Pamukkale

No we didn't take a trip to Hawaii.

Instead we traveled to one of the many beautiful places that exist right here in the country we have called home for over a year now. We realized that the small number of places we have seen in Turkey is disappointingly low. We don't plan on spending our whole lives here (much to the dismay of some friends) so we have made a vow to take quick trips to places like "The Cotton Castle."

Looks like a snowy hillside.

Pamukkale is a Unesco World Heritage site located in the South Western region of Turkey that is interesting both historically and geologically. Geologically speaking the city is the home to some natural mineral springs that have left year and years of carbonate mineral deposits on the hillside giving the visual effect of a snowy slope. As you begin to walk up the slope you pass many little travertines, or terraced pools, filled with increasingly warmer water until you get to the top where you reach the antique pool where you can swim amongst some ancient columns and rocks tossed in for authenticity.

Here we are lounging in the Antique Pool, sunning ourselves like turtles on the rocks.

This site was also home to the ancient city of Hierapolis. The excavation that happened here has been extensive and the amount of ruins that you can now walk through is impressive. It was great to walk around and get a real sense of how big this city was. Not knowing too much about the actual history of the city I was left just marveling at the thought of how these building were built and the amount of early engineering that happened here.

Hierapolis's main street. The  2m of mineral deposits had to be removed with a jack hammer during the excavation.

All in all we had a lovely day exploring one of the world's great places to visit. Top it off with some laughs and genuine hospitality and it was a truly Turkish experience.

There are more photos available online here.

P.S. Can someone explain the BCE thing. I know it has to do with taking Christ out of the terminology but either this change happened after my schoolin' or my schoolin' was not interested in taking Christ out of the picture but I have a hard time believing Mr. Boyle would leave me hanging like that.

Current events from the country we love

Thanks to Facebook, and the a few Global News podcasts, we have been alerted to the chaos in Turkey. Don't be alarmed.  The reason we found out through social media sights is because we are so far removed from the "action" that we had no way of knowing.  Thank you for your concern, though. 

If I was really cool I would figure out how to add arrows, but I'm not.  See Antalya? It's pale blue and its at the bottom left.  That's where we live.  See Van?  It's yellow, on the east.   That's where the Earthquake hit. See Hakkari? Right below Van? That's where the terrorist attacks were.

Only days away from Cumhuriet (Turkish Republic Day: October 29th), Kurban Bayram (the sacrifice holiday), and the much honored Atatürk Death Day commemoration, Turkey has been struck with some devastating events.

Last week a series of attacks in the Eastern side of Turkey's Hakkari's Çukurca district killed 24 Turkish soldiers.  The group responsible is the illegal terrorist Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).  The U.S. is giving this more press than it usually would because it happened near the border of Iraq right around the same time Obama decided to bring troops home.  I don't think the two have anything to do with each other, but it makes good news I guess. I wont pretend to know anywhere near enough about Kurdish/Turkish relations, but I do know that while enemy groups are in constant battle in the far East, Turkish and Kurdish people live happily among each other here in Alanya.  To avoid making an ass of myself, I'll link to the always true Wikipedia to give you some history, rather than trying to tell you what I've learned myself.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kurds_in_Turkey

This patriotic picture is of one of many anti-terrorism protests held around Turkey on Sunday.

Sunday afternoon a 7.2 magnitude earthquake struck the eastern provence of Van.  The death toll currently hovers around 300, with estimates as high as 1000.  One of our partner schools collapsed; luckily Sunday is the only day in Turkey where students and teachers don't attend school.  Many of the teachers we work with found out today that their friends have died. It was a tearful and somber day.  I've just never figured out the right words to express sorrow to someone dealing with the loss of a loved one. The Aljazeera article I've linked to may give you some more information.
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/europe/2011/10/20111024103643494261.html

Baçh

eşehir Koleji: Van

We are safe. Our home is intact. Our food is plentiful. The children at our school are happy and healthy.  And our Turkish friends are all alive.  Unfortunately not everyone is as lucky.  Whoever you pray to, if you feel comfortable praying send some in the direction of Turkey.  Perhaps if you spread them wide enough they may hit the people in Libya and Iraq that need them too.  If you're not a prayer, we could always use your good thoughts.

Thank you friends.

Pastırma Sıcakları Geldi

Pastırma Sıcakları Geldi

Ulaş Beach, Alanya

Erin wanted to put her feet in it was so warm.

This is one of the very first Turkish idioms we learned upon our arrival here in Turkey. Like most idioms it doesn't make much sense in Google Translate (which is actually true for most Turkish). Literally it translates to "Pastrami temperatures have arrived." In America we would call it the "Indian Summer" which doesn't make any more sense and is a little racist.

It was described to me that this was known as the time for hanging your meats to dry. The air has lost the brutal humidity of the summer but the heat has come back to allow for quick drying of meats. So the Pastrami temperatures have arrived here in Turkey.

Sweat, Bubbles, and Inappropriate Touching: A Day at the Turkish Baths

When we first decided to move to Turkey we (of course) received a ton of different opinions, ideas, and advice from all of our loved ones.   Only a few of these people were able to speak from experience, having actually been to Turkey themselves.  A friend and mother of one of the students in my class (Hi Jen!) HIGHLY recommended visiting a Turkish Bath (hell-of-a deal and super cool experience) but she advised that we claim to be wearing contacts to avoid having OUR EYEBALLS SCRUBBED. Whaaat?  Later we were chatting with our Big Boss (Hi Rick) who had some sort of PTSD Flashback when we mentioned our interest in the Hamams (Turkish Baths).  He described it as the most horrifying experience of his life, where he was required to sit naked on an enormous marble "throne" while a sumo-wrestler sized man scrubbed him EVERYWHERE with a Brillo-pad. By this time Alan was moving "Hamam" onto the list of activities-Erin-will-do-alone, and I was thinking "Whoa." But mostly "Heck yeah.  That sounds like AWESOME blogging fodder."

So here we are.   Turkish Hamams...

What Hamams looked like back in the day.  Apparently.

What Hamams look like today.

NOT how to behave at a Hamam.  Way to look creepy, Kate Moss.

 *Note all of these pictures are Googled. None of them are of me.  Cause that would be awkward.

Most Hamams involve many different steps and many different rooms, and most are all inclusive.  You start in a sauna, then move to a "shock shower" (shocking in that it's COLD), or a cool salt room (where you sit in salt, scrub it on your skin (exfoliating?).  Maybe a mud bath next, another shock shower, and then into the steam room.  Once you're all hot, sweaty, and disgusting feeling, you move into what I'll call the cleaning room (and PROMISE to detail later), and finally into an hour long full body massage and facial. When your treatments are complete you are more than welcome to hang out by the pool as long as you like. And drink all the free tea and water you can. Even without ever staying to lounge by the pool, I have always stayed at least 3 hours from start to finish. 

I know what you're thinking "How rich is she?"  Well pretty rich in Turkey maybe, but you don't need to be to visit the Hamam on a regular basis. All of this loveliness totals about $30.  Did you just fall out of your chair? I thought you might have.

So let me go back and tell you about the cleaning room.  This is the room that both Rick and Jen warned us about. And it's my favourite place. So far no eyeball scrubbing, or PTSD, but it definitely doesn't disappoint.

*Note 2: Wear a bathing suit! I really almost went naked because I thought you were supposed to.  Thank God for Zeynep, cause that would have been so embarrassing.  Apparently it's clothing optional but the people who go naked are mostly slutty tourists (Rick).

The cleaning room is made completely of marble, the walls are lined with multiple marble sinks, and in the center of the room is a HUGE heated marble platform.  You lay on the platform while someone scrubs the heck out of you with a coarse cloth. And Rick was right about this part.  They scrub EVERYWHERE.  I'm often left thinking That's OK. I can clean there. In my own shower. By myself.  (Insert the aforementioned inappropriate touching.) That being said, I still LOVE this place, because next is "Bubble Time," and "Bubble Time" is so good, it washes away all of my discomfort. Check out the picture. See all the bubbles?  They're made by magic. (A magical pillow case dipped in sudsy water, blown up like a balloon, and puffed magically all over me.) It's like being in heaven.

Bubble Time

Also it's like when I was a little girl, and I used to take bubble baths with my sister.  These baths involved me making her give me ALL of the bubbles to make a bubble crown and a bubble castle and a bubble beard out of. Because I was the "Bubble Queen."  (Bubbles even make beards beautiful.) Naturally, because Emily was younger, and only the "Bubble Princess" she didn't get ANY of the bubbles. Not until she out aged me. Sucker.  But guess what Emily?!  In "Bubble Time" at the Hamam, EVERYONE gets to be the "Bubble Queen."

Mix all of this sudsy fun with a little bit of slip-in-slide action (cause why not?) and some shiatsu style bubble popping and we're almost done.  When she's done lathering it's hair washing and rinse off time.  Which she does for you. Exactly like your Grandmother would. When you were three.

Ahhhh.... Yesterday was a surprise day off for us, due to heavy rains.  I got to spend a lovely day relaxing at the Hamam with my dear friend Zeynep, instead of teaching 7 classes. How lucky.


All in all this activity ranks high on my list of things you should do when you come visit us.  Except not you Diana.  This would kill you.  

Alan's Favorite things

Much like my wife Erin I am having a hard time coming back to both of my Blog projects (If you don't know about my photo blog check it out at afuzzyconcept.blogspot.com). So in order to ease myself into this I am going to do a short list of my favorite things of the month. Some may have a link for you to enjoy others might only be a picture. Hopefully this will be the veritable AED shock I need to get going again.

So here it goes:

1: I love this picture and it still feels new and exciting to call that girl my wife. ( I know cheesy, but true). Thank you Chris Wroble for the photo.

2: In an effort to save money we have disconnected our cable box and started listening and watching podcasts and free Tv to get our news. Here are a few of our favorites:

Rachel Maddow- Keeping up on the news

BBC Global News- Important to keep up on international events

Best of the Left-sometimes it is a little too far to the left, but I like to hear the media clips.

Comedy Central-I love that they allow this to stream internationally!!!

Superego-This is pure ridiculous improv, but I have found myself giggling like Anderson Cooper to some of the skits.

3: Our Garden on the Balcony

After leaving the plants for the two hottest months of the Turkish Summer I was pleased to see that only one of the plants was sacrificed to the sun gods. That means that we are getting some nice autumn blooms and leaves. Here are some pictures:

Begonia

Dahlia

Peppers

Plumeria grown from a cutting taken off of a plan at the park

4: My annual birthday CD "Going Cold Turkey" was finally compiled and I enjoy listening to it at work to drown out all of Turkish people who insist on talking over each other. You could also have a copy in just seven short emails.

My final favorite for today's list is the reincarnation of Taco Tuesdays (soon to be moved to another day due to yoga cult obligations). Since our good friends Danielle and Brian are on the same side of the earth as we are, we realized that scheduling a skype date is much easier than it used to be so we are having more regular contact with these particular friends. It's great.