Reviews of Turkey

Picture this...you awake to a crisp clear blue sky, it's only 8am but you can feel it's already a smouldering warm day forming outside. You leisurely pace down to the beach and sink your toes into the cool soft sand and let the ever rising sun fall gently on your already sun-kissed face and admire the turquoise crystal water of the Aegean Sea lap gently on the shore line of the main beach.

So where am I (or should I say where WAS I) you ponder admiringly...okay I'll let you in, I've teased you all enough, the small town of Altinkum-Didima in Turkey (the west coast).

We touched down (after a 4.5 hrs flying from Gatwick in a very wobbly Virgin Sun plane) on Monday June 11th 2001 into Bodrum-Milas Airport, where we encountered our first 'pinch-me-this-must-be-a-nightmare' situation with the customs officer from somewhere between here and hell and the local Turkish police. I won't waffle on too much (yeah right) but to cut a long story short my partner and I are Australians' and before you jump to conclusions..Yes I did do my visa-homework before hand but as to be expected what the Turkish Embassy told me in London of course, prompted blank expressions in Turkey itself. ANYWAY after a docile rat of a customs officer, 5 non-English speaking Turkish police and 2 Ozzie passports being thrown around quicker than a boomerang and some currency conversing we timidly re-claimed our passports, found our bags and jumped on the first coach for the 1.5 hour journey north to Altinkum.

We pulled up to the Hotel Dolphin and piled off the bus like circus elephants and settled in. The hotel itself was 3 star, very basic and although we heard a few complain (there always has to be one..doesn't there) we were happy enough....I mean who really hangs around a hotel on holidays anyway...right ? Just be prepared though (if your a travel snob and are not prepared to try things ‘different’) most hotels serve a simplistic style Turkish breakfast of Olives, Tomatoes, Cucumber, Goat's Cheese, fresh bread, Watermelons and Eggs....ok yes it did get a tad monotonous after the 12th morning.....or if you Brit's really miss your hearty hot breakfasts (ok I know I'm generalising here-excuse me) for an extra small cost you can get them to whip you up some bacon, eggs, baked beans etc.

The first week we did most of our sightseeing leaving the second week to top up our underlying, dormant Australian bronzed tans and shop shop shop.

Of course you can't go to Turkey without having experienced the luxurious and strangely humorous Turkish Bath. The average cost if I can remember correctly was around £5 with an extra £3 for a 40 min oil massage (which we dipped out on). The Turk Bath consists of being served a delicate glass of steaming hot Turkish Apple Tea (free of charge-or it was for us anyway), after finishing this you are guided into a sauna room where you are supposed to stick it out for 15 mins while your skin excessively empties toxins from your over worked pores. I only stayed in for 10 mins, the sensation of suffocating didn't appeal to me much, however my partner braved it out and eventually had to be dragged out after slightly loosing his marbles I guess through lack of fresh air to the brain....hehe not !!

You then hop into a freshly run bubble bath for about 10 mins, hop out shower down and then you enter into an ancient looking room with a large flat heated stone in the centre of the room surrounded by large water pots filled with ice cold water. You the proceed to be exfoliated, massaged, tickled, soaped up and down and sent on your way. We really enjoyed this or at least our skin did.

The next eye opening experience on our hit-list was to visit the town of Soke where it hosts an enormous market every Wednesday for locals and the un-suspecting traveller. It was about an hour, drive North and inland a bit from Altinkum. Keep an eye on everything..on you, there are kids everywhere pulling, pinching and tugging at you, this is where 'adopt-an-attitude' comes into play, be firm but polite after all they are still humans living an exceedingly tough life. The markets sell everything from spices, to 'genuine' copy watches, C.D's, perfumes, jeans with Armani, Versace and Nike plastered all over them-actually it's no wonder the Nike tick is not part of the Turkish flag-the stuff is everywhere!! All items are fine to buy but don't be a sucker and go stocking up on bottles of perfume (it was real entertainment watching un-suspecting Briton's purchase copulas amounts of what they thought was their fav perfumes, only to I imagine get them home and realise that spaghetti sauce contains more fragrance) !!

This trip cost about £5 pp and on the return journey from Soke to Altinkum we stopped in at the Lee and Wrangler factory outlet to empty our wallets on cheap jeans etc. You would be surprised that the styles and cuts of the clothing here was up to scratch and fashionable, it's worth checking out as you are more than likely to pick up some bargains although sucking in that ever expanding holiday stomach and trying to 'slip' into a pair of jeans in high 30 degree temps is not too appealing, you will be happy with your bargains though!

The next adventure we went on was the trip to Ephesus-one of the 7 'ancient' wonders of the world. Here we took a trip back in time to when Ephesus was first founded by female warriors in an around the 5th century B.C (if that’s not girl power what is..eat your heart out Spices') Ephesus will wow you with it's history and architectural intelligence as you stroll down the street of Curetes, wonder admiringly through the Library of Celsus and sit silently in the Great Theatre trying to comprehend dates that go back further than any 'Back to the Future’ time machine could take you. The drive to Ephesus from Altinkum took about an hour and a half also with us being *treated* to a stop at The Virgin Mary’s' House-this being the last place she lived before she died.

Towards the end of the first week we braved the heat and embarked on another day long trek 4 hours inland and north to an amazing spectacle know to many as Pamukkale-or the Turkish name meaning 'Cotton Castles'-why...b/c the first thing you'll see upon arrival is a rock platform spanning over 100m in height rising up from a plain. The formations of this hill which look from a distance like a great white speck are covered with pools and terraces containing thermal calcium waters that have been part of this unique site at least since the 2nd century B.C. You can still swim in some of the pools further down the mountain, although the main pools have been sectioned off, to help preserve this profound and natural site. There is also 'Cleopatra’s Pool' where you can take a dip in bubbling 30 degree spring water. This I was very disappointed in, with it being extremely commercialised giving you the feel that you are swimming at your local community swimming pool with everything from ice cream vendors, public toilets and souveniour shops to really help make your visit here feel all the more ethnic and unique, about the only thing missing from this collection of junkie tourist amenities was the overpowering stench of chlorine...yippy for us hey!! This trip came inclusive of lunch at some Turkish den, and a tour of a Turkish textile factory showing you the behind-the-scenes to making those crafted rugs Turkey is known for.

The weather for our stay included clear blue skies, heat that we Ozzies thrive on and about 2 drops of rain one steamy afternoon.

We found the people to be extremely hospitable and welcoming, although we were very disappointed with the selection of food in the restaurants in Altinkum. No offence but the majority of the restaurants catered purely for the 'hearty' British taste buds which I must admit got our eyes rolling big time. We were hoping to experience more unique Turkish cuisine, but we would probably have more luck at finding it back here in London, as ironic as it sounds!!

You can barter like crazy on a good deal of products and most people expect you to, so go on be daring! Try the Turkish Apple Tea, it's sweet but lovely and I dare you to try the Raki..... While we were there the daily exchange was about £1 = 1.700,000 Turk Lira. Allot of eat places along the main beach do like to charge higher prices to the naive passer-through so if you want cheaper go a few streets back where you can get the equivalent of a 5 course meal for about £2.80, and yes it is good quality and tastes delicious, even if it's heavy British foods.

The day before we left we went on an all day boat trip stopping at 5 different bays for you to go swimming or be it snorkelling at. The water was mesmerising with its turquoise crystal clear glassy water. For £8 the day includes all drinks and lunch freshly prepared then and there which was one of the tastiest meals during our 2-week stay. Everything is quoted at GBP and Turk Lira to give you an idea of what all that hard-earned cash will get you.

Overall our experience was a memorable one with us making lasting friendships with a number of native Turks. They also will bend over backwards for you if you surprise them with a few simple Turkish phrases.

We would like to return to Turkey again one day, although we probably won't visit Altinkum again.... after all we have the rest of the world to see yet...right?