the type of terrain we would cover. Also covered was how long and how far the hike would be. In all their explanations, the naturalists made good use of computer slides, recent photos from the day, and white boards.

We began each day by covering with lots of sunscreen then riding the pangas to shore and walking/hiking around, on volcanic rocks, marked paths, and once in a while up steep rickety steps. We always did our hiking early in the day because in April the weather is very warm and humid.  Some people complained about the heat, but hey, it's the equator.  All the while the naturalists would tell you what you are seeing, from rock formations to plants to wildlife and birds.  We saw Albatrosses struggle as the took flight of the edge of a cliff, a colony of male Frigates doing their thing to attract the females, the Red-footed Boobies, dancing Blue-footed Boobies, and wingless Cormorants. 

Our group broke naturally into two, serious and non-serious photographers. One group for each of the two pangas.  We were in the non-serious group. I was originally interested in the serious photography group figuring I could learn something, and because there was a professional photographer (NOT our Journeys photographer) who was a supposed draw for our cruise departure.  He gave mini seminars following lunch when the non-photographers were having their post-lunch “power siesta”.  At the first session, when I showed the photo guru my point and shoot camera, which is the size of a deck of cards, he made it clear that I was not well enough equipped…(I didn’t even mention my disposable underwater camera from the drug store !)  From then on, I stayed with the non-serious group, and managed to take plenty of nice photos.  Although the Galapagos are a wonderful place to photograph wildlife, it is also nice to actually just enjoy the experience, and not be worried about getting the best shot of each booby.   You really don’t need to have a lot of expensive photography equipment to enjoy this adventure.

After most morning hikes, we would go back to the panga, and return to the ship. Then get into your bathing suit and the wet suits they provided for snorkeling. Getting into a wet suit when you're a little sweaty is not easy, but we managed. They also provided diving masks, snorkels and fins.  We brought our own masks and snorkels, but that was not strictly necessary.  The wet suits were a good idea, since the water is colder than you think. After all, it comes from Antarctica.  Where we snorkeled, the water was very clear. We swam with all types of creatures... from sea lions to rays to sharks, sea turtles and penguins.  The naturalists came along, again explaining what we were seeing, and the panga was always nearby, in case someone got tired or cold.  One time, during the second snorkel excursion of the day, the captain even came with us.

There was one snorkeling excursion when the naturalist had spotted a shark and was trying to get us to see it.  He worked really hard, swimming back and forth along a rock formation and we finally did see it too.  On the way back to the ship in the panga we spotted a school of rays, and the naturalist said "everybody back in the water!"  We jumped off the side and saw them up close too.  That was a thrill.

On our day on Santa Cruz, we spent the day seeing the giant tortoises, including the now famous Lonesome George.  He's the last of his species, has not bred and when he dies, that line will be extinct.  He's now a symbol for ecology and conservation. We also saw a giant sink hole, and went into a lava tube, a mile long, perfectly vaulted ceiling.  It reminded me of my grandparents' basement.  Cool and damp. A good place to keep wine.

On Bartolome, we hiked up 371 steps to the top of a volcanic mountain to look down on Pinnacle Rock, which plays a part in the movie “Master and Commander”. There was a wooden stairway, and the climb was worth it.  Our ship looked like a toy from up there. I really understood the volcanic mountain idea when looking down at dozens of them.  The Galapagos are volcanic islands.  That's why most of the bays are nearly perfectly round.

The highlight, though, was seeing the erupting volcano.  The volcano on Fernandina was active while we were there, and we got many reports along the way, as we sailed west.  We all voted to amend the itinerary so we could see it.  The ship sprinted all night and we arrived in the afternoon.  It was dramatic from the ship but even better up close.  We got to get real close in the pangas, where we could watch the steam when the waves hit the hot lava!

The trip was very well organized; structured but not rigid. You had a good feel of what to expect from the various activities, and could opt in or out as you choose. We almost never saw other groups from other ships, so it felt like we had the whole islands to ourselves.

It was also properly dark and clear at night, enabling some great astronomy viewing. One night the captain explained the southern hemisphere constellations to a small group of us using a laser pointer; we clearly saw the Southern Cross and the Milky Way.   

The best memories of the trip are of the others enjoying the experience. Joking with new friends from Montana about how tough we Midwesterners are, as we never complained about the heat and humidity while hiking and we were the first in and last out of the chilly water when snorkeling. Laughing at a seriously successful career guy as he came up from snorkeling, sputtering that he had just seen a penguin swim past.  Sharing such a wonderful adventure is truly a bonding experience.  We became  a group of friends and we were sad to tell each other good bye.  The trip was great in every detail, a milestone event that we'll remember for a long time.