Getting back into Istanbul, was like arriving at a whole new city. The two weeks I had been away, the city had seen a complete transformation into spring. The colors were more vibrant, the people seemed to walk with more pep in their step, and the amount of tourists seemed to jump ten-fold. My last days spent Istanbul were a whirlwind of shopping for friends and family. Finding all the deals was no easy task!
I took a break to head out to the Prince Islands, a chain of islands that can be seen from many points in Istanbul. I stopped in the biggest island to see the large and often times abandoned wooden houses on the forested island. None of the inhabitants are allowed automobiles, just the police and city workers. This gives the island a character as the main form of transportation is horse drawn carriage. The streets are all cobble stone, with very few people out on them, it is easy to feel alone as you walk just a block or two off the city square.
The last event I want to write about is the soccer game that I got to attend. I walk by the huge, Beshiktash stadium often on different outings, but never knew I would have a chance to see a game. The stadium was packed, but we found a corner that was available to watch the game. It started out slow, and with the home team down 2 to 0 at half time things looked bad, but the second half brought lots of excitement with Beshiktash scoring three goals and winning the game!! It was fun to enjoying the energy of the massive crowd and curse and cheer with the rowdy group! This is where I got to use all the Turkish I have been learning over the last three months!

The Rails Back to Istanbul

The journey out of Tbilisi, was on rail at eleven at night headed to Batumi, Georgia. The train departed and arrvied without any problems. With sunrise, we had arrived at the Black Sea. The city of Batumi has a lot of character. It has a large port and a backdrop of high mountain tops. The time I spent in Batumi was spent wondering around the city.
There is a beautiful boulevard that meets the sea and heads into the city center. This street is covered in sculptures, fountains, and citizens enjoying the sunny afternoon. Well, that is all I can say about Georgia. It was a wonderful week of discovering a new place, but alas, it was time to head back to Turkey.
On our way back to Istanbul, we made a stop in Ankara, the capital of the country. This city was expanded very quickly as Ataturk rose to power in the 1920's. Ankara is beautiful city and much more interesting than I thought. I was expecting an industrial city, built around the political center. We went to the Ataturk Mausoleum to see what all good Turks should go to see in their life.
It was built to resemble an Egyptian Temple. It was more impressive than I was expecting. Many people were in the museum. The day was quite enjoyable and at night we jumped aboard the night train back to Istanbul. Here I sit, back in Istanbul starting to pack up my things to head back to California. It will have to be very strategic packing!

Midnight Train to Georgia

Leaving Malatya was not easy, but the plan was to head to the Georgian border by train through Turkey to the far northeast corner, to the city of Kars. Kars is known to be the coldest city in Turkey. It is located in the mountains, tucked far away from any other Turkish city. The total time in transit was to be 26 hours.
The train never made it to Kars!
Instead, the train carrying around 30 passengers, came to a halt just before minight, about 60 miles from Kars. The problem was a stretch of track that was covered in snow and impossible to cross. For three hours we sat on a motionless train (it didn't matter I slept through it). The hard part was getting to the minibus that was parked some thirty yards away, ready to take us to Kars. The trek between train and bus was in the dark and through thick mud, I carried my heavy backpack and tried not to fall while trailing the man ahead of me who was using his cell phone for a flashlight!
Rolling into Kars around 4:00am, gave me time to take a quick nap at the train station, before watching the sunrise. The snow had fallen heavy on the city throughout the night and into the morning, but the sun was hot enough to warm my skin and give me energy to head to Georgia.
With minimal strife at the border, our path has led to Tbilisi, the country's capital. Though the language barrier continues to be the biggest problem, the food has been good and the beer has been cheap (found a pint for about $0.50).

St. Paddy's Day was spent in one of two Irish pubs in town, listening to a live band belt out 70's classic rock with thick accents!
The cost of living is low and any outsider can see the damage that has been caused by the years of turmoil here. The streets are crowded with people of all ages asking for money, their expressions reflecting their destitude, and the living conditions of many of the residents look like the next gust of wind might take their shelter away. Though the city of Tbilisi has a lot of beautiful buildings, parks, and scupltures, and is working toward fixing up certain sections of the city.

The City of the Golden Apricot

The original plan was to head to Diyarbakir, the day before my birthday on March 12th. As it is the largest city in the area, it seemed that it would have a club or two to offer for a fun night out. Upon arrival in the city, the hotel manager and a friendly man helping with directions, both told us that it was not safe for people to be out past dark as crime was high in the area. The next morning, daylight brought an awareness of what the city actually looked like or as much as you could see. The city is in desperate need of clean up, there was trash everywhere and the air pollution was intolerable. So we boarded the one o'clock train headed out of town. The destination was Malatya, apricot capital of Turkey! The city was beautiful, so clean, friendly and an abundance of color.
For the 13th, my birthday, we headed to Darende, a village near by recommended by the locals in Malatya. The first stop was a small waterfall that didn't quite live up to the description offered to us by the locals! No matter, we wondered on. down the road from the water fall, I had my first hitchhiking experience, being picked up in a tractor with two old men with many questions.
After a short ride to the opposite end of the village, we found a great bungalow to eat a beautiful meal of fresh fish at the price of only $4. As the sun began to set we caught the last bus back to Malatya.

As for night life, this city, like every other in Turkey outside of Istanbul is lacking. No problem, we bought some beers and drank on the balcony of the hotel staring out at the picturesque mosque in the city center.
The old city of Malatya, was the destination for the following day. We enjoyed a cup of tea at a tea house dominated by men in the middle of a Sunday afternoon. Tea was under $0.25 each. Can you find me?
Ya, that is me with the green purse! Well, so much to write and so little time. I will try to update again soon and inform you of the adventures through northern Turkey and into Georgia!

On the Move

So much to report, I don't know where to begin! On Saturday, I left Istanbul at midnight on a 20 hour trainride with the destination of Adana, in the south of Turkey. There has been already five cities that I have passed through, but I will list the highlights here!
Starting in Kahramanmaraş, the focus was food! The city is home to the Mado company, the largest producers of dondurma. Dondurma is a combination of goat milk, orchid extract (called sahlep) and sugar. This mixure is then beaten with a long stick until its consistancy is thickened and then cooled. It is the only ice cream I have eaten with a knife and fork. The day began with sahlep (a hot drink) and ended with delicious flavors of dondurma. The hours between these wonderful Turkish treats was filled with so much food, I cannot begin to list it all here.
In Gaziantep, there was a beautiful mosaic museum. All of the relics had been pulled from an ancient Greek city located nearby. The detail in each of the mosaics was unbelievable.
They depicted Greek mythology or were intricate geometric shapes. My photos are quite dark, due to the fact no flash was used, but the museum website offers better photos if you're interested. www.gaziantepmuzesi.gov.tr
Next stop was Şanlıurfa, the prophet Abraham's city. The story is told that Abraham was cast into the fire, but God chose to save his life by turning the fire into a lake.

The Balıklı Göl (fish lake) is the main attraction in this very friendly, clean, and interesting place. During the day, people gather near the lake to feed the multitudes of fish that jump out of the water to grab at the food being thrown to them.
There was a castle there with the outer walls still holding strong, but with little of the interior left. The views of the city were nice though! Urfa is also the birthplace of the prophet Job.
This is my travel buddy, Kanber. A man that does not take life seriosly! Here, sporting a tradional purple scarf, worn by old Syrian men and women in Urfa. Now, the time has come to find out the how to get to the next ancient destination, we are headed to the mountains.

Feeling Fine

As you can tell I am feeling better!! Yesterday, I took on an adventure to Sariyer, a section of Istanbul in the north, along the river. It is lined with ornate, old wooden houses, in a variety of colors, all belonging at one time to one of Istanbul's rich.
Some of these houses have better battered by the wind and salt water and no longer show the brilliance they once were. To me, they seem to have some mysteries surrounding them, of the lives that were spent within their walls. To restore these buildings would take millions of dollars, so they are left to deteriorate, until the city agrees they can be destroyed.
There is a path along the riverside for pedestrians that extends for miles. It was where I spent my whole day. Finally, feeling energetic again, all I wanted to do was walk in the fresh air. I walked for over three hours, only pausing to snap a photo of a scene that I enjoyed.
Then, the warmth of the day vanished with the sun and the hunger in my stomach hailed the next minibus headed to Taksim Square where I could find some warm gozleme (Turkish crepes filled with spinach and cheese).

Gathering Strength

Very little to report at this point, I have been sitting in the hostel for the past two days. I have been struck with food poisoning and am having a hard time recovering. I ate something that was offered to me in the hostel, and I think it had sat out too long. I only had two bites, but it has been enough to put me in bed for two days, with an occasional walk to get some soup.
Back on Sunday, I went to Eyup, in Istanbul. It is one of my favorite sections of town, because it is close to me, but with no tourists. It has a strong Muslim popultaion, where people seem friendlier, though finding veggie options can be harder!
This visit to Eyup, had two missions. I wanted to go to the biggest cemetery in Istanbul, and see more sections of the ancient city walls that stretch for miles around the part of town called the Golden Horn. The photo above shows the cemetry, with the typical Islamic tradition of marble coffins placed above ground. This cemetary is on a huge hill and has thousands of gravesites.

This is yet another part to the Roman city walls that wrap the city in history. You can see in the photo that spring is on the way. Flowers are popping up all over. Tulips have begun to show their leaves and some even brave enough to bloom. Within the next month, this city will blossom with clolor along all of its busiest streets. Well, back to relaxing and recooperating through this battle that is insuing in my stomach. Hope to get out and about tomorrow.