Ataturk - Father of the Turkish Nation

Mustafa Kemal Ataturk was literally the father of modern Turkey. Bronze statues or busts of him are found all over Turkey. Turkey was on the losing side of WWI, but Atartuk was the only undefeated commander at the end of the war. His military leadership resulted in him winning the battle at Gallopoli against England and troops from Australia and New Zealand. His leadership proved important in winning independence for Turkey after that war when allies were attempting to carve up Turkey (no pun here).

There is no equivalent leader in our country that quite matches what he did for Turkey. He was more like a Washington, Jefferson, Eisenhower, and Kennedy all rolled into one.

He brought sweeping reforms including replacing the Sultantate with a secular based government of which he was the first president.

We visited his grave site and memorial at Anitkabar outside of the capital city of Ankara. It is an impressive site, and in a very respectful way is a wonderful tribute to the man so important to all Turks. Here are a few photos at the site:

More Istanbul

The "Blue" Mosque - Nicknamed for the cool hues of the tiles that decorate its interior, the Blue Mosque was Sultan Ahmet I’s 17th-century answer to Hagia Sophia. It is amazing inside:

Officially named for its patron, but nicknamed for the cool hues of the tiles that decorate its interior, the Blue Mosque was Sultan Ahmet I’s 17th-century answer to Hagia Sophia.

old town park:

1500 year old Mosiac in the Hagia Sofia:

Look at the detail:

Istanbul - Between two continents

Hi all,            September 21, 2015

Been so busy arriving and touring haven't had a chance to write. Just left Istanbul and arrived in Ankara.  

Istanbul - the name conjures up many thoughts of intrigue, the past, from Europe to the Orient. I stayed in the old city with some incredible historic Mosques and sites covering three empires of time. The Roman, the Byzantium, and the Ottoman empires. Spanning some 2500 years in time, it's so hard to comprehend these long terms of history judging from our North American history stretching only 400 years since Columbus.

Istanbul is the only city that was the capital of both a Christian and Islamic empire.

Istanbul lies on the Marmara sea with the Bosphorus Straits connecting the Black Sea with the Mediterranean. If you cross the Straits you can literally be in two continents on the same day - Europe and Asia.

One of the most amazing structures I visited in Istanbul was the Hagia Sofia. Following a couple of destroyed versions earlier, the structure you see today was built in 537 AD by emperor Justinian. At the time it was the largest man made structure in the world except for the Wall of China! The dome alone could house the entire Notre Dame Cathedral. Originally a church in the Byzantine period it was converted in to a Mosque when the Ottoman Turks took it over in1453. Today it is a museum. It certainly deserves its World Heritage Site status. See for yourself:

I'll be back to Istanbul at the end of the trip, now on to the Cappadocia region in central Turkey.

Off to Turkey

Hi Friends and Family!

I'm off again to see another part of this amazing world. This year it’s Turkey. In this trip I’ll travel through some small towns and villages in the western part of Turkey. I won’t get anywhere near eastern Turkey and the border with Syria – it's a little "hot" there right now ! 

I plan to visit traditional Turkish villages, the underground cities of Cappadocia, the beautiful seaside city of Kas, the Greek/Roman city of Ephesis, a home stay and a trip on a boat along the Mediterranean coast.

The Greeks and Romans knew it as Asia Minor. The ancient peoples who preceded them called it Anatolia. Turkey is the place of empires - Greek, Roman, Byzantium and the Ottoman empires.  The remains of Greek and Roman civilization seems to be everywhere in Turkey. It has long been the most exciting and inviting cultural detour from Europe.  As a member of NATO and a western ally, this is a good time to visit Turkey.

There is so much to see, so I’ll try to just hit some highlights on this trip.

I'll try to post to this blog including some pictures and videos every couple of days. Check back and travel with me!  Past weekly postings can be found in the "archives" here on the blog along with some postings from my prior trips.

We’ll see you on the road!! If you can drop me a line, I'd love to hear from you. You can email me at: email2bill@cox.net

Bill

Indian Food and Goodbye to India

25 October 2014

I flew back to Delhi from Varanasi. After the flight our CEO (chief experience officer) invited us all to his house for dinner. That is th kind of incredible guide he has been. He and his brother treated us to a home cooked Indian meal.

This trip to India was so much more than I expected, it was an incredible trip filled with experiences that dug into the heart of what India is. It was only possible through this great G-Adventures tour, our fantastic CEO Jai Shukla, and the amazing fellow travelers who all made it so fun.

I thought I'd end with some pictures of Indian food that I enjoyed on the trip, looks like I'll be visiting some Indian restaurants soon. :)

Indian Chai Tea on the Street

I really never liked chai tea until experiencing it in India. Marsala chai tea is tea with added spices, not hot spices but many flavorful spices like green and black cardmon, black peppercorn, clove and cinnamon... And of course milk. 

Having tea on the city streets is a social event, the place to discuss politics and local gossip. On the way back from the boat trip in Varanasi, our guide Jai ordered up some Marsala chai from the street vendor. It is served in the traditional little clay pots as it has been for hundreds of years. The pots are then tossed out, not reused. With the advent of plastics, the clay pot makers are unfortunately losing their jobs, but alas environmental concerns are bringing the clay pots back :)

Cottage Industry in the Alley Homes of Varanasi

Our guide Jai led us through the alleys of the city of Varanasi to get a glimpse of inner city life. He pointed out how the Hindu and Muslim people mixed and got along well despite their deep religious differences. The children welcomed this band of strangers in their backyard, they welcomed pictures and wanted pictures of us. They would laugh loudly when we showed the their images in the pictures we took. We observed an alley cricket game and the happiness and joy of their life in these narrow alleys. 

As we walked Jai said "listen" ... By every opening to a home you could hear machinery running - these were motor driven looms cranking out beautiful designs in silk fabric. Bed spreads, shawls, women's saris were all being made here in various colors and shapes. In a typical home you could see a motorcycle pulled back in the back and hear the hum of a spinning loom. I could tell by looking at the machinery that most were very old, made in the early 1900's

This is the real inner city Indian life

Amazing Varanasi

Varanasi is one of the worlds oldest continually inhabited cities. It is regarded as one of Hinduisms holy cities. Traveling through the city on the main city streets it's obvious why it is considered one of the most colorful, chaotic and downright craziest cities in India. But it also has a deeply spiritual side to it. Here the most intimate rituals in life and death occur. Right on the Ganges river, the Ganges is more than just a river to the Hindu Indians, it is like a goddess, it has brought life to the people, and food by bringing rich soil for agriculture to the Ganges river basin. Varanasi is the place where you like to have your children born and where family members are cremated after death.

The group took an evening boat ride along the riverfront and viewed a prayer ceremony that occurs daily on the "ghats" or steps where Varanasi city meets the river bank. Thousands were there taking part in the prayer ceremony and the mystical sounds of bells and drums could be heard from our vantage point out in the river. 

We also witnessed preparations for cremation ceremonies, where many large wood pyramid fires were burning in preparation for receiving the dead loved ones bodies. This occurs here as death always does - around the clock. 

These are magical memories of India I will not forget.

I was very lucky to be in Varanasi on the main day of one of India's biggest festivals - Diwali. Diwali is like a combination of our Christmas and the Fourth of July. Indians clean their homes, paint the outside their houses in bright colors, exchange gifts, and most of all decorate everything with lights to lead Lord Rama home from exile. Diwali is known as the Festival of Lights.

Indian Cooking Class - Curry and more

Today I attended an incredible Indian cooking class, yep ME! Such regular Indian dishes as Marsala Chai Tea, Aloo Palak (spinach potato), Eggplant Curry, Cabbage and Tomato Curry, and Dal (lentil) Fry.

The class was presented by Rajni, an amazing cook who admitted proudly that she learned how to cook from her mother. Rajni was assisted by two other women, cooked right in front of us while she spoke out the ingredients and we copied on note paper provided. 

We were then treated to the cooked product as our lunch, the best meal yet in India. Home cooked meals are always better than the restaurant version. 

Another amazing Indian experience

The People of India - 5

I just can't stop snapping pictures of these intriguing and beautiful Indian people:

Khajuraho - Ancient Indian Temple

20 October 2014

Today our group took a day trip to the ancient temple complex of Khajuraho. Khajuraho was built in the  9th century AD by the Chandela Rajput kings. They are of the Nagara style of Hindu temple architecture. It was nicei to see a true Hindu temple after so many Mughal (Islamic) temples and mosques. That is because many of the Hindu temples were destroyed during the Mughal rule.  Khajuraho survived because it was overgrown in the jungle for 300 years hidden away until "discovered" by an English explorer in the mid 1800's

Only 22 temples are left from the original 85. The temples are in remarkable condition because of them being relatively hidden from vandalism for so many years. They have incredibly detailed carvings of people and geometric objects all over the sides of the temples. Besides depicting people in daily life and in battle, Khajuraho temples are known for their carved characters illustrating erotic sexual poses. Kama Sutra and Tantra poses are prevalent here. It's interesting that displaying sexual art forms were acceptable then, yet today 1000 years later, it is a controversial issue!!

People of India - 4