Wendy's Travels in Turkey

Gökpinar Pix

Sat, 27 May 2006 18:21:40 GMT

Here's some photos taken from the trip from Istanbul to Bodrum, and from Bodrum up to Gökpinar...

Topkapi Palace pix!!

Fri, 26 May 2006 02:56:06 GMT

It appears that Flickr is done Flickring, and is back to, er, Flickring...?
Anyway - they're up and running again...

The next photo upload series is "Topkapi Palace", and they're uploading now! Although it may be till tomorrow for the comments and whatnot...
Enjoy!!

Wendy

Flickr is... well, flickr-ing...

Wed, 24 May 2006 03:15:40 GMT

Well, gee - I joined Flickr to host my mambo set of pix from Turkey.... and tonite they are having major site issues . Weird weird weird stuff - like photos disappearing, cross-referencing, strange photos showing up in albums...

...it's chaos.

Let's hope the gang over there can resolve it without tooooooo much insanity.

:::Raises glass & toasts that poor team of folks at Flickr.com who get to sort it all out:::

Oh - and BTW.... that cute l'il bambino that is showing up on my "While in Bodrum" set is not my photo. And as far as I know, it did not happen "While in Bodrum"!! LOL!!
:::shakes head in utter bewilderment:::

The pictures are starting to roll in...

Tue, 23 May 2006 01:46:48 GMT

I'm trying out Flickr for my myriad of photos from Turkey...
Only 2 groups so far... "Mehndi" and "The Grand Bazaar"
But if I like Flickr (My Friend Flickr?) I may "go pro" and pay to host with them. I like the ability to tag and caption.

Take a peek!

Wendy

Home at last

Wed, 17 May 2006 14:47:33 GMT

I'm home! I arrived late Monday night, after traveling for 20 hours in 12 hours time... Monday may have been the longest day, ever!! My internal clock is all whacko.

My boys were all so happy to see me, and we celebrated a slightly belated Mother's Day as well.

I am a changed person. I've seen so much, done so much, traveled, experienced...
I hardly know where to begin, except to keep fleshing out the bits I was able to write on my traveling laptop and begin editing the 1000 pictures I took... and begin sharing all of this with you... I hope to use my experience to answer questions that may come up for future travelers...

Hugs,
Wendy

Updates!!

Tue, 09 May 2006 15:34:06 GMT

There are updates!! They are backdated, so sift back thru...

At last I am hooked to DSL here in the Turkish city of Bodrum!!

Wendy

Weather in here in Bodrum

Tue, 09 May 2006 14:26:41 GMT

Hello from Istanbul!!

Thu, 04 May 2006 17:01:52 GMT

Hello from an ınternet cafe here ın Istanbul!! It,s about 8pm here rıght now... so ıt ıs 7 hours earlıer there. It,s been dıffıcult to get our phone cards to work from the Hotel. After we go to eat tonıght, we wıll make calls from the payphones agaın...

I have been tryıng to keep up wıth my journal on my laptop here, but so far I can,t fıgure out how to upload ıt. I,ll take care of that at my next stop - next week ın Bodrum.

I,m typıng on a Turkısh keyboard - they,ve rearranged ıt!!

So far we have been to the Blue Mosque, Topkapı Palace (THAT was ıncredıble!!! can you say Happy*Texture*color*artgasm???), to the Grand Bazaar, bellydancıng wıth Sema - the ınternatıonal Turkısh bellydance teacher...followed by bellydancıng ın a restaurant! What fun!! We,ve seen a cabaret show and had dınner there, and also (lookout) a Burlesque Show! It was very ınventıve and creatıve, but kınd of ın an odd artsy kında way - based on an old show lıke the Moulın Rougue ın Parıs.

Everyone ıs very nıce and helpful, eager to practıce theır Englısh. I,m tryıng to learn a lıttle Turkısh - ıt,s so dıfferent than anythıng I,ve heard!!

The men are crackıng me up - 'Hey lady, hey lady, here! you want to buy a rug!' has gotten to be the joke among us ladıes.

I was hopıng to keep updatıng onlıne as I,ve gone along - but maybe next week ın Bodrum...
I,m havıng trouble gettıng ınto my emaıl, but ı wıll try agaın later when ı have more tıme to mess wıth ıt.

Here ıs hopıng I can promıse pıctures soon - I have taken a zıllıon!!!

*hugs to everyone - I mıss you!!*
Wendy

Today's the Day!!

Sun, 30 Apr 2006 12:51:59 GMT

I'm madly trying to get the last things together... I leave this evening!

Things to remember...things to remember...

And the Weather in Istanbul is...

Fri, 28 Apr 2006 18:51:05 GMT

Well, and of course - the weather back home... (I'll need to see this when I talk to my kids back home!)

Gettin' the jitters...

Thu, 27 Apr 2006 22:17:13 GMT

LOL - I feel like I'm starting to get the jitters! Today has been a day of trying to organize, sort, organize, fold, put away, pack, track down...

sigh.

Printin' my e-ticket RIGHT now, tho! :-)

My Passport has Arrived!

Wed, 26 Apr 2006 19:45:39 GMT

Thank heavens.
It's here.
I look like Mrs. Thug (no offense to actual Cavemen...) in my photo, but it is indeed MY PASSPORT!!!!!!

Internet Access in Turkey!

Wed, 26 Apr 2006 14:44:39 GMT

Since we are bringing a laptop with us on our journey - to upload pix and update this journal, THIS is great to know!!!

Internet Access In Turkey

Passport - today!!!

Wed, 26 Apr 2006 13:38:04 GMT

Oh thank HEAVENS
It should be arriving today! That's good - 'cause I leave SUNDAY!

This is a handy link for this kinda thing!!
http://travel.state.gov/passport/get/status/status_2567.html
---------------------------------------------------------------
U.S. Passport Application Status

Thank you for submitting your passport application!
Your passport application locator number is XXXXXXXXXXXXX

We have finished processing your passport, and it has been mailed to you.

You paid for overnight delivery. This means you should receive your passport on or about 04/26/2006.

If you have any additional questions, please contact the National Passport Information Center.

International Travel with Henna?

Tue, 25 Apr 2006 02:55:46 GMT

Among many artistic pursuits, I am a mehndi artist - I like to draw on people with henna! One of the things I look forward to on my trip is talking with some of the local Mehndi artists, and maybe trading some mehndi!

One of the questions I have is about transporting my henna... In dry form, it is a green powder. And I will also bring 2 bottles of essential oils. I hope that it is not any sort of a problem coming thru customs with it!

I've asked over at The Henna Page forum, so we'll see what the other fine folks have to say...

Weather... or Not...

Mon, 24 Apr 2006 04:03:39 GMT

http://www.meteor.gov.tr/indexmaster_eng.htm

A great source of Q & A info!

Mon, 24 Apr 2006 04:02:12 GMT

This is helpful!!
The Forum over at the Turkey Travel Planner site has a lot of info. I see a lot of topics that could prove helpful - from what to carry with you (and what to lock in your room safe), tank-tops vs. sleeves? ...the current exchange rate...

There's even a section on The Grand Bazaar!
Hey! Did somebody say SHOPPING...? LOL!!
What does Turkey have to offer in the way of material goods? I'm sure once I'm sucked into the Grand Bazaar and begin my much-looked-forward-to shopping experience, I'll be in HEAVEN! What do they have, anyway...?
Speaking of shopping...
How to Bargain (this sounds necessary!!)
Oooohhh....and Turkish ATM's

Oh - and What To Wear. I get warm - I prefer to go sleeveless in the summer, but I don't want to ROAST. When in doubt... I may just have to go shopping...

Whatcha going to do in Turkey?

Fri, 21 Apr 2006 15:10:48 GMT

So, why Turkey?
My Bellydance teacher, gozde_danstravels every year to TUrkey to spend time with her Turkish adopted family, teach classes, and enjoy life!
This year, I'm taking a break from my life as mother, wife, housekeeper... (but not from "Artist", "Bellydancer" or "Web Geek" LOL!!) to go with her, and document my travels!

This is the first part of my journey...
Istanbul Gypsy Festival
1st - 8th May 2006

and then I'll spend a week at the
Gokpinar Music and Dance Center

I'll use this journal to update my preparations and experiences!

Questions about CLOTHING, SAFETY, ELECTRICITY

Wed, 19 Apr 2006 22:09:47 GMT

Well, I suppose I better get crackin' on the things that this journal is designed for. I want to answer questions about my upcoming travels in western Turkey, and also to answer some of those questions that come up specifically about a white woman traveling in Turkey.

(The italicized bits in red below are from "the Official City Guide" site Istanbul.com)

CLOTHING
Do I have to wear funky all-in-black cover-ups?
Nope.
But I should be respectful when visiting the Mosques - I hope to see The Blue Mosque.

Most mosques in Istanbul are open to the public during the day. Prayer sessions, called namaz, last 30 to 40 minutes and are observed five times daily. Tourists should, however, avoid visiting mosques midday on Friday, when Muslims are required to worship.
For women, bare arms and legs are not acceptable inside a mosque. Men should avoid wearing shorts as well. Women should not enter a mosque without first covering their heads with a scarf. Before entering a mosque, shoes must be removed.

From what I understand, it's quite alright to be about in tank tops, sleeveless, and in shorts.

SAFETY
Am I in danger of being abducted, kidnapped or coerced?
Nope.
When I was younger, somebody told me that they kidnap blond blue-eyed children in Turkey. You may all begin laughing now!!!

The streets of Istanbul are considerably safer than their counterparts in the United States or Western Europe. Travelers should nevertheless take care of their valuables, as pickpockets, although not as common as in the U.S. or Europe, do operate in the major cities and tourist areas.

ELECTRICITY
I want to be able to charge the batteries for my laptop while I'm there - but I see that the power is 220 volts... So today I went looking today for a power adapter. They had 2 kinds - one for about $10 that said it did not convert the voltage (huh?)... The other type (about $20) said not to use with computers... so... what about for charging the laptop batteries...? I just am not sure what I'll need!

The electrical current in Turkey is 220 volts, 50 cycles alternating current (AC); wall outlets take Continental-type plugs, with two or three round prongs.

So... I promise to come back and edit this if I find more info! :-)

Passport Mayhem

Wed, 12 Apr 2006 01:26:58 GMT

I just got my passport out of my safety deposit box. I forgot that it has my maiden name on it. Cripes! Now I have to rush and shove that change thru Passport Central before I leave!!

I bought a suitcase!

Wed, 05 Apr 2006 21:21:36 GMT

I only have 2 smaller suitcases... so for my upcoming 2-week trip to western Turkey, I went ahead and bought a big ole' Samsonite on wheels!

I keep shopping for flights - sure makes me wish I *had* gone to Travel Agent School - LOL! So far American Airlines looks the cheapest...

Stay Tuned!