With lots of land and truly unique sites to explore, Turkey is a big time favorite of mine. It was one of the first countries I visited after the borders of my own country opened up for all the restless gypsy hearts. At first, I only visited Istanbul back then but seen on a postcard another site that got me intrigued and longing to come back for more . The place on the postcard was called Pamukkale and I memorized the name. It looked like pools of water set in ice terraces, however people in bathing suites were in there and the sun was shinning bright. This made it clear there was no ice present. Many years later, luck and the energy of thought at work together, I got to visit Turkey again. Many times. I then discovered many other wonderful corners of Turkey and I still feel like I am not totally done. Each country I see and like has still so many secrets to share, and so many more corners to uncover. Yet in Turkey I fulfilled my childhood dreams and got to feel like a kid again. From lodging in caves that were people’s homes, to sleeping in tree houses, and bathing in travertine hot springs, I did it all and I would go back to revisit in a heartbeat. I highly recommend watching a sunset from the height of the Pamukkale‘s ancient city of Hierapolis, where people bathed for thousand of years. Getting a feel of the history and the circle of life repeating time and time again in the place is priceless. Hotels were built and demolished there, with no evidence of them to be seen just a few years later. Just like historic sites are covered under the dust of time, some never known of and discovered again, these hotels were a memory of the past for just a few people who had lived there or visited during their short lived glamor. The area became a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the damage they were doing to the bright travertine stone was luckily undone. Another place not to be missed is Cappadocia (Kapadokya under its Turkish name. The site is unique as well and hot air balloon rides area great option for a wonderful aerial view. Volcanoes erupted millions of years ago and the resulting rock near Göreme eroded into amazing shapes that resemble tens to hundreds of mushrooms, minatetes and pillars. (Click here for amazing images of Cappadocia). People then carved their homes, churches, monasteries and schools in the soft rock for an out of this world result of dwellings that bring to mind more movie scenes of distant times than real villages which are actually inhabited today. And people are so friendly there. The first day I arrived, I envisioned myself buying one of the caves and moving in. Maybe even a chain of caves for a tourism business development. I immediately made friends, and on the excitement of the moment I ended up on a scooter, holding on to the back of a young Turkish man who took me on a real estate for sale tour. I got over that as my heart longs to move around as much as possible and settling in a small village might not be my thing in the long run. Especially considering that winters are cold and even the local young people that have other options pack and go away. Yet, I stayed in carved caves and loved every minute of it (except when I was too cold at night- make sure you stay in a place that has heat and you can control it). The tree house adventure in the region in the south of Turkey, beginning in the region of Antalya, by the Mediterranean Sea, had a particular flavor as well. Two weeks of backpacking left me with fun and heart warming, wonderful memories. I stopped in great places and visited lots of Greek and Roman sites. Antalya, Kas, Bodrum, Patara, Fethiye were along my path and they were all unique in their own way, with the last one named here being my favorite. There are one day cruises to enjoy. The clean water and small island hopping along the way were a delight along with the sun baking on the bridge and the baths in the cool sea water; A water I made contact with through a spaghetti like yellow plastic tube going through the boat’s deck into the sea. Also, you can choose the three day cruise from Fethiye to Olympos, or reverse. Olympus (Olympos in Turkish) is a place that welcomes you with hundreds of beds in wood cabins or tree houses, with a summer party and disco dance atmosphere, and an Indiana Jones like path of vine covered Roman ruins to the nearby beach. So you can feel like a child again sleeping in a tree house; like a hormones gone wild teen dancing the night away; like an adventurous Indiana Jones exploring the ancient ruins; like a fisherman by the sea if you have the calling; or like a masochist taking sun on the rocky beach near by. If you like it busy, go in July or August, and if you want to explore at a quiet time May or October would be more fit. And last but certainly not least, Istanbul …. the dynamic cosmopolitan metropolis straddling two continents, has so much to offer. The colors, smells and sounds of new and old. The vendors calling out loud, pitching their product, the taxi drivers honking horns, the smells of spices and fresh baked goods, the many old mosques and churches-Blue Mosque a must see, the Topkapi Palace, the colorful carpets and the Grand Bazaar. They all are like a magnet to my soul and I find myself going back over and over again, never to be disappointed. Yet I still remember a younger me that was terrified by all of it many years ago. The men’s
