travels.of.tara

As I reflect on my two and a half weeks in Turkey, I’m almost overwhelmed by all the surprises and wonderful experiences I had. It was fast paced, marked by an amazing tour group of new friends and travel soulmates. There was history, learning, curiosity, art, culture, nature, relaxing, bonding, goofing around, and so much more. 

When I planned this leg of the trip, I did almost no research, trusting in the organizing power of G Adventures to introduce me to a new culture. This was my third tour with G, and I’m a big fan. I’ve only had wonderful trips: small groups, affordable, in-depth local experiences, and you leave feeling like you just went to travel camp with your besties. I can’t say enough good things. I’ll take that commission now, G! Just kidding. 

Istanbul came in like a wrecking ball. The airport is huge. The city is huge. The transit is nonsensical. It was an assault on my brain after decompressing in sunny Greece for a month. But after getting lost on the metro and a nearly 3-hour journey to my hostel, I finally started settling into the comfort of being in a big city. I was happy to see a little cool rain for the first time in a month, though a little worried it was an omen of cloudier things to come. Thankfully I was wrong, and I saw no more rain during my time in Turkey — either actually or metaphorically.

After a quick bite in the hostel, I walked 10 minutes to the tour hotel to get info about my meet up time the next morning, where the details are posted in writing in the lobby. I immediately met Jenni and Roger in the lobby, older Aussies who were part of my group, and I got such a good vibe. That little interaction took me out of my travel funk and made me ready for what was to come, especially all the social time.

At 9am the next day, I met our guide for the next 15 days, Mithat (pronounced, in his words, as “meat hat”). Our group would officially convene later that evening, but I had signed up for a day trip around Istanbul, and I happened to be the only person who booked it that day. I think Mithat and I were both a little tired from long travel days, but it was nice having a personal tour and getting to know the city. It took a while for me to understand the flow of the streets, with cars, scooters, and pedestrians intermingling closely. We spent some time in the Instagrammy neighborhood of Balat and its newly renovated colorful houses. I enjoyed our morning boat ride along the Bosphorus, as it gave me a really good sense of the huge scale of Istanbul and the continental divide between Europe and Asia. 

Immediately I was taken by how modern the city was. I had so few preconceptions about Turkey, but perhaps the secret one I held was that it was what one might call “developing.” That was completely incorrect. For all my complaints about transit, it is efficient and clean (it just doesn’t connect well and the signage could use some work). Buildings are modern, with beautiful domed mosques and their minarets dotting the skyline. Credit cards are accepted almost everywhere. Highways are fast and smooth, and the roadside rest stops are nice. Women can wear what they’d like, and there is a mix of women in shorts and tank tops and others fully covered with a headscarf. The people all just blend together. This should not be surprising, given the historical significance of Istanbul as a major global trade hub, dating back to the Silk Road. 

With lots of walking and exploring behind us, Mithat and I headed back to the hotel for a rest before the evening meetup. I checked into my room and greeted my roommate Kaycee, a fellow American, who would share a room with me for the duration of the tour. 

It was soon time to meet the rest of the group! Our crew of 12 included 6 solo travelers, most who were close to my age, and 3 sets of couples who were a little older. We comprised the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa. Let’s meet the cast of characters:

• Kaycee from Colorado (45, frequent solo traveler, 911 operator, has a crazy medical thing happen to her toward the end of the tour)
• Hannah from Indiana (turns 33 during tour, infrequent traveler who grew so much during our time together, leaves phone in Istanbul and missing it for 2 days)
• Mike from Winnipeg, Canada (41, newer traveler who has the bug, works in tv production)
• Han from South Africa (46, on a yearlong sabbatical so we bond instantly, but not traveling as much as me (yet))
• Paul from Australia (60s, has been to 43% of the world’s countries, widower, likes a good beer)
• Roger and Jenni from Australia (70s and youthful, together 10 years, artsy and active travelers)
• Hash and Daxa; John and Angie from New Zealand (60s, couple friends who met through Hash and John’s work, delightful)
• Mithat, our guide (40s, a licensed tour guide so he will do all the guiding along the trip unlike G tours in other countries; incredibly knowledgeable about history and culture, took a while to get used to his Turkish accent).
• Mehmet, our driver (age unknown, personal details unknown, toothless, happy, and helpful chainsmoker).
• Tara from NYC (40, solo traveling through a 6 month sabbatical and having a grand ol’ time!)

The next day, we are scheduled to depart Istanbul around 2pm, so we squeeze in some express tourism with an orientation walk, which ends up being a few hours. We see a nice hidden park, the Hagia Sofia mosque with scaffolding, lots of squares and shopping areas, the fun and delicious spice market where we sample fresh Turkish Delight desserts, and a vending machine that takes any coin and spits out food for the street cats. We are exposed to Turkish ice cream for the first time, which includes a playful performance as the red-vested vendors try to keep the cones away from you. 

We see the Blue Mosque and opt to go in, which entails borrowing a shapeless gray skirt to pull over my shorts, a blue starchy headscarf that I hope has been cleaned, and removing my shoes. The inside is impressive, tall adorned domed ceilings, low-hung lights, and lush red carpeting. There is a small active prayer area but it is mostly a crowded tourist attraction. 

Today, August 30th, happens to be Victory Day in Istanbul, a day celebrating the country’s independence in 1923. There are flags everywhere, and I imagine some celebrations are involved but we don’t really see them. Victory Day travels in Turkey, taking place on different days in different cities based on when troops retreated. We will experience another one later in our tour in Selçuk. 

After lunch with the solo crew — chicken shish/skewers is a standard dish here that I eat often — we load into our van and depart the traffic-heavy Istanbul. I’m excited to cross the bridge bringing me into the Asian continent for the first time. It all looks the same. There’s no real difference in Turkey, just a different continental plate. 

And then we proceed to have the most adventurous two-week trip! Stay tuned for future posts to read all the details. What stayed with me and made the experience extra wonderful was the close-knit group of travelers. We really bonded, and everyone had great, open energy and a commitment to making it an enjoyable trip for everyone. 

A few hard times could have spoiled the trip, but we treated them as bonding experiences. First, a flat tire on one of our first long drives, stranding us on the side of a highway for about an hour. It was hot and flies were coming in the van, but then the cavalry came in the form of three young and handsome mechanics with thick mustaches, leading us to giggle and take photos with them. We soon learned about Mithat’s AI photo editing skills as he created a photo of us all with mustaches! 

Hannah left her phone behind in Istanbul and had to wait two days for the next tour group to meet up with us and return it. We all felt her stress, but the real kicker was that she had an alarm set to wake her up that requires unlocking the phone with a thumbprint and then doing two math problems before the Taylor Swift wakeup music will stop. The other guide wrapped it in clothes and hoped for the best. Ultimately he found a way to turn it off without unlocking it, leaving Hannah concerned about her future ability to wake up.

And later, poor Kaycee was having some stomach issues, and shortly after returning to our room one afternoon she complained about some chest pains. “I don’t need to go to the hospital or anything,” she told me. “Ok,” I responded, “But you’ll let me know if that changes.” I was feeling very slightly off that day and was thinking about going to buy some electrolytes, so when she mentioned wanting aspirin I walked quickly to the nearest pharmacy. When I returned, things had changed, and she soon said she needed to go to the hospital. We called Mithat and he knew exactly what to do immediately. It was a long story, involving multiple hospitals and clinics, packing up her stuff, Hash volunteering to accompany her at the hospital, and continuing on with our itinerary with only a small delay. She ended up in one of the best hospitals in the country that specialized in her condition: gallstones! That brave woman had surgery in a foreign country by herself and was back for our final tour night just a few days later. And then, she continued on with her travels to Croatia, walking around healthily. Incredible. 

And there were fun times: Mike and Kaycee starting a fake podcast about influencers, me bonding with Han over our sabbaticals, sampling tons of roadside snacks together, and so much more.

Upon our return to Istanbul, I spent one final night in the tour hotel and two more nights on my own in a nearby hotel — changed from the hostel I had initially booked since I no longer wanted a social scene in my final days. The goodbyes were sad, staggered over dinner and breakfast and then a few more days. 

I filled my final days in Istanbul walking around, navigating the narrow streets with ease and confidence that I had lacked just two weeks earlier. I did a Turkish bath and hammam spa day with Han, our second of the journey, and it was so relaxing and decadent. I got farewell drinks with Jenni and Roger on a rooftop overlooking the water. I went inside the Hagia Sofia to see the beautiful art and architecture, and saw the iconic Galata Tower. I spent nearly a full day lounging in bed and resting. And on my final day, when check out was at noon and my flight was at 2am, I signed up for a Turkish lamp making workshop where I designed my own mosaic and beaded lamp! I loved it, and decided to figure out carrying it around and shipping it home later. 

Now, catching up on writing in the airport lounge, I leave Turkey with a full heart and a mountain of new experiences to satiate me. And yet, the next stop is even more travel to new places, a sharp contrast from my normal travels that bring me home to the monotony of work and my couch. There are times in life when I might have described that feeling as comfortable and rejuvenating after a long trip, but I believe I’ve quickly gotten into this full time travel thing. I’m thrilled I get to keep traveling. I’m not homesick. Texts, phone calls, and video catch ups are easy so far, connecting me to my people. But really, I’m just so immersed and engaged by what I’m doing that I’m not dwelling on the things I miss. I think about New York fondly a lot, but not in a way where I feel like I want to be there right now. We’ll see if this changes. So for now, thank you Turkey, I’m sorry I couldn’t really learn your language and I hope I inspire others to think fondly of you.