Monday, April 24th

My plane left Denver at 4:50 PM. I got into Chicago at 8:30 and my connecting flight left at 8:50, I made it! On my flight to Frankfurt, I had two small bottles of Cabernet Sauvignon and a great meal. Then I slept in that very comfortable position on the plane. Of course after two bottles of wine, any position would be comfortable. The next morning, we had a continental breakfast along with weak Starbucks Coffee. I was feeling pretty stiff by this time but there wasn't much room to get up and walk around. We got into Frankfurt just in time to load onto the next flight. Not even time to stop at the restroom.

Tuesday, April 25th

The flight to Istanbul seemed to take forever and I dozed in between drinks and a nice meal. The connections were too close and one of my suitcases didn't make it. However, they did deliver it to Hotel Hali where we were staying for the next two days.

I met some of the other girls at the airport and Judeen was waiting for us outside. She got us a taxi ride to our hotel and then we went out to see the sights. The weather was humid and warm and the people were very friendly. In fact, they wouldn't leave us alone. I think everyone and his brother sold carpets. We couldn't buy because we hadn't exchanged out money yet. There were trinkets, plates, rugs, and people all along the roads. Mosques with minarets were surrounded by parks and gardens; what a beautiful sight!

We went for supper at a place called Jenns, the food was light and good. There were musicians, and people danced around the tables and had a great time. At 10:00PM, I was ready to sleep. Istanbul is 8 hours later than Chicago time.

Wednesday, April 26th

5 AM -- Call to Prayer for 10 minutes. Needless to say, I went back to sleep.

Breakfast at 9:00AM, then we were off to Topkapi with I-touch, a guide, for the tour. Topkapi was a Sultans Palace for hundreds of years until they turned it into a museum. A Sultan would have 500 harem women and 4 wives. We had lunch at the Palace Restaurant.

Next was the Carpet shop, they served us apple tea and showed us 30 to 50 carpets. I bought, but I should have waited because I paid way too much!

We rushed off to the Grand Bazaar to buy costumes. Everyone bought one or two, and I bought several.

Then, it was time for dance class with Sima for 2 hours. It was a great class and Sima was a wonderful dancer and teacher. Sima thought Judeen was quite wonderful, as did we. We took Sima with us to a Turkish Restaurant , where we were meeting Sali, a friend of Sima and Judeen. It was a night of eating-drinking and dancing! We were served "meze" awesome appetizers, which included, calamari, eggplant, baba ganouche, shrimp, and fish.

I had jet-lag and felt horrible, but couldn't resist joining in on the dancing. At 1AM we hit the sack.

Thursday, April 27th

Breakfast-9AM

We went to the bank for money then, I finished business at the costume shop. It took all day to pick out each part for each costume, but it was pretty exciting. Judeen and I took a break from costuming and had a real nice lunch at the Bazaar. We were able to do a little shopping, on the way back to the room.

Meanwhile, Beth , Patricia, and Bob went to the Hippadrone, where the Chariot races used to take place. They also visited the Hajia Sophia- a huge Christian Church (now a museum) and the Blue Mosque. The Blue Mosque was a transcendental experience. They had a great lunch at the Spice Bazaar, and then, took the Tram, which is by the Harbor. They went through an entirely Turkish area and had tea at a Porcelain shop that a friend of a friend knew. They visited until they were faint from smoke and had to leave. They were propositioned by an Umbrella salesman, on the way home, in the pouring rain.

Dinner and dance show, with Sima's students.

The first dancer had thick blond permed hair and wore cut away yellow lace harem pants. Some of us thought she might be a drag queen. She wore very high platform gold shoes. She danced to "Shick Shack Shook" which we really enjoyed, because Judeen had done choreography to it. Two dancers wore white and danced with canes. They got our Bob up to dance with them. He did very well balancing a cane. The last dancer wore pink and was lowered down to the stage on a swing. She had us all entranced. The dancers were all wonderful, and I enjoyed it so much that I don't remember eating. We all joined Toni as she sang Happy Birthday to Sima and then, everybody danced. Sima got Judeen to dance with her and they looked as if they had been a team forever.

When I went to the bathroom, there was a lady sitting at the door and she pointed to her little pan. I gave her the "I don't know what you want, look" and she shook her finger at me and pointed at it. I didn't realize that you had to pay to pee!

We got to bed at 1AM and Call to Prayer was a 5AM. It was not something you could sleep through.

Friday, April 28th

Breakfast 7AM -- on the terrace, with a great view of the mosque.

And were off! On the greyhound size bus just the seven of us along with a steward who served us tea and coffee. It was a 5-hour drive and I slept in a cubby- hole in the back of the bus. We passed the earthquake disaster area on our way to Ankara. We arrived in this little village type area and had to pull our suit-cases up the cobble stone hill to Angora, the bed and breakfast, where we were staying for the night.

We walked back down the hill to the "Ancient Civilization Museum" where we met up with our guide, Irfan. He was knowledgeable and gave us more information than I could ever remember. Outside, it was pouring, but by the time we left, it had stopped and we walked back up the hill. We stopped at a nice little shop along the way to buy tee shirts and bags for all of our stuff. We stopped by the room and then walked on up the steps to the Citadel with Ahmed, the owner of the B&B. What a view! 360 degrees of it. On the way back down we were accosted. By women and their daughters selling scarves. They surrounded us and pushed scarves in our faces say &;dquo;here Madam, here Madam.” We all bought scarves.

Dinner.
We regrouped to walk a short distance to Zangers and had meze and a great view of the city and the carnival. Toni danced and shook her groove thang in front of the Turkish band as she played the Tamborine. The band played an Istanbul song for “the girls from Istanbul.” Since we didn’t have a reservation, Ahmed told them we had come all the way from Istanbul, so they let us eat.

“Party-on” being the motto of our tour, we did! Actually, we walked back to Angora house to go to bed but Ahmed said we really should go next door to Augora, so we did! Beth said she just wasn't ready to quit. When we danced in, the party was already well in progress. They welcomed us in by clapping and waving us in to join them. We did! The young boy playing the keyboard was only 17 and fabulous. We just got lost in the music and it took over our bodies, we had lost control! I have never had so much fun dancing. We just called that night--Ladies time out.

Saturday, April 29th

We had a great breakfast at 8AM. Then, we were off to Cappadocia. On the way, Irfan gave us Turkish names and we studied Turkish. Beth is Ayse (Eisha,) with no meaning and I am Hatice (Hateesha) meaning “a teacher.” The others weren’t quite ready for a name. We also tried to learn thank you, which is tesekkurederim. We decided it was the hardest word in the Turkish language to learn. We worked on several other words but it would take me a long time to write them all down.

Ihlara-Canyon.
We went for a hike in the caves and could have stayed all day. We drove through Ihlara village and saw donkeys being ridden without bridals or halters, just a stick. I was very impressed since I am learning how to do that very same thing with my horse.

Nargolu Volcano.
We drove over to it, took pictures and continued on our way. It had a beautiful lake in it. Irfan was from Cappadocia so we stopped there for fresh baked flat bread. Chokozel! That means “very good” - It was a real treat.

Kaymakli Caves-The underground city.
We went into the caves where the villagers had lived. Some of the tunnels were so small, you had to really bend over and sometimes get on your knees, to get through them. Beth got a little claustrophobic.

We checked into our Flintstone homes and what a trip! We had one drink, and with as little sleep as we’ve had, we were on auto-pilot. Not ready to give in, we got back in our little mini bus and went to see the Whirling Dervish and Folk Dancing. During the Whirling Dervish, we weren’t allowed to eat, drink, or take any pictures, total silence. But once the Folk Dancing started, it got pretty wild. Toni was whisked into the center of the entertainment, and Ayse (Beth) got up with the locals and displayed the dance of her country... South Central LA. It was a Folkloric sharing. She was honored to be Toasted at the other table and Roasted at ours.

Sunday, April 30th

9AM Breakfast.
It was the first time we ordered from a menu. We had French toast and honey and a Greek breakfast.

The Open Air Museum.
Churches from the 10th, 11th,and12th century with Bible story pictures painted on the wall. Five churches and a large one that a few went to, the rest of us were churched out. I finally got to ride a camel. Toni came with me and it was the highlight of my week. My camel and I fell in love. We cuddled and kissed while I was sitting on his back. He would stretch his neck around and reach up to me so that I could kiss him. I smelled like a camel after that, but it was well worth it.

Gallery Anatolia Carpet Shop.
It took 3 and 1/2 hours and was very educational. We were served Pizza and tea while we were told all about carpet weaving from hand dyed yarn to the finished product. There was a lot of money spent here and we are all excited about our hand weaved Turkish Carpets that will be delivered to our door in about 6 to 8 weeks.

Cavusin Village.
We trekked up the hills to this village and I left my camera and video in the van. I was real sorry about that when I saw the sights. It was really something. All the villagers had left and we were amazed how nice the stone homes were.

Ferry Chimneys.
The Monks used to live in the Ferry Chimneys. I climbed up in to one, which was a great feat for me since I am afraid of heights. I didn't want to miss out on anything, so I just had to do it. Then we went shopping at all of the little shops.

Pottery Shop.
We were shown how red and white pottery was made from clay to the finished products. Then they moved in for the kill! Beth was the only one who escaped. He said “you don’t take my tea you'll break my heart” and Beth said “better than your dishes.” Then she made her mad dash out. I think the rest of us each have a little bit of pottery for our shelves.

We were all so exhausted we decided to have a nice quiet evening at our stone homes. Fat Chance! When we got back, we had 30 minutes until dinner. We ate Lentil soup, salad and a chicken pasta dish. And of course wine. Neco (Necati) Nejel, our driver, played the oud and sang for us and the dancing began. Two girls from Japan joined us and I gave them the basics. They really picked it up quickly, and we all danced! This was the only night of dancing that Toni did not join us, she had over done it the night before, if you know what I mean. We checked into our Flintstone homes and what a trip! We had one drink, and with as little sleep as we've had, we were on auto-pilot. Not ready to give in, we got back in our little mini bus and went to see the Whirling Dervish and Folk Dancing. During the Whirling Dervish, we weren't allowed to eat, drink, or take any pictures, total silence. But once the Folk Dancing started, it got pretty wild. Toni was whisked into the center of the entertainment, and Ayse (Beth) got up with the locals and displayed the dance of her country... South Central LA. It was a Folkloric sharing. She was honored to be Toasted at the other table and Roasted at ours.

Monday, May 1st - “May Day May Day”

7AM Breakfast up on the terrace.
Finally, a beautiful Sunny Day! The first one since we got here. I had French toast and honey again and Nescafe with milk. There were 10 Hot Air Balloons up in the air, and since I have a Hot Air Balloon Business, I was thrilled to be able to take pictures in Turkey. There wasn't much time to enjoy, because our bus was leaving at 7:30 AM, we were a little late. We were headed to Antalia. We stopped at a Caravan Palace, where the business -men stayed on their Caravan. We bought music in Sultanhjan, we listened to it then argued over who got the only CD of it. We all act like sisters. It was a great group, everyone filled a different niche.

Konya-Mevlana Muzesi (museum of Mevlana).
We all had to put on our scarves to go inside. It was a different experience, but well worth it. Then we checked out all the little shops and bought Spoons and Sufi music. We had a great Turkish style lunch, sitting on the floor. The Lamb melted in our mouths and the dessert was honey with cream and butter. It was very sweet but very wonderful. We drove up to 1,824 meters. The bus stopped and we bought more spoons at a tourist trap that none of us liked. If we stopped anywhere, we just had to shop.

Side (Seeda).
When we got to Side, a little Seaside Resort, we all scattered, and believe me everyone was scattered. I think we had been in the van a little too long.

It was like a large outdoor Flea Market. I walked through it looking for the group. Some of the men were very polite and wanted me to look at their carpets. Then there were the others, one wanted to help me find my friends and asked if I had a “boy.” He wanted to take me for a 10- minute side trip. At that time, I spotted the rest of the group and I wanted to kiss them all. That was the only time on the whole trip that I had a little fear.

We ate fish at a Sea-Side Restaurant, just four of us. The food was great and it was very peaceful. By the time we got back, everyone else was already in bed. We always ate dinner anywhere from 9PM to 11PM. No party tonight no dancing tonight. It had been too long of a day and everyone needed some space.

Tuesday, May 2nd

The room at Side was 7 million for a room and a robbery. Irfan had his camera and fanny pack stolen while he was sleeping. He hadn’t locked his door. It was a pretty solemn morning. We had thought about spending another night there, but after that, we wanted out.

We stopped at the Roman and “Selanklu” bridge, then we went to Asdendos Theator, a Roman Theator from 2nd century AD. It could hold 15,000 people and was in very good condition.

Aspendos Aqueduct. We took a side road that other drivers wouldn’t take because of the rough road, but our driver, who looked like Sean Connery, was the best driver in all of Turkey. He took us anyplace we wanted to go. He always had a smile on his face and looked sharp and handsome. And Irfan was tops also. He walked with us to a private residence and we went up the stairs to their roof so that we could take amazing pictures of the Aqueduct. The little kids ran up to us and said “Bon Bon” meaning candy. Luckily we had some to give them. Dotty was looking at the knickknacks when the shop owner came up to her and asked her name. Dotty told her and she said Aysel (I sew). Dotty thought she meant I sew and said she didn’t need any. We all laughed. We had fresh squeezed OJ and then went on our way.

Pelge Roman gate, Fountain, and baths with mosaic floor and underground water, q uite spectacular! Sagol (Sawl)---Now he tells us, this also means thank you. We have been trying for a week to say “tesekkurederim.”

We stopped at some beautiful waterfalls. We ate Trout and Lamb kebobs and drank beer next to a clear large stream with a lot of fish. Judeen wanted to grab her fishing pole. We walked to the bottom of the falls and one side was like half of a cave with water dripping.

Cirabi Village. We drove to the base of the mountain. Our Golden Girls didn't think they could do a hike up the mountain, so, Nejal took them back to the room with a smile and came back. He caught up with us as we trekked up the mountain to Khimaera Eternal Flame where the lights were glowing on the side of the mountain, like campfires. When we got up there in 20 minutes, Nejal surprised us with wine and fresh mixed nuts. Beth bought a glass of Sage tea from a young man. She was so excited about it, he gave her a handful of dried sage. We all sat around a fire and enjoyed the serenity. Then we shared 2 flash- lights and picked our way back down the trail. There was no moon and it was pitch black. We make it out with only a few scratches on my video camera. Dinner was waiting-Meatballs, salad, egg plant with yogurt, Squash, peppers, and flat bread. Ayse felt so bad about all the dirty dishes that she offered to help wash them, but Maria, the Mother and Cook showed us her Dishwasher.

It was about 11PM and we were still going strong, so Orhan, the son, showed us the way to the Mediterranean Sea. He took us across a field in the blackness. I’m sure he thought we had totally lost our minds. We really couldn’t see anything, but we could barely hear the gentle waves. When we got back to our rooms; Ayse, Toni, Dotty and I sat out side and had some Raki. It is a liquor that you add water to that tastes like licorice and can be quite dangerous if you drink too much. We hit the sack and slept like babes.

Wednesday, May 3rd

I woke up about 7:30AM and couldn't wait to go to the beach. Maria had shown us where the NesCafe and cream was. I had two cups and headed for the Sea, about 100 yards away. We were supposed to leave at 10:30 so I skipped breakfast and sat on the beach. I had the whole thing to myself. There was not another soul in site. I wanted to just stay there for the last week. But we must go on. It has been a growing experience for all of us. I think we have felt every emotion, joy, sorrow, pain, passion, wonderment, loneliness, claustrophobia and love of the people.

“May your journey flow smoothly like water, go with God.”
Kazin, owner of the Bed and Breakfast, poured water on the ground after the bus.

Antaalya.
We went to find a branch of the costume shop we had already purchased from in Istanbul. Since I had skipped breakfast and already had my costumes, Irfan took me to a shop with Gozleme, thin bread with cheese, and a glass of Nescafe with milk. I think I’m finally getting used to this lack of good coffee. When we got back to the costume shop, Nejal was directing a large Tour Bus out of this small area. You would never see this in the U.S. Imagine a huge bus full of German Tourists making a U-turn on an Ancient Roman St. Our 007 came to the rescue and I can’t believe I didn’t have my video camera. But, I did have my camera.

After leaving Antaalya, we stopped at a Nomad tent and we all bought more scarves, even the guys have one now. Next stop- Lunch at Yozir. Once again, we had Gozleme, with cheese, meat, apricot jam and Juice Pomegranate and OJ-fresh, and beer. We were shown how to tuck our scarves around our face. I bought a Doll-Dancer with candles, a three- piece outfit, 2 large waters, and my lunch. The total was 20 million. In U.S. that was about $33.00. We stopped at a gas station in Kizzileadag where they offered us Nescafe and Tea. They brought it out to the van on a tray. Meanwhile, they pulled out their hose and washed our van.

Our next stop was a 5-star hotel. Forced to upgrade against our wishes and better judgment, we suffered through it. But! We did get to do the mineral bath with mud. The rooms were okay, the food was so-so if you were really starving, and the belly dancer was bottom of the line. It wasn't her dancing; it was her act. As Pamba (Patricia) said “No wonder everybody hates belly dancing.” She pulled 6 guys from the audience, pulled off their shirts and did the “Hoochi Koochi” with them. We retired to our rooms by 11PM, a really early evening for us.

Thursday, May 4th

7:30AM - Wake up call, breakfast at 8:30

The bus was supposed to leave at 9AM but as usual, our Coban (Shoban), meaning Shepard, had a hard time rounding up his Sheep. Our Room, Dinner, Breakfast, and so-so brewed Coffee cost $60.00 U.S. We were ready to go back to the Bed and Breakfast houses.

Necropelice (Cemetery) of Hierapolice (Pamukkale).
We paid $4.00 for a nice soak in the Mineral waters. We felt totally refreshed. It was a beautiful area, but the tourist buildings are in the process of being torn down, because of pollution.

We stopped at a filling station for a bathroom break and didn't have to pay to pee. The cost was usually $100,000-$200,000 Turkish Lira, which was 16-32 cents. Our CoBan says he's never seen a 5- min. stop take 20 minutes. Everyone bought chips, gum, and water.