Turkey Vaca

Left top: Spice Market Top Right: Modern Art Museum BL: Hagia Sofia BR: Turkish women making our food

TL: Phil and i at the blue mosque, TR: A street in istanbul
BL: Hagia Sofia, BR: Topekii Palace

TL: Heroplis TR: Efesus BL: Pammukale with phil, R: Efesus BR: Virgin Mary's House

TL: Heropolis me being awesome, TR: Me in a fashion show (jacket over $1500) BL: Hanging out with japenese friends in Anatolia, B: Man making pot in Selcuk, BR: Camel being scary in Anatolia

Turkey

So I took a vacation this winter. I went to Turkey and I was there for 12 days. I went with some other volunteers and overall had a good time. The biggest downside to the trip was the weather. Nearly everyday we were there it rained. It was cold and gloomy but we still made the best of it and saw what we wanted to see.

The trip started with 6 days in Istanbul the final night there ended with New Years. The celebration in Turkey was supposed to be really huge but given the circumstances with the Gaza strip the Turkish government canceled the celebrations in the center square. They had already removed all the trashcans on the street for fear someone would put a bomb in them.

After Istanbul Phil and I took a trip to the middle of turkey in the area of Anatolia to see some caves and rock formations. From there we went to the more western region passing through a place called Pammukale and Heriopolis. There we saw some natural hot springs that was formed in these salt rocks making for a spectacular site. Not only that but Heriopolis had ancient Roman ruins so we were able to just walk freely through this massive field that used to be a city.

Our last stop was this place called Selchuk (I spelled it how it sounds) where we saw the famous Efisus which is another ancient Roman city. There we also did some tours seeing the acclaimed Virgin Mary’s house where she fled with Jon the Baptist after Jesus was killed. After seeing such a site what better place to go then to a fashion show and participate.

All in all the trip was fun, I just wish the weather would have cooperated with us a little more. In Anatolia the temperature was around -12 degrees Celsius and all I had was a fleece and a hoody. And the rain was barely kept off with $2 umbrellas that I had to keep buying because they would break at the slightest wind gust.

Its February 1st. My time here is going by rather quickly. I am more in a reflection mood then anything else here. I have a few projects that have the possibility of going somewhere or nowhere at all. Lots of potential but in all actuality none of them could pan out and that Is just how things go.

I miss America. I miss my family and my friends. That’s all.