Photo by Walter Mularz, Antalya, Turkey
"The hospitality of the Turkish people is rooted in their history of welcoming travelers since the times of the Silk Road."
Nicolas Sarkozy
In 2012, the coastal highway, D400, heading south to Antalya in Turkey was excellent and scenic. They blasted the rock of the limestone cliffs in order to build it. There were a lot of curves, and our rental car passed many giant tour buses heading in the other direction.
After the town of Finike, there were long stretches of beaches, and we pulled off at one to have a snack and stretch.
Since we had made arrangements to travel over the mountains to Capadocia by bus, it was time to surrender the car, so we headed to the havalimani (airport). The road was well marked, but the traffic got a little hairy for a while. At the airport, we located the rental car return area, but couldn't find our agency, Sun Rental. (We had made arrangements through "Auto Europe" and they use independent vendors.) We stopped at "Europcar" and inquired. A man took our papers, called the number on them, and said that someone would arrive shortly. After a while, when no one arrived, he called again. This time, he said that he would check the vehicle in and we were free to go.
The next step was to find a bus into the city. After asking around, we were told to take the "red bus". When we finally found it, the sign said only that it was going to the otogar (bus station). However, when we asked the driver if he went to Kaleici (old town), he said yes. The ride was very slow and none of the stops said anything about Kaleici. A Turkish family offered to help and asked the driver for us. He told them that we had to continue to the otogar, which we arrived at after an hour’s ride. We got off the bus with everyone else, but one of the Turkish family members told us that the bus driver said he would take us to Kaleici. So, we got back on. He drove to another part of the terminal, and then signaled for us to transfer to another bus. The sign said it was going back to the airport! (We wondered if we had just missed the stop on the way in, but we didn't want to chance another hour-long ride.)
I saw a sign near the terminal for "Antray," a tram line that went through town and stopped at Ishmetpasa ner Kaleici. (I had read about it online.) We headed for that, and found it to be clean and quick.
When we got out at Ismetpasa, I tried to follow my online directions to the hotel. However, the old town is a warren of alleys and we had to ask directions at almost every corner. (Often, we were asked where we came from, and when we said US, we got positive reactions. One guy even patted his heart:)
On the way, the screws holding the frame and wheels on Walter's suitcase broke off!.
When we did find the Kaleici Hotel and Pension, it seemed like a quiet oasis. We were greeted by a lovely woman, who told us to relax and cool off in our room, and when we were ready, she would do the registration AND tell us where a suitcase repair shop was located.
Bearing a map that she had marked, we headed out later on to find the very small street with the repair shop. We got very close, but then started asking directions again. One guy told us to "take a left and go on the inside of what sounded like ‘mussy.’" We thought that it was the name of a store, but all we saw was a mosque. Then it dawned! Their pronunciation sounds like "mus-kay." Still, we were bewildered because we didn't see a little street. A guy came over and Walter showed him the broken suitcase. He perked up and said to follow him. We went into the courtyard of the mosque, passed by the foot washing spot and climbed a few steps to a tiny alley. There were all sorts of repair shops, and he took us right to the one for suitcases. The guy took a look, signaled with his watch 1 hour, and we left it with him.
We took a stroll down Ataturk Caddesi ( Ataturk Avenue) and found an outdoor place for a 5o'clock bira. The owner spoke good English and wanted to talk American politics. He said he loved American people, but had hated Bush and was disappointed in Obama. We also struck up a conversation with a couple from Norway who spoke English. The guy said that if he could vote in the US, he would vote for Obama. He told us that Norway is beautiful in the summer, but that he tries to get out of there in the winter and head for warmer climes, like Thailand or Egypt.
When we returned to the repair shop, the suitcase was as good as new and the price was reasonable. In the later evening, we asked the hotel lady for restaurant advice and she suggested a gem. It was a short walk to where it was situated overlooking the sea. It was a magical setting with the city lights shining all around the bay, and the food was excellent.
The old town was a lovely area enclosed by the remains of the old city walls and it was a pedestrian zone with lots of hotels and pensions, cafes, restaurants, artisan shops, etc. We were happy we used it as a stopover.
The next day was our one full day in Antalya before leaving in the evening. After breakfast, we packed our bags, and then we left them with the hotel owner for the day. Our explorations took us throughout the old town of Kaleici, including the marina and a lovely waterfront park. We also browsed the shopping streets on and around Ataturk Caddesi and found a bench, sat next to a bronze Roman soldier, and did some people-watching.
After a late lunch, we headed back to the hotel and hung out in the garden until it was time to leave. While there, we chatted with a guy from the Netherlands who was a retired schoolteacher and avid sailor. He said that he had hauled his boat (on the back of a truck) every summer for many years to Greece. In recent years, the combination of the wear and tear on the boat, and the Greek politics had made it more difficult. He now had a new boat and kept it at the harbor in Kas, Turkey for the winter. He said he much preferred Turkey. He was more pessimistic on the prognosis for Turkey remaining in good standing as a member of NATO, however. (English is required for official inter-country dealings, and he said that Turkey was not complying. He claimed that their Coast Guard members, for example, didn't answer calls in English. He added that the recent imprisonments of military members by the government in Istanbul pointed to the problems of holding onto power there.) The government then was secular in a country where Islam is pervasive, and came to power via a military coup in 1980. The president is elected by Parliament, not the people. It made me wonder how long before another coup or revolt.) However, that government persists today, and Turkey is still a member of NATO but as contentious as ever.
Sometime before 7 pm, we left the hotel and took the Antray tram to the otogar. The tram was pretty crowded with commuters. A man got up and offered me a seat, but I, in turn, encouraged an elderly woman in traditional dress to take it. She was very appreciative, as was her daughter, who knew a little English and tried to have a conversion with us. Within a few stops, we learned that the mother was only 41 years old and had been born on an apricot farm in the countryside. She wore a head scarf, as did her 18-year-old daughter who was with her. When she got off at her stop, she said, "Good-bye and God bless you." I told her Gule Gule (Goodbye).
At the otogar, we were early for our overnight bus to Goreme in the Cappadocia region. my husband noticed that a young man was having difficulty taking a group photo of some Japanese kids. He offered to help, and ended up taking the pictures. Afterwards, the would-be photographer was eager to talk. He said that he was a Chinese Muslim from a western autonomous Chinese region near Tibet and Kazakhstan, though he didn't have typical Chinese facial features. His accent was strong, and he was hard to understand at times, but it sounded like it started with "U." (I think he may have been from the Uygur people of Xinjiang.) Anyway, he was a student traveling alone and had left home at 21 to go to university in Malaysia, where he learned English. For some reason, that wasn't working out, and he was headed to Istanbul to take a language proficiency test for the university there. He said that he hoped to go to the US eventually to get a Masters degree. He seemed pretty gutsy and adventurous.
A bit after 8:30 pm, the 9 o'clock buses arrived and the destinations were listed However, Goreme wasn't. We inquired, and were told that the Kayseri bus would stop there. We boarded and kept our fingers crossed:).