First the good. As you know, I am in Turkey for the weekend. This included a flight to Istanbul, a bus overnight to Ephesus and Kushadasi, a bus overnight back to Istanbul, and tomorrow I fly back to Greece. It was a lot of work and a lot of money, but Ephesus was worth it. On that tour I saw the Temple of Artemis (that is one of the 7 wonders of the Ancient world), the traditional house of the Virgin Mary after the crucifixion (sketchy evidence that this is truely the place, but the Catholic Church seems to have accepted it, based on the many visits by Popes), historical Ephesus, and all that just before lunch. Ephesus was absolutely amazing. I stood in the theatre where Paul got in trouble. We did not make it over to where he was in prison due to running out of time. The ruins at Ephesus are the second best preserved ruins, after Pompeii. From the buildings all still standing, to the evidence of amazing pillars, to ancient public toilets it was all so absolutely amazing. I was pretty much gaping the whole time I was walking around with my guide. Lunch was a traditional Turkish meal (included in my tour price), then I was shown Turkish carpets. I was shown how they are spun, naturally died, and hand woven. Then they sat me down in a big room, brought me a turkish coffee, and started spreading them out at my feet. Carpet after amazing beautiful carpet was spread at my feet. I was afraid to touch them, but the lady told me to walk on them and touch them, in my shoes!! These carpets, even with frequent use will last for 300-400 years with little to show for it if they are taken care of. I ended up buying a little one for 250 dollars. Next we went to where they made traditional Turkish pottery. There I used a spinning wheel to make two pots. One is "Indiana style" and the other is a little more Turkish. I am pretty sure they were smashed down after I left, but I got pictures and fun memories. After all that my time was up, so they dropped me off in Kusadasi after helping me with my bus. I wandered around and generally took in the town before the bus was due to leave.
Then the creepiness started. I had my first marriage proposal and was too nice about trying to get away. I eventually managed to get away in a taxi to the bus stop. Today, when arriving in Istanbul, it was 7 AM when I got to the area I wanted to be at at 9. I started looking for breakfast and some guy led me to his restaurant. It was a very good breakfast, and he gave it to me for free, but he started asking me to go with him to see more of Istanbul tonight. He informed me we could get in his brother's car and go on a ferry to the Asia side. I got out of there as fast as I could, but accidently walked by again this afternoon and had to bow out as quickly as possible. Men just latch on and follow me. I was given a free Turkish tea last night at the busstop, and another one at lunch today, in addition to the 4 or 5 he kept bringing me at breakfast. One man walked me to the Blue Mosque and showed me around. He wasn't really that creepy, more nice, but he was an exception. I have had more offers for meals and tea and coffee than I can remember. They range in age from about 16 to 40. The blond hair and blue eyes attract them like a magnet. Next time I go out will be with a head scarf and sunglasses (until it gets too dark anyway).
Another bad thing was when I walked into a public restroom and found, not a toilet but a hole in the ground with platforms on either side for your feet. I turned around and walked right back out. Unfortunately this morning after being on the bus, that was my only option. Really awkward. Let me tell you, I was glad to get to tourist locations after that.
I will continue this in my next entry, because my internet time is about over.
Goodbye from Turkey!!
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