Going to Mardin - Part 1: Hotel Kervansarayi

The ancient Mesopotamian town of Mardin is the first town I visited in Turkey's Southeast. Now you might want to ask: of all the beautiful towns and cities in southeastern Turkey, why Mardin?

The answer is simple: because of the exemplary architectures I once saw in 'Sila', a Turkish soap opera starring the handsome ex-model Mehmet Akif Alakurt and Cansu Dere, a former Miss Turkey second-runners up. The whole series was filmed in the old town of Mardin and nearby towns such as Midyat and Hasankeyf. At first I started following the series out of curiosity-thanks in no small part to the dark, good looks of the romantic, kind-hearted male lead known as Boran Aga (protrayed by Mr. Akif Alakurt). But soon after, something more fascinating caught my attention: the medieval sandstone mansions and buildings featured in the series, which would turn into an enchanting shade of fiery, mysterious brownish red in the evening sun.

Alacati: Turkish Town with a Blue-and-White Ambience

Alacati is a picturesque little village just 20 minutes by mini-bus from Cesme. It is famous for its well-preserved town centre, with lots of blue-and-white Greek stone houses and buildings.

Like so many other towns on the Turkish Aegean coast, the majority of inhabitants in Alacati used to be ethnic Greeks in the Ottoman Empire. Hence the distinctively Greek flaire of the town. In the aftermath of the population exchange of 1923 between Greece and Turkey, most of Alacati's Greek population left Turkey and moved across the Aegean to Greece. Fortunately, the architectures of the town had not been torn down by the new inhabitants, (which was the case of many other formerly Greek towns in the western half of Turkey), but are converted into luxurious boutique hotels, beautiful inns with spacious courtyards, delightful outdoor cafes and restaurants.

Madalena: Small Harbour Town on Pico

To be honest, Madalena on the island of Pico gives one the feeling that it is just a point of transit; most people simply consider it a place of arrival/departure. As a result, the whole town has a somewhat 'irrelevant' feel to it. Apart from the harbour (to catch a ferry to other Azorean islands), a few cafes and shops in the town's main streets, there is almost nothing which calls for serious attention.

Basically there is nothing much to do in this town, except for getting off and on the ferries. There are a few cafes where you can spend your time looking at the sea while waiting for the ferries, but that's it actually. It is a bit boring a place to visit, even for a short day-trip. You certainly need a car if you want to explore the beauty of the Pico island.

Passengers waiting on the pier of Madalena's harbour to board the ferry to Horta.

Horta: Small Town with a Long History

Horta is named after Joss van Hurtere, a Flemish nobleman who founded a small settlement on Faial and which later came to be known after the transliteration of his name. The town is actually much prettier than I thought, and its surroundings and public infrastructure certainly are kept in a much better state than many of the towns on Mainland Portugal.The town is set amidst picturesque settings: with green hills in the background, blue oceans and the impressive sight of the volcano of Pico rising high up above the horizon into the clouds.

There are just a few main streets in downtown Horta, this Rua Vasco da Gama, running parallel along the Marina, is one of them. Both TAP Portugal and SATA have their office on this road.

Horta's Tourist Information Office in located right next to the Marina, on a shady square right next to the posh Pousada de Santa Cruz.

Beaches of Faial, Part 1: Faja

There are not too many guidebooks about the Azores. Of the few that are still in print, some of them offer somewhat misleading information concerning the availability of beaches suitable for families with children. One of them stated that the Azores are not suitable for swimming due to the lack of sandy beaches.

Which, in my opinion, is not quite a correct statement. If your concept of sandy beaches comes directly from postcard impressions of long, white soft sandy beaches of the Caribbeans, then beaches of the Azores are not for you. There are plenty of secluded coves and sandy beaches here in the Azores, but they are not of soft, white sand, but coarse, black volcanic sand beaches.

Yet these black volcanic sand beaches have a unique beauty of their own:

Faja is a very secluded beach located at the western tip of Faial. There are no public transports to this beach, so you need a car or a taxi to get there.

Powerful waves lashed against black volcanic rocks and stone walls.

Beaches of Faial, Part 2: Praia de Almoxarife

Praia de Almoxarife is just a short drive away from Horta. There are also 2-3 buses per day from Horta to Almoxarife (except for the weekends). It is a well-equipped beach, with showers, toilets, life guards, a small library on the beach and several restaurants nearby. To our surprise, the beach of Almoxarife is a certified blue-flag beach!! (There are several blue-flag beaches on the island of Faial, by the way)


The view of the pretty little town of Almoxarife and its blue-flagged black sand beach from the top of the drive down the hill towards the ocean.

Free Shuttle Service Offered By Turkey's Atlasjet

In 2008, Atlasjet began offering free shuttle service for passengers booked on Atlasjet Antalya - Istanbul - Antalya flights . The courtesy bus leaves to/from Antalya airport from selected departure points in Alanya, Serik (near the Side junction), Manavgat and it has been a resounding success. Previously, passengers travelling from outside Antalya to Antalya Airport had to get off the intercity bus about 2km outside the airport terminal buildings, and take a taxi from there to reach the airport complex.

Now, in addition to Antalya (to Alanya, Serik, Manvagat), Atlasjet has extended their free shuttle service to Atlatsjet flights to/from another 3 cities:

1. Adana Airport - Mersin/Tarsus (and vice versa)

2. Free shuttle to Kusadasi/Selcuk from Izmir airport (and vice versa): this is especially useful for travellers who fly in from Istanbul to Izmir for the purpose of visiting the ruins of Ephesus and/or the beach resort of Kusadasi. Previously travellers had to pay a hefty 80 euro for the airport transfer between Izmir airport and Selcuk/Kusadasi, or have to drag their bags to Izmir's Central Bus station and change on a mini-bus to Selcuk. Now it is available for free if you fly with Atlasjet.