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I flew from Montenegro to Istanbul, at long last to meet my new partner Randy. He was freshly retired and flying out from Vancouver. He was just a few months behind my schedule but was now free as a bird as well and could join me travelling full time. After a bit of a stressful time at the airport trying to find Randy (tech issues) we connected! He couldn’t make his e-Sim connect so he used the free airport wifi to rendezvous in the massive airport.

I arranged a fancy VIP van to take us to our crappy hotel in a seedy part of the city and when it dropped us off at the “Orchide” Hotel, we were told we went to the wrong hotel. So we then had to jump in a cab to take us to the other Orchide Hotel. Not the cheapest or the best way to start out, but that was my mistake. Use the address, not the hotel name!

But everyone was so nice and helpful, a theme that flowed through our three months in Türkiye, no matter what town or city we were in.

We took a day to rest then went wandering around the neighbourhood in search of food. I had heard about the runaway inflation in Turkey and it was definitely reflected in the restaurant prices. Eating out is approaching Canadian prices, which is pretty sad. Back in 2010 eating out was very affordable.

One day we went on a long walk and strolled through the Spice Bazaar, walked across the Galata Bridge, took the very old funicular to the top of the Boyoglu hill where we had an iced coffee, then strolled back down. Such great vibes in the Taksim area.

Our train station terminal is the same as the Orient Express station! The Orient Express building has seen better days but it’s still original. I hope someone refurbishes it soon! There is a restaurant there which has been around since the beginning, plus there’s a museum room with the history of the train station. We somehow missed that, just saw it later on a YouTube video.

On another day, we went to Topkapi palace, seat of the Ottoman Empire for 600 years — ending in just 1922 — and on display were such “artifacts” as the staff of Moses and sandals belonging to Mohammed. The place was very busy and while the tile work was beautiful to look at, I found it difficult to figure out where I was and I thought the costumed mannequins were a bit tacky.

Then we both got sick with a cold. Our last night we ended up on a lovely rooftop patio restaurant. It was too cold and breezy for our liking but the food was amazing (Roof Meze 360.) We saw yet another hair plug client sitting at a table with his friends like nothing was out of the ordinary. His head was wrapped in white like the Invisible Man. We saw many men with their heads wrapped and women with nose splints. This country is famous for its nose jobs and hair plug tourism.

After a week in Istanbul (much of it resting,) we flew down the coast to a beachy town called Bodrum. Well, our final destination was its sleepy neighbour Turgutreis. It was so nice to get out of the busy city and gather our wits about us.

After a few days of rest and relaxation by the beach and some delicious food we began to recover from the virus. Our hotel has its own “private beach” area with umbrellas and lounge chairs. The neighbouring restaurant offers drinks delivered right to your beach table. The street dogs come and dig holes under your chair as well, in case you want company.

Even though the daytime temperature was in the mid 20s, the season was winding down there. It was interesting watching the place shut down for the season. The winds were picking up and there was a chill in the air for sure. Before it got too far gone, we needed to have an ocean adventure.

We booked a pirate ship tour with some guy named Marco. For the next day but he said it might be too windy, so maybe let’s wait and see. The next day we get a text from him saying it’s too windy, maybe the day after. And then an hour later we see a pirate ship out. I think we were hustled. But the next day we show up, nobody is there at the pirate ship, and Marco had shuffled us off to his buddies the non-pirate ship. There were only two other people on board, and I thought how could it be worth their while until the boat stopped at a resort up the coast, and a whole bunch of people got on board. Ah. We made friends with some Brits who were also retired and enjoying the good life.

The boat stopped at a few coves where were jumped in the water and had a nice swim. Randy jumped off the upper deck of course.

On one of our many walks along the roads exploring the park etc up the way near the marina, we came across some men whacking an olive tree with PVC pipe. I thought it would be higher tech.

After two weeks having a difficult, expensive time finding healthy vegetarian options, we upgraded our hotel room to a suite with a kitchenette. It offered much more room! And it was still a great deal … still paying less than my rent back home in Victoria.

We took a day trip to Bodrum one day to visit the castle with its underwater archaeology museum. It was pricey but informative and thoughtfully laid out. Lots to see and the exhibits included shipwrecks, glass and bronze work from 2,000 years ago, as far back as the Phoenicians. That area is sure steeped in history!

On October 29, Turkey turned 101 years old. The square had a gathering of some sort but I couldn’t tell what to expect. It was well after dinner, people were getting packed denser and denser. There was a big stage but only a Mayor Qimby type figure was wandering around trying to get the audience all jacked up. But after the same tune over and over again, people stopped waving their flags and got restless. I found the crowd a bit too overwhelming so Randy and I left the throngs of people to watch from the sidelines.

On the advice of a new local friend who we met at a local bar playing ping pong, we ventured out on the local bus to an artist cooperative and gallery space. It was so gorgeous. There we met a man who told us about some petroglyphs we should go visit. And met an American, Bud, who lives in Turkey now and we had a good chat.

On the way back we took a taxi to the VERY fancy marina where we had to go through three security check points. I’m unsure what our cab driver told them but we got past somehow. I felt like we were in Lifestyles of the rich and famous holy shit. Boats worth $50+ million with helipads. The security was sure giving us the once-over as they could tell we were just rednecks.

After a month, we said goodbye to the street dogs & cats (Chonker, Bologna Cat, Hotel Cat, the Salt Gang) and the beautiful beach in Turgutreis and left for Pamukkale.

Our new friend Bud took us out to a local cafe for a lovely breakfast and then kindly drove us to the bus station.

The literal translation for Pamukkale is “Cotton Castle” deriving its name after the calcium which coats the hillside and forms travertines.

There are hot springs and an ancient Roman city as part of the attraction as well.

Our guesthouse was run by a lovely family who were super attentive and kind. The traditional Turkish breakfast was included and was a great start to each day.

The first morning we took a sunrise hot air balloon ride. It was a tonne of fun and surprisingly gentle except for the landing which was quite exciting. We had to grab onto the sides of the basket and then squat against the dividing wall. We tipped over a bit but not all the way because our staff was on the ground ready to catch us. Then the driver skillfully landed us onto the trailer and we drove down the bumpy road for a while, still inside the basket, on a trailer pulled by a truck. Only in Turkey.

The next day we spent hours and hours exploring Hierapolis, the ancient city behind the hot springs and travertines. As luck would have it, we ran into some new friends while on the bus to the entry gates. Thilini is from Sri Lanka and now works in London, and Sebastian, a Colombian on an extended global trip. They were a lot of fun to hang with, and hopefully we can meet up with them some day in the future.