Tuesday--Istanbul to Kusadasi via Izmir

Tuesday--January 25--Istanbul to Kusadasi via Izmir

It’s raining it’s pouring the old man is snoring.  Good day to be leaving.  When I get up I check the weather and see it’s 4 degrees Celsius.  I’m not sure what that is in Fahrenheit but know it’s colder than what I’m used to.

I feel lots better and am glad to be moving on.  Last night after midnight I was woken by voices in the hotel--it sounded like it was coming from outside my door but I’m sure it was down in the lobby.  This place is small and sound travels up, but these people were so loud.  I called downstairs and asked if they could quiet down as I was trying to sleep.  It was after midnight so I didn’t think it was such an outrageous request.

I turn the tv on, to what last night was an English station, only to see Martha Stewart but hear her dubbed into Turkish.  This is hilarious to me for some reason.  After Martha, Gossip Girls comes on also dubbed.  I think this is so funny.

I shower, I squeeze the suitcase, I think you have the drill by now.  

I get all three items in the elevator and go to the lobby.  I eat some breakfast then take a few photos of “the boys” in the lobby.  They take one of me.

The Boys of 10 Suites
This has been a good place to stay.  I’m only sorry I got sick and couldn’t visit all the places I wanted to in Istanbul.  

I hope I can get back here some day.

Koray is ready to drive me to the airport it’s 9:30 and my flight is 11:30.

It takes about 1/2 hour to get to the airport.  By the time we arrive the rain has stopped.  

When I first enter the airport I must go through security. I put all three bags and my fanny pack through the machine.  The woman asks if I have a knife in the backpack and I say “no”.  She is not happy with my answer and takes everything out of the backpack, puts the backpack back through the machine and then makes me put everything back in.  REALLY.

I continued to the check in counter and was able to get an aisle seat, check the suitcase and carry on the backpack and electronics bag.  With my boarding pass and passport I walk to another security check point.  This time I didn’t have to undo my backpack.  Maybe they sent the film from the first security check point here.

I board the flight and am extremely surprised to see that I’m getting onto a large jet with three seats on each side of the aisle.  I don’t know I guess I was expecting a small plane.  How wrong I was.  Anyway, the flight attendants and pilot spoke both in Turkish and English for all information.  That was nice.

For this short 50 minute flight I was offered a drink and either a piece of cake or a sandwich.  Am I in a dream?  I just paid $40.00 for this flight, it’s less than an hour and they are giving me food.

I’m enjoying every minute of it.  It’s a bit of a slow landing as we have to navigate through the heavy clouds but I can finally see the ground and feel better.  Once we land I collect my suitcase and start to walk outside.  I’m a bit skeptical about this bus but ask a man and he walks me over to the bus that says “Kusadasi/Selcuk” on it.  I get on.  

I’m trying to use my GSM phone to contact this woman, Ayca who says she is going to have me picked up but the phone won’t work.   I email Ferit on my Blackberry and the next thing I know the bus driver is asking, “is Miss Nancy on the bus?”

I say, “ yes, me” and he tells the person on the phone I’m on the bus.  This is a good thing.  I can hardly believe how easy this has been.  What a pleasure.

The bus ride is a bit over an hour and I sit by the window taking a few photos along the way.  I'm surprised at how green it is here.  I hadn't anticipated this, it's so different from Istanbul.  








The cloud formations are fabulous.  About 15 minutes into the ride the rain starts to come down.  

I arrive in Kusadasi and am greeted by another driver in a van who takes me to the Palm Hotel.  I should have listened to my instincts.  This hotel is beyond tired and sad.  Nothing is open and no one is here.  The worst part is the smell of smoke.  Even though the sign says No Smoking,  I can smell smoke.

I leave my bags and since the rain has stopped for a minute decide to take a walk into the town.  The hotel is on a side street 50 meters up from what is the main street along the water.  I figure I can walk along the water and see what’s in the town.

I find several restaurants, other hotels, including the Hotel Antic (and wonder why I didn’t decide to stay here) on the main street.  Not many people are out because it has been raining and also because it’s off season.  I can see that in the spring and summer this could be a happening place.  There is a long pier for the boats to dock.  In the summer you can take a ferry every day from here to some Greek Islands.  Also Cruise ships stop here nearly every day in the season.  It’s only 30 minutes to Ephesus, the biggest tourist attraction for this area.  I continue walking and don’t really find too much.  I decide I want something to eat and that the best place was one back closer to the hotel.  I turn around and guess what, it has started to rain.  I stop at this restaurant and order a latte and a piece of lemon cheesecake.  It is delicious.  The waitress is very nice and asks me if I like the cake.  I sit for a while until the rain stops and walk back to my hotel.  I’ll be writing on Trip Advisor not to stay at this hotel.  Even in season I can’t imagine staying here.

I go back to my room and can’t stand the smoky smell.  I go downstairs and ask the receptionist if there is a “no smoking” room.  She says it is a “no smoking” room and no one is smoking.  Anyway she moves my room 4 rooms down the same hall.  What am I going to do.  I don’t want to make too much of a fuss.  I get my computer and go down to the lobby to write.

I was expecting the woman, Ayca, who made these Kusadasi arrangements to come to the hotel at 6:00 to talk with me about going to Greece.  At 6:00 the receptionist says there is a phone call for me.  I pick up the phone and it’s Ayca saying she is too busy to come and that we will talk after the tour tomorrow.  She also tells me that I will not be going to Ephesus as planned, but rather to Pamukkale the next day.  

“Why?”, I ask her.

She tells me that the weather is poor and that it will be better for me to go to Ephesus on Thursday.  I don’t understand this at all and feel I’m not getting the whole story, but again, what can I do.  I also ask her if there are other people going on the tour.  She says, yes, four others who will continue to Cappadocia after Pamukkale and I will be the only one coming back to Kusadasi.

I hang up more frustrated that another day will go by without a plan on how to get to Greece. 

My hotel room included breakfast and dinner.  When I checked in the woman told me that dinner started at 7:00 p.m.  A little after 7:00 I walk down to the restaurant.  More depressing than the room was the food.  They offered a buffet of things I can’t even tell you what they were.  I was a bit afraid to eat anything as nothing looked fresh.   I was rather surprised but what could I do.  I took a few cucumbers, a piece of bread, and some rice.  Pretty bleek.

I went back to my room wrote and got ready for bed.   I was being picked up at 8:30 a.m.