Tag Archives: Cities along the Silk Road

So Long Turkey!

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Theres No Place Like Dome

Theres No Place Like Dome

This entry should really be titled: “Hoşça kalın Türkiye”, but it was too hard to resist the chance to use that title. At least we didn’t title it “Get Lost Turkey!”.

Leaving Turkey, this is the last time we will have our Passports stamped out on this trip. The remainder of our time will be spent traveling around the States. So for that reason it’s bittersweet to leave Istanbul. I think we’re both ready to see friends and family back home, but it also feels like were getting into the tail end of our trip. I do wish we had more time in Turkey, we really only had the better part of the week in Istanbul and no time at all to explore the rest of the country.

Istanbul has to be one of the most photogenic cities in the world, between the Bosporus, the Mediterranean and the aged Churches and Mosques of the city it’s certainly up there on our list of favorite places. The locals are very aware of this and there’s a pride in the city that has many people here wondering why with such a great city they are having such a hard time getting the attention of those in the EU – but that’s a story for another day.

For all of it’s attractions Istanbul should be considered a bargain for most travelers, but don’t expect bargain prices all around – with the advent of the “New” Turkish Lira and the relative weakness of the dollar (Thanks GW), prices for accommodation’s and food are decidedly more European that Asian – take plenty of cash.

But now we are off to the known world, here we come USA!

It’s Istanbul Not Constantinople Now

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Aya Sophia - Just One of Many Photogenic Sites

Istanbul is a great city. It straddles the Bosphorus placing half the city in Europe and half in Asia. It’s an interesting mix of cosmopolitan and traditional is full of rich history and impressive structures left behind by the Greek, Roman and Ottoman empires. Istanbul is one place where it’s worth the price of admission to see the tourist sights. You could easily spend a full week just visiting sights in Sultanahmet – an old town area home to the Blue Mosque, the Hagia Sofia, Topkapi Palace, the Basilica Cistern and the Grand Bazaar.

For me, a visit to the Hagia Sofia reflects the religious, cultural and architectural significance of the city. What began as an Orthodox basilica turned mosque turned museum helps to tell the story of Istanbul’s past. The Hagia Sofia is well known for it’s Byzantine architecture which held influence in the Eastern Orthodox, Roman Catholic and Muslim worlds. It served as the Orthodox patriarch of Constantinople and was ransacked during the fourth crusade with relics sent off to the West. During Latin occupation the church was turned into a Roman Catholic Cathedral, but once the Ottoman Turks captured Constantinople, the fun times for Christians were over. The Hagia Sofia was immediately converted to a mosque. At independence, the father of the nation Ataturk (fun if pronounced like attaboy) turned it into a museum. Despite the massive scaffolding inside, it’s a beautiful place to visit and it’s facade against the blue sky is one of the most stunning in Istanbul.

To be fair to yourself and Istanbul, you really need to escape the tourist masses in Sultanahmet and check out the culture, food and sights that abound elsewhere. We made time to cruise up the Bosphorus for a glimpse of the Black Sea, stroll across the Galata Bridge watching the fishermen try to make a catch, and take in the well preserved Byzantine mosaics at Chora Church. One activity I am not sure I can recommend is walking the city walls. It sounded like a great adventure and was even detailed in the guidebook we borrowed from our hostel, but it turned out to be a little unpleasant and unrewarding climbing over crumbling stone and broken beer bottles. Not the best restored sight in the city.

One of the most interesting aspects of our visit was that it was the start of Ramadan. Since Istanbul is far more secular than many cities in the Middle East, finding food during the day is not difficult – especially in the touristy areas. But when you venture away from tourists and into neighborhoods, you have to be more discreet and respectful when quenching your thirst. The festival like atmosphere in the Hippodrome outside of the Blue Mosque after sunset is a great time, but the preparations for Iftar (breaking fast) are not to be missed for people watching. Outdoor cafes start to fill up an hour before sunset, a set menu is placed on all the tables, and whole families stare longingly at their bread basket until the speaker blasts from the Blue Mosque. Let the eating begin!

Istanbul, not Contantinople

A Tale of Toes and Terra Cotta Warriors – Xi`an

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Terra Cotta Warriors

Terra Cotta Warriors

Of the many, ‘must see’ cities in China, Xi’an is certainly high on the list.  It’s considered one of the four great ancient capitals of China and is the eastern terminus of the old Silk Route.  Today, Xi’an presents a good example of the contrasts of China.  Within the Ming era moated and walled city, are an ever growing number of modern high rises and fancy shopping malls where you can sit at Starbucks and sip your $3 latte while overlooking the Bell Tower.

Thanks to the tremendous find of local farmers digging their well back in 1974, most of us go to Xi’an to visit the Terracotta Army.  It’s one of a handful of places that everyone asks if we will see while in China and with very good reason.  Though there is still much work to be done excavating what’s believed to be an army of 7000 warriors, it is still mighty impressive.  Every warrior is said to be distinct representing actual soldiers in the army of the Emperor of Qin. It supposedly took 700,000 workers 38 years to complete.  I’m sure their labor practices were unquestionable!

Though we’ll fondly recall our visit to the Terracotta Warriors, Xi’an may be most memorable for our visit to the local hospital.  It seems I did something nasty to one of my toes while hiking Tiger Leaping Gorge.  At first it seemed like I just jammed it and might lose a toenail.  A little pain and inconvenience, but not a big deal.  But after two weeks of increased swelling, redness and pain, Dave suddenly became convinced that I was going to lose my toe unless I went to the doctor.  Since their was what appeared to be a small hospital just down the street from our hostel, I stubbornly agreed.  With our Mandarin phrasebook and laminated medical picture translator in hand, how could we go wrong?

The fact that we spoke no Mandarin and the two doctors didn’t speak any English made for an interesting encounter.  While I pointed one dr. toward the toe in question, showed him the characters for hiking in the book and attempted to indicate that it had been two weeks, Dave entertained the other dr. by pointing to pictures on the medical translator.  No Dave, please don’t point to the enema!  No, you say it’s not broken?  Good.  What, you want to give me an IV?  Vigorous shaking of the head.  No, definitely not necessary. After a drawn out didactic conversation that noone could really understand and a little poking of the toe, the dr. applied a liberal amount of mercurochrome, wrapped it up in gauze, instructed me not to wash it (I think) and prescribed two kinds of antibiotics.  Luckily, our trusty phrasebook includes key pharmaceutical questions such as “how many times a day?” 

All of this undivided attention, including that of most patients and nurses on the floor, and meds cost us a little over $2.  And amazingly enough, the toe has resumed looking like a toe and is no longer causing me pain.  That mercury is good stuff!