Friday, July 24, 2009

Strudel, Baklava and Gelato - also known as Croatia!!

Hellooo Croatia!!
I have been here for the last three days and am LOVING it. There is so much to see in Turkey and I would definitely like to go back and check out some of the other areas, but I feel much safer now being in Croatia. It was a bit stressful walking around the streets of Istanbul... I was followed both days by a creepy guy for more than half an hour! But I was really careful not to go out by myself at night and did still enjoy the time there..
Where can I even start about Croatia?! Got into Zagreb and immediately jumped on a bus to Split, no time to waste!! Kev reccommended the 3 Turtles hostel to me which ended up being awesome- super small but a convenient location and quite the at home feeling. Everyone got together and had a big BBQ and we drank the night away.. Split is beautiful.. a lot of the city is weaved through Diocletian´s palace, the main attraction for the city. I rented a bike yesterday and rode out the peninsula of Marjan to another beach.. beautiful! I think that is going to be a trend for this leg of the trip.. I´m all about the beaches right now, and Croatia gives good beach!!
Yesterday I tried to extend my stay at the hostel but they were all booked up, and the only hostel I could find was one 25 minutes South of Split.. well, I am SO lucky to have stumbled upon this place!!! I think I´m in love!! (with the place that is..) This is the only hostel I have stayed at that is literally 10 steps from the water. As soon as I showed up I was greeted by a bunch of Irish, Americans, Aussies and Dutch. We had a HUGE BBQ (I think there were 20 of us or something) on a table almost in the sea it was so close!! The hostel is actually on a cement boardwalk but there is a makeshift diving board in front of the hostel, so we stayed in our bathinig suits all night and randomly five or six of us would decide to jump in and swim for a bit, even into the late hours of the evening.. HEAVEN!
Today I am having a it of a late start after a long night, but headed to Brac to check out Bol beach on kevs recommendation. Then tonight i think the same crew of us are headed into Split for a night on the town!! (I HAD to extend my stay for another night!)
Hope all is well back home..
Love to all and see you soon!!!
Laur xo

Sunday, July 19, 2009

A Word of Advice...

Okay, before reading this, read the previous post I wrote a few hours ago today. I couldn't resist but to write about this bath experience.
How it was described: a pristine, beautiful facility overlooking the ocean where you enjoy a sauna, full body wrap and massage.
Reality: We jumped in a taksi at around 8pm, excited for an evening of pampering. After weaving through the streets of Istanbul and a couple of close calls, we rock up at the Turkish Bath.. some sketchball looking entrance in a rather dingy alleyway. Jess and I reason that Bre reccommended it so it must be good. We enter the Bath and the tacky Turkish couches are the first thing I see. Old floral velvet things that look old and worn out. Around the walls of the room are changerooms with clear glass windows (not sure then the point of having a room?). Again, we tell ourselves that this is just the outer area and surely the bath would be beautiful. We get changed into our swimmers and are led into the bath by a short and unkempt Turkish woman. It didn't quite smell like a sewer, but it wasn't far off either... We went into the bath and there were two of the saggiest fat women I have seen in nothing but their underwear washing themselves. The room is tiled with marble that looks like it hasn't been cleaned in a while and "sinks" with running water. If I could use one word to describe the room it would be: dingy. We were shooed over to a basin each and given some makeshift tupperware container and told to "wash", i.e. pour disgusting water all over ourselves.
Round 1: The saggy woman with underwear hanging halfway off of her ass slaps the marble tile in the center of the room and points at me. I almost died. Jess and I were trying not to be absolutely hysterical with laughter because we were so traumatised we didn't know what else to do. The woman had me lie down on the tile and proceeded to take off my bathing suit top, though I resisted. She then took out some scrub that she scoured over my body and it felt like a layer of skin was being rubber off. And she scrubbed EVERYWHERE. She had me sit up and she scrubbed my arms, my hands kept hitting her free-flapping breasts the whole time. I almost vomited. I just had to not look and put my mind in another place and try and get through it. She sent me back to the washing station while Jess had her turn.
Round 2: Woman called me back over. I timidly walked in the disease-infested sandals they gave us, in high anticipation for what might be next. She pulled my top off again and took out the next 'tool'. One of those exfoliating 'puffs', only you could barely tell that it originally was one because it was so old and worn out. She lathered it up and rubbed some generic, sick-smelling soap all over me and then massaged vigourously, instilling pain, over every part of the body. Then she had me roll over onto my back and she rubbed her hands all over my chest and right up my legs (right up). She then had me sit to wash my arms and when she finished I thought prayed that it was over. I was then hit in the face with the same dirty puff, soap suds in my eyes, mouth all over as the woman basically tried to scrub my face off. THen she splooshed a giant bucket of water over me and it was done. Jess had to go second.
There is more, the sauna was less traumatising, but we seriously had one of the worst experiences ever. ON our way out of the bath a cockroach scurried down the wall..
I would like to say that I know of people who have had positive experiences at Turkish baths and I am not trying to insult the tradition, but if you're in Istanbul, never go to this one, the "HIstorical Nisanci Bath".. I hope I can sleep tonight... stay tuned for more fabulous adventures! I need a drink..

And then there was one.. (me) :P

Meraba!
So I'm back in Istanbul and our action-packed tour has ended. Last night we said good-bye to our group after an amazing last three days of the tour. ON Thursday we had our longest trek yet- a 15k hike through the mountains. It was brutally hot but we were luckily that our path was shaded, and the beautiful views along the way made it one of the best hikes of the trip. We ended our day in Kabak, which is a little haven on the South Coast of Turkey. It is a town nestled into the mountains, where we stayed in stilted bungalows that were literally hanging off the mountain revealing the beach 20 minutes straight down below. We LOVED it. Spent the afternoon poolside enjoying an EFES (turkish beer) and lounging under a gazebo by the pool. THe dinner was home-cooked and delicious. I didn't want to leave!!
Next we had our easiest day in terms of physical activity and walked for only about an hour and a half around some Roman ruins... can't remember the name off-hand. We then went to 'The Gorge', which it is, with a river flowing through it. We had lunch on platforms that stand right above the river.. more Turkish pancakes, with feta and spinach! We decided to top off the day with "Funny rafting" aka riding down the river in an inner tube. THe highlight was when our guide (yes, apparently you need a guide for this!) had us stop halfway for a Turkish mud bath. I am convinced that this is a joke for the Turkish people - "Hey, let's watch tourists rub mud all over themselves and then try and wash it off in a fast moving river without falling over and getting carried downstream". It was quite the scene - although the Turk puts mud all over you and then washes it off if you request it. It's not even some special place - just a spot where the river water is stagnant and there is a natural mud source. Laura and I were cracking up - pretty funny.
On the last day of our tour I FINALLY got to go Paragliding!! We went on the sunrise flight, so I had to be up at 5am!! It was absolutely worth it though, what a beautiful, thriling experience! We took-off 2000m above sea level and glided all the way down to Oludeniz beach. Pictures to follow!! We jumped on the van and headed back to meet up with the rest of the group that opted for the sleeping in option before heading out once again for a full day of kayaking. I love kayaking and am comfortable on the water so it was a nice change from hiking! I swam almost every second of every stop we made, the water was so nice!!
Now I am about to head to a Turkish bath with an Aussie girl I met in the Istanbul Hostel almost the second Iwalked in! THen one more day in Istanbul and off to Croatia!! Hope everyone is enjoying summer back home!
Lots of love,
Lauren xo

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

A Turkish version of Biggest Loser??

Hi everyone!!

So Laura and I have realized that we are somewhat in fat camp!! So much has happened in the last few days so I will try to be unlike myself and recap in (relatively) few words! First of all, our group...

We met up in Istanbul on the 10th. Our tour guide's name is Koray (pronounced Core-eye).. Seemed like a bit of an odd character at first (for the multi-sport tour we were going on), but he has been awesome!! He has made every effort to make sure we get a local experience while we're here and has gone the extra mile to make special arrangements for us.

So what have we been doing exactly? Sweating.. a lot.. and drinking a lot - of water that is. Our days consist of some sort of grueling activity throughout the day, usually followed by salvation in the form of a body of water by around 3pm. For example, on the first day we went on a hike to a ghost town (3.5 km in 40 degree heat).. then we walked around the ghost town, had lunch (delicious Turkish pancakes btw) and then hiked for 5km to the Blue Lagoon beach. And when I say hike, think a slightly less grueling adventure than the grouse grind.. but not by much! The sights we have seen have been beautiful!! Gorgeous beaches, incredibly old ruins and beautiful veiws from atop of mountains we've spent a couple of hours climbing!! It is definitely the most physically demanding thing I can think of having done- although this wouldn't be nearly as challenging in a reasonable heat. Still, it makes you really appreciate everything we have been able to see - from the lookout points, to lying on the beach. I have never so appreciated sunbathing and swimming in the ocean as on this trip!!

Oh! Yesterday we went mountain biking... I have a new found respect for those of my friends that do this!! I mean I was pretty proud of how well I did, but the downhill part was intense!! So bumpy and steep - my whole back and shoulder muscles were completely tense the whole ride down and my hand muscles were cramping up so bad!!

The people in our tour are interesting, to say the least.. a Montreal-bred mountain-woman who complains about everything we do because there isn't ENOUGH physical activity (are you kidding me?!) and an MJ look-alike who we fondly refer to as Jacko. The first day Koray said to him (Sean is his real name): "You know, you really look like Michael Jackson!... Hey, be happy you're still alive!" It was hilarious, though we couldn't believe he would actually say that- not exactly a compliment. Still, it is rather amusing seeing as he wears his sunscreen during the day thick enough that his complexion is whiter than usual. Never a dull moment- literally!!

The meals have been fantastic too, although the heat kind of shrinks my appetite it seems. LAst night Koray arranged a trip back into the ghost town for a garden Turkish barbeque.. you order the meat and BBQ yourself. It was a beautiful setting!! And the food was incredible. Also, the first night we had dinner at a restaurant where you buy your fish from the market and they grill it up and serve it to you.. Koray even arranged a dinner with one of his 'sisters' (this is what they call good friends) who made us artichoke soup (I think the best soup I have ever had - sorry Mom!).. delicious!

This is the first time we have had a bit of free time.. and the only reason is because I was signed up to go paragliding tonight (I know!! So excited!!) but it got cancelled due to too much wind. We will hopefully go on Friday instead!

To those of you who have e-mailed/facebooked me, thanks SO much and I promise I will respond properly asap- but probably once the tour is done and Laura is gone and I have a bit more time.

Love to everyone back home!!

L xo

Friday, July 10, 2009

Istanbul!

Okay, I figured I should write a bit more of an exciting blog since the last one wasn't the most uplifting! After I got of the internet in Frankfurt I sat down for some dinner in the hostel -the grocery store staple of fresh bread, salami and cheese in a sandwich! Met some wicked boys from Argentina and Mexico and got to practice my Spanish a bit with them.. we went to the local corner store and bought an array of giant german beers which we consumed over hour upon hour of card games at the hostel. I don't know how I managed, but we were up until well past 2am before I passed out! Had to get up at 6.. maybe not the best decision I've ever made, but we had a blast! Two flights that day - to Warsaw and then Istanbul - they were super smooth and easy and most importantly my luggage made it safely!! I was so tired I absolutely passed out for the entire second flight - I literally could not keep my eyes open! Hell, I almost fell over standing in the customs line-up I was so exhausted!
Ha ha so I decided to suck it up and take the metro to find my hostel - everyone here is SO friendly!! Found my hostel by about 7:30 pm.. had dinner at a nearby restaurant where the waiter taught me a few Turkish words with the understanding that I would talk to him in English so he could practice... then I passed out and FINALLY got a solid 12-hour sleep.. today I went on a boat cruise up the European coast of Istanbul and back along the Asian coast. What an amazing city!! There are over 2000 mosques in Istanbul and they are all beautiful! After having lunch with three South African boys I am now back at the hostel to gather my things and find directions to the hotel where I will meet up with Laura and the rest of our tour group!! THought I would take advantage of the free internet before I left! I absolutely can't wait to see what will be next and am having a fantastic time so far!!
Love to everyone back home, talk to you soon!
Gule gule (good-bye in Turk)
Laur xo

Wednesday, July 8, 2009

Well at least I arrived safely!!

Hey everyone!
Things were so crazy busy before I left that I didn't get the opportunity to give people the head's up about my blog... so if you're reading this now you know! I'd love for you to be able to follow me through the next month and it is always good to hear from home when you're away!
I am at the moment in Frankfurt having a beer in the hostel and relaxing after a ridiculous day!! The flight was totally smooth and empty enough that I was able to score a row by the window. After creative adjustments I had an okay sleep and it was so nice to finally be on the way! So I arrived in Frakfurt still feeling like I'm swaying back and forth on a houseboat, but a little more fresh than before I boarded. Went through customs to baggage claim and I waited.. and waited, telling myself to "relax, there's no way baggage can be lost on a direct flight! It'll be here". But I kind of had a feeling. Sure enough I was the last one standing at the baggage carousel watching a long bag go around three or four time that other than a slightly different shade of blue looked almost identical to mine. The people at baggage claim were so nice, I filled out the report, and wandered around the airport for about an hour hoping to be paged with good news over the intercom.
No such luck so I headed to my hostel (which couldn't BE any more central!) to check-in and go shopping for a change of clothes in case my bag remained MIA for more than 24 hours (when I would be leaving for Istanbul).. no free guided walking tours unfortunately, but I wandered around the city in a somewhat sleep-deprived zombie state and tried to stay relatively dry in the rain. After a quick stop at the grocery store, I headed back to the hostel and was able to get into my room. Some awesome aussies lent me their shampoo, conditioner and mouthwash so I could attempt to feel human again. Then I passed out for three hours or so. Apparently my luck turned around while I was snoozing because I went to the front desk about a half hour ago and my bag had been delivered!!! SO happy!!! What a relief! So now I've booked my hostel for the first night in istanbul, am reading up on Croatia and things have calmed down a bit! I'm going to check out what's going on tonight as I'd love to hit up a German pub for a beer, but I also am exhausted and wanting to be on top of my game for Istanbul tomorrow so I might just lay low and go to bed early!!
Keep in touch!
With love,
Lauren xo