Thailand!!

I travel alone. Well, most of the time. Sometimes there are people I meet at my destination, but I mostly travel alone. I am a serious traveler and when people hear that I travel, the most common question they ask is, "Do you really travel alone?" And then, of course, it is usually followed up with, "Aren't you scared? Isn't it lonely?" I guess sometimes it might be more interesting to travel with people, but traveling alone is empowering, dynamic, and enjoyable. I like the fact that I get to decide where I travel without consultation, whining, or negotiation. I get to decide. Maybe that is selfish or egocentric, but I don't care. Traveling is my passion and I love to be in a place that doesn't look like where I grew up with people I can't understand. Seriously. It is where I am at absolute peace and solitude. My greatest reflections and revelations come while I am traveling. From figuring out transportation to understanding food to trying a new activity, it renews me, it sustains me. 

Haad Tien Bay

Once we start the school year, I usually look at my holiday time and try to plan out where I can go. Bonus points if I can scratch off a new country on my cool world map. So, back in September or October, I decided to go to Thailand for my winter holiday. Ankara is normally cold and snowy during January so I decided that I wanted to go to a warm, humid place that required no sweaters, coats, thermal socks, or boots. My toes needed to breathe. My skin needed to feel that sticky, humid air. My nose needed to smell the ocean. I am a member of a Facebook girls travel group and I saw a suggestion for The Sanctuary in Koh Phangan (https://www.thesanctuarythailand.com/). There were various options including a spa and yoga package. I decided that I wanted to choose the "yoga holiday" which gave me: 

• 7 nights accommodation
• Welcoming meal
• 6 Yoga / Pilates classes
• 2 Private Yoga / Pilates sessions
• 1 Sanctuary therapy or healing session
• 5 Massage treatments (1 hour each)
• Daily Steam Room

I mean, they really had me with the pictures, but once I realized I could do yoga along with spa treatments, I was in! I emailed the resort and they responded immediately. I had a ton of questions and they answered all of them. I reserved my room and started looking for airfare. My biggest concern was with actually getting from the airport in Koh Samui to the next island where I could find the resort. There were many different ways to get there from a ferry to taxi boat to trunk, so I checked with the staff for the best way to get there. In the end, I actually took three flights, a taxi, a ferry, and a taxi boat. The island is only accessible by boat and after going through this experience, I think I should make this a requirement for all of my warm weather vacations. The island is isolated but spectacular. The resort is set into the jungle where you actually climb a mountain to get to your accommodation. It felt a bit like camp but in the middle of a rainforest. 

I arrived to the island in the middle of a rainstorm on a wooden boat. It was just me on the boat and I was a bit nervous but the driver got me there without incident. I wore tennis shoes but when I had to jump out of the boat, I second guessed my choice. I should've switched to flip flops at some point, but when I left Ankara, it was in the 20s. Now, I was jumping off a boat on an isolated island with temperatures in the mid-80s. Of course, my tennis shoes were full of water and I had to walk across the beach to the reception. 

the view from my balcony

 The first thing I noticed was a sign to take off my shoes so I gladly removed my wet tennis shoes and sand covered socks. As I walked through the door, I told the reception guy, "Either this was the best decision of my life or the stupidest decision of my life." He laughed and handed me a glass of cold ginger tea. We settled my account, he told me of all of the classes/activities, and then another person showed me to my room. We walked through the restaurant and again, I saw a "no shoes" sign. At that point, I didn't know it, but most of my vacation would be spent barefoot, which was glorious. 

My room was tastefully decorated with a large balcony and thatched shower/bathroom. I didn't realize my bathroom was a thatched hut until it rained and leaked into my bathroom. I was annoyed at first, but then this added to the ambience of the jungle. The balcony had a hammock and a little love seat couch that called my name most days. I spent so much time on that little couch thinking, reflecting, resting, and reading. The first night, I walked down the steps to the restaurant, ordered a delicious pad thai, and fell asleep around 9 p.m. I was exhausted after flying all night. 

the entrance to my accommodation

The hotel gave me all of these little tickets for each of the services. It was a bit complicated to book everything because you had to go to the individual places. The first day I was there, it rained most of the morning. Not just a little shower, but like monsoon type rain that turns the ocean brown next to the beach. After the rain stopped, I ventured out to find various things around the resort. It took me a while to find the spa and book my appointments. After the spa, I went to search for the Tea Temple to book my private yoga sessions and healing treatment. They told me to come back a few hours later so that I could attend the Sunday meeting and hear about all of their treatments. After the meeting, I decided to book two private yoga sessions with Johnny and acupuncture with Mark. Johnny was from the UK and not the typical thin yoga body. As soon as I heard his soothing voice, yet no-nonsense way, I knew he was for me. Mark was an Australian who had a friendly demeanor and who said he could help relieve my nasal congestion. At that point, I had a really bad cold and could barely talk. The cold started on my way there and got worse as time went on. 

friend from Germany

The next day, I got up and went to yoga at 10:30. I met Johnny and the first thing he said to me was about my hips. "Tightness in your hips indicates some sort of trauma you have not dealt with or something from your childhood." I was having a really hard time with my hips and I felt sore and could not stretch them well. I went right back to my room and journaled some of my feelings I had after that session. Without getting too personal, I saw patterns in my life that I had never seen before. I vowed from that day forward, I would take care of me. I would put my needs first. I would listen to my body and treat it well. 

entrance to one of the treatment rooms in the spa

The rest of the week went like that...yoga in the morning, spa treatment during the day, mediation in the early evening, and meet new friends at the restaurant every night. The first night, I was so nervous going to dinner alone, but as the week went on, I meet really cool people each night. The resort also had cool events like live music and karaoke during the week. It was small, intimate, and encouraging. 

live music

The spa treatments were fantastic. I had massages, a facial, mani/pedi, and a body polish. The most memorable services were the Thai massage and the body polish. The massage therapist was so excited when he found out he was doing a Thai massage that he made me giggle. He stretched and pulled me in ways I didn't even know were possible. The body polish was amazing. First, the lady covered my body with papaya - my entire body. I had disposable underwear on, but that was it (see pic). Everything was out for all to see, including the girls. After the polish, she rolled me up like a burrito and then massaged my head and feet. That was glorious. Then, I showered, while the therapist cleaned up the area. After I was finished, I came back to the table, this time buck naked and she spread and massaged lotion into my skin. Again, divine but a bit out of my comfort zone.  Overall, I was impressed with all of the spa services and felt appropriately pampered. 

granny panties for my body polish treatment

On Saturday, I had scheduled to take a speedboat directly to the airport and since there were five people going, it was actually cheaper than the taxi boat I took when I arrived. It was a bit rough getting on to the speedboat because you had to take a little inflatable boat our to the bigger boat, but then we were off at breakneck speed! About 15 minutes into our trip, the boat made a sound and the captain immediately stopped. He started the rutter again which caused the boat to make another sound and the guy started saying things in Thai to the co-captain. The owner was also on the boat, so he translated that the rutter needed to be changed. So, 10 minutes later we were on our way to the airport. 

When we arrived at the dock, there was a truck waiting to take us to the airport or into the town. This was definitely the easiest way to get back to the tiny island airport. Flights went well back to Turkey and classes started the next day. It was a rude awakening, but at least the weather was warm. Overall, I was really pleased with my first trip to Southeast Asia. I will be going back soon. 

refreshed after my vacation

Bodrum, Turkey

I am teaching summer school for seven weeks, so I knew I would need some sort of vacation between the semester and summer school to survive. Luckily, I the end of Ramadan feel in the perfect place for me to take a holiday at the end of week 2 of summer school. I decided to go to Bodrum for a few days because I knew I could get sea, sun, and good food during my time. There are a lot of all inclusive resorts in this area and they often include so much food, alcohol, entertainment, a disco, pool, etc. They also have a spa, which is extra of course. I read all of the reviews (my sister would be proud), talked with my colleagues, and decided that I liked a resort called Rixos. I called them several times to ask various questions and they were all very kind. So, on Friday evening I traveled to Bodrum for a four-night stay.

The most impressive thing about this resort is the facilities, the staff, and the food. There is a huge pool, private beach, large deck, spa, and sprawling grounds. They must have a large team of gardeners because the flowers and grounds are immaculate. There is also a team of people who constantly work to clean the groups, pick up after everyone, and keep everything tidy. It is truly impressive. Then, there is the food. So, much, food. I have never seen this much food in one spot and they repeat it over and over. There is breakfast, lunch, and dinner along with snacks and restaurant around the beach. There are also inclusive drinks at all of the bars, even mixed drinks. I thought it was just local beverages, but I tested out that theory several times. They also have several restaurants in which you can book and the service is also good. I like the buffet more than the restaurants, but all are top-notch.

After a few days of lounging in the sun, I thought I might try a day trip to Pamukkale in western Turkey. The trip included transportation, lunch, fees into the museum, and a guide. It cost about $50. The tourist company called me and told me to be ready about outside the hotel groups at 6:30 a.m. The resort is quite extensive and it is a good two-minute ride from the entrance into the lobby. The hotel has these little golf carts that run you everywhere, but my room was close the lobby, so I didn't need to use them. I left my room at 6:25 and as I was walking into the lobby, the driver called me to tell me he was here. He actually came all the way down to the lobby, so I didn't need to go up to the entrance. I got in the van, which was full, and thought this would be an interesting four-hour ride. What I didn't anticipate it that we would be meeting under an overpass to join up with three other coach buses to travel together. There were two buses for Russian speakers and one for English. We set off and I had my own seat. Several people also had their own seats, but along the way, we picked up people. However, I still had my own seat the whole trip, which was fantastic for eight hours of driving. We stopped along the way to have breakfast (traditional Turkish), but the place was too small to handle all of the people. We stopped for only 30 minutes, so I spent 20 minutes of that time waiting in line. The breakfast was only adequate and not much choice. Then, we drove a few more hours to Pamukkale. We stopped at a place to show us how they turned the stones into jewelry, which seemed like a tourist trap. They did have a lot of cool stuff, but it was all very expensive and in Euros. I, of course, didn't have Euros, so I would always ask in Lira. There were a few things I liked, but I didn't buy anything because I really felt it was overpriced.

Then, we arrived at the main attraction, finally, and had only two and a half hours to explore. Pamukkale has mineral-rich waters that create these beautiful, white rock formations along with many Roman ruins. There is also a thermal pool where old Roman columns fell into the pool. I bought the extra ticket to swim in the pool, but I only stayed in like 20 minutes. I explored the grounds and the travertine area first and then went back to the pool The whole area is protected and has turned into a museum. I thought it was a cool thing to see and something that should be checked off my bucket list at least once. It was worth the trip. 

During my last day at the hotel, I booked an "After Tanning Package" which included a soothing honey mixture smeared all over the body, a Turkish bath, and a massage for 105 Euros. This is a picture I snagged from the hotel's website, but the Turkish bath looks just like this. For those of you who have not had a Turkish bath, it is absolutely delightful but feels very intimate. Someone of the same gender gives you the bath. You lay on this heated, marble circle in the middle of the room where the lady drops foam bubbles all over your body. You are covered in a Turkish towel and some sort of bottoms. I wore my swimsuit bottoms. The entire treatment was decadent and relaxing. I really enjoyed it and would do it again. 

Overall, my four-day vacation was relaxing and exactly what I needed in the middle of summer school. I look forward to finishing up summer school and going back on vacation for a month. I love the life of a teacher! 

Istanbul - Days 2 and 3

Day 2

We woke up late and while I rested, Basem went to find some Starbucks. He came back with a latte (be still my heart) and I got ready for the day. Today was dedicated to sitting by the sea and taking in as much beautiful weather as possible. We took the metro all the way to the end and then took a taxi to arrive at Big Chef (a chain here) overlooking the sea. We shared a traditional Turkish breakfast of breads, jams, vegetables, eggs, and sausage along with many cups of tea. 

After breakfast, we walked around along the shoreline and got on a bus to our next destination. Our goal was to take a boat ride, but the traffic was so bad that we just literally sat on the bus for like 30-40 minutes before we got off and started walking. We walked and walked and walked and walked. Every taxi we saw was filled and the bus was crawling faster than we were walking. Then, we stumbled upon a water taxi. The water taxi took us from the European side to the Asian side and back to the European side to avoid traffic and get us closer to our hotel. 

When we stepped off the boat, we started walking toward the street and I immediately saw a Krispie Kreme!! I was super excited to eat doughnut. I have to say that the doughnuts were not as soft as I remember, but at least the taste was the same. 

Then, we headed to a cocktail bar because by that time we were ready for some drinks. We ordered martinis and saw on a terrace overlooking the sea. The martinis were a bit sweet and I can’t think of anything that is different except maybe the olives. We sat and talked while taking in the scenery. After drinks, we took a taxi to our hotel and rested a bit for the next day.

Day 3

Day 3 was slow to start, but we got up, had breakfast and headed to Galata Tower. On our way out, we asked the hotel staff about the metro because we heard that it was closed. He told us that just the area next to Taksim Square was closed, so we found the metros working except for a few stops.This is a tower overlooking Istanbul and it was really close to our hotel. The tower offers a 360-degree view of the city and had a restaurant at the top of it as well. We took in the view and then had some desserts and coffee. I had a raspberry cake with berries in the middle along with white cake and cream. It was divine. 

After the tower, we headed to the Sultan’s palace. On our way there, I found these beautiful, elaborate pillow cases that will look amazing on my bed and a few more for my family and friends. I love when I find classic, beautiful souvenirs to take back home. When we reached the palace, we walked at least a mile through the gardens past armed soldiers. In the buildings themselves, I was overtaken with the elaborate decoration along the walls and the large sofas that adorned nearly half of the rooms. The view of the sea was breathtaking and I could imagine waking up every day to that view. The grandiose nature of it was too much at times.

After the Sultan’s Palace, we headed off to find some food and then back to the hotel to grab out bags. Unfortunately, when we reached near our hotel, we found police were blocking the streets. So, we had to get out and walk the rest of the way to the hotel. My legs were so, so tired, but we had to keep walking. We reached the hotel and then grabbed a taxi to take us to the next station over since the one by the hotel was closed. The streets were super crowded, but we finally reached the station. After the guy dropped us off at the station, we walked a long way across a bridge to reach the station, only to find out we had no more credit on our cards, so Basem ran back and added credit, which of course further delayed us. So, after watching a few trains pass, we were able to get on the correct train and head towards the train under the sea. Then, we took a train under the sea, another train for 45 minutes, a taxi ride to the train station, and then jumped on the train station with 5 minutes to spare. Holy moly! Thank God for a small train station because otherwise, we would have missed the train.

I am back home and ready to finish up these last two weeks of the semester here at Bilkent and begin my last semester of my doctorate. Thanks for reading and I hope you have enjoyed my adventure to Istanbul.