Home.

After 3 wonderful months of exploration and growth, we are happy to be safely home in the United States.  There is no concise way to summarize all of the experiences we were able to have,  the places we were able to see, the people we were able to meet.  It was a trip of a lifetime, and Nick and I are so thankful to have experienced it together.

We traveled throughout 5 countries and 1 territory via car, bus, train, plane, boat, and our own two legs.

We carried 2 backpacks.

We slept in hostels, pensions, hotels, tents, people's spare rooms, and even 1 swanky resort.

We ate falafel, shawarma, souvlaki, spanakopita, and mousaka.

We learned how to get along with each other even when we were exhausted and hungry and trying to find a place to stay.

We learned about Islam, Judaism, and Christianity, and saw many sites holy to each respective religion.

We had a great time!

Now we are back in Illinois, working on fixing up a little farm outside Freeport, happy to be able to see friends and family again, and looking forward to our wedding come August 18!

At O'Hare Airport just after our plane from Istanbul landed.

An entry from the daily journal I keep

Konya, Turkey -> Cappadocia, Turkey

Still sick.  But hope of a recovery in some not so distant future? Yes.  We mobilized, showered, packed, and booked it to the tram, not sure at all if we were going to make it in time for the 11am bus to Goreme, but we did!  Maybe even with 5 minutes to spare ;)  We waived farewell to Konya sadly without seeing a single whirling dervish whirl.  Maybe in Istanbul.

The bus was quite comfortable, as is the standard here.  Nice coaches.  The attendant was noteworthy of mention as well:  he didn’t speak English, but he LOVED us (or loved making fun of us.. not sure).  He would make the most ridiculous gestures at us.  For example, Nick pointed out a mosque, to which he grinned broadly and held up his hands like donkey ears sprouting out from under his neck!  At one point we are pretty sure he tried to scam us, as he asked to take our tickets somewhere and bring them back in a minute, but a friend I will tell you about next talked to him in Turkish (a scolding?) and he did not take them.

The friend we made was a 17 year old girl in the seat in front of us.  We attempted communication through the seat crack between us.  It was difficult, but we did connect with her.  She was trying so hard to communicate!  She is in high school.  As we were about to arrive at our stop, She gave me a BEAUTIFUL necklace from around her neck (at least I’m assuming she doesn’t carry extra as party favors).  It was such a sweet gesture, and something I will treasure. I gave her a shell Nick found for me in Rhodes- not as special, but still something.  She understood it was from Greece.

We decided to stay at the first place we looked at in Goreme, the town most people stay in in Cappadocia: Kose Pension.  We are up on the roof in a dorm with mattresses on the floor, and a balcony all around.  It is wooden and very nice!  Right now we are the only ones in it, though it could house up to 24 people!  I hope no one else comes.  It only costs 12 tyl per person, which is good (about $12 total)!  The shared bathrooms aren’t bad either.  Also, the owner has an itty bitty baby so that’s fun.

I crashed for a bit upon arrival, and then we went looking at renting a car or moto and found some Tavuk Doner (Cheap common street food).  This town is expensive!  Doner was 4 tyl each, and car rentals are like 80 tyl/day. (Divide in half to get an estimate of $US)

Nick brought me back to the hotel after our venturing and now I am resting and journaling and cough cough coughing while he goes for a run. 

I’ll enter the rest of the day later!

We ended up having a quiet evening: Nick went out and bought us some Tavuk Doner, and we ate it while we finished watching Casablanca.

Now time to sleep, and hopefully wake up feeling all better!

Greek Islands

Well we have been on the islands for one week now, and are unsure when exactly we will get off of them as the ferry company we need to use to get to Rhodes (another island, which we will then go to Turkey from) is on strike!  Everyone is always on strike it seems.  But that is ok, because we really are in no rush, and Nick happens to be sick, and the islands are a wonderful place to be trapped!  Good food, nice people, beautiful weather.


Fira, the city we stayed in on Santorini

We first went to Santorini, which is also known as Thira, located about 200km SE from the Greek mainland. This is a lovely little island which is what remains after an enormous volcanic eruption fractured what used to be there.  The result is stunning and rugged beauty- with colorful cliffs dropping down to the sea on three sides of the island.  There are red beaches and black beaches, a beautiful variation from the white sand beaches which we typically think of as a beach.



Our scooter!

We rented a scooter for a few days that we tore up the island with (I even learned to drive with Nick on the back!) and had a great time being some of the only tourists around.  There are only 4 or 5 main towns on the island, and all were bustling with the sounds of hammers and saws, the smell of fresh paint, and the sight of donkeys carrying supplies up and down the steep hillsides as all the shops, hotels, and restaurants prepared for tourist season.  You could drive from one end of the island to the other in half an hour, so we were able to take our time and explore every inviting country road that struck our fancy.



Harbor in Hiraklion, Crete

From Santorini we took a ferry to Crete, the largest and most populous of the islands which is famous for being the center of Minoan civilization long ago.  The ferry left Santorini at 3am and arrived at 8am.. so that made for an interesting night's sleep!  The weather upon arrival was just fantastic- sunny and warm, with hardly a cloud in the sky and just enough of a breeze to keep you cool.





Our balcony in Chania

We spent a few days in Chania which is an old Ventian city with a romantic charm to it.  We had a balcony over looking a busy little street, and found it difficult to escape the draw of endless people watching while snacking on fresh bread and olive oil, and spent a good deal of time doing just this!  I am especially enjoying being on Crete as my friend Christine and I came here when we backpacked across Europe in 2009.  It is so neat seeing familiar yet mundane things such as the bus station in a small town, or a market that we shopped in and witnessing the timelessness of it all.

According to our plans we would be taking a ferry from Crete to Rhodes today, and under this impression made our way back from the eastern part of the island to the main city and port, Hiraklion, only to learn that (as previously mentioned) the ferrys are striking.  So now we are holed up in the city waiting to hear when they will be running again (hopefully this Sat). Poor Nick is layed up with the flu, but I am enjoying the gorgeous weather and have had some nice jaunts about the area.  Jaunts are almost always more fun with two though, so hope he recovers soon!

We are exactly two thirds done with our trip, which seems to me like a good point to take stock of where we have gone and some of the things we have done:

January 13-21: Istanbul, Turkey

Enjoyed experiencing the city with friends! Topkapi Palace, Hagia Sofia, Blue Mosque, Princes' Islands, good eats!

January 21-24: Cairo, Egypt

Experienced unrest in the country, as anticipation rose for the one year anniversary of the 25 January 2011 Revolution.  Feared for our lives every time we crossed a street due to the insand traffic!

January 24-27: Dahab, Egypt

Chilled out in the sleepy beach town, recovered from a bad cold, did lots of reading and walking.

January 27-February 10: Israel, Palestine

Explored Israel and the Palestinian Territories.  Rented a car and drove along the Dead Sea, through the Golan Heights, around the Sea of Galilee, to Tel-Aviv, Haifa, and Nazareth; explored Jerusalem and Bethlehem on foot/via bus. Experienced Shabbat and the Jewish culture full force.

February 10-26: Jordan

Spent one week in/around Amman staying with my cousin Lisa and family, enjoying time with them and the respite from full time tourism.  Spent one week exploring Crusader Castles in the Eastern Desert, driving to the Dead Sea, Hiking in Dana Nature Reserve, and Exploring Petra.  Camped for a few days in Wadi Rum, hiked in the desert. Snorkeled in the Gulf of Aqaba.

February 26-March 5: Sinai, Egypt

Experienced crazy Bedouin tension in the border town of Taba.  Rented a beach bungalow in a deserted tourist town and enjoyed snorkeling and warm weather.  Volunteered on a WWOOF Farm in the beach town of Nuweiba, getting to know locals and other WWOOFers. Kiteboarded in Dahab and enjoyed the most amazing ice cream on earth every night from our favorite café there.

March 6-March 14: Mainland Greece

Flew from Tel-Aviv, Israel to Athens, Greece.  Couchsurfed with an incredible host.  Explored Athens on foot, eating all the way!  Rented a car for a few days and drove around the mainland, checking out all the Greek Ruins.  Spent another night in Athens with our couchsurfing host, sharing food and stories.

March 14-? : Greek Islands!

Two words: Greek Salads

I've never tasted such fresh, flavorful, deliciousness in all my 24 years of loving food.

We share a Greek Salad at every meal that we eat out, and the breaking of the feta has become a meaningful part of my day.   

The day the cammmmera died.

I have sad news- our camera seems to have bit the dust!  Yesterday it decided that zooming was just too much, and refused to function on any level after my attempt to zoom in on some crazy mountain goat things inside the National Gardens in Athens.  I guess I will just have to learn to describe things really well with my words!

Today we will leave Athens and explore the main land of Greece for a few days before working our way across the Islands on our way back to Turkey.  It is a good thing we are leaving the city, because we have probably eaten our weight in delicious pastries, chocolates, and other baked delights in the past two days.  We have had a glorious time wandering through the streets with no real destination in mind other than the next bakery, which was never more than a few blocks from the last!  We walked for hours, exploring the Acropolis, walking around Piraeus Port, walking through the lovely little neighborhood- Hiraklios- which we are staying in with a couchsurfer. 

We are clearly no longer in the middle east- it is amazing what such a relatively small difference in distance can make in the feel of a place. There are not mounds of garbage everywhere, cab drivers don't holler at you constantly and follow you as you walk, I don't feel uncomfortable walking alone on the street, and when you sit down in a restaurant, they serve you water- free!  It is cool to experience these differences, and to recognize them.  It is also cool to think about the constants that exist regardless of where you are- people are generally kind, and when approached with a smile are happy to help you.  Parents are proud of their children, and like to tell about them.  The most delicious food comes from the most unimpressive looking places :)

Off we go!

And on to Greece!

After spending a few days in Nuweiba on the Habiba Village Farm assessing the situation in Egypt we abandoned all plans of continuing to explore the country (the lack of operating public transportation was just going to make it too difficult and expensive) and bought a flight to Greece!We spent a few days in the beach town of Dahab, Egypt which we had visited earlier on this trip, and Nick was able to get some kiteboarding in. Unfortunately I was (and still am) too sick to my stomach from an intense bout of food poisoning I contracted on the Habiba Farm for very much motion or activity beyond walking, so I did a lot of sitting on the beach reading.
On March 5th we started making our way towards our flight in Tel-Aviv on the following morning. We took a shared minibus to the Egypt/Israel crossing at Taba/Eilat (our third time here.. we were pros) and from Eilat took a 5 hour bus to Tel-Aviv.  In Tel-Aviv we took a train to the airport, arriving around 11pm, and found a place to post out and get a little rest before checking in to our flight at 3am.
We arrived in Athens at 8am, tired but happy to have safely arrived.
We were met at the airport by the couchsurfing host we had arranged, and will be staying at his place for a few days.  It was so nice of him to pick us up!
We are staying in an 8x10 room with a mattress, a toilet, and a counter with a sink and cooking supplies.  It's very cozy and we have our own key to it, so we can come and go as we like.
Unfortunatley I am still feeling quite sick to my stomach, but Nick is out enjoying a beer with our host, Kostas, as I type and I am hoping that maybe tomorrow I will be all better and can enjoy our new location!

Now, I must note that we have had very limited internet access for the last few weeks, hence the gap in blog posts. I intend to write a little and put up some pictures regarding our time in Jordan since it was really quite wonderful and deserves to be shared.  Keep an eye out!

WWOOF Egypt

WWOOF: World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms.  My parents are WWOOF Hosts in the States, and have had many young (and old) people from all over the world come and spend time volunteering on their farm in exchange for room and board.  It is a very neat program, benefiting all who are involved and bringing people together through a common love for the earth.
Nick and were interested in WWOOFing at some point on our trip, but were not actively seeking out opportunities when we stumbled across Habiba Village Organic Farm- one of the only WWOOF Hosts in all of Egypt!
We had crossed from Jordan to Israel to Egypt all in one day and were disappointed to discover upon arrival in Taba, the border town in Egypt that:
1. Our supposed 3 month visa for Egypt we had purchased when we passed through in January was infact only a 1 month visa and had expired
2.  We could only purchase a Sinai Peninsula visa from that particular crossing
3.  All of the busses on Sinai were (and still are) on strike so public transport was not going to happen
And all of these things (and many more along the way) brought us to Nuweiba, Egypt a small coastal town on Sinai that is essentially a ghost town at present, with a few functioning beach bungalow style camps still up and running.
We met a nice french lady who told us of the Habiba Village project, and after checking it out decided to spend a few days there.  There were two other WWOOFers present: Toby, and Aussie, and Toivo, who was from Finland.
We spend 6 hours per day volunteerin on the farm, an enclosed area in the desert where tomatoes, eggplant, fruit trees, olive trees, herbs, and more are all struggling to survive.  The rest of the day was then ours to snorkel, relax on the beach, walk, etc. 
We had all of our meals provided and while breakfast and dinner could be a bit lacking, lunch was usually delicious.
Here are some photos of the farm compound- a 15 min walk from the beach/lodging:


Notice wall around garden- outside is just sandy rocky desert!

 It was really cool spending time on an international farm, but man am I ever ready to get back to that midwest soil!!!









View from our free room!

Nick and Cho, the cutest pup EVER!!





The well, with eggplant in background



Anticipation!

6 months

2 hearts

1 big tent

Limitless JOY!

It is incredible to think that 6 months from today I will be back in Freeport IL, preparing to walk down the aisle and marry Nick!  Before departing on this trip we spent countless hours thinkinng about and comparing colors, completing rentals, making reservations, ordering sunflower seeds, etc. etc. and it all paid off.  I’ve hardly thought about the wedding at all these past few weeks, secure in the knowledge that all the BIG stuff is taken care of J.  There are to-do lists awaiting me upon our return that leave about one day to get over the jet lag and get busy, but until then I’ll just shoulder my pack and hold hands with my boy as we walk around the world.

Israel to Jordan

After two weeks in Israel we are moving on to Jordan!  I failed to blog about Jerusalem or Bethlehem…. But it was predictably incredible.  In a nutshell, we explored the Mount of Olives, Garden Tomb, Via Dolorosa, Dome of the Rock, Wailing Wall, Church of the Ascension, Church of the Sepulcher, Church of the Nativity etc. etc. and learned a lot about the history of the Jerusalem and it’s many past rulers.  Everything is very walkable but it is a hilly city so our legs got a good workout every day! 

Anyways; yesterday we traveled from Jerualem to Eilat, Israel where there is a border crossing into Aqaba, Jordan.  On the way we made a pit stop at the Dead Sea for a final dip (the weather was cooperatively warm!) and a nice hike in a nature preserve. 

We spent the night in Eilat at a FABULOUS hostel- hot water for showers, warm rooms, quiet, it had it all!

In the morning we walked to the border crossing – about an hour hike- and found to our delight it was deserted (unlike our crossing from Egypt to Israel which was chaos due to massive tour groups) we were through the checkpoints and in Jordan in a matter of minutes.  From Aqaba we got on a bus to Amman where we will spend time at my cousin’s home, and are riding on  the 4 hours journey right now!

The desert outside the window is beautiful and barren.  Since I have time and since I don’t feel I did Jerusalem/Bethlehem justice, I will make a list of highlight experiences from that portion of our trip below:

1.       Hiking up the Mount of Olives… 3 times… because we kept on going up when the Church of Ascension was closed and we really wanted to go inside! 3 hikes later and sporting newly toned legs, we got in and were duly rewarded by the views from the tower there- the highest point in Jerusalem.  There were also some really crazy paintings of what one artist envisions the end of time to look like.

2.       Eating some “chalky white substance” from the walls of the Milk Grotto Chapel where legend has it Mary and Joseph stopped to feed baby Jesus and some milk dripped onto the once red rock turning it white.  Legend also has it that eating a bit of the wall will guarantee your fertility, so how could I pass up an opportunity like that?



Guaranteeing the expansion of my family

3.       Couchsurfing with a Palestinian man in the West Bank and learning about Palestine’s history and present day situation.  Feeling outraged at the ridiculousness of it.

Nick and I with Zafer, our couchsurfing host

4.       Cooking amazing dinners from food bought at the “market of chaos” just outside our hostel in Jerusalem- street vendors all hawking their prices at full volume!

5.       Eating delicious pastries from a bakery in the Jewish Quarter of the Old City in Jerusalem

Now we are on the embarking on our fourth country on this tour, a new currency, and many new adventures around the corner!

Galilee

Today we walked in Jesus footsteps literally, as we strive to do every day, figuratively. 

We are driving around the Sea of Galilee, armed with a map that a tourist info attendant madly circled things on… points of interest, places to sleep? And we’re not quite sure what else.  We spent the night in Tiberius, a city steeped with Jewish history and dating back to Jesus time.  Here are graves of many important Sanhedrin, but we didn’t visit them.  Tiberius today is kind of like the Rockford, IL of Israel.  No one is very happy to be there, and the only thing it has going for it is the history and the beach front. 

We drove from Tiberius to the Mount of the Beatitudes where Jesus delivered the Sermon on the Mount.  There is a beautiful church erected there by the Italian Catholic Church, and lovely gardens and walkways overlooking the Sea of Galilee.  It was beautiful, and moving in it’s silent spiritual splendor.

From the Mount we proceeded on to Tagbah, the location of the feeding of the five thousand (According to two of the gospels and numerous historians).  Again, a beautiful church has been erected over the sight, with the alter being the rock that Jesus is supposed to have been sitting on that day while teaching.  From Tagba we went on to St .Peter’s Church, located on the site where Jesus was supposed to have made his third post crucifixion appearance.  (This is where he appeared to Simon Peter and Andrew who were fishing and told them to cast their nets on the other side of the boat than they had been, after which they caught over a hundred fish and then realized it was Jesus).  Again, a lovely church right on the beach, with beautiful gardens you can walk and pray in.  From here we moved on to Capernaum,” Jesus’s Town” as the welcome sign proudly proclaimed.  Here there are ruins from Peter’s home, and ruins of other parts of the city of Capernaum.  There is part of an old temple which Jesus used to teach in quite often, which upon closer inspection of the outer wall revealed hundreds of notes from visitors tucked in to the cracks- prayers for their families, supplications to God.  We had no paper handy with which to participate, but it was cool just to see.

After Capernaum we continued to head North, stopping to look at the Jordan River as we crossed it.  We branched away from the coast to head into Golan to find lodging for the night.

Welcome to Israel!

Welcome to Israel!

The last few days have been absolutely amazing.  Israel is a country so rich in history and with such a ruggedly beautiful landscape that I feel like I could happily stay here for months!  We have only been here two nights but have already done so much. 
We arrived in Jerusalem by bus from Eilat at about 9pm on Saturday, and were delighted by the abundance of Jews bustling about in their Jewish garb.  Our hostel was located in the Old City, and in the morning we were able to climb up on the roof top and see the city spread out below- as well as the Mt. of Olives!  As enticing as it was to stay and explore all the sites of the city, we decided to rent a car for one week and explore the rest of Israel before coming back and spending time in Jerusalem.  We walked across Jerusalem to the Hertz rental location (beautiful weather and orderly street traffic) and then we were off!

We drove to the Dead Sea coast and spent several hours exploring and hiking at Quman, the location where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found.  We were able to hike up into the craggy mountains quite a ways! There were no other people hiking, and the silence was incredible.  Just the two of us up on the vast landscapes.. it was awe inspiring to say the least.

Hiking up above Qumran

After Quman we continued to lazily make our way along the Dead Sea coast, exploring side roads and points of interest as the mood struck.  We did have to go through a few security check points complete with several heavily armed guards, but had no trouble and didn’t even have to come to a complete stop before we were waived through.

We weighed a few options for lodging and dinner before deciding to indulge in a nice hotel that came with a glorious dinner and breakfast buffet and was right on the beach.  It was nice staying in such comparative luxury with our very own bathroom and real towels!  We stayed up late playing Rummy, which Nick continues to dominate me in (though I hate to admit it!). 

We woke up to a disappointingly overcast and chilly day, but went down to the beach anyways determined to float in the Dead Sea.  Nick was successful in doing so but it was simply too cold for me to handle, so after he had experienced it we went inside to the heated Dead Sea Pool in the hotel, and had great fun floating about it the water.  The feeling is so unreal!  You can just lay flat on your back and float like a boat.  You can even “stand” up straight and float that way like a bouy.  We finally left our luxurious hotel and drove on to our next destination- Massada.

At Masada

Massada is on the Dead Sea Coast, and if you haven’t heard of it (as we hadn’t) it’s worth reading up on!  A fortress high up on a plateau , it is covered in ruins from a great palace King Herod built and is the site of the Jew’s final stronghold against the Romans where they committed mass suicide when defeat (and therefore a future of slavery) became imminent.  The views from the plateau were incredible, and the ruins were just as wonderful.  We rode up in a cable car since the hiking path was closed due to the “severe weather” (it was drizzling).

We are now driving away from Masada and are on our way to Tiberius, on the Sea of Galilee.  It is dark, and Nick is listening to his book on tape while I write.  I am tired, and will post this tonight or tomorrow, depending upon when we get access to the internet.

Nick Here

Nick here.

I'm on the mend from a pretty rough cold that has had me hacking, wheezing, shivering and sweating for the past 4 days.  Marli had it too, but I fear (or am grateful) that she is made of tougher stuff than I because she has borne it much more admirably than I!  My brother seems to have contracted the same cold and is just getting over it himself.  It has been interesting buying Egyptian medicines and negotiating with the local apothecaries on the prices of their pharmaceuticals.  I must say I was happy to be sick in the beautiful town of Dahab, Egypt.  It's a sleepy little beach town where backpackers abound and are mixed in quite readily with modern Egyptian entrepreneurs and the Bedouin locals.  Most of the three days we spent in Dahab consisted of pleasant strolls on the boardwalks, shucking off the restaurant touts (who are far less aggressive and much more pleasant than those in Cairo), rummy with Marli, laying in the sun and inquiries into possible activities on our return journey.  All in all it was a wonderful way to recover from a cold!  Today we decided to make the trip out of Egypt on a whim.  We weren't sure if we'd end up in Jordan or in Israel but we thought it would be ok anyway it panned out.  After chatting with some folks at King Chicken last night we decided to forego our prior plan of taking a ferry from Nuweiba to famed Aquaba in favor of a land crossing into Israel through the town of Taba.  We met a pleasant Egyptian fellow by the name of Ibrahim on the bus and I engaged him probably for the sum of an hour all said and done during the 2.5 hour bus ride.  We learned a lot about various things:

1. Ibrahim met his fiancee for 1 hour before agreeing to become engaged.  (this is pretty standard in Egypt)  It reminded Marli and I of something that Trale (Marli's brother) had pointed out in an evening discussion on love.  It was that if 2 reasonable people who want to make a relationship work there is no real reason (normally) that they should not be able to!  It seems to work for many of the Egyptians anyway.  I still prefer the American way of dating and choosing a mate, but am intrigued by the idea and encouraged by the thought.  Humans are very adaptable creatures after all.
2. Many people who ride buses work for airlines in Egypt (he is probably the 4th person we'd met like this.)
3. I learned that Christians believe that Jesus was a descendant of Abraham through Isaac, and Muslims believe that Muhammad was also descendant of Abraham through Ishmael.  Marli pointed this out as I was conversing with Ibrahim (Abraham) about the nature of his name and was talking about Issac when Ibrahim corrected me and said Ishamel...I was unaware of this key difference in tenets of the faiths.  Very neat!

So we've arrived in Israel with no plans but are formulating some goals.  We are very fortunate to be in the position we are in and are grateful for it!  We have some great ideas for Israel they include the following:

1. Float on the dead sea
2. Jerusalem for a while (don't know how long)
3. Avoid Gaza
4. Avoid Lebanon
5. Nazareth
6. Maybe Tel Aviv...maybe not
7. Maybe Bethlehem but maybe not, depending on the vibe we get in Jerusalem (Bethlehem is in the West Bank)

Anyway, I'm finding this rather fun so I may begin to post more often if I find the time.  Until then I'll sign off. And hopefully fall asleep and wake up healthy tomorrow.  There's a regular screech outside the window that we can't seem to identify as bird, monkey or baby...we may never know but I leaning towards bird.

Pictures from Turkey

Chai, Turkish black tea, was a prominent part of
 the culture and one we all took part in daily.

Lunch at the fishmarket in Istabul.

Playing games and enjoying a waterpipe at one of the many Nargile Cafes.

Turkish Baths and Egyptian Revolutions

It is difficult finding time to write about our experiences!  Nick and I are currently in Cairo, Egypt, having fled south from Turkey hoping to find warmer weather.  We were successful- it gets to be around 65 F during the day (compared to 32 F in Turkey), which is quite pleasant.  At night it is chilly since we are surrounded by desert, after all, but the hostel we have stayed in the last two nights provides thick wool blankets that keep out the chill. 

I want to rewind for a little bit to talk about my experience taking a traditional Turkish Bath in Istanbul.  Then we can get to the Egyptian Revolution!

The Turkish Bath was everything I could ever hope for in a relaxing, meditative, introspective experience.  Upon entering the Hamam, which my friend Rob and I were led to by a Turk who snagged us on the street, we had to pick which level of bath we wanted.  We went for the whole shebang, which included a 1 hour bath and a 40 minute oil massage for a total of 90 Turkish Lira, or roughly $45.  None of the 4-5 seemingly bath employees around the entry way appeared to speak English, which suggests this was not a Turkish Bath frequented by tourists.

After leaving my clothes in a small room and wrapping myself in a scrap of cloth, I was ushered through a low door into a marble chamber with many alcoves.  I was led down a hallway and found myself in a 9x9 ft room made of marble with a low marble bench around the wall and 3 basins (one on each wall) with a hot water and cold water spigot into each.  The ceiling was domed and had round 6in holes connecting to the outside covered in colored plastic or glass, giving off a rudimentary stained glass affect. 

The girl who led me in indicated I should sit, turned on the hot and cold water, picked up a scoop of water and flung in on me, then handed it to me and indicated I should continue to bath myself.  She then bobbed her head and I was left alone to relax in the warm steamy room, letting hot water trickle over my body at a leisurely pace.  After the noise and bustle of Istanbul’s streets combined with the soreness of my muscles from all the walking and hiking, this was wonderful.  I’m not sure how much time went by, but I would estimate about 25 minutes. 

The actual bathing came next. I was laid on a marble slab and was scrubbed and buffed to perfection by a lady wearing a rough mit.  She left no ground uncovered.  After the srubbing, she rinsed me and then applied soap using an amazing pillow like contraption that was dipped in a sudsy bucket and then filled with air and rung out over my body.  There were mounds of bubbles!  The lady massaged the soap into me, flipped me over, and repeated.  Then she shampooed my hair, stood me up and rinsed me some more, and declared me “finished.”

I was then ushered (still in my little rag) across the building to the massage room.  I have only had two professional massages in my lifetime, but I have to say this was the best yet.  The lady was relentless.  She was actually out of breath from working on my muscles so hard!  Both hands, full speed, full pressure, for 40 minutes.  It was amazing.  She used an oil which when combined with my previous buffing resulted in the softest skin I have ever had.

After the massage Rob and I were served delicious Apple Tea and were able to sit and relax before entering back into the chilly busy streets of Istanbul.  Nick chose not to participate in the bathing this time since he has a scar that is healing on his back, but is looking forward to it on our return trip to Turkey in March!

Cairo, Egypt

Chaos.  Hustlers. Garbage. Horns. Delicious Food. Cheap.  Noise.

This is how I summarize Cairo after 2 days here.  We flew in from Istanbul, and are staying at a hostel about 2 minutes from Tahrir Square, heart of the Egyptian Revolution.  On 25 January there will be a big celebration of last year’s revolution, and already we are seeing signs of it.  People are camping on the square, and last night we saw a crowd march through the streets chanting and waving banners. The Egyptian Museum, which is right on the square, has been closed until after the “celebration” as a precautionary measure.  We have talked to several people about it and no one seems to know what to expect on the 25^th, so to be safe we are taking a bus to Dahab tonight and will see more of the sites in Cairo on our way back to Turkey. 

The food is absolutely AMAZING… and SO cheap.  Nick and I can get a large dinner for the two of us for the equivalent of just a few US dollars.  The currency here is the Egyptian Pound.  The streets are absolute chaos- you have to be really gutsy to cross and just run right out in the traffic!  I will upload some  pictures of donkeys pulling carts that I liked.  More later!

Checking in

After an 11 hour plane ride, many attempts at sleep, and hazelnuts as an exciting alternative to peanuts, the 6 of us (see participant  descriptions below) landed at Ataturk Havalimani Airport in Istanbul, Turkey.

Adventure participants:

Marli- mother hen

Nick- proponent of the eating/restaurateur

Paul- finder of the $500 round trip tickets which were the reason we all came on this trip

Rob- historian and general trivia answer man

Pete- taker of the naps

Becker- guide book supplier and Turkish language expert

On our first day we took a shuttle from our hotel to the historical part of the city where we toured the Blue Mosque (a beautiful mosque which is still in use), the Hagia Sofia (largest byzantine church in Istanbul), and the Topkapi Palace (former home of the sultans).  We had delicious doners from a tiny restaurant/food stand for lunch, and some hooka and hot tea in the afternoon before more amazing food for dinner.

The hotel we are staying in is so nice!  There is a spa/pool area with a sauna and a cool round pool , and the gym is amazing!  There is also a ridiculous spread of food for breakfast… fruits, nuts, meats, olives, eggs, yogurts, cereals, omelets, and more!  Yum!

NEW HORIZONS

2012 is here, and with it many new adventures are on the horizon!  We will be boarding a plane to Turkey on January 13th and will be overseas until April 13th.
Many people have asked us, "Why Turkey?" to which we reply: "Round trip $500 tickets!"
These three months will serve as a transition and growth period as we explore a less structured and corporate lifestyle and take time to learn more about the world we live in and the people we share it with.
We plan to come back and spend the summer on Chestnut Cliff Farm, farming, learning, and preparing for our do-it-yourself wedding on August 18. (Wahoo!)
And then off to Asia for an extended honeymoon of more travel, exploration, and glorious adventure.
We will post some pictures and observations here, and hope that you enjoy!