Warning: We didn’t participate in anything, it’s not that kind of blog! But if you find sex shops, prostitution, and peepshows to be in any way offensive, do not read this post. It’s about what we saw walking around the famed Red Light District of Amsterdam, and the descriptions are pretty graphic. Continue Reading…
Here’s another post about the seedy aspects of our time in Amsterdam, this one in regards to the drugs which are legal there. It’s nothing terribly personal, just frank and candid talk about what we did and experienced “under the influence,” and our adventures in purchasing said stuff LOL. Continue Reading…
Okay, so I’m not advertising to get gifts or birthday wishes. (Please send gifts to… just kidding).
I just want to take a moment to reflect on the past year, and share my thoughts, and show some gratitude to friends, family, the cosmos, etc. for all of the wonderful things that happened since my last birthday. My 33rd year has been filled with the highest highs, after a 32nd year of the lowest lows. In my 32nd year I went through a traumatizing divorce; the loss of many friends, a great band, and my job; a depression that brought me to the brink of suicide; and a terrifying episode involving the surgical removal of a lemon-sized blood clot from my body.
This past year brought me the greatest joys of my life so far: Continue Reading…
Alan is here! My dear lover is here! The man in my life is here!
Can you see how excited I am? He arrived Tuesday and we’ve been tearing up the town ever since. We’ve discovered this city of canals to be a beautiful, idyllic community. It is a thriving big city, but walking around feels like a quaint pretty town where everyone seems to know each other. Bicycles roll by as women walk their little dogs, stopping into the bakery to pick up a fresh loaf. The coffeeshops lure you in with the scent of fresh coffee and the earthy scent of marijuana smoke. The canals with their picturesque bridge-lets and sides lined with houseboats glisten as sunlight dances on the water, disturbing the reflections of the green trees above. It’s truly like a Van Gogh painting – everything seems to vibrate and move just enough to make you feel as if you’re seeing the world through warped glasses.
Our first couple days were pretty slow. Alan was getting over his jet lag and I was recovering from my wild week in Prague. We wandered around the neighborhood where our apartment is, just ogling at the unique features of the city. It’s unlike any European city either one of us has ever visited. With the canals and the tall skinny buildings in bright shades of yellow, red and blue, it’s like something out of a fairy tale. We’ve been having some adventures on the public transport, however…
When you step onto a train, you enter through the back or the front, and give a conductor your money for a ticket. The ticket has some computer wiring embedded into it. You wave it in front of a little box mounted to the pole in the bus, and you start your ride. Your pass is good for one hour, you can ride any bus, tram or subway in the city. When you are ready to exit the bus, you do so in the middle; you’re supposed to wave your ticket at the machine again to tell it you’ve gotten off the bus. Then if you transfer to another bus or whatever, you wave your ticket to prove to the driver and the computer system that your ticket’s still valid.
Well, we made the mistake the first day of not getting adequate instructions, waved our tickets at the machine, then walked off the tram through the entrance and not waving our tickets at the machine on the way out. When we boarded a second tram the machine buzzed at us, and the conductor told us our tickets were expired and we needed to purchase new ones. Then he gave us the complete instructions. So, we bought new tickets and off we went. We then made a mistake by not getting ready for our stop. I panicked, waved the ticket at the machine, didn’t realize it registered my departure, waved it again, and hopped off. Of course, when we boarded the next tram, I got the buzzer again and it appears the system thought I had gotten back onto the previous tram. It was a real pain in the a$$. Thankfully after 3 days we are finally starting to master the system and know which lines to take where.
The weather is a bit of a bummer; it’s been pretty rainy and cloudy most of the time, or else we would have rented bicycles.
On our second day we wandered down to what could be called the “Green Light District.” It’s basically where all of the head shops, coffeeshops (that’s code for pot-smoking den), smart shops (to buy drugs that are not marijuana), hookah dens and about a million kebap stands reside. Walking around we just sort of ogled all of the different storefronts, taking in the scent of burning weed everywhere, watching out for pickpockets and trying to look cool LOL.
Over the next few days we explored the city mostly on foot, discovering it’s alleyways, delicious cuisine and more beautiful scenery. Then there was last night…
So… I spent my last few days in Turkey with a couple more couchsurfers and visited a few more sights, indulged in some great Turkey shopping, pigged out on Turkish delight, touched base with another backpacker friend I’d met in Cappadocia, drank gallons of water in the 199-degree-with-2000%-humidity weather, ate some of the best Falafel of my life, and departed the country with a tear in my eye. I realized that, except for certain incidents with creepy guys harassing me, I’d really grown to love Turkey and it’s people. The hospitality, beauty, uniqueness and laid-back attitudes there really touched me deeply, and I look forward to going back someday.
See the photos here:
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| Turkey – the rest |
Fairy Chimneys at Cappadocia
I am so far behind here… I think I was in cappadocia three weeks ago but I’m not sure. Jumping from place to place with only a few days to see the sights hasn’t left much time for blogging and photo-posting.
So… Cappadocia (pronounced kap-ah-doke-ya) was super cool. But super hot! Oh my gosh it was like 90 degrees with 60% humidity. Seriously. I stayed at a hostel with a pool, which helped. Cappadocia is famous for it’s “fairy chimneys,” unusual rock formations that look like little peaks, clustered together. The people have hollowed them out and created whole cities which reach deep underground. I explored the area both from the sky, in a hot air ballon, and from underground in a cave tour. I scooter’d around with two friends from my hostel, and stopped for the tour at Mazi, which our hostel’s owner assured us was a “less touristy” spot. We were greeted by a crazy guide in a cowboy hat who insisted we have tea and sandwiches before our tour. Apparently Turkish hospitality is renowned, and turning him down would have been insulting. So we had our tea and finally our tour began!
Long-ass tunnel I had to climb up. Thanks Kyle and Tom for pushing me!
I will tell you, this tour is less touristy because it involves some rather insane vertical climbs through dark tunnels, aided only by a rope attached to the top. There were small divots for feet dug out of the sides, ladder-style, but when you’re dangling in this small space you wonder how the heck you will get your shoes to stay in those stupid holes. When I was directed to climb up one that was about 15 feet long I was so scared I was practically in tears. But the guide gave me no choice, my travel companions encouraged me and I finally mounted the ladder that led me into the tunnel. I made it out with my body intact but my nerves shot. I will never ever ever ever do that again!!!
And it gets better- on the way back to our hostel we stopped to look at our map and a nearby group of men approached us… They just stared at me. I mean, in an “I’m going to kidnap and rape you” sort of way. Luckily I was scootering with two guys, so we hightailed it out of there. As I drove off I realized that as a female in this country, I have limited freedom. I can’t go out at night alone without men asking me if I’m a prostitute. I can’t go riding around in the countryside alone on a scooter. I can’t wear clothes that are more comfortable in warm weather without men assuming I’m a whore. It made me angry!
One of the harbors we stopped in for a look-see
Anyway, after my insufferably hot time in Cappadocia, I went south to the beaches of the Mediterranean coast to join a cruise. There were ten of us relaxing on a great sailboat for four days. The schedule mostly involved sunbathing/reading on the deck, taking dips in the amazing blue water, noshing on crepes and ice cream we bought from other small boats, and stopping into a couple of tiny towns to see roman ruins and shop. I loved it and made some lifelong friends. They also got me to sing and I was invited to come perform at a wedding in Perth in March. I may have to find a cheap flight to take them up on the offer, since I love Australia.
The cruise ended in Fethiye where I hung out for a few days with new girlfriends. I decided to join one of them on a para-sailing adventure over the blue lagoon. It was surprisingly anti-climactic, since the takeoff sight was a runway instead of a straight jump off a cliff. But seeing the lagoon from high up in the sky was a treat and I’m really glad I did it. One more thing to check off the list!
One of the girls was a hairdresser who gave me a great trim, which I desperately needed. She even had her little smock, scissors and spray bottle! Fethiye was also the town where we got solicited for sex, befriended a bar owner who gave us free hookahs and five dollar cocktails one night, and I got kicked out of my hostel for complaining about the A/C.
There is a super cool dinner place in Fethiye where you pick your seafood from a group of fishmongers, and have the restaurant cook it to your taste. My two friends and I shared an amazing fresh-caught giant sea bream. Yummy!
By this time I’d decided that I really love Turkey. Turkish people are incredibly kind, generous and welcoming.
Found this very interesting article on the debate: Which do you apply first? Sunscreen or DEET?
I’ve been wondering this same thing myself lately in the Meditterranean coastal areas where I tend to get eaten alive!
Check it out here.
View of the Blue Mosque from the Hagia Sofia
So my first stop after Jordan was Istanbul! What a totally awesome city, made even better by my couchsurfer hosts, Murat and Hakan. My first night there Hakan took me to a great bar overlooking the city; it was located in a bohemian part of town where a group of artists turned a quaint alleyway into a destination of restaurants and tiny cafes. There I sampled the typical Turkish spirit, Raki. It’s a disgusting white liquer tasting of anise, served with a glass of water, presumably to wash down the heady flavor. I am NOT a fan of anise or licorice, so I traded for a glass of local wine, which was delicious!
Istanbul’s nightlife is abundant, with many bars and pubs compressed into tiny alleyways where locals sit at low tables to share water pipes and drinks. The other favorite libation is Efes beer. It’s everywhere. I don’t think there is any other beer in this country, but as a non-beer-drinker, I wouldn’t really know.
The next day was for sightseeing. I hit the Hagia Sofia, one of the most famous examples of Byzantine architecture in the world. It’s beautiful domes, minarets and decorated walls were jaw-dropping. Every time I visit one of these enormous religious structures, I am reminded of the technological prowess that civilization possessed, even in ancient times. From the early Egyptians to the Europeans of the medieval 14th century, mankind shows it’s imagination and capacity for amazing feats of architecture.
Next up was the Topkapi palace, where the sumptuous treasures of the sultanate are housed. The highlight was the arm of the prophet Muhammad, encased in gold armor. Also the staff of Moses was there! Anyway I’m not religious but it was very cool to lay eyes on these precious icons. I followed my visit with a wander around Sultanahmet, where I was completely accosted by crazy Turkish men wanting to take me out. They are so unbelievably forward, I didn’t even know what to do. One guy in a shop nearly molested me, trying to help me try some clothes on! Well, after the fourth pickup attempt, I ran into the next shop and picked up a fake wedding ring. I told the shopkeeper, “I need to get married, now!” He just laughed at me. Then told me he’d love to marry me. Aaaargh!
The rest of Istanbul is a blur, really. I wandered the streets and alleyways, getting lost among the food stalls and bazaars located around the city. On Wednesday night I went to see one of my favorite bands, Massive Attack, in an outdoor plaza on the shore of the Bosphorus straight. It was phenomenal, one of the best concerts I’ve ever been to.
I also sang karaoke, both with a live band and in the typical bar style. My hosts were kind enough to indulge my desire to sing in every country I visit lol, even though that wasn’t really their thing!
After 4 days, my time in Istanbul came to a close but I’ll be back!
Interior of the Hagia Sophia, Istanbul, Turkey
Yet another bizarre side-effect of visiting a country that restricts freedom of speech by blocking citizens’ access to all that the internet has to offer. In addition to China’s block of certain google services and Facebook (among other sites), Turkey blocks YouTube and Google Docs access. This has proven slightly problematic for me because I can’t currently upload photos to my Picasa account. Continue Reading…
Last night, my new friend Shona and I cheaped out and (stupidly) didn’t take a cab back to our hostel and walked 20 minutes alone at 1 am. Just about the dumbest thing I’ve done my entire trip. A guy came out of his house and followed us for a bit then caught up and asked first if we were Turkish, to which we said no, then he said, “Do you sex?” I had to ask him to repeat himself three times because I thought his accent was just confusing me. Then I had to say “No we’re tourists you pervert!” LOL He just turned around and went back to his house thank god. I was terrified until I figured out what he wanted and that he wasn’t going to do anything to us. So, two foreign-looking women walking the street at 1 am here are assumed to be prostitutes. At least we made it home alive.