Jeanne cleans room, Robby zoom zooms

I finally received the keys to my classroom and took a look inside. Not bad. Spacious, though it's crammed with 37 desks - I better not get 37 students. I scrubbed cabinets, wiped desks, emptied cupboards, organized paperclips, pins, & rubber bands, posted colored paper on the bulletin boards, stapled pre-made letters to them, arranged 34 desks & unsuccessfully tried to make the room feel less crowded, & placed my lesson plans in a filing cabinet. In other words, I beautified my room the best I could. Below are the results. Not bad, huh?
It's a typical classroom of a large public school: built in the early 1900s (1911, to be exact), light blue walls, built-in chalk trays & book cases, long windows covered by bars, brown tiled floors, & misshapen, wobbly student desks of different shapes & ages. I turned one desk over to find a colorful array of chewing gum stuck beneath it. Once in awhile, I would feel something gooey on my fingers as I moved a desk and find hair gel on the bottom edge. Ewww.

The Big Day: Wednesday, September 4th. I'm still holding my breath.

On Robby's side of the planet, he has bought a new-ish car.
Yup, after living on the westside for 8 years, Robby is officially a convertible-driving California. Now, all he needs is a pony tail, a surfboard, & a pair of Ray Bans. Pony tail...check.
This pristine prize is newer than his 1991 Mazda Protege...by 3 years. He has bought a 1994 Mazda Miata. Below are all the reasons why he loves it (I've been listening to him yap about it for the past 2 days):
- it "handles" well
- it has pop-up lights
- it purrs beautifully
- it is in good condition (only 80-some thousand miles on it)
- its air conditioning vents spin in all directions
- it's got a good clutch
- the back window zips open
He is very pleased with his purchase. I call it vintage because the interior looks like something out of "Beverly Hills 90210" - tan dashboard, round a.c. vents. It feels very early '90s to me. He has been glowing every day since he drove it home, but he is feeling a little separation anxiety from parting with his beloved Protege.

Happy Labor Day weekend!

Today was pre-registration day at Venice High School, and the magnet coordinator called me to tell me that I'd be in Room 122. I showed up to look at the room. There were lots of kids milling around, & I could tell that kids generally segregated themselves by race.

Just looked at the racial demographics of Venice High on the California Dept. of Education website. In 2006-7, there were over twice as many freshmen students than senior students. That's a bad sign...
Stats say,
66% Latino
10% Black
14% White
9% Asian, Pilipino, Pacific Islander
53% of the students are on free or reduced meal plans.

Wow, very different than Palo Alto High School. Look here:
6% Latino
4% Black
59% White
19% Asian, Pilipino, Pacific Islander
4% of the students are on free or reduced meal plans.

I aim to maintain the style of teaching I developed at Paly. But I will have to adjust to the new environment. Reluctantly, I might find myself lowering expectations - I hope not. We'll see. I'll have to gauge what the students are capable of before determining what expectations to set.

Robby is using the food processor tonight to make dal. He is very excited to make dal for me and he is using the big pasta cooker that Nina bought for us. Thanks, Nina! He also surprised me with a blueberry smoothie. Mmm!

Photos of our new apartment!

Our apartment is finally looking like home!

Robby dutifully wipes the kitchen counter after doing the dishes, and I've convinced him that closing drawers and cupboard doors after opening them will make him a more decent person. Plus, I've promised Hollywood Thai food in two weeks if he continues this behavior. My desk is assembled, but I'm missing a chair, waiting to see the furniture of a few generous aunties. We just pulled out the thick Turkish towels yesterday, & they are divine. We've retired our mismatched, bachelor/ette towels, but I told Robby to reassure them that they are now deemed "special" beach towels, so that they don't feel abandoned.

We're using all the wedding gifts - plates & glasses, citrus juicer, food processor, salt & pepper shaker, spices, mixing bowls, cutting boards & utensils. So thank you, everyone for equipping our household with such cool stuff!

So here are some pictures of our apartment:

We're Back! & exhausted....

we've been settling in our new apartment these past few days. we've made three trips to target already, and robby always groans, "i never want to move again!" we've bought some shelving, a vacuum, & some light fixtures. we've just unrolled a crate & barrel 8' by 10' rug from the gandhis - it'll take up at least half of the floor space in our living room & we really like it. we've made great progress in putting things away and storing boxes. we need a few more pieces of furniture, and we will finally be able to call this place home when the last empty cardboard box has been emptied (there are still many boxes in the bay area that belong to me, so this settling will take a while).

yesterday, we strolled around sepulveda a bit - checked out the surprisingly empty ymca across the street. there are a few restaurants nearby, like pho show (asian fusion) & vinotheque (fancy cheese & wine), & we found two cafes (one with wireless). on the corner of franklin & sepulveda is an ice skating rink, which is a nice landmark for people coming to our new home. we're near a popular taco stand called tito's tacos, & the dmv is a stone's throw away (in case robby gets another ticket). plus, target, bed, bath & beyond, & ross are all less than a 5-min drive away. ralph's & costco are about 10 min away. best of all, my high school is less than 10 minutes away, & we've made it to usc in 15 minutes. even though the usc is further away from culver city than robby's hollywood apt., it takes less time to get there because there is very little traffic on jefferson avenue & fewer turns. we also found out that there are 8 farmers markets on the westside of LA each week.
disappointingly, there are a few thai restaurants, but they are all self-proclaimed thai-chinese restaurants, which probably means that they don't do either foods well. we heard that these were once chinese restaurants that are trying to jump on the popular thai bandwagon. we'll have to keep searching for a good thai & sushi restaurants.

we're happy with the size of the apartment, but we scuffle a bit over sharing space. robby wants a weapons wall (i think he is joking...i hope he is joking) & he collects a lot of random paraphernalia. much of my belongings are still in the bay area, so we still have yet to clash about whose stuff gets to be put on display. last night, he grilled salmon & made rice using spices from uncle david, and we had a nice candlelit dinner next to our new trashcan & partly filled spice rack.

we haven't separated for the past 2 months, so both of us are eager to start working. i think we've run out of things to talk about! my high school begins on sept. 3, and after a meeting with the magnet coordinator & dept. chair, i can see that i'll be on my own for much of the year. there will be meaningless bureaucracy coming down from the district (senseless mandates & endless standardized tests), and there is a clear lack of trust of the teachers (like having to request markers & chalk from the dept. chair instead of retrieving them from the supply room ourselves, having to sign in & out in the main office every day, and not having keys to the building). i've also found that just a few incompetent employees severely hinder teachers from doing their job. for these few systematic reasons i miss paly, where practically everyone is reliable & teachers are trusted to show up & perform well.

Reviews of Lonely Planet Lodging Recommendations

Now that we're back, this is the time for reflection and evaluation.
Beginning with lodging, we stuck to Lonely Planet's recommendations & generally stuck to the budget accomodations.

Below are comments on each of the hotels & pensions we stayed at. In some cases, the Lonely Planet's descriptions were accurate and helpful. But sometimes the remarks were random and completely wrong. So, here, we'd like to share our firsthand experience of these particular hotels.

Right now, the Turkish lira is comparable to the US dollar. It's about $1.15 USD for every 1 Turkish lira, so in dollars, the costs will be slightly less than lira listed here.

If you are planning a trip to Turkey, you might find this helpful. Each line is headed with the city and the name of the pension. Also, prices listed are for double rooms.

1. Istanbul: Side Pension
- 95 YTL/night (costly! inc. breakfast)
- excellent location (near Aya Sofya Museum & adjacent to Four Seasons Hotel, which used to be a prison)
- has character & personality (blue room, rounded archways, wood paneling)
- clean, spacious rooms & bathrooms
- no AC :( [boo!]
- beautiful view from the terrace with breakfast (great olives)
- friendly, professional staff
- recommended

2. Ankara: Hotel Pinar
- 60 YTL/night (expensive for what it offers)
- Lonely Planet wrote that the hotel is good for lone female travelers, but it seems no different than any other hotel. Plus, it is not in a particularly welcoming neighborhood.
- located beside the steps up to the Citadel
- dirty, dingy, nasty rooms (one smelled like poo)
- sheets felt dirty, so we slept in liners
- friendly staff
- not recommended

3. Goreme: Elifstar Cave Hotel
- 70 YTL/night (inc. breakfast)
- Mustafa, the owner, gave away our room but gave us a huge 4-person room instead. He also kept promoting his family & friends' businesses (rugs, travel agency, scooter rental) - a straight-up business man, but pretty cool.
- huge cave room dug into the side of a hill
- large, spotless bathroom, though the window fell on Robby's foot & shattered.
- relaxed atmosphere
- delicious breakfasts included in price (real french toast & omelets!)
- recommended

4. Tasucu:
- 40 YTL/night (originally 50 YTL, but we bargained)
- dirty (no joke, some dirt on the walls), but with AC
- shower head flew off when we turned it on
- far from the minibuses & super-far from the ferry that goes to Cyprus
- not recommended

5. Alanya: Hotel Gallyon (not in Lonely Planet)
- 60 YTL/night (inc. breakfast)
- not too close to the harbor so less expensive, but right on a busy street, so lively
- bathroom smelled
- dingy room
- unkempt pool
- friendly staff
- not recommended

6. Antalya: Senem Family Pension
- 55 YTL/night (inc. breakfast)
- the warm-hearted but pushy "Mama" (owner) insisted that we stay three nights & have drinks & dinner on her terrace
-beautiful view of harbor; big windows & pretty curtains
- clean room
- recommended

7. Olympos: Saban Family Treehouse Pension
- 80 YTL for 2 people (inc. breakfast & dinner)
- [note: Lonely Planet erroneously lists 40 YTL per room, but it's per person.]
- Mike, the host, was a talkative and laidback Aussie who enjoyed his job because he could drink with the guests every night
- Lonely Planet is correct in calling the pension family friendly. In my opinion, it was one of the best pensions in Olympos. There were hammocks everywhere & low mood music, which we preferred over the house music across the road at Turkmen Treehouse, which housed 300+ people & made their customers where wristbands like cattle.
- Scrumptious homemade dinners (the best Turkish meals we had on our whole trip!)
- recommended

8. Kas: Ates Pension
- 50 YTL/night (inc. breakfast)
- open-minded & insightful Turkish hotel clerk who was wise for his age (he worked in Costa Rica for a few years)
- clean room, but poo on the trash can, beetle on the mirror & under Robby's pillow
- problem with hot/cold shower faucet
- balcony attached to room with a line for drying clothes :)
- cheap orange juice (3 YTL for a big glass)
- two pets on the terrace: a happy puppy named Buddy & a 2-week-old kitten
- ambivalently recommended (the hotel clerk was worth meeting!)

9. Fethiye: Duygu Pension
- 55 YTL/night (inc. breakfast)
- one of the best rooms we stayed in for its cost: large, clean room with lots of light, large bathroom with great water pressure in the shower & no problem with working the faucets
- the minibus stop that takes you to the town center (a 20 min walk away) is 76 steps downhill, which means you have to lug your pack uphill to get to the pension
- recommended

10. Koycegiz: Fulya Pension
- 30 YTL/night (breakfast inc.) [by far the cheapest pension we stayed in]
- the owner (of 20+ years) said that the peak of business occurred in the early 1990s
- mediocre room (can't complain because it was so cheap!); not super-clean
- shower: low water pressure
- lots of animal noises outside (goat, cow, chickens)
- free use of bikes
- recommended

11. Selcuk: Alihan Family Pension
- 40 YTL/night (inc. breakfast)
- owner: friendly & helpful Turkish Aussie
- rooms & hallways are filled with anachronistic paraphernalia (fake Greek statue next to a Singer sewing machine)
- our room had three frighteningly bright scenic paintings & a big vase of dusty fake flowers over our bed - creepy!
- motion-sensored lights in the stairway don't stay on for very long
- not recommended

12. Izmir: Imperial Hotel
- 50 YTL/night
- Why did the Lonely Planet recommend this hotel when there are 8 more on the same street? It claimed this hotel had clean rooms, but no way!
- overly decorated, tacky lobby
- dingy, dirty rooms with no hooks
- disgusting bathroom: broken sink faucet, broken door knob, & little gnats everywhere
- unfriendly staff
- not recommended (not worth 50 YTL/night!)

13. Istanbul: Hotel Niles
- 140/YTL night (inc. breakfast)
- This hotel is not listed in the Lonely Planet. We had difficultly finding available rooms in cheaper hotels, & we booked a room in the Gur Hotel but later read a recommendation that they housed rats, so we decided to splurge. We chose Hotel Niles because people wrote numerous positive reviews online and we wanted to be near the Grand Bazaar for our last days in Istanbul.
- upscale, spotless rooms & bathrooms (real showers with doors)
- bathroom had a basket full of soaps & shampoos & even shower caps! (with an endless supply from the cleaning staff)
- super-friendly, hardworking staff
- a to-die-for breakfast with cereal, fruit, coffee, & homemade breads & pastries
- recommended (but keep in mind this is not a budget hotel)

So, there it is.
If you are traveling through Turkey, keep these comments in mind. We spent a total of 1865 YTL ($1865.50 USD) in lodging, for the two of us, over the course of 33 nights (we did have 6 nights of free lodging in Cyprus thanks to Robby's dad & stepmom). So that comes out to 56.50 YTL/night (approximately, $47.50/night). Not bad; we're happy with that.


Note on the bathrooms:
All of the hotels (except the ones we stayed in in Istanbul) had bathrooms where the showers were not divided from the toilet or sink. In other words, the shower heads are built adjacent to the toilet (no shower doors, no curtain). So plan on getting everything wet when you shower in one of these. & bring shower shoes!

We're Back!

Hi, everyone. Robby & I returned from Turkey, and we hanging out in foggy Pacifica, CA.
It feels great to be back!

Leaving Istanbul Today

We are leaving for the airport this morning.
Our flight is leaving from Ataturk Airport (Lufthansa, 1pm).
Goodbye, Istanbul! We took one more glance of the Aya Sofya & the Blue Mosque last night, & while Western tourists wandered confusedly with their mouths gaping at the architecture & surroundings, we meandered like wise veteran tourists.

We're excited to return to California, & we are dying for Thai food & sushi!

Mmmmm!

Pondering Putolical: Turkish Tuvalets (Toilets)

Jeanne and I love potty humor, literally. I'm not talking about base-level dirty jokes in general (though I certainly appreciate those as well), but jokes that are about or closely related to potties. I guess it's not always humor - sometimes it's serious potty analytics with no need for laughter - so I hereby dub the umbrella term for this activity "putolics" (potty humor and analytics). Anyway...

The Turkish have provided us with quite a bit of ammunition for this line of inquiry. First, there is the squat toilet. I've seen these in India and Azerbaijan, Jeanne in China. They've always scared me. Even if I really gotta go, I won't do squat (get it? get it?).

Apparently, Jeanne has seen squattors' footprints on modern toilets in China. I guess that's why there was an instructional sign in this bathroom in Goreme.

And now a serious matter: why do Turkish toilets have this little spigot in the back?

Nearly every sit-down toilet we've seen has one. It looks like it's meant to spray water, but I've never seen it on. Is it for cleaning the toilet?

I must admit that a couple of these things have given me an unwanted peck on the cheek during the deed. Ugh. Well, it beats squatting.

Hey look - I got brave enough to turn one on.

THIS JUST IN - a Turkish friend told us that the spigot is for cleaning the "special places"! It's like a bidet integrated into the toilet. This friend told us that they only have these in Turkey and that he feels very uncomfortable when he leaves the country and is unable to clean his special places in this way.

My only question - there appears to be a similar spigot in this urinal. Is that for cleaning special places too? Ewwww.

And that's all the putolics for today!

Getting Lost in the Concrete Jungle

Many Turkish people have discouraged us from coming to İzmir.
'Why would you want to go to İzmir? It's just another big city.'
I think that this friendly advice is based on the assumption that all foreign tourists want to see are Turkish Mediterranean beaches - that all they want to do is lie out under the sun all day, buy chintzy souvenirs in the afternoon, eat fish in the evening, and party at nightclubs until dawn.

But our laidback and insightful receptionist in the Ateş Pension of Kaş raved about İzmir. He said that it was a place where people could feel free to do what they wanted, where people sat outside, relaxed & drank beer (unlike İstanbul, where alcohol is not served at most restaurants). Robby, impressed by this young man, wanted to see İzmir for himself.

We arrived to İzmir & immediately got lost. We had to somehow get onto Lonely Planet's map, which only showed the city center. After going up & down the same wide street for 30 minutes, we finally found our way to our destination and set down our packs.

From first impression, İzmir appeared to be a chaotic, crowded city. But we found a wonderfully large bazaar to get lost in, and then emerged at the sea side, where we walked along the First Kordon, a long, wide, & grassy walkway. Young people hung out everywhere on the grass, chatting & playing guitars. Couples hid behind bushes, and families strolled along the boardwalk. The First Kordon, which was mostly for pedestrians, was lined with cool pubs & restaurants with outdoor seating. We found a Dunkin' Donuts there. Before walking into the Alsancak neighborhood, we walked inland & found many alleyways full of restaurants. There were a plethora of restaurants - another place to get pleasantly lost in - & we sat down for some pasta. We found the most impressive bathroom in this Italian restaurant - comparable to the uniquely designed bathrooms in San Franciscan restaurants. Running along these alleys was a pedestrian street filled with boutiques & young people, very much like Istiklal Cad in the Taksim neighborhood of İstanbul.

Walking back to our pension from this lively area was a little scary though. The streets in the business center were empty, and a drunk man verbally accosted Robby & followed us very closely until he lost interest & walked away. We also had trouble buying tickets to Istanbul because the buses were full. We were finally able to buy tickets leaving İzmir at midnight & arriving at İstanbul at 8am. But there is only one bathroom break during this 8-hour drive, so I don't know how my bladder will fare on this journey.

The following day, we returned our rental car at the massive otogar. Again, we nearly got lost as we left the city center. But now we are sans car. Back to the bus we go.

Since our bus is leaving at midnight, we decided to kill some time at the bazaar. We almost got roped into buying a Turkish carpet. We made it clear that we wanted to learn about carpet making. The English-speaking salesman enthusiastically reassured us that we were not obliged to buy & taught us the different kinds of carpets: wool-on-wool, wool-on-cotton, silk-on-cotton, silk-on-silk, & kilim. As he explained the labor that went into making the carpet & how to distinguish the different qualities, we found ourselves interested in buying one. But if we bought a wool-on-wool carpet (you know, the traditional-looking kind), we could only afford to buy one that was slightly larger than a bathroom mat. Too small! A kilim was all we could buy, but a kilim really just a thin, super-itchy wool carpet. After some private discussion, Robby & I decided against purchasing this rash-inducing souvenir. The salesman was clearly disappointed that we would not buy his carpet. From 200 YTL, he lowered it to 165 then 150 YTL. He kept calculating how much it would cost in American dollars. Smart, but too late! We stopped thinking in terms of dollars 5 weeks ago!

It felt good to walk away from this bait-&-switch game knowing that we were not persuaded by charm, kindness, apple tea, or guilt-trıpping to buy the carpet.

Roman Ruins in Selçuk

We were sorely disappointed with our experience at Ephesus. As grand as it was, there were few explanations of the misshapen stones & lone-standing columns. But the Ephesus Museum, which was much smaller & a quarter of the entrance fee of Ephesus itself, was a much more worthy experience. The museum is filled with all the treasures excavated from Ephesus - statues of Greek gods & emperors, personal belongings from burial grounds, the remains dug from a gladiator cemetery (including explanations of how they died), everyday household objects, and grand frescos. Seeing these items gave us a real impression of Ephesus' true grandeur. Some wealthy households erected large fountains with at least 8 3-meter statues. There was also the large head of a 7-meter stature of Emperor Domitian. As we imagined the elaborate homes & gladiator tournaments, Robby remarked, 'I really want to see a movie that takes place in this time period.'

Overall, we have been thoroughly impressed by the museums of Turkey. Unfortunately, the open-air museums lack information (I have Göreme's Open Air Museum (Byzantine cave dwellings) & Ephesus in mind), but the indoor museums, like Ankara's Museum of Anatolian Civilizations & Antalya's Archaelogy Museum, & Selçuk's Ephesus Museum, have been very informational & interesting.

From Selçuk, we move onto İzmir. Back to the urban jungle...the third largest city of Turkey, with a population of 2.3 million people.

Drive Carefully!

------Jeanne's perspective------

The transportation system in Turkey: There are hundreds of bus companies that service any city in Turkey. There are otogars (bus terminals) in every city & town & they are easy to find. The buses generally leave on time, though some stop by the side of the road frequently for drop off & pick up. They all have air conditioning & stop regularly for bathroom breaks. The roads are well paved & destination signs clearly marked. I've been thoroughly impressed by the transportation system.

The experience of driving on the Turkish road is a whole other story.

Sure, the roads are well paved, but many roads outside of city centers have neither lane dividers nor markers for lanes of opposing traffic. The highways are mostly two-laned roads with yellow lane dividers that indicate when cars can pass the car before them. This means driving towards oncoming traffic, which means that some of the more reckless drivers will pass & squeeze into their own lane when they shouldn't be.
In the city center, cars & scooters abound everywhere. Scooters sometimes ride in the wrong direction. They also weave through traffice, passing on the left & right. Some cars have no reverse or brake lights, so they may not appear to be backing out of a parking space.
There is a clear, general pattern to the driving culture here, and we haven't seen any accidents, but we, being obedient American drivers who are taught to always signal & check blind spots, are unaccustomed to these tacit rules. To us foreigners, it's all chaos & recklessness.

------Robby's perspective-------
I beg to differ.

Sure, there are buses everywhere, most of them have AC, they are usually punctual, and some of them even serve drinks and lemony fresh liquid for cleaning your hands. BUT, the big buses almost always take longer to get places than the bus company indicates. The dolmuşes (mini-buses) are very slow because they stop or slow down and honk for nearly every person walking down the street. And the dolmuşes often fill up beyond a comfortable capacity (forget safe). E.g., on the 40 minute trip from olympos to fethiye, I was perched on a seat handle with my bum in some dude's face and with the bum of an old dude practically in my lap everytime the driver accelerated (I tried to stay turned so he would only hit my hip). It was a windy coastal road - one false turn would have been certain death for us all, except Jeanne, who had a cozy seat next to the driver and a mother with 2 kids, one of whom puked from the curvy road (kudos to Jeanne for not joining him) ...or was it the B.O. from the overcrowded bus?. Anyway, I was certainly happy to get a break from the public transport system when we rented the car (and Jeanne was too). However, for the sake of full disclosure, on the road of life and otherwise, I prefer to be a driver. Hence, perhaps my discontent with the system here is rooted in that bias. Compared to most public transport in the world that I've experienced, I would say that Turkey's is pretty great in general (especially compared to LA - though I'm sure most cities beat LA).

But the main point is that I loved driving in Turkey. It was like New Jersey times 12. Unlike in California, where nearly every driver adheres to the law, takes their time, and is mostly incapable of adapting to dangerous conditions or maneuvering the car to it's potential, the drivers in Turkey are crazy! ...I mean, highly skilled, though slightly more aggressive than necessary. Jeanne was certainly more freaked out by the seemingly chaotic rules of the road, but I think she had a bit of fun too when she braved the seat behind the wheel. For me, I kept wishing I were driving Ad's car (a Honda S2000 that glides through turns like a fighter jet). Needless to say, the little Fiat we rented did not afford the type of handling and speed that would have let me really enjoy the liberation from passing laws and speed limits, but perhaps it's best that I did not let loose in this land where we occasionally come across mountain goats, cows and chicked crossing the road (but why?). Regardless, I am greatful to not have been caught in one of their seemingly arbitrary traffic stops - instead of clocking people and chasing them down, the cops stand on the side of the road, flag people down and ask if they've been driving safely. Situation of unavoidable deceit evaded, phew.

Salesmen riding their emotional rollercoasters

Jeanne and I are quite tired of tolerating the Turkish sales people and their turbulent tactics. Yes, this is another gripe posting.

Walking down any street crowded with shops (especially in the tourist traps such as the grand bazaar at Istanbul, the walkway to Ephesus, Bodrum, Alanya, etc), we hear the following over and over and over:

"Yes, please."

"Where are you from?"

"Can I ask you a question?"

"Look here. Let me show you a menu"

It reminds me of the World Wide Web in 1997 - pop up ads with flashy animations everywhere, all vying for your attention in an attempt to direct you toward some overpriced product. Luckily, netvertisers learned that this tactic of pushing hard and screaming loud does not win the customer's favor as well as simple ads that provide information and allow people to easily make a purchasing decision or move on (thanks Google for spurring this widespread realization). In Turkey, it appears, the tourist-targeters have not had a similar realization. I guess it's cultural. I'm certain it's annoying.

But what really irks me is what happens if you don't play the game the way they expect, e.g., you still patronize them but don't let them cajole you into spending as much as they want. For example, yesterday in Bodrum we were walking down a row a restaurants that all appeared to serve the same food. As usual, each one had a pushy guy or two outside trying to lure us in. The prices were all pretty high (compared to the rest of Turkey), so I told one guy that his food was too expensive as we were walking by. He was all smiles and fiendly gestures. "I make good price for you", he relpied, beaming. So we commenced to negotiate over a plate of spaghetti. It was listed for 13. He said 8. I said 5. He had already served out a bowl of chicken stew for me (for 5), but I was ready to leave. I said, "okay, 8, but you give us 2 free teas" which would have been another 3 or 4 according to the menu. He agreed and then all of a sudden his mood changed. He went from cheery saleman pop up ad to skulking awnry restaurant industry worker. It was like he was mad at me for beating him at his own game.

Another waiter brought the food, which was pretty tasty, but then disappeared after we ate, so I had to ask Mr Grimace for our check. In fact, I had to ask him twice. He wasn't doing anything in particular, just standing near the front of the restaurant, not really making an effort to draw people in (another guy had taken the lead on that), so it was pretty obvious that he just wanted to make us wait. At last, he brought the bill and we paid. Although the food was good, the experience left a bad taste in my mouth. However, I am greatful for this type of encounter because it assuages my guilt for tipping less in this country than I do at home. I left this waiter a big fat 0%. :)

Similar encounters have occurred many times on this trip. 1) Shopkeeper gets mad when I ask for a lower price on a snorkel, snatches it out of my hands and turns his back on me (he wanted 14, I said 10, I eventually found one for 2.50). 2) Guy at bus company gets mad when I tell him that the other bus company was only charging 10 (he wanted 12). He tells me to go to the other bus company, which he knows is impossible because they don't have a bus that morning. I say okay to 12. He says now its 15. I start to get pissed but I realize he's just saying that to piss me off. He gives it to us for 12. 3) Shoe shiner asks if we want a shine. I show him that we're both wearing sandals. He says, "this is how I make a living." I don't know what to say - I'm not wearing shinable shoes - so we walk on. He curses at us in Turkish.

Anyway, it's been fun riding their emotional rollercoasters. Jeanne and I are planning to do some shopping in the grand bazaar before we go home. We'll make sure we've eaten long before we get on the ride.

Drive through Bodrum...& make it quick!

En route to Selçuk from Köyceğiz, we decided to head to the Bodrum Peninsula to see the tourist-ridden town of Bodrum, which we heard was the Monte Carlo of Turkey. Nonetheless, we were not anxious to walk among the scantily clad, blonde beach goers, nor were we looking forward to aggressive & tactless salespeople & the ever-pervasive house music pumping out of souvenir stores. We had only one destination: the Castle of St. Peter, which held the most important underwater archaelogy museum in the world (as says the Lonely Planet). We walked through several collections of big, ancient shipwrecks (oldest: 14th century BC), none that I will elaborate on. But I'd like to share with you my two favorite signs:

1. (upon entering the museum) 'Our museum is not underwater but most of the artifacts came from under the sea.'
2. (explaining the mythological origins of certain animals) The placard was titled Birds that Live in the Castle: 'There are flying ducks, green-headed ducks, and peking ducks.'

We haggled for our lunch meals because the waiter offered to give us cheaper prices than the menu. But Robby got him to agree to even lower prices. Although the waiter conceded, he was upset by his own acquiescence, so we heard him mumbling & grumbling while we ate. He even made us wait for the bill. Robby will complain about this later, but we both don't like how emotionally involved some of the salespeople become when they don't get their way. Bargaining with them & succeeding is like an affront to their manhood or pride.

After the leisurely walk through the massive St. Peter Castle, we hopped back in the car & headed to Selçuk. We drove for a few hours & found a family-run pension called Alihan, where the owner was a friendly & easygoing Turkish Aussie.

Today, we went to Ephesus, the 'best preserved classical city in the eastern Mediterranean' (Lonely Planet). We payed a ghastly 20 YTL each to roam around some 600BC rocks. There weren't many explanations of monuments & ruins, and we didn't have a guide, so we stumbled around the sea of tourists. There were hundreds of people there in large groups, and they swarmed all over the ruins like colorful confetti on organized pebble. Weaving through the crowds was quite overwhelming. We felt that paying 20 YTL warranted a better display of these ancient structures, but oh well. We'll hire a guide or buy the audiotour next time.

Lakeside town: Köyceğiz

From Fethiye, we drove to the small lakeside Köyceğiz. It is near a larger seaside resort town called Dalyan. The rent at Fulya Pension was an afforable 30 YTL a night, so we decided to spend two nights in this pleasant & cozy town.

On our first night, we borrowed two bikes from the pension & rode into the town center, where we found a fruit & vegetable market. Robby wanted apples, so we approached one stand that had fuji-type apples & green apples side by side. He asked the fruit seller, 'Which kind is sweet?' The fruit seller pointed to the green apples, so Robby bought 6 of them. Later, we found that these were granny smith apples - not sweet, but sour. What suckers we were! We both had a gut feeling that green = sour, but we entrusted the seller to be honest in his response.

We ate at a fast food joint & had our cheapest meal yet: 5 YTL for the both of us. That was satisfying, even if it was Turkish fast food (a hamburger is still considered fast food here).

We headed home along the lakeside & found a cafe to lounge, watch the water, & play backgammon. We had a comfortably slow-paced evening knowing that we didn't have to pack & leave the next day.

The following day, we drove around the Lake Köyceğiz & stopped at the following places: old ruins, mud bath, & hot springs.

We both liked the friendly atmosphere of Köyceğiz. The absence of bikini-clad tourists was also appealing.

With "suckers" written on our foreheads, we've had to stay on our toes

Since this trip began, we have been griping about the way that many vendors try to take advantage of us, squeezing out a few extra lira here and there through deceit and dishonesty. Since there's no Yelp: Turkey (that we know of), and we don't care enough to write a letter to lonely planet, we will get this off our chests here.

Case 1: The mysteriously valuable bottle of water
In Istanbul, we took the Bosphorous cruise up to the northern tip and walked up to the castle (we weren't good bloggers back then). The boat stopped in a small town from where you could climb up to a castle ruin then return for lunch near the boat before heading back south. There were many many restaurants and I (Robby) was having fun negotiating with a few of them to see who would give us the best price for a fixed fish menu. Of course, each subsequent place offered a better price than the last, so the final place down the line seemed the most reasonable. We made a couple Canadian friends and we all ordered the fish. Without asking, they poured us all a glass of water from the same size bottle as we were carrying in our bags (1.5L). The fish was OK, but when the check came, we saw they had charged us 8 lira for that stupid water. The going rate for the same size water in Istanbul is 1 lira. I made a stink and argued for awhile, but then decided it was not worth missing the boat back. I guess the fish we got wasn't such a great deal after all.

Case 2: The mysteriously appearing mezzes
Same night as the water incident, we went to a small place and ordered some small meals for dinner. They immediately brought out some mezes (small turkish appetizer-lıke dishes). With the water incident fresh in my mind, I asked if the mezes were free. They said no! Luckily, we hadn't touched them yet, so I sent them back. They took them and then put them back on the table free of charge. That would have been nice in the first place!

Case 3: BYO Fish, but not your friends
I wrote about this in the posting about Fethiye.

There have been other cases that we've caught but I'm running out of time. Suffice it to say, I guess we just look like targets...or we are a little daft. But if we were more daft, we'd get ripped off without even noticing, and then we'd have nothing to gripe about. How boring would that be!?!

Teasing out Turkish Tendencies

We've collected and discussed the many cultural traits that we've observed among the Turks. Here are a few:

1. Turks love children.
They absolutely dote on children, their own & others'. We constantly see adults (men too) cooing, hugging, & kissing children. Their affection is heartwarming, and we wish that we possessed this kind of open love for children in the states as well. Kids everywhere are happy, content, & fulfilled. Robby commented yesterday, 'Wow, adulthood must be a big disappointment when these kids grow up.' Strangers do not hesitate to pat the head of someone else's kid. Why don't we have these habits in the U.S.? Is it parents' perpetual fear of abductions & kidnappings? Why are we afraid to engage with strangers' children? Are we afraid of being perceived as deviants?

We've also noticed that adults don't spoil their kids; parents don't fawn over crying babies. Moreover, many families have more than 2 children, so I figure that parents cannot afford to cater to every child's minor needs.

2. Turks blink both eyes as a sign of affirmation.
We noticed this custom as soon as we arrived in Istanbul. As a friendly sign of confirmatıon, Turks will blink both eyes. We like it, it's cute. We'd like to adopt this habit in our own daily interactions. Robby tried it once, but he talked through the blinking & that didn't work. They don't talk through the blinking; it's more like a pause.

3. There are stray dogs & cats everywhere. Mostly cats.
Robby and I have found great pleasure in feeding our leftovers to stray cats. Yesterday, after being scammed over our dinner, Robby carried out our grilled fish head & fed a stray cat. Unsuspectingly, the cat's fleas migrated to my legs, & I was bit 4 times. But, still, we felt satisfied to help a hungry feline.

Many Turks ignore the stray animals, which are generally stoic towards people. But they are very friendly with one another. For example, we saw three large dogs in Kaş's town square playing with one another as a group of kids played soccer next to them. In Cyprus, there was a family of cats (a mother & 5 medium-sized kittens) that hung around our resort. Robby & I first fed strays here. Robby was especially worried about the runt who was constantly bullied by his siblings.

He has concluded that children & animals are pretty happy in Turkey.

4. Aggressive Turkish salespeople often mistake me for Japanese.
'Konichawa!' I hear this everywhere in Istanbul's Grand Bazzar. I don't know how to respond. Sure, I have seen only a handful of Chinese tourists in Turkey, and the only tourists in Istanbul are Japanese. All I can say was, 'Çine', which means Chinese in Turkish. All the same, I find it pretty annoying. I want to say, 'Merhaba?! Çine!' which means, 'Hello?! Chinese!' which also means that I'd have to shake my chin side to side - an American reaction they wouldn't understand.

5. Salespeople can be pushy & irksome.
This is a definite turn off for us. Whenever we walk by a bazaar, someone undoubtedly asks, 'Where are you from?' When we show we lack interest & continue walking, he will say, 'Wait, just one more thing I want to ask you...'
At first we would politely engage the salespeople in conversation, but after we realized that they were hawking their wares, we would try to cut off the dialogue in a friendly way. This is a cultural practice we're simply not accustomed to. Robby is convinced that Turkish people don't like this method as well.

Another, though larger, beach town: Fethiye

From Kaş we took a bus to Fethiye. We were warned about its swankiness - private yachts, loud nightclubs, etc. When we arrived, it was 41 degrees Celsius (that's nearly 104 degrees Fahrenheit).

Grouchy & sweaty, we found the comfortable Duygu pension. We set our stuff down & embarked on a new goal, escaping the otogars & ötobuses & riding in our own rental car. After inquiring about prices at 4 rental companies, we settled for the one that offered the lowest price: 500 YTL for 5 days, plus leaving the car in İzmir with a half-full tank. We received a small, white four-door Fiat with an empty tank, so we sped off to the petrol station. If you think that gas in America is expensive, listen to this - for nearly 50 liters, we spent 135 YTL for a full tank of gas. Now, the Turkish lira is approximately equivalent to the American dollar (1 YTL = 1.16 USD), so we nearly fainted after seeing our receipt. Gas here costs almost 4 times as much as it does in the U.S.! Nonetheless, Robby drove the little manual car with endless glee as he weaved through traffic on the highway and dodged oncoming cars & darting scooters. Robby definitely loves the freedom of mobility. I underestimated his patience for public transit - he held out quite well before sharing his longing for a rental car. For me, I was tired of lugging around a large pack in 100+ degree weather and submitting myself to aggressive bus company employees, fickle bus drivers, & ever-changing time tables.

Unimpressed by Fethiye, we were eager to depart the next day and explore the roads on our own.

1. Robby chooses a fish to bring to a restaurant - this is a common practice in Fethiye, you bring the fish, they charge you 5 bucks to cook it and serve it with salad and bread. Of course, we didn't realize it was 5 per person, so in the end it was not such an amazing deal. At least we got to choose the fish!
2. Robby can't wait to eat the chosen fish.
3. Yummy! But wait, why is it on two plates? Are we getting taken for a ride? YES!!! Oh well.
4. View from the breakfast terrace.
5. Robby pretends to be overwhelmed by the crazy Turkish drivers, but of course he's got it on lock ...he's a Jerzey boy. (full disclosure: I, Robby, am writing this section. I've kept it 3rd person for consistency :).

Cruising Around Kaş

On our second day in Kaş and after much discussion about how to solve my seasickness, we finally did a smart thing: we visited a pharmacist. He recommended some anti-nausea pills called motilien that were also non-drowsy. We found an affordable day-long cruise for 30YTL captained by an older gentleman who used to live in Newport Beach & Huntington Beach & worked on the off-shore drilling platforms scraping barnacles. He drove a large glass-bottom boat that seated a maximum of 130 people. We figured that a large boat would rock less, so we signed up for his tour.

The following day, after I ingested 3 anti-nausea, non-drowsy pills, we set sail. After 45 minutes, we stopped for a 30-min swim break which was SO COOL. That's the deal with these day-long boat tours: they don't take you far, but they take lots of swim breaks & feed you. Our tour took a total of 3 swim breaks. Robby grew daring enough to dive off the side, and during our last swim break, he jumped twice from the second level of the ship. Our next stop was in Kekova, a small fishing town, where we had lunch. Then we sailed past the sunken city Üğaciz, where boats cannot dock, nor are there paved roads. This once coastal city was submerged in water after a large earthquake. The ruins consist of stone walls, wells, battered churches, and a harbor beneath the sea. Unfortunately, although I continued to take anti-nausea & ginger pills, I felt a little ill, so Robby suggested that I stand & lean against the rocking of the boat. That method & our last swim helped a bit.

Kaş is a very cool place. Our pension receptionist chose to live here because residents value the freedom of expression. The town is filled with artists, so people tend to be more open-minded & relaxed about different lifestyles. But Kaş is also a pretty swanky tourist center. The artists' wares are pricey - one woman set a green 5-strand malachite necklace at 100 dollars! The atmosphere is more conducive for families than young people, who would rather indulge in the pub crawl or nightclub scene. Housing prices are high with the presence of so many ex-pats from Europe, and we predict that it will turn into Newport Beach in the next 5 years.

1. At the front of the boat (isn't that called the bow or something?). Picture taken by friendly Chinese lady.
2. Robby walks the plank ...and then jumps.
3. We love our popsicles!
4. Standing in Roman Amphitheater in Kaş at sunset. Picture taken by friendly Canadian lady.

The Bare Necessities

In appreciation of these staple clothing items, I dedicate this blog entry...
Every single day, I cannot leave the hotel room without these two necessities:

1. a sun hat: Borrowed from Angela, it is insect repellent & UV protected; plus, it has a bendable rim that keeps its shape each time I pull it out of the backpack.

2. my bright blue Croc sandals: I bought these at Macy's, and we!ve been inseparable since I arrived to Turkey. They are light & waterproof. Plus, they have good traction - I went hiking in Göreme & I didn't slip once! Thank you, Emily Wang, for recommending these shoes!

Robby never leaves the hotel room without his hat & watch. He doesn't rave about his Tevas as much as I do about my Crocs. Also, we've been lathering on sunblock at least three times a day, depending on how often & what time we go out. The sunblock has been very helpful; my biggest fear is coming back to the states looking like my eighth grade PE teacher Mrs. H.

Keeping Cool in Kaş

In Olympos yesterday, Robby & I went kayaking in a nearby bay. The waters were very choppy, so, of course, I got sea sick, and all of my breakfast (sliced bread, tomato, cucumber, fried egg, & tea) emptied into the Mediterranean. On a good note, on our way to our destination, Robby and I spotted dolphin fish jumping out of the water. Robby did a little snorkeling at the beach, and he kayaked back with another tourist while I rode back on the guide's motorboat. We caught three fish on our way back to shore. Back at the bungalow, I took a dramamine pill to get rid of the nausea, and it knocked me out for a good 2 hours. So, unfortunately, we've canceled the cruise from Olympos to Fethiye. Robby is a bit disappointed - he is an aquarius after all. Now he is proposing that we rent a car for 5 days from Selçuk to Izmır. We are tired of our reliance on buses that always take longer than they estimate.

This morning, we caught a ride to the main road from a few American friends we made in our pension. Iza & Brad were siblings from Boston who were taking a vacation before starting grad school. They gave us a lot of good advice about our future destinations, since they had traveled down the west coast from Istanbul (the opposite direction of our journey). We also happened to meet a Chinese Canadian, Sandra, who had been traveling since January 2007. She started in China, then to Japan, Korea, Southeast Asia, Australia, India, & Iran. We had lots of questions about Iran, and we admired her independence & sense of adventure. She plans to travel until December. We hope she has fun traveling through Syria & Egypt after Turkey.

Anyway, Robby and I found the right buses to Kaş, a small town which was recommended by Jenn Hu (Robby's school pal). She raved about it, and she was right! We found a laidback pension with a host who said he had friends from Humboldt County, California. The streets are windy & steep, and the town center is full of boutiques. While we meandered in the oppressive heat, we stumbled upon a street where nearly each store had a dog or cat slumped in deep sleep. The heat here is hardly bearable, but at least we're humans - we can request a room with air conditioning instead of lounging in the shade on the sidewalk like those cats & dogs. We found a large open air market behind the otogar (bus terminal) & bought some peaches, nectarines, & plums. The fruit in Turkey is fabulous!

1. Jeanne loves her lemon popsicles!
2. Extreme heat makes Robby sad ...but the Kaş marina is pretty, no?
3. Met a nice kid selling spicy sausage things as his summer job (as we learned through a rather broken conversation with many hand gestures).