Egypt

We first intended on going to Morocco as three girls and decided recruit a big intimidating guy as a safety net. We needed the kind that would crumble the enemy with his gaze, deafen them with his voice and behead them with a single slap.

Many fearless man applied from all around the world. Some had lost an eye, some had survived Saddam Hussein's gas attacks but had mutated into the ugliest, scariest faces ever seen. They were the toughest warriors alive.

Finally, it boiled down to the two most intimidating candidates:




The Butcher aka Marcus
vs
Deniz aka Marco.



To determine who is a better fit for the job, we held a contest. Both man were put in the Sahara with no food nor water and they had to survive 10 days fighting against the 1000 terrorists we released which were commissioned to kill them.

Marcus never returned...

One of our travel buddies, Zeynep, decided a man such as Marco could not be trusted with three woman, and back out. Hearing of Marco's victorious but vicious survival in the Sahara, Morocco closed its doors on us.

Thank God Mossad is omnipresent. They knew about our ban out of Morocco and they proposed to dump us in Egypt for free, hoping we would cause some trouble there. We agreed, but all we had in mind was a calm vacation. ;)



Sharm El Sheikh



Sharm trascended our expectations.

Some people, who I suppose were inexperienced travelers, had warn us that Egypt was ugly, dirty and dangerous.

Sharm was quite the contrary.

Deniz (yes, there were two Denizes in the group) and I could have traveled to Sharm safely as two girls. Marco was just a bonus. I would even feel comfortable traveling alone. Marco didn't seem to agree. I tried really hard to steal a night alone but under Marco's jurisdiction, I didn't stand a chance. Afterall, he was commissioned to overwatch us. It of course did not help that I was dating one of this good friends.



The Red Sea was abundant with fish. Marco and I decided to to have a closer look.















Cairo

Cairo was all the things they warned us about. It is a pity such an important heritage is in the hands of the Egyptians. They do not seem to realize what they have is worth. The whole area around the pyramids were trashed. I don't mean a few plastic bottles here and there, I am talking of big city dumps.

There were no signs anywhere explaining the history of the monuments. Most of the time we tried to pretend we belonged with the American tourists who had hired an Egyptologist to show them around.

The museums and the monuments were badly attended. People could freely climb on the pyramids. No pictures were allowed inside, but no one was there to surveille.











From far Cairo may look like Manhattan, but this is what is it like when you are inside.

Thank you Matt!

My wonderful friend Matt, who lives in SFO, composed a list of stuff do while you are there. It was so long, he couldn't post it as a comment, so I am publishing it here on his behalf.

Matt (and all other friends in SFO), I am sorry I didn't call you guys up. My boyfriend informed me we were seeing friends the very last minute. I thought we were doing a "couple trip" until then. So, I ended up meeting his friend, instead of you guys. :( I missed you all, too!




"Hi Duygu, I'm glad to hear you're well on your way to falling in love with CA :) I have a ton of more suggestions to add, but I'll just add a few for now:

+3 for Big Sur: (1) For those interested in a magical beach view, check out "Point Lobos" especially in the winter when the crashing waves spray 50-75 feet in the air and one can watch seals sunbathe and dive for meals. (2) My favorite beach there is "Julia Pfeiffer" where one can watch the sunset through tunnels bored in the cliffs by waves: beachPhhttp://www.flickr.com/photos/andrewmeyers/3045691058/ (3) For those in the mood for a more committed adventure, pack your sleeping bag, tent, backpacking stove and hit the trail our of Big Sur state campground up to "Sykes Hotsprings" -- a 10 mile, beautiful hike through redwoods, bay trees, madrone and CA oak to a natural hot spring hidden deep up the valley. Soak your soar body and jump in the invigorating cold stream!

Further North on Highway 1: you come to "Half Moon Bay" area, which is a rather cute and fun town. I also enjoy another town called "Princeton by the sea" ~15 mi further north. "Ketch Joanne" is a great greasy spoon and has delicious fish and ships. If you're in the mood for something a little classier there's "Sam's Chowder House" a 1/4 mile south of town -- yummy local seafood! The world-famous "Maverick's Beach" -- home to some of the world's biggest surfing waves (only a few times a year) is just a short hike over the ridge from town -- this is one of my favorite beaches in CA.

In SF proper: Soo much good stuff in this city. Here are a few highlights:

Eats: (1) "Cha-Cha-Cha" in the Mission (a historically Latino neighborhood) is a lively old-time SF restaurant with strong Cuban influences. (2) down the street is "Weird Fish" -- a fun spot to get great little plates. (3) those willing to pay more can have a classy Another cool stop is "Tataki Sushi" http://www.tatakisushibar.com/ which is (as far as I know) the first (and only?) 100% sustainably fished sushi restaurant! (5) "San Tung" in the Inner Sunset has the best Chinese-style chicken wings you will ever have. (6)"Brother's Korean BBQ" on Geary street is fantastic -- you cook yourself over mesquite wood coals -- delish!

Drinks: (1) "Bruno's" and (2) "Medjool" are great, big clubs in the Mission. Check out the (3) “Elbo Room” for a more relaxed space, or really any other bar in the popular 16th street and Valencia Street area. The Marina district is also known for its nightlife – more the preppy type in general. I like (4) “MatrixFilmore” and (5) “City Tavern” just 1 block down Filmore Street.

Fun: (1) "Planet Granite" rock climbing gym in the Presidio looks onto the Golden Gate bridge and has great facilities. (2) "SFMOMA" is a wonderful museum and always worth a stop. (3) "alemany farmers market" is super colorful and has amazing local food -- one really gets a feel of south-american and south-east-asian and californian growers all rolled into one place. (4) "Dolores Park" is a great place to hang when the weather is nice -- enjoy the hippies, random jam groups, and the guy who sells gourmet mushroom truffles: http://www.yelp.com/biz/truffle-guy-san-francisco.

North still of SF: The "Marin Headlands" is an incredibly beautiful area, and soooo close to one of the major metropolitan centers of the US. It was all military land housing secret bases through the cold-war era (many of which you can visit in their decomposing states), but now it's national park land. I recommend visiting the "Point Bonita Lighthouse" http://www.nps.gov/goga/pobo.htm which is only open like 12:30-3:30 Sat-Mon. Teetering on the edge of its own personal island cliff, it has ridiculous views of the ocean and SF bay and harkens back to an older age. If you want to stay in the area for cheap, check out the "Marin Headlands Hostel" http://www.norcalhostels.org/marin/which is very simple, but good.

A little further north and you'll come to the world-famous "Muir Woods" which is one of the closest places to SF to walk among what's left of the ancient redwoods. Some of these trees are 3000 years old. This area is very accessible, with almost disney-land-like paved pathways. For those more adventuresome, hike the "Dipsea Trail" all the way to "Stinson Beach" -- about 10 miles round trip but an absolutely beautiful hike through open hills covered with golden grass and oak trees, to cool valleys filled with ferns and moss-covered bay trees. Once at Stinson you can eat at the "Parkside Cafe" for a tasty stop. The beach is just a walk through the park from there."

Driving along the shore of California

Friends from NY used to say that I was certainly NY material, whereas my incredible punctuality with deadlines had convinced other friends from CA that I belonged laid-back sun State. Some not-so-innocent dance moves might have added to that too. (Oh, Brown..)

I am not a beach bum, I hardly ever tan. I am with Marilyn Monroe on preferring pale white skin to bronze. I would stand out in California. I am not serious or cynical enough to pass for a New Yorker either. Consequently, the debate was never settled for me, until recently.

Between the time I attended Columbia and my visits to my boyfriend, I lived in NY for about 5 months. I liked it there, but something never felt quite right. It lacked something that was so essential to me. I can't put it in words, but my spirit felt contained in NY. I still can't put my finger on what it was exactly. Manhattan has everything I wish for in a city: a great park, a well-developed public transportation network, flat roads for cycling, several Michelin recommended restaurants, crazy parties, three international airports (Newark caters to NY, too), the biggest show cases in the world and a green-minded mayor and his great administration which provides the city with endless cultural activities. It is the perfect recipe for a great city, yet, it never captured me.

I had been to LA for business two times already and both times I ran back to New York after passing three days there.

Yet, our roadtrip on Highway 1 blew my mind... Now I think that California is something else.


Day 1

We started in LA.

My bf had to stop there for a meeting. Meanwhile, I chilled in Venice Beach.

He picked me up and we drew to San Luis Obispo.

Just out of Santa Barbara, we passed a small University whose entire student body was in the ocean waiting for a big wave. The school looked empty. 4 years of surfing, bonfire parties, whale watching...

We stayed in a beautiful hotel called Sanitarium in SLO. It is a 4 bedroom house owned by a local painter. Each room has a bathtub in front of the bed and is unique in decoration. The breakfast is served at 9. You sit around a big table with all the guests. In the middle of you all, they put a big pan of organic asparagus omelette or whatever they find that day on the farmer's market. On the right of your plate there is small glass of fresh squeezed orange juice and a cup of steaming coffee. On the left if a small bowl of organic granola. You dip your garlic butter toasts in your omelette and chase it down with a big gulp of coffee.

http://www.thesanitariumspa.com/


Day 2

San Luis Obispo is the up coming Napa Valley. The land prices went up drastically over the past 10 years as more vineyard kept popping up. We stopped at a random one for wine tasting. Turned out it was owned by a Japanese agri-holding. The owner bought it for fun. The hostess proudly said, " We don't sell our wine on the market and we don't do mass production. The limited wine we do is available only through wine clubs or here at the vineyard." They were very confident in their wine. They want you to try their wine because they are sure you will buy some once you taste it. That's why you only have to pay 5 bucks for tasting 5 wines although a bottle is pretentiously sold at 35- 70 dollars.

To be honest, when she mention the Japanese owner, I got skeptical. What do Japanese know about wine making? Once I put my nose in the glass, my doubts shattered. I could almost smell a rain forest in that wine. Hints of soaked earth, freshly crushed coffee beans, and vanilla bursted out of the glass. My nose warned my taste buds this will be something extraordinary.

The wine was indeed out-of-the-ordinary. Both the red and the white tasted like Sake! Sake Bordeaux, Sake Shiraz, Sake Cabarnet... We spit the 5 wines we tried in the bucket. It made our wine tasting experience quite brief and dissappointing, but in retrospection, maybe be it was a good thing as we still had 4 hours of driving to get to Carmel.

In an hour, we got to a beach taken over by a huge colony of sea lions. There lied maybe 5000 of them along the shore. They were only 3 steps away from us. If you slipped, you would find yourself cuddling with them.

Kaya wanted to rent a convertible for the trip so that my polka dot scarf could blow in the wind like Marilyn's as we drove on the cliffs by the ocean. I wasn't a fan of this idea because: 1) i didn't want to get a tan (especially a trucker's tan), 2) driving in the wind for hours isn't fun,
3) it is disturbing when you are on the highway, 4) it gets cold in the car when you drive fast. But Kaya was not in a mood for cooperating that day. He dictated that we were getting a convertible. His absolutism made me super angry but for the sake of not ruining the holiday I decided to contain it inside. Poor me ended up holding my scarf above my head like a tent for about 6 hours everyday. That certainly added to my discontentment and brought me to explosion. As we approached to the the most recommended part of our trip, we started arguing.

Usually a redwood forest on a high cliff by the sea shore would have dazzled me. At times the waves were so big and powerful, they would reach the road. I secretly wished we would get caught in one and would get soaked to the bone. Then, he maybe would regret not listening to my argument but the universe was on his side.

There we were in Big Sur, which is claimed to be the prettiest place in Cali and we were fighting while other couples were happily seizing this romantic view by making out. They were taking 'happy couple' pictures, splitting a sandwich and sipping beer out of the same can and we were sitting on two distant rocks.

We sat there for 20 minutes until the ocean mellowed us out. There is something therapeutic about that view. We hugged and kissed then, we finally took a happy couple picture.

Big Sur was amazingly pretty. Hippies settle there because it moves you so much that you realize you don't need much to be happy. It makes you feel like you can be forever happy by looking at that view. You see the essence of life. Consequently, everyone you meet there is a very peaceful, pleasant person. They so are warm and cheerful that even if you are not from there, you feel home.

Pfeiffer Beach is an mandatory stop in Big Sur. It was probably the highlight of our entire trip. The above photo is taken there.

Nepenthe is a popular eatery in Big Sur. The guides go on and on about their steaks and pump you up for a fine meal but they only have diner food. Fortunately, the visual feast makes up for the so- so food. With that said, I should probably mention that it is said to be the best restaurant in the area.


Just about 100 meters down from Nepenthe is the Big Sur Bakery. We only had desert and coffee there but from our conversation with its loyal costumers, we figured that the food is better there.
I would still prefer a plain turkey breast sandwich at Nepenthe because its terrace is really the deciding factor. Good food you can find any where, but the view is unique.

You should still stop at the bakery to see the open air studio of a hippy artist. Through out the summer he hold percussion sessions in this studio/theather/garden/carpenter shop or whatever you want to call it. He says major artists go there to play with him. They share smokes, drums and woman. He has a big collection peyotes, a type of hallucinogenic cactus. He said he didn't try them yet, but I bet some people will land on the moon next summer. Why would you need so many other wise?

An hour away is the prettiest town I have seen in the States. Carmel-By-The-Sea. Small little boutiques, tons of small art galleries, few cars, small but expensive American houses, trimmed lawns, newspaper boys on bicycles, big trees on the sides of the roads, old couples hand in hand make you feel like it is a film set. It is by far the most charming place.

There are several good places to stay at in Carmel. The problem is there is nothing under 200 bucks.

Tickle Pink Inn is known to be the nicest but it is out side of the town, which means that you would have to drive back and forth. I like to be able to walk every where from my hotel. Especially in such a beautiful town, walking is the only way of seizing it.

Cypress Inn is in a beautiful colonial looking house. Another popular pick.

Carriage House Inn is cozy and romantic. Excellent views of the water.

We stayed at La Playa Hotel. It is conveniently located, 5 mins away from the busy downtown and as well from the ocean. It doesn't look as nice as it does on the website. It is older than what you would expect, but the Turkish receptionist is quite nice. He sent us a free bottle of champagne ;)

Day 3

There is nothing really worth telling about day 3 as I had to go to Fresno for a meeting. It is a sketchy old town which has nothing to offer. After the meeting we drove to SFO. The Carmel-Fresno-SFO route took us 8 hours. Once we got to the hotel, we immadeately passed out.

Day 4

We woke up and went to the famous Pork Store dinner on Ashburry Street. It was around 10 on a Sat morning, so we didn't have to wait for a table but those who arrived 10 mins after us had to wait about 30 mins in line. It is a famous dinner because it was the cradle of the hippy movement. Turns out, the clientele didn't change much over the decades.

Ashburry Street is still the home of the hippies and drugs. We enjoyed walking along the street, peeping at all the new inventions at the smoke shops and sex boutiques. You can see all sorts of people there. Tourists, homeless, transexuals...

From there we walked into the Golden Gate Park. Many people were outside running. We paid 7 dollars each to enter the Japanese Tea Garden. We tried to getaway with paying 5 but didn't work. They built a perfect Japanese garden. Bonsai domes in the river, two life size temples, red fish ponds, fully costumed geishas serving green tea. It was another moment of absolute Zen.

Renzo Piano's green masterpiece California Academy of Sciences is a wonderful example of modern architecture.

"Renzo Piano’s goal was to create a sense of transparency and connectedness between the building and the park through both a careful selection of materials such as glass slender support columns and a thoughtful arrangement of space.

“Museums are not usually transparent,” says Piano. “They are opaque, they are closed. They are like a kingdom of darkness, and you are trapped inside. With the new Academy, we are creating a museum that is visually and functionally linked to its natural surroundings, metaphorically lifting up a piece of the park and putting a building underneath”.

And that is exactly what the eye meets on arrival: an undulating green roof expanding over 2.5 acre, landscaped with 1.7 million individual native plant species, unifying the different functions of the museum, creating a new link in the ecological corridor for wildlife. The living roof reduces storm water runoff by up to 3.6 million gallons of water per year and includes an observation deck, allowing visitors to admire the rooftop wildlife haven and learn about the benefits of this sustainable feature. The “green blanket” is bordered by a glass canopy containing nearly 60,000 photo voltaic cells, which will produce up to 10 percent of the Academy’s annual energy needs. These photo voltaic cells are clearly visible in the glass canopy, providing both shade and visual interest for the visitors below." (World Architecture News)

Then we met up with a friend on the pier. The bridge over us, the sail boats on the sea and the near by island made us feel like we were in Ortakoy in Istanbul. I can easily say that the highlight of SFO is a restaurant called The Slanted Door in the Ferry Building on the pier. The food is so good, people don't stop to talk during the dinner. Super fine samples of Asian Fusion Cuisine.

http://slanteddoor.com/index.html

Finally we went to China Town. It is supposed to be the biggest one in the world. To my surprise, it was much neater and less dense than NY's. Moreover, you could communicate in English! That, and the Oreos next to the counters suggested that Californian Chinese are more willing to integrate.

Before we headed to the airport, we stopped a the Golden Gate Bridge.

Our visit to SFO was very brief. I wish I had more to say on USA's most preferred place to live but that was all I could squeeze into 24 hours. If you have have recommendations, please drop here a few lines!

Bodrum Ahoy!

As I previously mentioned, I am not a fan of emailing fake "already 20 times forwarded personalized recommendations", so once again I will make my Bodrum recommendations public here.

First of all, Bodrum is made up of several bays all of which are reputed for different sorts of things. You will be hopping from one bay to the other. People use shared cabs (dolmus in Tr) for transportation. Dolmus (pronounced as dolmoosh) has very little to do with the cabs you have in mind. They are a cross between cabs and buses. They travel on predetermined routes like buses but unlike buses you can get off and get on it at any place you like you are in a cab. They do not work on a schedule. They wait at the dolmus station, and once all seats are taken, they head for the road. They announce where they are going to on their front window but as they usually put the final destination, you might want to check with the driver before you get on it. Alternatively, you can wait on their route and make a sign to stop them to get on them.

Renting a car or a scooter is also convenient option in Bodrum.

Do NOT use the cab in Bodrum. You will end up spending ridiculous amounts of money. A ride to the beach and back will exceed what you pay to the hotel. There are shuttles to the downtown bus terminal from the airport, but if you are a group of four, it is highly likely that getting a cab will cost around the same.


CULTURE

Do not go to Bodrum with the expectation to enrich your culture. It is a hip and happening beach town where you will dance off your pants and recover around 3 pm the next day only to restart the cycle in a few hours. Yet, as any spot you would point to on the map of Anatolia has, it does have some interesting historical attractions:

- You should def visit the Underwater Archaeology Museum in the Bodrum Castle. It has the world's oldest shipwreck. It is pretty much the only historical site where you will get a satisfactory sense of self-improvement.

One of the 7 wonders of the ancient world is in Bodrum: Mausoleum of Halicarnassus. Unfortunately, there is nothing but chopped up stones at the site. It is rather sad and disappointing.

Finally, there is the Myndos Gate. That will be the last bit of culture you will find.

An hour outside of Bodrum is Euromos which can potentially satisfy your hunger for history.

However, if you are intrigued by thu local culture, Bodrum has a lot to offer. There are some intact Aegean villages that you can visit, which make up my favorite parts of Bodrum. However, you would need to rent a car or at least a scooter. Guvercinlik and Gumusluk would be two of the easier to get to options. They are both pleasant villages but I can not say that they are completey untamed. Guvercinlik is comparatively more authentic. If you want a real village with olive trees and citrus gardens, you should probably go towards Inceburun . If you would like to buy some Bodrum style carpets, Mumcular is an untapped resource. The village is certainly not on the way of the regular tourists, so the villagers have no idea how much people might be willing to pay! I invite you to be nice and reasonable when negotiating. Keep in mind that your glass of tea feeds their entire family for a night. Support the locals.



DOWNTOWN

- The Bodrum Bazaar is very lively and overwhelmingly crowded at night but then, it is overwhelmingly hot during day time, so you are still better off touring at night. Plus, it only makes sense to profit as much as you can from the sea in a place like Bodrum.

Here are the things you can do while you are there:
* Bodrum Castle is 2 mins away from the bazaar.
* Mavi Bar is on the opposite end of the bazaar (in reference to the castle). You will find it when you are about to lose your hope. :) It is a tiny Bodrum style bar with live music, descent crowd but the people do not dance.
* Korfez and Adamik are hidden in the streets that branch off of the main street of the bazaar. Drinks are relatively cheaper in these rock bars. You won't find many foreigners here. The ones you find will have probably read my blog. ☺
* You can try out the Bodrum style veggie-beef gyros at Sirin. Many alternatives are available but this is my favorite one.
* Have the Ottoman breakfast plate at Penguen which is an icecream/desert shop on the sea. They have tables on the beach.
* You can smoke hookah (nargile) on the beach. All places next around BBC or Blue Moon offer it. Apple and melon are my favorite flavors.

My favorite nighttime hang out in Bodrum is the bar in the Bodrum Marina. It is only a 10 min walk from the bazaar. They have great live music and quality crowd that actually dance! (Turks are usually busy watching people) If you are traveling on a budget, make sure to have pregamed before getting there. A screwdriver is around 20 Euros.


AROUND

Once again, Bodrum is all about checking out the different scenes at different bays. If you stick to the area of your hotel, you will be missing a lot. Usually people will leave their hotel around 11 or 12, go to one beach, come back around 7 to shower, and leave at 8 again only to come back around 3 or 4. They will try a new beach, breath the air at a different bay everyday.

- Turkbuku is where the Turkish jetset and the jetset wannabes hang out. All boys think of themselves as Hugh Hefner and all girls act as Heidi Klum. It might be an interesting scene to check out, but might get boring after a day or two. (Take the dolmus to get there) I like going there if I am in the mood for dressing up. SHIP AHOY is a fun bar on the sea in Turkbuku. You might like it.

- There are many beach clubs like Xuma or Havana. Havana is probably the better one. They are both a spin off of Mykanos. It is a place to check people out and make appearances. People make a serious effort to dress up (to swim!) and look their best. Gorgeous girls. The party starts around 5 and continues into the night but I think that it is sort of lame. I do not find the scene at these beach clubs entertaining but to be fair, I should also note that some people adore it. It is a matter of taste.

- Gumusluk used to be a modest fisherman's village. It is still one of the best places to have fish at. (need to take the dolmus to get there)

If you can afford a night of gourme sea food, go to Mimoza. A modest but classy atmosphere with hints of local touches. Make reservations in advance and ask him to reserve the fish you want as they sell out quickly. Tel: 0.252.394.31.39 Gsm.0.532.247.61.17

I recommend to try out the following:
My favorite two mezes ever are Fava and Deniz Borulcesi with lots of garlic. :) Additionally, get Kopeoglu (Eggplant with yoghurt) and calamari.

For fish, I recommend tuzda levrek They coat the seabass with a salt crust and put it in the oven. Then, they remove it from the oven and flame it before they break the crust. Nice to watch, good to eat. :)

If they are out of levrek, go for laos buglama. They cook the fish with veggies and serve it in juice.

To do it the Turkish style, drink raki with your fish. There are many brands on the market and they are all good but siyah Efe (black Efe) and Yesil Efe (Green Efe) are especially good. Yesil Efe is (green efe) made from young grapes and the Siyah Efe is triple distilled. That is how they get their unique taste. Yeni Raki, previously the major player in the market, had some health issues recently, so keep it as your last resort.

- If you want to windsurf, go to Ortakentt or to Bitez.

- There are daily boat tours that leave from every bay. As much as I like cruising, these tours are over-crowded and it spoils the pleasant feeling of being on a boat. Alternatively, you can approach a small boat and ask if they do private tours. Get him to include lunch and afternoon fruit service in the price.


HOTELS:

Warning: A quiet sleep is very hard to find in Bodrum.

Downtown:

Dilek Pansiyon $
Very basic room with beds and AC. Bathroom might be shared.
I have no idea what it looks like inside but I imagine it must the equivalent of a cheap youth hostel. I put it here because it is dirt cheap and its location is prime.
+90 252 316 3891
Kumbahce Mah. Ataturk Cad, No 69

Diamond of Bodrum $$$
It has a great location if you want to stay downtown. Only a 5 min walk to the Bodrum Bazaar. The rooms are basic and clean. Has a pool and a beach. The price is reasonable and comes with breakfast.
Yet, the breakfast is of very bad quality and very noisy at night.
Ask for a sea view room in advance.

Su Otel $$$
15 min walk to the Bodrum Bazaar.
It is a boutique hotel with a pool, but no sea shore.
The rooms are simple and clean. They have a family suit for 3 which you might find comfortable.
The prices are higher than Diamond of Bodrum but the food is much better.
The beds are little hard tho!

Hotel Istankoy $$
Haven't been inside but I briefly conversed with a few tourist who were staying there. They said that they love the location and it is a good deal for the price. It has a pool but no seashore.
Ataturk St, No 73
0252 316 4187
www.hotelistankoy.com.tr

The Marmara
This hotel is on the higher end. 15-20 min to the bazaar. If you can afford it, go for it.



Other Bays:

Mer-can Story
It is in Yalikavak, which is one of the nicer bays of Bodrum. It is a good deal because it is on the sea, has a pool an reasonably priced suites with equipped kitchens.
http://www.mercanstory.com/anasayfa.htm


If price is not a concern, here is a list of great hotels:

Maki in Turkbuku
Ada in Turkbuku
Queen Ada In Torba
Casa dell'arte in Torba
4 reasons in Yalikavak
Adahan in Yalikavak


GOOD EATS:

Kismet
My favorite eatery in town. It is a delicious esnaf lokantasi which is a cafeteria which is open only for lunch. You will get to eat real Turkish home cooking here. It is the best deal you will find: healthy, clean, cheap, and very yummy. I highly recommend the Kabak Tatlisi (pumpkin desert). They make their own yoghurt daily and grow their own herbs.
The head chef is a very descent guy. You would expect find a guy like that in a five star hotel's hospitality management. The only downside of Kismet is its location. It is not in the center of Bodrum, it is on the main road (Ataturk Blvd) that dolmuses pass through, behind Finansbank. It is easily accessible by dolmus but still not very conveniently situated. That's because it caters to the locals who work around that area, not to the tourists. Everybody is a regular here. Go there three times a week, you will get a sense of who is who.
Ataturk Blvd, behind Finansbank, Konacik
0252 319 0096 - 319 36 38

Denizhan
Meat and kebap house, the only restaurant distunguished by the New York Times in Bodrum
0252/363-7674
Turgut Reis Yolu, about 2.5km (1 1/2 miles) outside of town (across from the Tofas/Fiat service station)

Antique Theatre Hotel
Award winning menu, contemporary french cuisine
Kibris Sehitleri Cad. 243, Bodrum
Across from the ruins of the antique theater
0252/316-6053

Berk
It is a 20 something year old fish restaurant. Neither its costumers nor employees changed in those 20 something years. The restaurant is characterized by its super friendly white haired hosts (Husnu Baba and Haydar Usta) and its simplicity. You can taste the 20 years of experience in their mezes. When Bodrum is empty of tourists in the winter time, it is the only restaurant boosting with business downtown. You have to reserve a day in advance even in the winter. It is probably the cheapest fish you can eat in downtown Bodrum.
Cumhuriyet Ave, no 167 (They are close to the disco Halicarnasus (Halikarnas)
0252 313 02 39

Orfoz
Another fish restaurant right next to Berk famous for its mezes.



WARNING:
Halikarnas Disco is a trap for tourists. They advertise everywhere to make sure that it is something you can't leave without experiencing. They have buble/foam party nights twice a week and it only attracts "drink till puke" kind of Brits and overdressed Russians.

I want to go to PERU!!!!

Brown is an unique place on earth. It is full of inspiring idealists (despite its share of engineers and bankers :) - no offense- ).
A good percent of the people I know are working in academia or non-profits. Two friends I know moved to Haiti to fight AIDS. My roommate handed out free condoms for four years on the streets, reached out to the prostitutes and helped them be safe. Standing on the streets though a Providence winter would have been enough of a statement in itself. Another couple I know moved to some remote place in China to teach English. Brown even got a Turk to move to Indonesia to teach English.

The most recent rabbit that Brown pulled out its hat is my dear friend Ben. Ben was in finance for the last 3 years. A month ago, he quit his job at Citi and started a grand tour of Latino America. He sent me an email that made me want to pack my bags up and leave to some place. I am very jealous of Ben.

I am posting in here so that you can reconsider your career plans in your job that you started to like less since the summer.




Greetings from Cusco Peru on the first day of Winter (or Summer in the States)!

A lot has happened in the first two weeks, and I'd like to share with you some thoughts and stories.

I am currently living in Zurite Peru, working alongside my great friend Jasper and his newly founded non-profit (Global Student Embassy) providing cultural exchange opportunities for high school students. We are providing financial support and volunteer labor to help the town of Zurite carry out a massive irrigation building project. Relative to other towns between Cusco and Zurite (about 40 miles) it´s a luxurious village of about 1,000 people nestled under massive, sprawling mountains and one of the widest Incan terraces in Peru. The buildings are well kept, there´s a town square with a church, a new hospital in construction, a new central market, a primary and secondary school, running water (the house I am at for now has a flush toilet, which is new since last year), electricity, and warm people. One phone, no internet, and no newspapers.

We are a group of seven volunteers, living with various host families in Zurite. Jasper and I are living under the bustling roof of Tomas and Gladys Ruiz Lopez and their three bright, cheerful children, Joel, 16, Marilyn, 13, and Johan, 9. Tomas, a high school professor of religious studies, coordinates all religious studies in each of the State of Cusco's 100 high schools. The hush hush is also that he will be running for mayor of Zurite in December 2010. Seeing his work and the way he is received in town, I think he will win. Gladys has an endless number of jobs. In addition to being the nucleus of the family and maintaing a house of 6 people, she manages water usage for all homes in Zurite, breeds prize winning cueys (guinea pigs), and helps us coordinate some important aspects of the irrigation project. The most fun comes after dinner when Jasper and I play cards with 2 of the kids in the family we are living with (Marilyn, 13, and Johan, 9) or try to understand the riddles they tell us. And the excitement begins every day by 5AM with bantar about water usage rights or the sale of a decently-bred toro (Tomas admits they don't have the time to raise prize winning toros go figure!)

Cesar is the most eccentric character I've met in Zurite The first night I met him, we stopped by his shop and started playing poker with him. A few others joined and within 10 minutes a small crowd gathered in his store. The game was Texas Hold em of course. The pace of play was a cheetah running across the desert. I tried to stall on the second hand, but was reprimanded by Cesar (he´s about 78). We played with chips, but no real money. When you ran out of chips, whoever had the most gave you some. I´ve never heard so much laughter and cheer around a game of poker. And after Jasper lost about 8 hands in a row, Cesar called him inutil (worthless). That caused an uproar of course. Cesar´s nickname became La Mafia or La Socialista because he won most hands and redistributed the wealth. Tomas describes him as "no tiene pelos en la lengua" (basically, he's got a sharp tongue). He tries out his few English phrases on us and makes fun of our slow, deliberate Spanish speech.

One of the first lessons I learned about working in an agricultural setting is ¨no golpear sino jalar.¨ Don´t punch but rather pull. It´s about finesse, not strength. This has held true on three types of work I have done so far. Cutting grass for los cueys (guinea pigs). Using pico y pala (pick and shovel) to dig a ditch. And para desgranar el maiz (No word in english. Think of it this way - the corn is dried in the sun for a few weeks. You then twist and turn the corn in your hands to push off the corn kernels. They feel like corn nuts.) Jasper and I did this for about 3 hours and got through about 500 husks of corn. My technique is improving, but I still have blisters and cuts on my delicate city hands after doing some real work. Day 2 of this work, Jasper and I were complimented by Gladys on our speed.

And yes, we did come here to work. It's been a back and forth with the Mayor, who has the last call on the use of the municipality's equipment and money. There´s plenty to talk about regarding the decision making process at the mayor´s office (actually, it went quite smoothly after he tried to stall first our meeting then the project by a week then a day then agreed to the original plan), but the most pleasant and happy sight was on the first Monday in Zurite - the first day of work. The President of Agriculture, Julio (he's puros negocios, pure business) had organized the farmers to meet for La Faena General. It´s like a town hall that takes place at the beginning of each week. Day to day, about 10 - 15 volunteers are needed to help keep the farmer's land and equipment in good repair. But we were in for a special treat on Monday, as it was the launch of a new project. We arrived probably 5 minutes early (I have no idea) and already there were about 70 campesinos. Julio spoke mostly in Quecha but we were told that he used the time to rouse the people and get them motivated about the project. The only line I understood was ¨no va a borrechar¨ (don´t get drunk). By the end of the session, there were about 170 farmers. Every two people were 'assigned' to 10 meters of canal digging (we were widening and cleaning an old canal). The assignment process basically entailed the group walking along the canal and stopping when they found a spot they liked. Jasper and I ended up at the end of the canal. Probably about 1.5 kilometers down. Work started around 10am. At 12pm we were done with our 10 meters (we had a relatively easy part compared to some of the other sections) and went home for lunch. Gladys, the mother of the host family, insisted we eat at home during our first day of work. Lunch started late of course but was mighty delicious (a heaping plate of fish, tons of veggies and lots of rice). We returned at 2pm and headed for the top of the canal to get some video footage. No one there. We started walking. No one. Still more walking and still no people. Within 4 hours, 170 farmers had cleared the way for 1.5 kilometers of cement irrigation to be built. When we put together a video, we´ll have to explain why there´s no footage of the digging! It will be a great story to tell.

For the next 8 days, we have been organizing a team of workers, buying material, and pushing the mayor to let us have our way. Finances are tough, but we've been told by Julio and Ruiz (President of the Zurite Community) that he will try to stall from time to time. When we left yesterday (Friday) for Cusco, all supplies had been purchased and work had kicked off in full force. When we return Friday, we'll start pouring the cement over the wooden frame. Can't wait to get back to Zurite!

Oh, and day 2 of work was unreal. Let's call it Home Depot - Inka Style. Wednesday morning we wake up at 6am for an early start. Our task today is to build a make-shift tent to store the wood and cement as close as possible to the canal. We wait in town until 8:45am for the materials only to learn that they had been dropped off at the camp site, rather than the Plaza. We two step it up to the building site. Our greeting is put down our backpacks and follow them to palos (wood logs). I hear palas (shovels). After 20 minutes of walking, I'm wondering why the shovels are so far off site. A loud crash should have warned me that we were carrying town trees not shovels, but in my state of stomach churning induced delirium, this thought does not cross my mind. Over the next 4 hours, a group of 9 of us carry down about 20 eucalpytus trees, making 2-3 trips each, 2 miles each trip. For the 7 volunteers, it was the hardest day of manual labor any of us had ever done. 12,500 feet altitude, smashing through dried corn fields, keeping balance on over turned grass fields, making small river crossings while carrying a tree between 40 and 90 pounds, 7 to 25 feet long. Not your average trip to Home Depot.

Many nights, we are joined at dinner by up to 6 people. A few nights ago, 4 farm hands and 1 of their children joined us. Their wage: 10 soles/day, plus dinner (3 soles to 1 dollar). After dinner I started thinking about the economics of poverty, as I do quite often. This time I had the beginning of a real observation. One cannot measure the tangible benefit of a meal as payment, the caloric intake aside. It's a social and cultural benefit; a form of human expression. Like most people in the world, these workers live alone or in small families. Dinner, in this form, becomes a gathering place, a social time. The benefit was made more apparent when Juan, the 4 year old, started to cry when his dad picked him up to leave. I asked Gladys why he was crying. She said because they had to leave dinner. He was in a social environment entertaining non-family members with his new radio and boisterous laugh Of course, this is no way a lift out of poverty. Simply one unseen benefit missed when looking at numbers and statistics.

Finally, on the political front, you have probably been reading about the conflict between the government and the indigenous people living in the jungles of Peru. Peru has 28 million people, 8 million of which live in the jungles. The current conflict is not only one of indigenous rights, but also resource and water usage/rights. Las huelgas (the strikes) have closed down road and train transportation between Cusco, Puno, and Arequipa. If you find a picture, you will see why. The streets are packed side-to-side with people and rock barricades. As I write this email, 7,000 protesters are headed to Cusco to arrive on June 24 - Inti Raymi, the most sacred festival of the year. It's attendance across South America is topped only by Carneval in Brazil. Gladys and Julio believe things will get worse after the holiday season ends. Tomas warned that if tensions continue to escalate, a civil war may break out.

Time for La Chifa (chinese-peruvian food) at our good friend Uriel's restaurant. He lives in Cusco and helped to found GSE from the Peru side. More about him later, but he's an amazing 29 year old, in his 4th year of dentistry school.

ISTANBUL GUIDE

I get tons of emails asking me for recommendations in Istanbul. I decided to post it here, so that I can just direct them to my blog.


To start with, you can't imagine how horrible the traffic is in Istanbul. You will find that cabs are pleasantly cheap here. A ride in a cab will probably cost you as much as you would pay to a bus as a family.



CULTURE

Sultanahmet is where the old city is. Most of the historical sites are here:
(it will take 2 days to finish it)

Topkapi Palace will take at least half of your day. If you are visiting at winter time, wear warm stuff because it is extra chilly in the harem due to the marble walls.
Hagia Sophia is an old church/mosque, now a museum. It is one of the wonder's of the world.
Blue Mosque (Sultanahmet Cami)
Water Cistern (Yerebatan Sarinci)
Istanbul Archealogy Museum

You can take a 10-15 min walk to Misir Carsisi (spice bazaar) from here.

If there is something I can't emphasize more, it is the importance of getting a guide in Sultanahmet. In Topkapi and Ayasofia it is a must. It makes a huge difference. I strongly recommend getting a guided tour of the Blue Mosque as well.

The guides will find you at the entrance. Otherwise ask the ticket booth. You can try to work out a deal with the same guide for the three spots.

Other sites worth visiting are:
Istanbul Modern (Istanbul Modern Art Museum)
Dolmabahce Palace (I like it better than Topkapi Palace because it remains furnished )
Galata Kulesi (Galata Tower, where the first man known to fly jumped off from)



POPULAR NEIGHBORHOODS

Beyoglu/ Istiklal Caddesi - The liveliest part of the town and the heart of underground culture. Many night clubs, shops and many many many many people!!! It is a favorite spot for both the tourists and the locals. There are many unique book shops, second hand stores, art studios hidden in the streets branching off of Istiklal.

*** I found a site where they orderly listed things to see as you are walking down Istiklal. It is a very good resource. You must get a print out before going to Beyoglu.
http://english.istanbul.com/Content.aspx?CatId=3624&Type=detail

Taksim Square marks the beginning of Istiklal, and Tunel marks the end. Tunel is a very popular hang out for the young and hip. Asmali Mescit Street in Tunel is full of bars I could recommend:
Here are some nice venues if you are below 30:
Babylon - live music everyday www.babylon.com.tr/english)
Babylon Lounge - latest and everlasting hits www.babylon.com.tr/english/
Otto - DJ performance www.ottoistanbul.com/index_tr.html#/home
Novo - DJ performance
Parantez - a bar with great mohitos for only 8 TL (2009) www.parantezbistro.com/news.html

If you like jazz, Nardis Jazz Club is one of the best jazz clubs in the city. It is even further down Tunel, close Galatasaray Tower. Ask people to direct you towards the Tower, and once you are there, ask for Nardis.

Line is a modest fun bar with a live band which gets everyone to dance to pop rock. Opposite from it is Hayal Kahvesi. Both venues play similar music but the crowd at Hayal Kahvesi is slightly older and has better air circulation. I can not comment on which band is better because there is a different band playing each night. It has a cover charge of 25 TL on Fridays and 30 on Saturdays but you get a free drink with it. Plus, if you are crowded or if it past 2 (they close at 4), you can negociate. It is close to the French Consulate, on the upper side of Beyoglu. Walking down from the consulate towards Tunel, you will see a Mc Donald's on the left. Around it should be Büyükparmakkapı St. A little further down on Büyükparmakkapı, it should be on your right. Alternatively, ask for Mojo which is the neighboring bar.

On Istiklal, there is an amazing restaurant called 360.
http://www.360istanbul.com/
It is costly, but it is worth the view and the food you will get.

Haci Abdullah is a good spot for a quick eat. They have traditional Turkish food, but the bill will similar to eating at 360. If you have time and want to treat yourself, go to 360. However, if you want to eat Turkish home cooking in a traditional setting, go to Haci Abdullah.

Vegetarians have a hard time in Turkey. Zencefil is one of the rare restaurants that offer yummy vegetarian food. It is not on the main street, so locating it may be challenging. Find the French Consulate on Istiklal Ave (on the upper end close to Taksim). Walking towards Tunel, take the first right after the consulate. Then, take the first left. Now you should be on Kurabiye St. Walk about 100 m. It should be on your right.

Fransiz Sokagi (French Street), which is also known as Cezayir Sokagi, is also a nice place to eat or to have a drink. The food won't blow your mind, but the street has a nice, cozy feel.

Cicek Pasaji or Nevizade (also in Beyoglu) is where you should go for a traditional Turkish tavern experience. Live traditional music and maybe a belly-dancer with traditional Turkish food as well as Raki ( very strong Turkish alcohol) is what makes up a tavern experience.
Boncuk in Asmali Mescit has good food but there is no live music. To reserve, call 0212 245 31 69-70. Another tavern you could go to is Cumhuriyet Meyhanesi. They are short on the spectacle side as there is no music, but you get to sit at the tables where Ataturk and his friends frequently discussed national matters.

Take a walk in the Barkac Street next to Galatasaray High School. There are nice art galleries, antique and vintage shops, where you can hunt for design treasures! This street leads to Cihangir.

Cihangir - is a cute bohemian neighborhood overlooking the Bosphorus. Although it is more popular among the performing arts proffesionals, it is the house to many artists, journalist and writers among which are Orhan Pamuk, the recipient of numerous literary awards, including the Nobel Prize in Literature 2006 and Sinan Cetin, the producer of full-length films and television series, and foremost, commercials.

It has colorful streets with little cafe shops and boutiques. Cuppa is my favorite place for brunch in Cihangir. Fresh fruit juices and smoothies, organic sandwiches and all sorts of breakfast food.


Ortakoy - is especially cute on the weekends with the bazaar set up on the streets. It has cozy and laid-back vibe. Here you can visit the Ortakoy Mosque, right by the sea. There is a synagogue and a church which are still in service. Sometimes they will let you in, sometimes they won't depending on their mood. It is worth a try.

Here, I recommend to eat either at Lavanta or House Cafe. You can ask people on the street once you get there. Everyone should know.

Also, you can do a boat tour of the Bosphorus. This tour will take an hour whereas if you hop on the the ones that depart from Eminonu, you will be trapped in boat for four to five hours. Do NOT take the long tour as you will be stranded under the sun staring on bare hill tops after the second hour.


Bebek - This is one of the fancier neighborhoods along the Bosphorus. There is very little to do besides sitting at a cafe and watching people. You could go there for a coffee or dinner. People are very conscious of their appearances here. Casual-chic would be the proper style to dress.


Nisantasi - The fanciest neighborhood of Istanbul. Old, French style buildings, high brands, crowded bars and restaurants, and of course pretty girls make up the streets. Zanzibar in Reasurans Passage is a pricey but good place to have delicious thin crust pizza. As everything else in Nisantasi, it is on the expensive side.

Prince Islands
Take a ferry from Kabatas or Eminonu ports to the islands of Istanbul. They are very remote and pretty. Looking at the architecture in Buyuk Ada (Buyuk Island), you can imagine how pretty Istanbul used to be once upon a time. Cars are not allowed on the islands. Rent a bike or take the horse carriage.



SHOPPING

To buy authentic Turkish stuff visit the Grand Bazaar (Kapali Carsi). Carpets, leather jackets, jewelry, spice... Also the capital of imitations of branded bags, shoes, watches, etc.. You should absolutely NEGOTIATE!


Besides, check with your hotel reception to go to one of the local's bazaar. Each neighborhood has a bazaar once a week. Check with your hotel where they are. It is a good opportunity to buy textile at a shockingly low prices. Again, you can negotiate here but not as tuff as at the Grand Bazaar.

Shopping malls I can recommend include:
Kanyon
Akmerkez
Istinye Park



DON'T MISS

You should absolutely get a "kese" (kind of peeling) at a Turkish Bath (hamam). The most popular ones are Cemberlitas and Cagaloglu Hamams. Check again with your reception to find the Turkish bath they recommend.



Since you are in Istanbul you should have dinner at the following places:
For an best of the Turkish Cuisine, go to Konyali at Kanyon. I highly recommend the "Tandir".

NY Times selected Istanbul the gastronomy capital of 2008. Three restaurants that they recommend are:
Ciya www.ciya.com.tr/
Muzedechanga www.changa-istanbul.com/v2/muzedechangamain.asp
Mikla www.themarmarahotels.com/The-Marmara-Pera/eatdrink-mikla-restaurant.asp



Will be back with a list of places to stay...
Kybele Hotel is in Sultanahmet. It is a cute, conveniently located hotel which I think you would enjoy. Their number is +90 212 511 7766. Email: kybele@smallhotels.com.tr. Website: http://www.kybelehotel.com/

Road trip to Thessaloniki

Before we hit the road I organized an orientation dinner for my friends who bearly knew each other. The truth is, it didn't look promising: Arslan arrived inconsiderably an hour late starving us to death as Zeynep was listing her objections:
1) We are not to drive faster than 120km/hr,
2) we are not to depart before 6 am,
3) Not sure about couch-surfing.
Deniz was rightfully irritated that the only contribution made to the plan was deconstructing it. I was in a discrete state of panic for I started to fear that I had miscalculated the harmony of this group.

Deniz+ Arslan+ Zeynep+ me = catastrophe

It was a lucky thing that no one back out and we were on the road to Thessaloniki by 5 am Friday morning. We wanted to leave at 4, Zeynep wanted to leave at 6. No winners nor losers this time.






CROSSING THE BORDER

5 am
Deniz picked Zeynep up.

5.30 am
I opened the back door only to find Zeynep ready to doze out: "I will sleep. You take the shot gun. Deniz promised to not drive faster than 120km/hr. Keep an eye on him." As Zeynep was sleeping like an angel in the back seat, she had no idea of the demons inside Deniz behind the wheel.

6 am
Arslan was, of course, late and we were told to kill time getting coffees. That pretty much means instant coffee at a gas station at that time of the day.

9 am
Stopped at a gas station for a cup of nasty tea and to practice my driving. Our car was manual and as far as I was concerned there were only 2 gears in a car: forward and backward. I had a Canadian driving license which is accepted in Europe. We hoped that if I could drive through the border, we would not need to purchase the 250 TL international driving license.

Zeynep and Arslan remained outside the car (!) Deniz put on a straight face and told me to turn on the ignition. He ordered:
"1st gear. Release the clutch as you push the gas." Apparently that is easier said than done. It looked like a rap video with the front of the car rising and dropping. I rapped for 5 mins in the car. My stick shift skills were still scarce but we decided it was enough in the case desperation.

10 am
Arrived at the Turkish border. As recommended by previous travelers, I got out of the car to deal with the male officer. Smooth sailing. No mention of an international driving license.

Arrived at the Greek border. As recommended by previous travelers, I got out of the car to deal with the male officer. As much as I tried to seduce the officer with our home -baked muffins and pogacas, he didn't accept my Canadian driving license nor Arslan's (expired) American. We reversed back to the Turkish border (like Temel) to get the international driving license.


BREAK AT KAVALA

12 am
We took a break at Kavala, a charming little city on the Northern coast of the Mediterranean. The city was under the Ottoman rule between 1387 and 1912, and Ottoman presence still dominates today. A massive Ottoman AQUEDUCT captures your immediate attention as you enter the city. Its massiveness and beauty reign all visitor's impressions of this town.

We started our tour at the CASTLE. The castle itself wasn't extraordinary but the walk up to the castle through the OLD TOWN was quite nice. Old Ottoman houses, some renovated, some deserted create a romantic promenade.

We continued to the HOUSE of the MEHMET ALI PASHA, the founder of a dynasty that ruled Egypt until 1952. We couldn't see inside but looking at it from outside pleased our eyes. If you walk passed it towards the end of the street, there is a nice cafe with a terrace overlooking the city. It is nice place to finish up the day.

For food and accommodation I recommend IMARET: http://www.imaret.gr/
"An imaret is one of the few names used to identify the Ottoman soup kitchens built throughout the Ottoman Empire from the 14th into the 19th century. These public kitchens were often part of a larger complex known as a Waqf, which could include hospices, mosques, caravanserais and colleges. The imaret's gave out food that was free of charge to specific types of people and fortunate individuals." Wikipedia

The old Imaret is now a five start hotel run by Relais & Châteaux.

We were pleasantly surprised to be served in Turkish where we had lunch. I guess it is safe to assume that some elders speak Turkish here. It can be explained by the still recent Ottoman control of the region and the numerous Turkish villages in the area. All the way along the highway we had passed villages with mosques and churches. The Turks and other Muslims of Western Thrace were exempted from the 1923 population exchange between Greece and Turkey.


THESSALONIKI

ACCOMODATION
We drove off to Thessaloniki from here. Instead of preferring the speedy highway, we decided to follow the COASTAL ROAD. Relying on common sense we guessed that if we followed the sea line, it would lead us down to Thessaloniki. We ended up on a dead-end street next to a gorgeous beach. It wasn't what we planned but we spotted a CAMPING area half an hour away form Kavala for our coming weekend getaways.

We had a Greek host that we found though COUCHSURFING.COM. "The CouchSurfing Project is a free, Internet-based, international hospitality service, and it is currently the largest hospitality exchange network... Members use the website to coordinate contacts and home accommodation (or "surf" others' "couches") with other network members around the world." Wikipedia.
However, we had forgotten that it was the Easter weekend and our generous host Aris had to plans to go out of town like most Greeks.


Other similar websites are:
Hospitality Club, Servas

We checked out 4 hotels and finally settled for TOURIST HOTEL. This historic building now serves as a budget hotel. It is conveniently located at the heart of the city, right next to Aristotelous Square where all the night life and shopping is. All rooms are clean and spacious. Furthermore, the hotel is much more tastefully decorated than you expect from a 65 Euros/night (per room!) kind of hotel. To our delight, the open buffet breakfast ran from 7 to 11. The staff is very friendly and helpful. To sum it up, this hotel is really traveler-minded.
http://www.touristhotel.gr/

A slightly more expensive alternative is the Luxembourg Hotel, but upon visiting we agreed that it is not 20 Euros better.
http://www.hotelluxembourg.gr/

Your guide might recommend Vergina, but it is far, ugly and more expensive.

If you can pay more LE PALACE is really the best option.



FOOD AND FUN
We had dinner at a cute little tavern (with no music) called PONTE NEGRO. The food is not mind-blowing but the staff is quite amiable. They have outside seating on a charming street with no traffic. We chose this place because they have no English menu, thus not touristic at all. Indeed, there is only one person who speaks crumbles of an English: Nico Athonisiades. He was very neighborly with us. So neighborly that he gave us a free bottle of Ouzo to take away with us. Nico is the man! I am not able to give the exact coordinates but I have their number: 2310 523 571

We continued the night in a bar that I am not able to recall :( Nico is to blame. However, you can check out Aris's recommendations: " Go clubbing to HOTEL or VOGUE, both in Fix area. Alternatively, try BARBARELLA in the center, right behind the Assos Odeon shopping mall, for some wonderful live Greek music. You might not be able to find a table to sit, but it is a must even if you have to stand."




------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------



DAY 2

10.40 am
We had agreed to meet a the breakfast lounge 10 mins ago. In the adjacent bed Deniz lied wasted from the previous night and although they were two floors above, I was sure Zeynep and Arslan were doing the same. Zeynep usually required a marching band around and on her bed to get up and Arslan was found guilty of late arrival twice, so I felt lighthearted about snoozing my alarm for a third time.

I had develop empathy for the homeless in the railway stations over the night. Deniz snored like rattling trains. I dragged myself out of bed and washed my face avoiding the reflection of 2 nights of sleep deprivation in the mirror.

10.55 am
Picked up the last piece of raison swirl from the already swept clean open buffet. How I looked with envy at the half eaten bagels on the abondoned plates...
Deniz was playing Marco, the model agent form Milan in his dreams. I would be doing the the same if it wasn't for the Easter service at church at 12. Zeynep and Arslan were still missing but then they arrived just in time for the last slice of feta on which Arslan made the first move. Keen eyes and fast hands.

11.20 am
We gathered in the lobby to go save ourselves seats at the ceremony only to find out that the service was at 12 am, not 12 pm.
Change of plans.

12 pm
We headed to the emblematic WHITE TOWER which have become the embodiment of the multi-cultural history of the city. The EU funds turned it into a 6 floor museum. The main themes of the exposition are the Byzantine period, Ottoman domination and the Jewish community.
As much as we envied the wonderful work done converting this tower to a Thessaloniki history line, we noticed some disappointing and unprofessional anti-Turkish remarks such as: "Under the Turkish rule, Greeks were the slaves, Jews were the guests". Museum are supposed to be like no man's land. They are not supposed to have sides.

4 pm
He headed to KOKINOS SKANTZOHIROS (Red Hedgehog in Greek) located on Pavlu Mela St. Aris told us to find his waiter friends here and recommended the meat dishes. As soon as we took a fork of the eggplant pie and the signature salad we knew that we did right thing by coming here. For the main course, three of us opted for the Turkish dish "Hunkar Begendi" and Zeynep got mixed Gyros. Gyros wasn't up to our expectations but the Hunkar Begendi is a must-try here. I have already decided what I will order next time I am here: palatianoi meatballs. We were again treated with free desert and mastic liquor called Mastica.
It has a very charming interior as well as outside seating under blossoming trees. 2310 281 599 for reservations.

We stuffed ourselves so much, we skipped dinner but otherwise we intended on giving a shot to AHINOS, right across the fish market on Ermou str. Aris described it as the place to have "delicious fish the modern way"

6 pm
Ataturk's house PEMBE KOSK (Pink Kiosk) was our next stop. It is not open on the weekends, so we couldn't see inside but I am not sure you can see much now that it is used as the Turkish Consulate General. There is a Turkish kahvehane across from it.

From here we headed home for a nap. The hotel had left Easter eggs and bread in our rooms for us.


12 am
Ceremony in Agios Dimitrios (seen in the above picture). My Easter egg beat the shit out of 7 warrior eggs. :)
Some Greeks showed up at church dressed rather for the after-church plans than for the service. Mini skirts, walking sticks, headscarves, stilettos and my Converses lit each other's candles passing the fire to the entire mass. Coming from a culture where the dress code is super strict for going to the mosque, I admired the modernized religious spirit.

12.30 am
As the mass dissolved into the streets, we followed a group of girls on the street (with their permission of course ) and ended up in a hip bar called KISSFISH where they played international pop. After playing the goody good shoes at church, Deniz was thirsty for some action. My friend Ivo's Greek friends joined us here and we partied till 5.30. The waiter offered us 3 rounds of 8 shots on the house. ;)
Greeks were very generous with us this entire trip.

6 am
French crepes before bed. Mr. Goody-Empty-Hands at least had a full stomach.

13 pm
Back on the road to Turkey.

PREFACE to "Road trip to Thessaloniki"

I am very tempted write a very long entry here to discuss that Turkey is not the EU reject only because it is the Muslim loner but because we have way too many things to straighten up. You will say, "So did all the other nations like Greece and Latvia have before they received the EU funds." The EU standardization process will fix our roads, feed our homeless and maybe even release a few writers from prison but it will not achieve to standardize a European mentality here. We will still be terrorized by the chorus of cab drivers honking in the last seconds of the red light as a "get ready" warning, the bus rides will be long breath retention exercises because the average Ahmet showers once a week, and people will continue to walk their dogs in your apartment's garden leaving one unwrapped present on your tire and another one on the apartment's entry.

My intention here is to spread the traveler wisdom, so I will try to limit my criticism and talk of all the fun things we did. Yet, there might be a few lines of necessary outburst of animadversion.

"Criticism may not be agreeable, but it is necessary. It fulfils the same function as pain in the human body. It calls attention to an unhealthy state of things.” Winston Churchill