Ephesus, Kusadasi, Turkey, Nov 2012

Dear Diary,

After our rumbling stomachs were satisfyingly stuffed withTurkish cooking, we continued our journey to the next destination, Kusadasi. And our next stop was Ephesus or Efes in Turkish. It is another Turkey’s famous ancient ruins, the best preserved of the world’s classical ruins which include theater, temples, library, baths, fountains, brothels, gymnasium and many more.

The Basilica Stoa

Theater

Located in Selcuk district in the Izmir province (a small town about 20km from Kusadasi), Ephesus was under the rulings of many great empires (Greek, Roman, Byzantine, Ottoman) and leaders (among other Alexander the Great). Entrance fee is 25TL.

The Rhodian Peristyle & The Prytaneum

The Curetes Street

It was initially built as a port, which later transformed into a trade center due to its strategic location. Along the way, it also became a religious center during the early Christianity era.

Temple of Hadrian

Among the many famous ruins that can be found there are Temple of Artemis – one of the 7 wonders of the ancient world, Library of Celsus, Temple of Hadrian, the Basilica Stoa, Odeon, etc.

Library of Celsus

Processional Street

The whole tour takes more than 1 hour and you’re required to walk quite a distance to enjoy all Ephesus has to offer. You cannot turn around to go out should you decide not to continue the walk because Ephesus is a one way archeological site in which you enter through the entrance and leave through another exit. Both entrance and exit are not the same way. Furthermore, the marble flooring is quite slippery when it rains. It is advisable to wear comfortable attire and shoes.

Souvenirs sold at shops at Ephesus exit

Sources: www.muze.gov.tr, www.kusadasi.net/historical/ephesus, www.ephesus.us

Bergama Restaurant, Bergama, Turkey, Nov 2012

Dear Diary,

Next, we headed for Kusadasi after exploring Acropolis in the morning. Before reaching Kusadasi, we made a stopover at Bergama Restaurant for lunch.

We arrived there during peak lunch hour, so the place was packed with customers who are mostly tour groups. In fact, almost all eating places that we went were full with tour groups. Traveling agencies ni pakat kot dengan restaurant owner nak bawak tourists pi makan situ.

Sweet Memories at Acropolis of Pergamon

Dear Diary,

Pictures of us during our visit to Acropolis of Pergamon, Bergama last November

5 adorable kids having fun on a hill

The rest of the family

Tok with his cucu

Acropolis of Pergamon, Bergama, Turkey, Nov 2012

Dear Diary,

At exactly 7am the next day, we were already on our tour bus leaving Kolin Hotel happily sated and fully rested. Throughout our trip, daily wake up calls were very early at 5am (sometimes earlier, sometimes later). An hour after the calls, we were expected at breakfast tables. This was followed by departure for next destination an hour later. That was our morning routine during our trip.

ur second day Turkey adventure started with a drive to Bergama city to visit Acropolis of Pergamon. The ancient Greek capital, Acropolis, is one of Turkey’s great centers of culture and finest archeological sites. As it is perched on a hill, we boarded cable car to reach there and got to enjoy scenic views of the surrounding area on our way up and down. Ticket is priced at 8TL for round trip.

 

As we reached the top, a seller welcomed us with fluent Bahasa Malaysia, “Selamat datang. Murah! Murah!” It was not surprising when his shop became a hit among us. There’s a row of shops selling souvenirs. The souvenirs here are cheap indeed compared to other places that we visited.

Before entering the site, an admission fee of 20TL must be paid first (our tour guide took care of that). Then only we walked up a stone stairway leading to the ancient ruins. Acropolis of Pergamon is a vast archeological site with interesting ruins to marvel at. It is a wonder that these structures are still in existence until today considering that they dated as far back as 3^rd millennium BC. Subhanallah!

 

 

Among the famous structures that can be found are Temple of Trajan – a huge marble-columned temple, Temple of Athena, Library of Pergamon – believed to contain 200,000 reading materials, Hellenistic theater – the steepest theater in the ancient world, Altar of Zeus, Temple of Dionysus, etc.

Sources: www.muze.gov.tr/acropolis, www.turkeytravelplanner.com

Address: Kurtulus Mah. Akropol Yolu No. 2, Bergama / Izmir. Telephone number:  (232) 631 07 78.

Kolin Hotel, Canakkale, Turkey, Nov 2012

Dear Diary,

After more than 24 hours of traveling, we finally headed towards Kolin Hotel. It was the first among several hotels that we stayed in the course of our trip.

Kolin Hotel is a 5 star hotel in Canakkale. It is beautifully furbished with modern amenities (including free WIFI). There is a supermarket just opposite the hotel for guest’s convenience.

We were dead tired, I was for sure. The last time all of us had a bath was a day ago, so just imagine my relief to arrive at our hotel. We were given room 1415, a very spacious room. Although there were 5 of us, we didn’t feel cramped at all. I think the room is sort of junior suite. There is a bedroom with huge double bed that comfortably fits 4 small sized people, while in the living room there are 1 single sofa bed and 1 double sofa bed. Not only that, there are 2 flat screened wall-mounted televisions.

After an hour of settling in and freshening up, we went down for dinner. It was a buffet. Oh my, we were spoiled with choices. Rambang mata nak pilih.

The next day, woke up feeling rested and looking forward to our second day adventure, once more we were served with extensive selections at the hotel’s buffet breakfast. One item that caught my interest was honeycomb.

Me being a food lover, I savored as much as I could. Whenever traveling I’d make a point to try local food. Thankfully, my three children are not very fussy. Their taste buds can easily adapt to local fares. Moreover, at every meals served to us, surely there would be some foods that they like for example flavored rice, fries, sausages, cereals, soups, breads, etc.

Address: Kepez, 17100 Canakkale, Turkey. Telephone number: +90 286 2180808. Fax number: +90 286 2180800. Website: www.kolinhotel.com

Troia, Canakkale, Turkey, Nov 2012

Dear Diary,

Who have watched an epic movie titled Troy with the handsome Brad Pitt as it leading actor? I didn’t watch it from beginning till the end; I just got to catch a bit here and there. I don’t know how the story goes and I’m not familiar with the history behind it either. It’s quite unfortunate for me because it would be better had I known a bit of Troy history, I would have appreciate our second stop more.

Late that evening we finally arrived at our destination, Ruins of Troy. It is a city that existed over 5000 years ago and is known as the center of ancient civilization.

Can you spot us at the window?

The first thing that greeted us there was a giant wooden replica of Trojan horse. My kids and their cousins excitedly climbed the horse’s steep stairs to get inside (me included okay).

As it was getting darker and colder, we didn’t follow our guide’s tour of Troy’s archeological sites. With the kids tagging along, it was not advisable to explore this ancient city due to slippery and uneven paths. We did, however, walk around the mound near the entry to the ruins.

Some info about Troy:

~ Troy was declared as UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1998.

~ This ancient city is the setting of Homer’s poem, Iliad.

~ It is destroyed and rebuilt nine times.

Sources: www.muze.gov.tr/troia, www.mydestination.com