Turkey Part I

Swansea to London to Istanbul to Cappadocia to Istanbul to Dalaman to Marmaris to Dalaman to Istanbul to London to Swansea. Whew! Never thought we'd do this much in a week. Then again, what's life without spontaneity?

On a more serious note, this trip was a short one. But totally worth it. All thanks to the beautiful country of Turkey and the lovely group of friends that were on this trip. Having said that, a week is not enough to see Turkey. Hell, a week isn't even enough to see Istanbul!

Istanbul

Istanbul is not the capital city of Turkey, as many people would assume. Ankara is the capital city of Turkey. However, Istanbul is probably more popular because this is where the Galata Bridge is, from which both continents, Asia and Europe, can be seen; a small part of Istanbul is in Europe while the rest of it is in Asia. Turkey on the whole is considered an Asian country.

Dolmabahce Palace
Photograph By: Parinetha S Aradhya

Istanbul has the most famous mosque, Hagia Sophia, which was once a church. Therefore, when you go inside the mosque, you will notice that there are paintings of Mary, Jesus and a few crosses here and there. Architecture in Istanbul (And in Turkey, in general) is a mixture of European and Islamic. You will find a mosque everywhere. Another place worth visiting in Istanbul is the Blue Mosque. It is famous mostly for it's Blue Dome, which has some intricate design work worth seeing.

In Istanbul, we also went to a place called "Dolmabahce Palace" which was served as the main administrative center of the Ottoman Empire in the late 1800s to the early 1900s. It is divided into two sections: Harem, the administrative area, and Selamlik, the residential area. We only got to see Harem as we had time restrictions. However, seeing Harem on its own was enough. We are not allowed to take photographs inside the buildings as some parts of the building are made of real/pure gold and crystal and therefore, photography could damage these materials.

Cappadocia

Cappadocia: Walking to the Caves
Photograph By: Anupama Subramaniyam

Cappadocia is very famous for its caves. It is known as the cave city. We stayed in a hotel called the "Local Cave Hotel" which has adapted some of the caves into rooms. It was quite a climb for us but the views from the rooms are totally worth it. The city (more like town) is really small compared to Istanbul.

We visited the Underground City. This is a "city" that was constructed BC and it has 12 floors. When you inside, you more or less feel like you are inside a cave. The tunnels through which you walk are rather narrow and small. On the whole, it's the experience that counts and somethings makes me think that even in those days, constructing something so complicated yet useful was possible without machinery. It was a good experience.

The caves in Cappadocia are quite a climb. They are high up, near a stream of water. The caves have some Christian paintings that were made by the Greek during the migration of people between Greece and Turkey years back. These paintings have faded today due to it's age and of course in the past, some of the paintings were deliberately rubbed off due to nonacceptance of religion. Today, of course, this is not the case.

Marmaris and Pamukkale

Pamukkale
Photograph By: Anupama Subramaniyam

Our next destination, Marmaris, is near the beach. However, our timing was impeccable as we went during a thunderstorm. Therefore, we couldn't spend much time at the beach. However, we did go to Pamukkale, which is a three hour drive from Marmaris.

Pamukkale is a natural site of hot springs on this big rock of calcium. More than anything, walking on this "calcium-water" source is the most amazing feeling ever. The water is cold at some points and warm at others. Pamukkale is a relatively hot area so we enjoyed it the most (coming from cold, windy, rainy area!).

General
The food in Turkey is pretty traditional. If you are Indian, their spicy standards do not match yours. No matter how spicy you ask them to make it. If you are vegetarian, welcome to a "pide" spree. Pide is nothing but Turkish traditional pizza, which is like normal pizza but the bread is ten times better. Which brings me to my next point: Bread. Bread in Turkey is to die for. They really know their bread. You will find endless variety of bread, all freshly made. The smell of fresh bread. If you are in Turkey, you have  to try their Pita Bread. Total food-gasm. Best part? Bread is complimentary.

Traditional Turkish Wine
Photograph By: Anupama Subramaniyam

On the whole, the trip was worth it, even if it was a week. I would not recommend visiting Turkey for those who are physically unfit as you have to climb a lot! I am not even exaggerating. Having said that, the views and information are totally worth the climb. So if you're in for some fantastic knowledge gaining session, good food, good wine and some adventure, Turkey is the place for you.

Visiting?

If you are visiting Turkey, here are some tips. Note that we went to Turkey in January so these tips are according to the weather we experienced which was all types, rain, snow and sunny.

- Carry enough clothing to keep warm and protect from the rain
- Travel by the tram/metro in cities. Very cheap!
- Buying a sim card with data services is worth it. It will help you navigate better.
- Hiring a car is not a bad idea.
- Visit Marmaris during summer.
- If you have an Indian Passport (I know this because I have one), you get VISA on arrival.

Personal Experience to follow soon.

Namibia 2012

A collage of videos/pictures from my trip to Namibia. The four places I visited were Swakopmund, Walvis Bay, The Sandwich Harbour and Windhoek. The video is a summary of what you can do when you are there. Very amateur in nature but worth a watch. Enjoy! :)

How can one visit a place in Africa and not love it? It is highly impossible and even if it is, I would probably assume that that one person is insane.

My visit to Namibia was a short one, literally. I was there for 4 days, but let me tell you; you’re lucky if you can even spend a day in such a beautiful country. One stereotypical notion of most people is that Africa is all about the deserts, wild life, safaris and languages. People also tend to forget that Africa is a continent.

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Day 1

Driving to Swakopmund from the Airport

Namibia is a country that is rich in beauty. I knew this immediately when I was driving from the airport to Swakopmund. With my flight having arrived in the evening, I got the advantage of seeing a beautiful sunset. As you drive from the airport to Swakopmund, you are surrounded by the wild nature of Nambia. Both sides are filled with small hills and mountains, complimented by the earthen tone of sand. The sight is like a preview of what the Namib Desert would be like.

Entrance to the Jetty

It was a 4 hour drive to Swakopmund with the most breath taking sceneries throughout. I decided to explore this small town. It was night and therefore getting a clear picture of the place was a bit difficult. However, one place that you have to visit at night is The Jetty. The Jetty is a place that you can walk onto and have a look at the tranquil sea. In Swakopmund, they have a restaurant, The Jetty, overlooking the sea from the very edge of the Jetty. If you’re not a fan of sitting right on top of water, you can always have a meal at the Tug Restaurant, right before the entrance to the long walk on the Jetty. The Tug Restaurant is located at the threshold of the waves of the sea, at a high point, overlooking the magnificent body of water.

Day 2

German Architecture

Today I went around exploring the beautiful town of Swakopmund. Namibia is a country that has a small population; therefore most of the streets are a quite deserted. However, this comes to your advantage when taking beautiful photographs of the ancient and modern German architecture that the town has to offer.

The Beach at Swakopmund

Swakopmund is also known for its view of the ocean. There is a beach side where you can go and relax, take a few pictures and perhaps have a coffee or 2 at the Beach Café. There is also a Small Museum, right behind the café that shows the history of the country and town. Opposite the Museum is the Lighthouse Restaurant which is apt for a relaxing dinner in the evening.

The same afternoon, I was taken to Walvis Bay. It is a half an hour drive from Swakopmund. On this drive, I had the beach on my right hand side and a few sand dunes on my left hand side. It was two extremes and a rare moment to experience a view such as that.

The Skeleton Coast view from the Dunes

Walvis Bay is a relatively crowded place compared to Swakopmund. The main reason people go to there is because of the view it has to offer. It has the beach with lots of cafes around. But Walvis Bay is the point from which people are taken to the Sandwich Harbour. The Sandwich Harbour, also known as the Skeleton Coast, is where the grand sand dunes meet the Atlantic Ocean, creating the most perfect photographic scene. This is a very rare occurrence.

The Ocean meets the Sand Dunes

The drive to the Sandwich Harbour is a rather thrilling and interesting one. Before actually going to the Skeleton Coast, I was shown how salt is processed and taken to large salt processing areas. After this, we proceeded to the Sandwich Harbour. As we approach the meeting point of the dunes and the ocean, I had a magnificent view of very large sand dunes on my left and a rather calm and tranquil view of the ocean on my right, with a few large waves and a few small waves. If you are lucky, you may even spot a few seals and dolphins.

Sand Dunes

At the Sandwich Harbour, I climbed one of the sand dunes, to get a few pictures of the beautiful mix of the earth and the water. After some tranquil time spent at the Skeleton Coast, I was taken on a thrilling drive on a 4 x 4 up and down the sand dunes.

Day 3

One of the Curio Shops in Windhoek

Today I was taken to Windhoek, the capital city of Namibia. The city is much like any other. Not much sightseeing was done. 

However, there are many places where you can go on a shopping spree for souvenirs and curios. The place is rich in traditional Namibian markets and stores, but also has quite a few shopping centres with modern wear. Windhoek is a place where the traditional and the modern meet.

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Namibia on a whole was a wonderful visit. It was thrilling that I could cover so much in 4 days. However, I also know that I left out quite a few other places that would have been equally exciting to visit. Well, I always have next time. As for you, there’s always a first and Namibia is the place to go if you’re looking for a new outlook on the very stereotypical based continent of Africa.

© Anupama Subramaniyam

All Photographs were taken by the Author