After the last posting about the Traveler's Century Club, I have to admit that I chose Rhodes purely because it added to my "country count" and it was very convenient to access from southwest Turkey. And now, I have to say that Rhodes was one of the most memorable and enjoyable parts of the trip. It was beshert -- or meant to be -- as they say in Yiddish.
Rhodes is a Greek island in the Agean Sea just an hour or two from Turkey by ferry depending on whether you catch the slow or fast ferry on a given day. On the day I left the Turkish port of Marmaris the slow ferry was running. Let's just say that the trip felt very authentic. As we boarded and I was looking around, I thought that it might have been a converted fishing vessel -- and it had a whiff of one, too. But all that was soon forgotten as I was surrounded by a large group of boisterous Greek travelers who had been on holiday in Turkey and were returning from a chorus competition of some sort. As soon as everyone had settled down and gotten some tea, the group broke into a chorus of Greek folk songs (and others) to pass the time on our 2 1/2 hour journey. Talk about atmosphere. They were having a grand time and I was right in the midst of it all. I couldn't think of a better way to return to Greece for the first time since 1980 when I had a one day layover in Athens on my way to a semester in Israel.
Rhodes itself turned out to be a delightful island with an Old Town that is very well preserved and a new part of the city which is laid back, warm (in every respect) and friendly. (There is also a rich Jewish history on the island but I will save that for another post.)
I lucked into a well situated hotel I had found on the internet for 30 Euro per night that even had a view of the sea from my deck. And the front desk manager, George, was a font of knowledge which he eagerly shared with me in his near perfect English. So everything about the experience was enjoyable. The island is slow paced yet there is plenty to do and the blue green color of the water is just spectacular. If you ever have the opportunity to include Rhodes in your travel itinerary, I highly recommend it. I gave it only 3 days due to other scheduling pressures but I would suggest at least 5 days on the island.
To learn more about the island, check out: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhodes
And for a day trip into the countryside to the spectacular seaside town of Lindos, please check out:
http://www.lindoseye.com/
And for a map of the Aegean so you can see where Rhodes is situated (closer to Turkey than Greece) go to:
http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/europe/greece_rel_1984.gif
Next posting: the Jewish experience on Rhodes.
Monday, April 26, 2010
Update on my quest to join the The Traveler's Century Club -- 100 Countries/Territories
As some of you may remember from the email which introduced this journey, one of my goals is to add to the number of countries/territories that I've visited -- at least according to the rules of the Travelers Century Club. www.travelerscenturyclub.org
I know that many of you are sitting on the edge of your chairs wondering what number I'm at -- so here you go. Wait no longer -- I am now at 84! The additions during this trip so far include:
1) New Zealand
2) Tasmania
3) China
4) Macau
5) Bahrain
6) Qatar
7) Kuwait
8) Ajman (UAE)
9) Ras Al Khaimah (UAE)
10) Sharjah (UAE) (previously driven through this area but my feet had not touched the ground until this visit -- which is my rule!)
11) Umm Al Qaiwain (UAE)
12) Turkey (Europe)
13) Turkey (Asia)
14) Dodecanese Islands (Rhodes)
According to the plan as it stands today, I have just a few more than 16 countries left to visit. So if all goes well, I will reach 100 by the time I return to the US in September. And then, I can officially join the meshugana (Yiddish for crazy person) club that is for people who have been to 100 countries/territories or more. Get ready to celebrate!
New places yet to visit on the round-the-world journey include:
1) Rwanda
2) Tanzania
3) Zanzibar
4) Kenya
5) Malawi
6) Zambia
7) Mauritius
8) Swaziland
9) Lesotho
10) Namibia
11) Ghana
12) Bulgaria
13) Macedonia
14) Kosovo
15) Albania
16) Montenegro
17) Croatia
18) Slovenia
I know that many of you are sitting on the edge of your chairs wondering what number I'm at -- so here you go. Wait no longer -- I am now at 84! The additions during this trip so far include:
1) New Zealand
2) Tasmania
3) China
4) Macau
5) Bahrain
6) Qatar
7) Kuwait
8) Ajman (UAE)
9) Ras Al Khaimah (UAE)
10) Sharjah (UAE) (previously driven through this area but my feet had not touched the ground until this visit -- which is my rule!)
11) Umm Al Qaiwain (UAE)
12) Turkey (Europe)
13) Turkey (Asia)
14) Dodecanese Islands (Rhodes)
According to the plan as it stands today, I have just a few more than 16 countries left to visit. So if all goes well, I will reach 100 by the time I return to the US in September. And then, I can officially join the meshugana (Yiddish for crazy person) club that is for people who have been to 100 countries/territories or more. Get ready to celebrate!
New places yet to visit on the round-the-world journey include:
1) Rwanda
2) Tanzania
3) Zanzibar
4) Kenya
5) Malawi
6) Zambia
7) Mauritius
8) Swaziland
9) Lesotho
10) Namibia
11) Ghana
12) Bulgaria
13) Macedonia
14) Kosovo
15) Albania
16) Montenegro
17) Croatia
18) Slovenia
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Turkish Hospitality
I found the Turkish people to be warm, hospitable and happy that international visitors have made their country a destination site. That was entirely true outside of Istanbul and virtually true within the city. But I have to share with you a rough 24 hour period that was, let's say, trial by fire.
It actually started in Dubai where there was a standoff between United Airlines and Turkish Air about my reservation and whether it had been cancelled. (Turned out it was a human error on the part of United) But that wasn't known at the time. And as I was standing in the Dubai airport for 2 1/2 hours (after midnight) and the Turkish Air representative refused to call United, I wasn't feeling very "welcome" to Turkey.
Ultimately I placed a call to United on my blackberry and shoved it in front of the rep and the two of them had a terse conversation -- which in the end meant something I suppose. The happy ending is that at about 2:05AM, the Turkish air representative declared that a seat was available and that I should run for the gate (having to go through immigration still) to catch the flight at 2:25 AM. Fun :)
After a smooth flight, I arrived in Istanbul around 8 AM and, of course, my room wasn't ready. But I had prepared for this possibility by identifying a walking tour that was starting near to my hotel at 9. I figured if I was moving around I would be fine for a few more hours. And if the guide was knowledgeable and, perhaps, a cutie, even better. Check. Check. The tour was followed by an authentic Turkish lunch around the corner from the hotel at a place called Doy Doy where about 30 Turkish guys and I dined. My $10 got me a mezze plate, chicken skewer with rice and vegetables and a diet coke. Nice.
I came back took my nap and then asked the hotel manager (who I like very much) for a recommendation for dinner. He suggested fish and since I'm trying to be good AND since one is surrounded by water everywhere in Turkey, I said sure. He also said that the restaurant will send a car. Mistake #1. Never accept a "free" ride to the restaurant. Need I say more?
Here's the long and short of it: There is a phenomenon with fish places (at least in Turkey) where the primary goal is to rip off the tourists for as much as they can possibly get. And since fish is cheap and plentiful, fish restaurants charge extraordinarily exorbitant prices -- say $50 or $80 or more for a modestly sized pan fried fish which costs no more than $5 at the wholesale market. But don't think there's any transparency about any of it. There's this whole drama where they wheel in the table of fish, pick up every last fish and talk about it, wheel the cart out, bring out different fish, take them away, weigh some and not others and so on and so forth.
For me, I wound up with an extraordinary dinner bill of $212 US which was probably about 75% more than the meal was worth. Among other things (mind you I'm leaving out the details) is that the restaurant insisted that I had ordered two main courses in addition to three small appetizers. That would have been enough food for 3 people let alone one but that didn't seem to matter at all since this was one big farce! I refused to let them even put the second fish on the table despite repeated efforts to do so because I felt that would have been an acknowledgement that I, indeed, ordered that darn fish.
By the time the bill came I had caught onto this situation and began to converse with two lovely British couples sitting behind me who informed me that they had been through the same theater more than once. In fact, after they observed my encounter with the fish salesmen (they weren't waiters, really), the Brits called the staff over and the Brits themselves wrote down the price for each item and handed the "check" to the wait staff. All this before even one item was served at the table. Lessons learned, I suppose. My takeaway was never to eat fish in Turkey again. And I didn't. The next place I ate anything from the sea was on my departing flight on Turkish Air where it was included in the price of my ticket :)
To conclude this little story, I paid the $212 in cash for this delight. The last thing I wanted to do was to give these guys any of my credit card information. And I didn't want to engage with them very much because we were on a very long pier and I didn't want to wind up swimming back to shore -- or worse. But that wasn't the end. I took the issue to the hotel manager the next day and I told him that I expected to see the money back and that he should feel free to tell the restaurant that I would be happy to call the police. Whether that would have worked or not isn't clear but I wanted them to have a lot of hassle if they were going to so blatantly rip people off. I wasn't the first and I certainly won't be the last. (I now know that there are plenty of postings on Trip Advisor on this one and all of its variants!) In the end, 100 Turkish Lira showed up in an envelope at the hotel. And I learned a lesson.
Back to the hospitality part. Admittedly, it took a few days to get over this incident and I was feeling a bit uneasy about my host country. (There was also a cab ride that cost $16 for a 5 minute drive but I'm not going into that one.) The sad truth is that the Turkish economy overall is still developing and a few people will go beyond looking for an extra $1 or $5 to capture some larger sums of money. It is unfortunate because once the tourists begin to figure it out (after about 2 days) it creates a bit of a bad vibe between visitors and our hosts. And, at least on my trip, Turkey became a place where I started to watch the bill at restaurants much more carefully and to be more cautious -- not for my physical safety but from preventing a continuous flow of little, petty rip offs. In fact, I know there were others but I didn't obsess over them. I just prevented as many as I could through more caution. And it seemed to mostly work, at least in my head.
On the more positive side, I actually liked the Turkish people quite a bit. I was touched, for example, when I was on the tram and a teenager with kind of wild hair and outfit gave up his seat and took an elderly gentleman by the arm and helped him sit down. Or the staff at the Sarnic hotel in Istanbul who couldn't have been more gracious. Mehmet, the manager, Ergin the front desk guy and Murat the owner's brother were warm, generous and a pleasure to be around.
And, perhaps most memorable, there was the pudgy seven year old boy at a food stall in Bursa (the 1st Ottoman capital) who was gushing with pride as he took my order, served me and then took my money and made change. He kept looking at his dad to make sure he was doing things right and the father both gave him guidance and wide smiles of approval as the boy completed the sale. It was a special moment which I probably related to on some level because of all my days as a busboy and waiter.
And as if my little shishlik sandwich experience wasn't enough, I decided somewhat impulsively that I really needed some baklava. That's my stubborn sweet tooth kicking in no doubt. Conveniently, within five seconds, I encountered a stand with all sorts of sweets most of which I remain clueless to identify. But that didn't make a difference. So I stopped, got the attention of the purveyor and pointed to the baklava, pushing two fingers up in the air to indicate how many I wanted. All was good. The man took out some paper to prepare my gooey goodies to travel -- not that they would last more than a minute. And then, much to my surprise, the gentleman, who didn't speak a word of English, signaled that he was offering the baklava to me for free. While I appreciated the gesture, I felt rather badly about it since I'm certain I have more resources than he. I insisted at least twice that I wanted to pay him but he absolutely refused. So maybe it was a higher power intervening since the fish incident had taken place less than 24 hours earlier? Who knows? But I certainly won't forget that courtyard in Bursa for a long time to come.
These were by no means the only acts of generosity by my gracious Turkish hosts. One more cute story relates to a long distance bus ride between Izmir and Mamaris which is about 6 hours down the coast. I was a bit flummoxed at the end of the ride as I thought there were several more stops to go. But as the bus emptied, I realized we had made it to our destination. So as I was getting off the bus I left one of my bags in the overhead -- something I never do since I usually make a habit of keeping all my carry-on bags at my feet when traveling by bus. In any event, by the time I realized I was missing this bag (with insignificant items I might add), the bus was 100 yards away and 2 seconds from exiting the lot. I threw my hands up in the air, dropped all my papers, started to run and, frankly, probably looked a bit crazed. Within an instant, another van driver saw me, understood exactly what was going on, and accelerated his vehicle to literally cut off my bus before it could turn back onto the highway. Within seconds, the bus driver opened the door and the attendant handed me my little orange bag. I then turned to thank the driver of the van but it was gone. So I will never have an opportunity to thank that gentleman for helping me out. But his efforts provide an opportunity to think of his act of kindness as being typical for the Turkish people which it really is.
It actually started in Dubai where there was a standoff between United Airlines and Turkish Air about my reservation and whether it had been cancelled. (Turned out it was a human error on the part of United) But that wasn't known at the time. And as I was standing in the Dubai airport for 2 1/2 hours (after midnight) and the Turkish Air representative refused to call United, I wasn't feeling very "welcome" to Turkey.
Ultimately I placed a call to United on my blackberry and shoved it in front of the rep and the two of them had a terse conversation -- which in the end meant something I suppose. The happy ending is that at about 2:05AM, the Turkish air representative declared that a seat was available and that I should run for the gate (having to go through immigration still) to catch the flight at 2:25 AM. Fun :)
After a smooth flight, I arrived in Istanbul around 8 AM and, of course, my room wasn't ready. But I had prepared for this possibility by identifying a walking tour that was starting near to my hotel at 9. I figured if I was moving around I would be fine for a few more hours. And if the guide was knowledgeable and, perhaps, a cutie, even better. Check. Check. The tour was followed by an authentic Turkish lunch around the corner from the hotel at a place called Doy Doy where about 30 Turkish guys and I dined. My $10 got me a mezze plate, chicken skewer with rice and vegetables and a diet coke. Nice.
I came back took my nap and then asked the hotel manager (who I like very much) for a recommendation for dinner. He suggested fish and since I'm trying to be good AND since one is surrounded by water everywhere in Turkey, I said sure. He also said that the restaurant will send a car. Mistake #1. Never accept a "free" ride to the restaurant. Need I say more?
Here's the long and short of it: There is a phenomenon with fish places (at least in Turkey) where the primary goal is to rip off the tourists for as much as they can possibly get. And since fish is cheap and plentiful, fish restaurants charge extraordinarily exorbitant prices -- say $50 or $80 or more for a modestly sized pan fried fish which costs no more than $5 at the wholesale market. But don't think there's any transparency about any of it. There's this whole drama where they wheel in the table of fish, pick up every last fish and talk about it, wheel the cart out, bring out different fish, take them away, weigh some and not others and so on and so forth.
For me, I wound up with an extraordinary dinner bill of $212 US which was probably about 75% more than the meal was worth. Among other things (mind you I'm leaving out the details) is that the restaurant insisted that I had ordered two main courses in addition to three small appetizers. That would have been enough food for 3 people let alone one but that didn't seem to matter at all since this was one big farce! I refused to let them even put the second fish on the table despite repeated efforts to do so because I felt that would have been an acknowledgement that I, indeed, ordered that darn fish.
By the time the bill came I had caught onto this situation and began to converse with two lovely British couples sitting behind me who informed me that they had been through the same theater more than once. In fact, after they observed my encounter with the fish salesmen (they weren't waiters, really), the Brits called the staff over and the Brits themselves wrote down the price for each item and handed the "check" to the wait staff. All this before even one item was served at the table. Lessons learned, I suppose. My takeaway was never to eat fish in Turkey again. And I didn't. The next place I ate anything from the sea was on my departing flight on Turkish Air where it was included in the price of my ticket :)
To conclude this little story, I paid the $212 in cash for this delight. The last thing I wanted to do was to give these guys any of my credit card information. And I didn't want to engage with them very much because we were on a very long pier and I didn't want to wind up swimming back to shore -- or worse. But that wasn't the end. I took the issue to the hotel manager the next day and I told him that I expected to see the money back and that he should feel free to tell the restaurant that I would be happy to call the police. Whether that would have worked or not isn't clear but I wanted them to have a lot of hassle if they were going to so blatantly rip people off. I wasn't the first and I certainly won't be the last. (I now know that there are plenty of postings on Trip Advisor on this one and all of its variants!) In the end, 100 Turkish Lira showed up in an envelope at the hotel. And I learned a lesson.
Back to the hospitality part. Admittedly, it took a few days to get over this incident and I was feeling a bit uneasy about my host country. (There was also a cab ride that cost $16 for a 5 minute drive but I'm not going into that one.) The sad truth is that the Turkish economy overall is still developing and a few people will go beyond looking for an extra $1 or $5 to capture some larger sums of money. It is unfortunate because once the tourists begin to figure it out (after about 2 days) it creates a bit of a bad vibe between visitors and our hosts. And, at least on my trip, Turkey became a place where I started to watch the bill at restaurants much more carefully and to be more cautious -- not for my physical safety but from preventing a continuous flow of little, petty rip offs. In fact, I know there were others but I didn't obsess over them. I just prevented as many as I could through more caution. And it seemed to mostly work, at least in my head.
On the more positive side, I actually liked the Turkish people quite a bit. I was touched, for example, when I was on the tram and a teenager with kind of wild hair and outfit gave up his seat and took an elderly gentleman by the arm and helped him sit down. Or the staff at the Sarnic hotel in Istanbul who couldn't have been more gracious. Mehmet, the manager, Ergin the front desk guy and Murat the owner's brother were warm, generous and a pleasure to be around.
And, perhaps most memorable, there was the pudgy seven year old boy at a food stall in Bursa (the 1st Ottoman capital) who was gushing with pride as he took my order, served me and then took my money and made change. He kept looking at his dad to make sure he was doing things right and the father both gave him guidance and wide smiles of approval as the boy completed the sale. It was a special moment which I probably related to on some level because of all my days as a busboy and waiter.
And as if my little shishlik sandwich experience wasn't enough, I decided somewhat impulsively that I really needed some baklava. That's my stubborn sweet tooth kicking in no doubt. Conveniently, within five seconds, I encountered a stand with all sorts of sweets most of which I remain clueless to identify. But that didn't make a difference. So I stopped, got the attention of the purveyor and pointed to the baklava, pushing two fingers up in the air to indicate how many I wanted. All was good. The man took out some paper to prepare my gooey goodies to travel -- not that they would last more than a minute. And then, much to my surprise, the gentleman, who didn't speak a word of English, signaled that he was offering the baklava to me for free. While I appreciated the gesture, I felt rather badly about it since I'm certain I have more resources than he. I insisted at least twice that I wanted to pay him but he absolutely refused. So maybe it was a higher power intervening since the fish incident had taken place less than 24 hours earlier? Who knows? But I certainly won't forget that courtyard in Bursa for a long time to come.
These were by no means the only acts of generosity by my gracious Turkish hosts. One more cute story relates to a long distance bus ride between Izmir and Mamaris which is about 6 hours down the coast. I was a bit flummoxed at the end of the ride as I thought there were several more stops to go. But as the bus emptied, I realized we had made it to our destination. So as I was getting off the bus I left one of my bags in the overhead -- something I never do since I usually make a habit of keeping all my carry-on bags at my feet when traveling by bus. In any event, by the time I realized I was missing this bag (with insignificant items I might add), the bus was 100 yards away and 2 seconds from exiting the lot. I threw my hands up in the air, dropped all my papers, started to run and, frankly, probably looked a bit crazed. Within an instant, another van driver saw me, understood exactly what was going on, and accelerated his vehicle to literally cut off my bus before it could turn back onto the highway. Within seconds, the bus driver opened the door and the attendant handed me my little orange bag. I then turned to thank the driver of the van but it was gone. So I will never have an opportunity to thank that gentleman for helping me out. But his efforts provide an opportunity to think of his act of kindness as being typical for the Turkish people which it really is.
Friday, April 16, 2010
Turkey Part II.....
I have just returned to Istanbul after a journey across southeastern Turkey, along with a ferry ride to the Greek island of Rhodes where I spent 3 enjoyable days exploring and learning.
One of the things I've taken to heart on this trip is that you can't do everything -- even if you have seven months to travel. And, to my parents' credit, one of their last suggestions (of many) as I was leaving Florida in January, was that I should pace myself. That was very good advice -- especially since I've been wanting to visit Turkey for so long and it is such a VAST country. I have resisted temptation to see it all.
Keeping their advice in mind, but also remaining focused on my quest to visit 100 "countries" (which also includes many non-country territories in the definition), I decided to explore the Southeast coast and environs. The added benefit of this route is the proximity of the Dodecanese Islands (specifically the island of Rhodes) which is about 1 hour off the coast of Turkey. It is much closer to Turkey than Greece but more on that later.
As you all know, the entire Turkish region is rich in history and the ancient city of Ephesus is a great example where a number of civilizations were built, seemingly right upon each other. So one can begin to get their history straight (at least for a few minutes) and get a feel for how fully functioning societies (right up to the public library and the nearby brothel) operated in centuries gone by. The guide told a cute story about how the men used to tell their wives that they were going to the library but instead used a tunnel underneath to cross over to the rather sizeable brothel directly across the street. I'd guess that the story is probably true. It makes sense, doesn't it? For a more official version of the history around Ephesus written by someone (hopefully) who can get all of their facts properly associated with the correct periods (Byzantine, Greek, Roman, Ottoman) please see the great authoritative source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ephesus
The other site I visited in the region was Bergama, a center for medicine and wellness in its day. On that day I was touring with two Cuban American physicians and they said that this site had been included in their studies as a significant place in the history of medicine. As the tour went on, I came to appreciate that when Bergama was at its height, the definition of medicine was quite different than today. It was really a forerunner to modern medicine but the symbols remain such as the famous snake we see on pharmacies, medical centers, texts etc. That said, though the guide was generally quite knowledgeable, he was certain that brain surgery among other treatments for the head (which he called psychology) had been conducted there in the 3rd and 2nd Century AD. I'll leave it to you to draw your own conclusions. I can't even think about it.
http://www.turkeytravelplanner.com/galeri/aegean/photopages/002.html
So you now have as much fill as I did about the ancient civilizations that were present here in Turkey. For my next posting, I will wrap up Turkey and share some of my experiences about the people and the culture of Turkey.
One of the things I've taken to heart on this trip is that you can't do everything -- even if you have seven months to travel. And, to my parents' credit, one of their last suggestions (of many) as I was leaving Florida in January, was that I should pace myself. That was very good advice -- especially since I've been wanting to visit Turkey for so long and it is such a VAST country. I have resisted temptation to see it all.
Keeping their advice in mind, but also remaining focused on my quest to visit 100 "countries" (which also includes many non-country territories in the definition), I decided to explore the Southeast coast and environs. The added benefit of this route is the proximity of the Dodecanese Islands (specifically the island of Rhodes) which is about 1 hour off the coast of Turkey. It is much closer to Turkey than Greece but more on that later.
As you all know, the entire Turkish region is rich in history and the ancient city of Ephesus is a great example where a number of civilizations were built, seemingly right upon each other. So one can begin to get their history straight (at least for a few minutes) and get a feel for how fully functioning societies (right up to the public library and the nearby brothel) operated in centuries gone by. The guide told a cute story about how the men used to tell their wives that they were going to the library but instead used a tunnel underneath to cross over to the rather sizeable brothel directly across the street. I'd guess that the story is probably true. It makes sense, doesn't it? For a more official version of the history around Ephesus written by someone (hopefully) who can get all of their facts properly associated with the correct periods (Byzantine, Greek, Roman, Ottoman) please see the great authoritative source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ephesus
The other site I visited in the region was Bergama, a center for medicine and wellness in its day. On that day I was touring with two Cuban American physicians and they said that this site had been included in their studies as a significant place in the history of medicine. As the tour went on, I came to appreciate that when Bergama was at its height, the definition of medicine was quite different than today. It was really a forerunner to modern medicine but the symbols remain such as the famous snake we see on pharmacies, medical centers, texts etc. That said, though the guide was generally quite knowledgeable, he was certain that brain surgery among other treatments for the head (which he called psychology) had been conducted there in the 3rd and 2nd Century AD. I'll leave it to you to draw your own conclusions. I can't even think about it.
http://www.turkeytravelplanner.com/galeri/aegean/photopages/002.html
So you now have as much fill as I did about the ancient civilizations that were present here in Turkey. For my next posting, I will wrap up Turkey and share some of my experiences about the people and the culture of Turkey.
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Itinerary Update
With all of the planning, there is always room for some creative change when circumstances dictate. A few weeks ago, I learned that my tour in Ethiopia had been cancelled due to lack of participation. After several weeks searching out alternative providers, I came across a brief posting on a travel forum about the upcoming Ethiopian election which was to occur right in the middle of my visit. Well, I love democracy and all that but in 2005 the election turned violent, and I'm not to anxious to be a first hand witness to this year's election as a solor traveler. I might like to be an election monitor some day but perhaps under the auspices of the UN or some other NGO. So, Ethiopia is going by the wayside this time.
The revised itinerary now includes:
1) A visit to London from May 10-14
2) Travel around northern Italy with cooking school for 4 days near Florence from May 14-27
3) A gorilla trek in Rwanda May 30-June 2
4) The previously sent itinerary picks up from there with the 18 night camping safari from Kenya to Zambia. Yes, that's 18 nights!
Note: there are a few travel days in between so no need to worry about "missing" days
The revised itinerary now includes:
1) A visit to London from May 10-14
2) Travel around northern Italy with cooking school for 4 days near Florence from May 14-27
3) A gorilla trek in Rwanda May 30-June 2
4) The previously sent itinerary picks up from there with the 18 night camping safari from Kenya to Zambia. Yes, that's 18 nights!
Note: there are a few travel days in between so no need to worry about "missing" days
Monday, April 12, 2010
Meandering through Turkey....
After a bit of a rough start in Turkey (stay tuned), I came to find my way around Istanbul and to appreciate this wonderful, historic city. For the size of the city (18 million), it is remarkably easy to get around and, after about 5 days or so, to feel grounded even though English is less frequently spoken in Turkey. (They had their own empire, afterall!) Ironically, it took years for me to feel like I could get my bearings in London but Istanbul seemed easier -- in large part due to the simple, modern tram line that crosses the city.
For about $1 you can ride from the Grand Bazaar through Sultanahmet (home to many of the historic sites) down to the Spice Market, across to Galata (more historic sites including one of the neighborhoods that was home to both the Jews and Italian Genovese) and then along the Bosphorous which separates Turkish from European Asia and connects the Black Sea to the Mediterranean.
If you only rode the above ground tram you could stay busy seeing the sites in Istanbul but then you would miss the Istiklal Caddesi a lengthy pedestrian walk that runs through the center of the Beyoglu, the area populated by Europeans living in Istanbul during the Ottoman Empire. It is now home to boutiques, contemporary restaurants. galleries and any number of places of interest, including former consulates, churches and the minority Sufi muslim house of worship. (for more on where the expression "Whirling Dervishes" come from you can use this link to learn about this Sufi traditional dance. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mawlawi_Order
I spent 8 stimulating, frenetic days in Istanbul so I will spare you the minute by minute rendition. But a few highlights include the cooking course at the small hotel where I stayed, the beautiful and awesome Hagia Sohpia and the Blue Mosque where I saw up close none other than German Prime Minister Angela Merkel who was on a state visit. Since my "encounter" with the Prime Minster happened on my first day in Turkey, it was a fun way to start my state visit.
Of the two hotels I stayed at in Istanbul, my favorite was a small tourist hotel in Sultanhamet which is Istanbul's Old Town. It had been listed as "gay friendly" on some travel website and after two weeks in the Gulf, I decided to stay some place that would be a bit more personal as one commonly finds in small hotels. As it happens they were very friendly but I think I only saw one gay couple there the entire time.
It turned out that the general manager is a pretty savvy marketing guy and he told me that LGBT is one of his target markets. So it was more friendly than gay but that's ok. I met some very nice people there including an Italian man and his Jewish wife from NY and a nice German couple with their child among others. And, what was very helpful for me, the staff was incredibly gracious and warm, and acted as my personal tour directors throughout my stay.
As you may recall from an earlier posting, I had good fun at the cooking course in Shanghai and one additional benefit of this particular hotel is that they have a regular cooking class as well. Turns out that this was an especially fun time with an interesting group of people including a well traveled and friendly Australian woman, an earnest American couple who were with Teach for America (she in Liberty City in Miami) and a very cute, straight and fun loving Kiwi guy who gushed about how much fun he had at gay pride in Amsterdam. Why do I always meet the friendliest straight guys? Luck, I would say.
For about $1 you can ride from the Grand Bazaar through Sultanahmet (home to many of the historic sites) down to the Spice Market, across to Galata (more historic sites including one of the neighborhoods that was home to both the Jews and Italian Genovese) and then along the Bosphorous which separates Turkish from European Asia and connects the Black Sea to the Mediterranean.
If you only rode the above ground tram you could stay busy seeing the sites in Istanbul but then you would miss the Istiklal Caddesi a lengthy pedestrian walk that runs through the center of the Beyoglu, the area populated by Europeans living in Istanbul during the Ottoman Empire. It is now home to boutiques, contemporary restaurants. galleries and any number of places of interest, including former consulates, churches and the minority Sufi muslim house of worship. (for more on where the expression "Whirling Dervishes" come from you can use this link to learn about this Sufi traditional dance. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mawlawi_Order
I spent 8 stimulating, frenetic days in Istanbul so I will spare you the minute by minute rendition. But a few highlights include the cooking course at the small hotel where I stayed, the beautiful and awesome Hagia Sohpia and the Blue Mosque where I saw up close none other than German Prime Minister Angela Merkel who was on a state visit. Since my "encounter" with the Prime Minster happened on my first day in Turkey, it was a fun way to start my state visit.
Of the two hotels I stayed at in Istanbul, my favorite was a small tourist hotel in Sultanhamet which is Istanbul's Old Town. It had been listed as "gay friendly" on some travel website and after two weeks in the Gulf, I decided to stay some place that would be a bit more personal as one commonly finds in small hotels. As it happens they were very friendly but I think I only saw one gay couple there the entire time.
It turned out that the general manager is a pretty savvy marketing guy and he told me that LGBT is one of his target markets. So it was more friendly than gay but that's ok. I met some very nice people there including an Italian man and his Jewish wife from NY and a nice German couple with their child among others. And, what was very helpful for me, the staff was incredibly gracious and warm, and acted as my personal tour directors throughout my stay.
As you may recall from an earlier posting, I had good fun at the cooking course in Shanghai and one additional benefit of this particular hotel is that they have a regular cooking class as well. Turns out that this was an especially fun time with an interesting group of people including a well traveled and friendly Australian woman, an earnest American couple who were with Teach for America (she in Liberty City in Miami) and a very cute, straight and fun loving Kiwi guy who gushed about how much fun he had at gay pride in Amsterdam. Why do I always meet the friendliest straight guys? Luck, I would say.
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Kuwait-Bahrain-Qatar
As many of you know, I sometimes like a challenge. This time, it was to see how a gay Jew travels around the Gulf as a single male on a US passport. I'm pleased to report that it was none too eventful. First, I think the American passport is still worth a heck of a lot when passing through various immigration posts. Second, I don't usually speak about my background to people I don't know so I'm not really trying to test the waters on either an ethnic/religious front or, for that matter, on sexual orientation. So maybe it wasn't that gutsy after all. And now that I think about it, it's probably pretty common for business men to be on their own and in Arab culture men travel in groups and on their own quite often. The way women socialize and move through society is really more interesting. Let's just say that 95% of the people you see socializing (in the hotels where westerners gather) are men.
So you might ask what exactly I did in these countries. A few quick highlights:
-- in Kuwait there is a private collection of Islamic art that is really quite wonderful. It is nicely curated and has good English language placards. Next time you're in Kuwait stop by the Tareq Rajab museum which is a bit out of the center of downtown Kuwait. I'm having trouble getting a working link at the moment but this article refers to it. http://www.asiarooms.com/travel-guide/kuwait/museums-in-kuwait/tareq-rajab-museum-in-kuwait.html
-- in Bahrain there are two worthwhile destinations including the Portuguese fort and the National Museum. Definitely see the national museum first and pick up the guide of 101 Things to Do in Bahrain. I think Bahrain's geography -- protruding into the Arabian Gulf-- put Bahrain in a strategic position that various invading and colonizing forces found enticing. The fort is actually a world heritage site and there is a decent museum and audio guides you can rent. http://www.worldheritagesite.org/sites/qalatalbahrain.html
-- Qatar feels calm and "steady as you go" relative to its Gulf neighbors. It's booming but in some type of contolled fashion. I asked one person who said that the economy is simply (or better stated intentionally) more diversified than many of the other Gulf states. They have oil, of course, but they also are making a play for tourism, consulting services and media. For example, Al Jazeera, the media outlet, is based in Qatar. And while they have their biases, they are making a run at open debate. In fact, I saw a debate between Hamas and Fatah in front of a young audience of Palestinians. In the end, I felt like it was a standoff with neither side winning the day. Interestingly, when they polled the audience, close to 90% voted "no confidence" in either side of the Palestinian leadership. For an interesting re-cap of this debate, you might want to check out this link to an op-ed written by the Chairman of the Doha Debates which sponsored the dialogue. The sidebar at the beginning of the article summarized the outcome by saying: "Face to face in a congenial setting, Hamas and Fatah agreed -- on nothing." It's an interesting read. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/03/opinion/03iht-edsebastian.html
And not to leave out a recommendation for a museum in Qatar, I can enthusiastically recommend the Museum of Islamic Art. Both the building and the collection are exquisite.
http://www.qma.com.qa/eng/index.php/qma/collections/1
That's it fow now...the next post is Turkey.
So you might ask what exactly I did in these countries. A few quick highlights:
-- in Kuwait there is a private collection of Islamic art that is really quite wonderful. It is nicely curated and has good English language placards. Next time you're in Kuwait stop by the Tareq Rajab museum which is a bit out of the center of downtown Kuwait. I'm having trouble getting a working link at the moment but this article refers to it. http://www.asiarooms.com/travel-guide/kuwait/museums-in-kuwait/tareq-rajab-museum-in-kuwait.html
-- in Bahrain there are two worthwhile destinations including the Portuguese fort and the National Museum. Definitely see the national museum first and pick up the guide of 101 Things to Do in Bahrain. I think Bahrain's geography -- protruding into the Arabian Gulf-- put Bahrain in a strategic position that various invading and colonizing forces found enticing. The fort is actually a world heritage site and there is a decent museum and audio guides you can rent. http://www.worldheritagesite.org/sites/qalatalbahrain.html
-- Qatar feels calm and "steady as you go" relative to its Gulf neighbors. It's booming but in some type of contolled fashion. I asked one person who said that the economy is simply (or better stated intentionally) more diversified than many of the other Gulf states. They have oil, of course, but they also are making a play for tourism, consulting services and media. For example, Al Jazeera, the media outlet, is based in Qatar. And while they have their biases, they are making a run at open debate. In fact, I saw a debate between Hamas and Fatah in front of a young audience of Palestinians. In the end, I felt like it was a standoff with neither side winning the day. Interestingly, when they polled the audience, close to 90% voted "no confidence" in either side of the Palestinian leadership. For an interesting re-cap of this debate, you might want to check out this link to an op-ed written by the Chairman of the Doha Debates which sponsored the dialogue. The sidebar at the beginning of the article summarized the outcome by saying: "Face to face in a congenial setting, Hamas and Fatah agreed -- on nothing." It's an interesting read. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/03/opinion/03iht-edsebastian.html
And not to leave out a recommendation for a museum in Qatar, I can enthusiastically recommend the Museum of Islamic Art. Both the building and the collection are exquisite.
http://www.qma.com.qa/eng/index.php/qma/collections/1
That's it fow now...the next post is Turkey.
Sunday, April 4, 2010
The Arabian Gulf - amazing place
I was given the opportunity to open my eyes to the Gulf region when my friend Richard was serving in the US Embassy in Abu Dhabi a half decade ago. As a person who is gay and Jewish, the notion of traveling to this part of the world was more of a personal journey to visit friends and to gain exposure to the local culture. I must admit I was a little scared the first time I was out there. And as we know, fear often comes from ignorance or unwillingness to learn.
Since that first visit about 5 years ago, I have come to have a greater appreciation for what this corner of the world is about. I can't say I fully understand it, but I am glad to have had personal exposure and so I can continue to learn. And form opinions.
I should say that the various societies and lifestyles in the Gulf region are somewhat different. The first lesson is not to paint an entire group of people with one brush. Dubai, as we all have read, has made a focused effort to make themselves a destination for trade and tourism. And when I say tourism, I mean tourism for Europeans as well as those in the Arab world who are looking for something more relaxed. And that, in itself, contributes to the social milieau.
And it is definitely more relaxed in Dubai -- to a point. It is relaxed in that there is entertainment, beaches with people wearing (or not wearing) western bathing attire and there is a free flow of alcohol in "private" which it turns out is not very private at all. I had the privilege of attending the opening of Art Dubai which benefited from a rather free flow of alcohol. Technically, I suppose it was a private event, but it was as public a private event as I've seen.
At the same time, some of you may have read about the arrest of a British couple for some type of sexual encounter. I don't really know what it was or think it's worth clarifying. But what it reminds us is that there is ABSOLUTELY a line that cannot be crossed. And I don't know enough about this line to opine upon it. My suspicion is that the line shifts around a lot -- perhaps in a good way. I think the government is inclined to provide more personal freedom than many of their neighbors but they also are trying to avoid Dubai becoming a sin city. That unto itself is not unreasonable. I know, for example, that there is a club that is gay on Thursday nights that has been operating for quite a while. Obviously, they could do something about it if they wanted to. But they choose to let it operate. Why?
And that question becomes even more powerful when you travel through the other Emirates as I did on this trip. I went to Sharjah (15 minutes north) as well as Ajman and Ras Al Kaimah where the shift in religious presence was obvious. In one shopping area, for example, I'd say 80% of the women were fully covered. This is all within 1 hour of Dubai. So like many things in all societies, it is a delicate balance between the varying beliefs, mores and societal demands.
On a personal note, I want to thank my former colleague, Norah and her husband, for hosting me and looking after me and introducing me to many of their friends in Dubai. It gave me a bit more exposure to the complex social environment which exists there -- and which makes it such an interesting place. I met a variety of people, including Saudis, Persians, Lebanese, local Emiratis as well as some gay men who were both Emirati and from other parts of the Arab world. This shouldn't be so surprising since there is a thriving arts scene in Dubai.
Next: the tour of the Gulf to Kuwait, Bahrain and Qatar
Since that first visit about 5 years ago, I have come to have a greater appreciation for what this corner of the world is about. I can't say I fully understand it, but I am glad to have had personal exposure and so I can continue to learn. And form opinions.
I should say that the various societies and lifestyles in the Gulf region are somewhat different. The first lesson is not to paint an entire group of people with one brush. Dubai, as we all have read, has made a focused effort to make themselves a destination for trade and tourism. And when I say tourism, I mean tourism for Europeans as well as those in the Arab world who are looking for something more relaxed. And that, in itself, contributes to the social milieau.
And it is definitely more relaxed in Dubai -- to a point. It is relaxed in that there is entertainment, beaches with people wearing (or not wearing) western bathing attire and there is a free flow of alcohol in "private" which it turns out is not very private at all. I had the privilege of attending the opening of Art Dubai which benefited from a rather free flow of alcohol. Technically, I suppose it was a private event, but it was as public a private event as I've seen.
At the same time, some of you may have read about the arrest of a British couple for some type of sexual encounter. I don't really know what it was or think it's worth clarifying. But what it reminds us is that there is ABSOLUTELY a line that cannot be crossed. And I don't know enough about this line to opine upon it. My suspicion is that the line shifts around a lot -- perhaps in a good way. I think the government is inclined to provide more personal freedom than many of their neighbors but they also are trying to avoid Dubai becoming a sin city. That unto itself is not unreasonable. I know, for example, that there is a club that is gay on Thursday nights that has been operating for quite a while. Obviously, they could do something about it if they wanted to. But they choose to let it operate. Why?
And that question becomes even more powerful when you travel through the other Emirates as I did on this trip. I went to Sharjah (15 minutes north) as well as Ajman and Ras Al Kaimah where the shift in religious presence was obvious. In one shopping area, for example, I'd say 80% of the women were fully covered. This is all within 1 hour of Dubai. So like many things in all societies, it is a delicate balance between the varying beliefs, mores and societal demands.
On a personal note, I want to thank my former colleague, Norah and her husband, for hosting me and looking after me and introducing me to many of their friends in Dubai. It gave me a bit more exposure to the complex social environment which exists there -- and which makes it such an interesting place. I met a variety of people, including Saudis, Persians, Lebanese, local Emiratis as well as some gay men who were both Emirati and from other parts of the Arab world. This shouldn't be so surprising since there is a thriving arts scene in Dubai.
Next: the tour of the Gulf to Kuwait, Bahrain and Qatar
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