My last day in Istanbul was swelteringly hot. I think I've picked the perfect time to visit this country; it was hot on the coast, and getting to the same point by the time I reached the east. I think July and August would be too hot to comfortably walk to all the sights that I did during my time here, evidence being how much I sweat today. I walked up to Galata Tower and had some great views of Istanbul, then took a walk through the Spice Market and Grand Bazaar. That really reinforced that Istanbul is not the place to buy souvenirs; a couple shop owners were very hostile to bargaining, and I didn't even try to lowball them for half price. To escape the midday heat I went underground to the Basilica Cistern, which is a large underground reservoir built by one of the Holy Roman Emperors. Then I went back to the hostel and chilled out with a new book and a couple beers.
Turkey has been a great place. I had a little bit of a rough patch in the middle but overall the country was amazing. The amount of ruins were mindblowing. It seemed that everywhere a person looked there was some kind of ancient or historical ruin to view. What I liked the most were the ruins in their ancient, unmolested form: the snaked infested walk through the hillside ruins in Bergama, the castle in Kizkalesi, and the seaside Roman city of Knidos.
My favorite destinations in Turkey were Bergama (its non-touristy feel and great ruins), Antalya (a beautiful city and amazing place to relax), and Cappadoccia (I love hiking). The one thing I have not a single complaint about is the food. I will dearly miss Turkish cuisine, especially Baklava, I love that dessert. The people here are great. Some are a little shy towards foreigners, but I found people were very receptive in non tourist areas where a foreign face isn't a regularity. I never felt threatened or ever had to worry about my valuables being stolen, which I think says a lot about the people here. The transport network was great; buses are comfortable and well connected. The train network could be better, but hopefully the future will change that. Oh yeah, and Efes beer is damn good.
What I didn't like about Turkey was the overrun of package tourism, which actually isn't in the force it should be due to the ongoing unrest that started when I arrived. Marmaris and Fethyie were utterly fake and numb, much like Cancun, Mexico. Prices were cheaper than home, but not quite as cheap as Asia. The backpacker scene is, unfortunately, not very well established in Turkey. Hostels were ad hoc, at best. I had a hard time meeting fellow backpackers in many places, and found that there was quite a different breed of them compared to what I was used to meeting on the other side of Asia. I suppose you could label these ones 'flashpackers'.
Would I come back? Not in the near future. If Turkey happened to be on the way to another future destination I wouldn't hesitate to stop by for a little more time, but for now I'll continue to explore new countries and new experiences.
No comments:
Post a Comment