Kokkari: Picturesque Little Village on Samos

Kokkari is my favourite village on the Greek island of Samos. I came across this little village by sheer coincidence. When I visited Samos for the first time a few years ago,the one-day island tour which I participated in stopped at Kokkari for half an hour on the way back from Karlovasi to Samos Town. I spent this half an hour walking around the pretty little harbour of Kokkari, now a haven of beachfront small bars, taverns, restaurants and shops. For some reason, I was impressed by that blissful blend of noise and colours on that hot, sunny June afternoon, and this impression of Kokkari has left its imprint in my mind ever since.

In terms of popularity, Kokkari is a rather 'posh' place amongst the resorts on Samos. There are no high rise package holidays hotels or grand resorts here. Most of the accommodations available are either small, family-run hotels or self-catering apartments. Prices are not cheap in Kokkari, but this seaside village has a unique, intimate atmosphere which makes it all the more special.

Jerash: Ancient Roman City and the Best Preserved Roman Ruins outside of Italy

In addition to Petra, Jordan also has a wealth of other world-class attractions, most notable the Roman ruin of Jerash, and the medieval fortress-castles which scattered around the hills and deserts of northern Jordan.

The best time to visit Jerash is early in the year or from November onwards. The ruins of Jerash is situated right in the centre of modern Jerash. Frequent buses connect Jerash to Amman. Alternatively, all hotels and guest houses in Jordan will be able to offer visitors private tours to Jerash at a reasonable price.

The ruins of Jerash are considered by many as the most extensive and best preserved Roman ruins in the world outside of Rome. In terms of size and scale of the already excavated site, Jerash is probably bigger than Ephesus in Turkey.

In Memory of the 95th Anniversary of ANZAC Day, 2010: Visiting the Gallipoli Battlefields on a Cold, Rainy February Day

                                     "Those heroes that shed their blood 
                                                    And lost their lives. 
                  You are now lying in the soil of a friendly country.                                                      
                                                Therefore rest in peace. 
                        There is no difference between the Johnnies 
                And the Mehmets to us where they lie side by side 
                                               Here in this country of ours. 
                                                     You, the mothers, 
                            Who sent their sons from far away countries 
                                                 Wipe away your tears, 
                                    Your sons are now lying in our bosom 
                                                   And are in peace 
                   After having lost their lives on this land they have 
                                           Become our sons as well."
                
                                                                       Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, 1934

Iznik: the City of Tiles

Iznik is a historical town with lots of medieval mosques and Byzantine monuments. Once called Nicaea, the small town on the shore of Lake Iznik is famous for its glazed porcelain, tiles and china wares. Together with Kutahya, they formed the core of Turkey's tile and porcelain industry. Nowadays, most of the decorative ceramic and glazed tiles production activities have been shifted to Kutahya; only a few independent workshops selling hand-painted Iznik tiles remain in the centre of Iznik. There is a small museum set up by the Iznik Tiles Foundation, near the shore of the Lake of Iznik, dedicated to the preservation and development of the art of tile painting in the area. 
Iznik has had a glorious past. It was one of the most important cities of the Byzantine Empire. It was also an important religious centre, the seat of the First and Second Councils of Nicaea, the birthplace of the Nicene Creed, and a former interim capital of the Byzantine Empire between 1204 and 1261 during the upheaval caused by the Fourth Crusade.

A short trip to Jordan Part 2: The Baptism Site and the Jordan River

In international news headlines, the name 'West Bank' appears at such alarming frequency that one could be forgiven for thinking that the Jordan is a huge and mighty river, much like the legendary Euphrates and Tigris. In fact, this could not have been further away from the truth.

The small muddy stream in the photo above is the internationally renown Jordan River. To the left of the muddy pool of water is the notorious West Bank, currently occupied by Israel. To the right of the river is the East Bank, which lies within Jordan. Hence this small stream also serves as de facto international border between the two states.

It was dry season when I visited the Baptism Site. I was not impressed at all at the first sight. The more I look at it, the more I come to realise that a large part of the Middle East conflict is about  nothing but ideology.

Short Trip to Jordan Part 1: On the Other Side of the Holy Land - Mount Nebo

The trip to Jordan was a last-minute decision. A visit to Petra has long been on the agenda, but I did not rank it as a top priority until I came across a special offer by Turkish Airlines from Istanbul to Amman. 

As I had only 10 day's time to visit the country, I decided to stay in Madaba instead of Amman, to give myself one whole day's time to visit the holy sites and tourist attractions in the East Bank of the Jordan River - Mount Nebo, the Baptism Site, the Mozaic City of Madaba, and the Dead Sea. Every guesthouse in Madaba will be able to provide their guests with convenient day trips to nearby sights. The guesthouse I stayed at in Madaba help me find two other travellers from a nearby hotel to share a car with me, which allowed me to save up quite a bit of money.

 

 

Going up Mount Nebo

This ridge is about 20 minutes away by car from Madaba. According to the Bible, Mount Nebo is the place where Moses was allowed by God to take a look at the Promised Land. It is also the place where it is believed that Moses had been buried. 

Nowadays Mount Nebo is a huge tourist attraction in Jordan, drawing millions of pilgrims and secular visitors like me every year. The place has been declared a Holy Site by Christians, although pilgrims of all faith, including Muslims, flock to the site to pay their respect as well.

There is no official ticket booth on Mount Nebo. Instead some middle-age men sitting near the entrance chat away in the shade while tearing out a ticket from the booklet. Each person pays 1JD (about 1 Euro) for entrance to the Holy Place. it is very cheap when the entrance fee to the fabled lost city down in the south is more than 23 JD for a one-day pass.

Cesme: the Town of Fountain on the Aegean Coast

The word 'Cesme' means 'spring' or 'fountain' in English, and the resort town on the Aegean Sea does indeed have a rejuvenating feel about it. Located on the western most tip of Turkey, just a few miles across the Aegean from the Greek island of Chios, Cesme and the surrounding townships such as Alacati, Ilica and Dalyankoy are famous for their long white sany beaches, beautiful Greek Sakiz-style houses, and wind-surfing facilities.

Antalya Revisited: the Metropole of the Turkish Riviera

Antalya is a mega tourist magnet on the Turkish Riviera. According to one airlines industry report, the airport of Antalya handles more passengers every year than both airports in Istanbul put together. Nobody would doubt this once you see the crowded queues at Antalya airport's departure hall, full of tourists from all over Europe and the Middle East, pushing and shouting their way through the scramble otherwise known as check-in. During the summer months, there are direct flights to some of the most obscure and little-known airports in Europe, known probably only to industry insiders.

I had been to Antalya once several years back, and my first impression upon my return visit is: more new hotels, more posh cafes and restaurants, and prices have become very steep too, especially in the Old Town and the tourist areas. 

Aizanoi: the Temple of Zeus

I have seen image of the Temple of Zeus at Aizanoi in several publications about Turkey, but have never had the chance to visit it until now. Although it is probably amongst one of the most familiar images of Greek archaeological sites in Turkey, the ruins of Aizanoi has been out of the usual tourist track.

I guess the reason of this relative neglect is because unlike the extensive ruins at Ephesus or Bergama, there are relatively little old stones left standing in Aizanoi. Hence most tourists choose to give it a miss given their tight itinerary.

Kutahya: the City of Tiles

Those who have been to Istanbul will not fail to be impressed by the beautiful tiles which adorn the walls of the mosques and some important public buildings. While most people would have heard of the famous Iznik tiles, and the town of Iznik does continue to produce smaller decorative items such as vase, plates, bowls etc., to this day, yet as a matter of fact, most of the beautiful decorative pieces one gets to see in the tourist shops all over Turkey are actually produced in Kutahya, a town some 70km away from Eskisehir.

As if to make a point, everywhere in Kutahya you get to see the city's most famous product. The main square  in the centre of the town is adorned with a giant vase with traditional Ottoman tulip design.

Eski Foca: Little Fishing Village on Northern Aegean Coast

One of my all-time favourite destinations in Turkey is the northern Aegean coast, which stretches all the way from the Gallipoli Peninsula to the quaint little fishing village of Eski Foca, near Izmir. Like its Greek neighbours on the island of Lesbos across the Aegean, Eski Foca has a distinctive feel of wind-swept small-town rustic charm about it, which makes for a lasting impression. 

 

About 1 hour by car or bus from Izmir, Eski Foca is a popular weekend getaway for city dwellers from Izmir. On weekends, the little bars and restaurants which line the harbour front remain open until late in the night. Many of the small meyhanes (wine bars) also have live music performances in the evening. Due to the presence of a large military barrack right outside the centre of the town, the whole village has probably one of the highest concentration of internet cafes in the whole of Turkey.

 

The Museum of Anatolian Civilizations, Ankara

For those who are interested in the history of early civilizations in Anatolia, especially those from the Bronze Age such as the Hitties, a visit to Ankara's Museum of Anatolian Civilizations is a must. Although the entrance fee is a whooping 16TL, but considering the thousands of years of history behind each and every artifacts on display, it is really worth it.

The Museum has a pleasant courtyard, which is dotted with some exhibits.

It was a rainy and stormy day: Kusadasi Revisited

The weather in February in this part of Turkey can be atrocious. It was raining like the end of the world when I stopped at Kusadasi for one night while on my way from Cesme. The good thing about visiting Kusadasi in the winter month is, there are far less few tourists and the atmosphere is much more congenial than when I last visited the town in the summer of 2007.

Luckily for me, the sun reappeared on the second day, so I have been able to wander around the shoreline and take some photos. Granted, Kusadasi is not my ideal type of Aegean town, but then how many visitors from outside of Turkey know about truly beautiful places such as Ayvalik or Foca?

The shores of the Aegean is a good place to stop, have a few glasses of tea, and admire the beautiful Aegean Sea.

Bogazkale/Hattusa: The Anceint Capital of the Hittite Kingdom

Of all the UNESCO World Heritage sites in Turkey, the ruins of the capital of the the Bronze Age Hittite Kingdom at Hattusa, near the modern turkish village of Bogazkale in Turkey's Corum Province, is the one which really merits a visit.

As the site of Hattusa is a bit off the beaten tourist track, there are only two or three hotels in the village of Bogazkale, and all of them are closed in winter. Temperatures in winter could drop to as low as -20 degrees Celsius, which means water pipes would freeze and burst, while the roads leading out of Bogazkale would be rendered unpassable due to heavy snow.

Amasya: Possibly the Prettiest City in Anatolia

Amasya is a pretty town, whose beauty will impress any foreign visitors at the very first sight. I instantly fell in love with the town as soon as I set my eyes on it. With its numerous well-preserved Ottoman timber houses, the ancient tombs of the Pontus kings and a castle which overlooks the town, and the serene Yesilirmak river that flows through the town's Old Quarters, Amasya is a real gem and by all means a city not to be missed. 

Amasya' beauty is all the more evident in the night, when the whole town was lighted up. It is very romantic to walk along the river bank or wander around in the cobblestone streets of the old town lined with traditional Ottoman houses.

Sivas: the Highest City of the Central Anatolian Plateau

After Elazig, next stop of my Grand Tour through the Anatolian Highlands is Sivas. Located at the junction of two important medieval caravan trade routes from Persia and Baghdad respectively, Sivas has been an important trade centre since the Middle Ages. It is also an important centre of learning during the Selcuk rules, and several medrese have been built in the 13th century, including the Gok Medrese, the most famous of them in Sivas.

Too bad the Gok Medrese was undergoing major restoration while I was there, hence only the photo of its two beautiful minarets.

Elazig / Harput: Ancient City on the Euphrates

Elazig - this name has long fascinated me. The name sounds nice (at least in comparison to the name of many other Turkish cities) and it is located near the confluence of the two rivers (the Murat and the Karasu) that join to form the mighty Euphrates, one of the most prominent and historically significant rivers in the history of humanity. Hence I decided to stay overnight in Elazig while on the way from Van to Sivas and Amasya, and have a look how this city looks like.

The city of Elazig is, as usual for any Turkish city located near big bodies of water, a dusty one. But it is also a thriving city with a very ancient pedigree and a sizeable student population, thanks to the presence of  the Euphrates University in the city.

Van: So much Water, Yet So Dusty (But the Akdamar Island is Very Pretty!)

One thing I do not understand about towns and cities in Eastern Turkey is, the closer they are to huge body of water, the dustier the air becomes. Van, which is on the edge of Turkey's biggest lake, is a dusty city. The air smells of fine particles of dry dusts. And it is extremely dry out there as well. Which means one needs to drink a lot of water and bring some nasal spray if required.

The modern city of Van is a bustling town full of cars and good-looking men: a predominantly Kurdish city, the fact that the streets of Van are full of good-looking young men seems to lend support to the opinion of some that Kurdish men are in general a better looking lot than their Turkish counterparts.

From Dogubeyazit to Van: Some Facts

There are only 5 or 6 buses a day from Dogubeyazit to Van, maybe less in the winter, hence it is advisable to buy your ticket in advance as soon as possible. I had to spend an additional two hours waiting for the next available bus, because the bus at 12 o'clock was fully booked.

The bus company which operates the route Dogubeyazit - Van is called Ishak Pasha Turizm (although they do not operate the mini-bus to the Ishak Pasha Palace). Their office is located at a side street opposite the mini-bus stop for buses to/from Agri, just a few meters from the main throughfare of Dogubeyazit.

From Kars to Dogubeyazit: Endless Road Works, One Military Check-Point, and the Visit to Turkey's Neuschwanstein

A visit to Eastern Turkey is incomplete without a trip to the slightly surreal Ishak Pasha Sarayi, Turkey's landmark equivalent to Germany's world-renown Schloss Neuschwanstein. Built in 1685 by a Kurdish feudal lord by the name of Colak Abdi Pasha, the whole complex was completed in 1784 by his grandson, Ishak Pasha, hence the name of the palace.