BootsnAll Travel Community

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I love rice pudding and could eat it for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Ask for sütlaç (Pronounced badly as "Suit-latch")

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Ask for sütlaç (Pronounced badly as "Suit-latch")

Oh, I definitely will - thanks! Speaking of languages, I'd like to pick up a small phrase book before I go that I can take with me - any recs?

I'm still trying to decide where to go - I've made a list of the places I'd like to see, and have more than 30 at this point. I need to start narrowing things down. I was going to spend a week in Instanbul in the beginning, but now think I will narrow it down to 3-4 days so that I can see more of the rest of the country.

I will probably go to Ephesus and hope that it's not too crowded - but I feel like I should go there. I will also definitely go to Cappadocia. But now I'm trying to decide if I should concentrate on those 2 areas alone; or swing south along the Mediterranean as I travel from one to the other; or after Cappadocia, head east and visit places like (Sanli)Urfa and Harran. And of course, the area up north around the Black Sea looks very inviting as well (sigh).

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I would love to be talked out of "cutting it out"

Consider this your opportunity to get talked out of it.

There's is no reason to avoid Turkey. Much of the country is very European, and there's no difference in the danger level, either from health or terrorism, than, say, Spain. Both are not 100% safe, but the likelihood of hitting both the wrong place and the wrong time are sufficiently low as to be negligible. And everyone will love your child.

I don't know what the vehicle borders are like, but we crossed between Turkey and Greece twice - first to Greece by ferry without so much as a question - just a quick stamp of the passport at both ends, and then back into Turkey by train with only a cursory "anything to declare?" It wasn't super quick, but the hassle level in both directions was close to zero.

On the other hand, with an unvaccinated child, I'd be very wary of a trip to Egypt, which you've also mentioned. Few visitors there escape without at least a bout of the Pharaoh's Curse (traveller's diarhea), which I've read can be more dangerous to children than adults, as they become more easily dehydrated, and who knows what more serious illnesses we may have missed thanks to our wide range of vaccinations.

When I visited Turkey I wanted to stay in places for longer periods of time to get to know them...I was in Selcuk (Ephesus) for 5 days and I was bored for 4 of them. I suppose if you take a day trip to Pammukkale that would make it extended but I definately urge you to go along the coast. Avoid Marmaris but a lot of the small villages like Kas and the hostel area Olympos were great experiences and beautiful awe inspiring landscapes.

Thanks 2wanderers and Chumphre,

It is always good to get feedback from people who have BTDT. I am still planning to go to Turkey, I will just have to see how it unfolds.

Travellers diarhea should not be affected by vaccines at all and in fact non vaccinated children tend to have much better immune systems than vaccinated ones ( one of the reasons we have chosen this path). These days babies just get so many vaxes before thier not-fully-formed immune systems are ready to handle it all.

My child actually has natural immunity ( which is the best kind) to many things because she was a self weaned child ( very late) and I had most everything in the 50's before they made up so many vaccines. But that is a whole other story. I am still doing reseach on what and if to vaccinate for on our entire trip but blood titres showing immunity in non vaxxed kids are pretty amazing and I hope to do that at some point with her.

We all tend to be extremely healthy and so far she has not gotten sick at all. Some people warned us not to drink the water past Paris, but we have not had any problem. I do worry more tho in places like Turkey, Morocco and Egypyt and I have been sooo warned about India with kids that I think we will skip it. I hate to miss the Pyramids in Egypt,so we would probably make that a very quick fly in and out, partly because of the disease issue. One does have to be more cautious with kids and mine is an ectomorph so not a lot of cushion.

We do not have to stay anywhere for any length of time, but we never seem to get bored. That is one of the good things about have a bubbly 6yo on board ( homeschooling too as we go), there is never time to get bored. We can adapt to quick moves if needed, but we just tend to like to park a bit in one place and get to know the locals and fellow campers and location in greater depth.A kid also needs time to just play and I need time to blog and research as I go.

What was boring about Selcuk (Ephesus) ?

Ah sorry I didn't explain that well I was travelling alone (female) and was there in the middle of May and there was quite literally no other travellers in the hostel I stayed at right in town. I stayed at Jimmy's Place. Nice people who run it but I only met and hung out with 3 other couples passing through the first 2 days. It was low season so not very entertaining after seeing a number of the sights and walking around the town a bunch of times already. Having a child would make a big difference though. You'll have each other to explore everything with. I guess in the end I said the wrong thing to you now that I think about it. I was told about a small interesting village nearby that is fun to walk around and there's the small resort town about 30 mins away on the coast to visit as well. I didn't go because of the weather, no one to go with, and my own personal anxiety because it was the first couple weeks of me being alone. So on that note I suppose YOU could probably find plenty to entertain yourselves within five days there hehe

Thanks chumphre, that helps and makes lots of sense.

i drank the water in turkey for a couple months and had no problem. of course, bottled is still pretty cheap if you're worried.

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Originally posted by chumphre:
It was low season so not very entertaining after seeing a number of the sights and walking around the town a bunch of times already.

I was told about a small interesting village nearby that is fun to walk around and there's the small resort town about 30 mins away on the coast to visit as well.

The nearby town was probably Sirince. It is a cute town but is still very touristy. It is worth a visit if you are getting bored of Selcuk. There are buses that go all the time and it's cheap.

It was also too cold when I went to visit the coast as well.

I thought Selcuk was boring too. It's a nice town to wander around once, but I think you would be very bored if you were there for 5 days.

If I could do it again, I would have spent just one night there to see Ephesus, the temple of Artemis, and St. John the Apostle's basilica. Depending on how much of a "ruins buff" you are, you could do that all in one day.

Selcuk does have its limits, after you've done the obligatory turns around town and seen the (magnificent) ruins. We hired a car for a day and went to Sardis (ancient Lydia), about a 3 hour drive. Some wonderfully restored ruins there--it was the seat of power for the prosperous kingdom of Lydia--prosperous because that is where currency was invented. The Lydian ruler Croesus was so wealthy that we still have the saying 'as rich as Croesus' to this day. Sardis is also mentioned in Julius Caesar as where Caesar and company decamped for a time.

Have a super time on your journey.

I'm definitely going to have to bone up on Biblical history before I go. I was excited to read that (former) Antioch is in Turkey, as is Tarses and several other places mentioned in the Bible.

We are looking to travel in Turkey in late June. Is it difficult to get rooms at this time? There are 4 of us and I know this can be hassle some times.

Also, any recommendations on a gulet for 3-4 days? We have two teenage boys who would love to do some snorkeling.

It is never a problem getting rooms in Turkey. My recommendations on a gulet is to do it there, in person, rather than through any agency in advance. There are a plethora of gulets available for hire. As a family, you will have one all to yourself.

It would definately be helpful to call ahead 3 days to book. If you choose a place and they don't have rooms they are usually very good about helping you find other accomodations. Most of the places I visited ALL around the west coast had at LEAST a handful of small 'travel agency' type shops close to the bus drop offs so you can easily talk to them and they'll know who to call around.

I would highly recommend a gulet cruise!!!! Was one of the best times I had in turkey! It is not like sailing its VERY care free and the food is very healthy and satisfying. We went swimming and they had snorkels and we did line fishing off the end of the boat a number of times and the cook cooked up the fish for us for dinner! Was very good! From the people I saw on other boats as well as ours, they are comfortable with any age of passenger from young to old! Enjoy!

Where do you all think the best place to pick up a gulet cruise is? Istanbul and then head down the coast?

typically they sell them in Olympos/(other town right beside Olympos whose name I forget), and in Fethiye. The 4 day cruises typically go between these two places (though technically there's about an hour or two of bus ride transfer from Olympos to another departure point).

I have heard that there are longer cruises that go or start further North, and that there are cruises that do a circle, but we weren't able to find out much information on these. They weren't nearly as readily available when we were in the area.

We have heard from several sources that V-Go is not a good provider. We ended up with Olympos Yachts (after originally booking with Big Backpackers, who didn't have enough people to make a go, so they struck us a deal with Olympos). It was a great time, great food, great hosts, everything worked out well. I think a lot depends on the other guests, but I think there's generally a good mix of people. On our boat we had a 40-something couple acting like they were on honeymoon; a 30-something professional couple from Australia, and a handful of very young hot babe-type gals from N. Am, Oz, and Venezuela. And us (mid-20's professional types, not so much into sunbathing and booze).

Try to barter if you can, especially during shoulder/low season. We got an awesome deal, well below the average marked price of I think 99 GBP.

Here is the Olympos Yacthing website, gives an idea of tours they offer and prices. I still think it's better to book on the spot, but the online prices aren't as unreasonable as I initally thought (when I clicked the English flag on the main page, it took me to the Charter page, which took me a bit to figure out that the pricing is for the whole boat, not per person - the link above is directly to the cruises, not the charters.)

As for hotels/hostels, we were there in shoulder season, and high season by the time we got to Istanbul, and never had any trouble with showing up and getting a room. Granted, this past year was particularly slow for Turkish tourism up until about mid-July, so I don't know if this is the norm. It may also depend on the type of accomodation you are looking for. I think even calling earlier the same day would be sufficient - we did this in a number of countries and it worked well. The thing about just showing up is that you can inspect the place first if you so choose. Or you can walk around the town and pick ones that look nicer, or are in a place that you like (ie, off the noisy main street - something we definitely learned to do on this trip). This is harder to do if you book ahead. but then again, booking ahead may have the advantage of getting you a complimentary pick up from the bus station.

Ok, so I don't have the answer. We did all of the above in various places. I think we booked ahead more in high season, and getting into Europe, as it was starting to get more crowded.

Thanks, Kathy - I think I'll probably go with the flow, then, and wait till I get there. The only thing I was planning on booking ahead is my first couple of nights in Istanbul. The whole time I'm there will be shoulder season so I don't anticipate too much trouble. And hopefully I'm there late enough in the shoulder season (1st 2 wks of May) so that there are plenty of choices. I was in Greece in early April once and found a lot of stuff closed or unavailable, esp. public transportation. It was frustrating sometimes.

Once I get my second state bar exam out of the way (Tuesday! And then NO MORE TESTS ever!), I'll really have some time to start playing around with travel preparations. Can't wait!

Don't go with V-Go!

This is what my fellow passengers and I chanted as we left our V-Go sponsored gulet cruise after 5 days of mishaps. The boat was in horrible shape, broke down, and disgusting. We ended up in a confrontation with the owner when he refused to give us any compensation for sitting in a dock for 2 days.

(BUT I chuckle as I write this because, this gulet cruise ended up being one of my best travel memories. We made great friends with everyone on board, including the crew. I wouldnt change a thing, even the "boat poisoning" we experienced for a week after the cruise.)

Bringing this great thread up again as I am in a bit of a small panic as I have only one more day until we take off and not sure how much more research I will be able to do once on the road ( depends on internet availability and time).


So I just sent an email to Olympic charters that was recommended, but I am concerned about the sun and thurs timing. If all goes well ( like no ferrys die in route which has happed to us already in Greece) we could make it to Turkey this Sunday, but I would still need to take a bus to Fethiye and I am not sure when the gulag cruises take off. Help!

My other concern after reading Justines take is all the over night busses that I have planned...but I DO like to get a good night sleep if at all possible so am rethinking this.My 6yo can sleep anywhere at night, but her old parents can not keep up with her the next day if we do not get decent sleep.

What is the best, least painful way to get to Goerem from Olympos area?

I am re-thinking maybe we will try that train from Ankara to Istanbul ( bus from Goreme to Ankara) with sleeper berth as Justine suggests. Is this possible ?( she talks about the other way).

Ok Mardee needed a sweater, but do we? ( Trying to pack extremely light with just one small backpack each).

We are taking some valuables with us, will we be able to keep at least one back with us on the busses comfortably?

Will I be able to just book rooms as I go ( or ahead to the next place) at this time of year? I am hoping to book Istanbul from Cappadocia ( partly because I will not know for sure unti then when I will actually be there as we have a pretty open plan based on how we feel at a given moment). Will that work at this time of year for a small place like the Apricot?

Mardee..why didn't you stay at Apricot? Just curious.

I am gimpy due to old knee injury and with excess weight and 55, this is sometimes a challenge ( hubby and daughter are in super shape and can outwalk and probably outrun anyone for most any length),so now I am worrying how that will impact me on the gulag or too much walking. I CAN swim good ( yea for something ) and jumping off the side looks fun, but not sure I can do this. Could I gently climb down some sturdy ladder?

You are probably all sleeping, but I will check back later. Thanks again!!

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So I just sent an email to Olympic charters that was recommended, but I am concerned about the sun and thurs timing. If all goes well ( like no ferrys die in route which has happed to us already in Greece) we could make it to Turkey this Sunday, but I would still need to take a bus to Fethiye and I am not sure when the gulag cruises take off. Help!

Don't worry about the Sunday/Thursday thing - there are plenty of boats leaving every day. Hopefully, you'll get a response to your email. I think I wrote that in my blog before I got there and didn't realize just how many options there were for the gulet cruises.

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My other concern after reading Justines take is all the over night busses that I have planned...but I DO like to get a good night sleep if at all possible so am rethinking this.My 6yo can sleep anywhere at night, but her old parents can not keep up with her the next day if we do not get decent sleep.What is the best, least painful way to get to Goerem from Olympos area?

I felt the same way and have a very hard time sleeping on buses. I managed however, and didn't find it too terribly discomforting. You can get day buses, remember - there were buses that left Goreme at 8 am to go to Antalya, so you don't HAVE to take a night bus. I did because I didn't want to miss anything during the day. Also, there are more options at night. However, I do remember seeing day buses on that route. The only other real alternative would be to drive.

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I am re-thinking maybe we will try that train from Ankara to Istanbul ( bus from Goreme to Ankara) with sleeper berth as Justine suggests. Is this possible ?( she talks about the other way).

I took the sleeper from Istanbul to Ankara and loved it - the compartment has nice comfy berths and lots of privacy. There are toilets (both squat and regular) down the hall. I would highly suggest this way as it's not that much more expensive than a bus (I think it's around 38 Turkish lira). And yes, you can book sleepers in the opposite direction.

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Ok Mardee needed a sweater, but do we? ( Trying to pack extremely light with just one small backpack each).

Evenings get cool in Turkey especially on the water - I don't know what it will be like in June, but if you're planning on taking a gulet cruise, I would recommend bringing SOMETHING to cover up with. Even in mid-May I was very glad I had my cardigan.

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We are taking some valuables with us, will we be able to keep at least one back with us on the busses comfortably?

Yes, many buses have overhead bins - others have storage underneath for luggage, but you can bring your packs on with you and store them on the floor or in your lap.

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Will I be able to just book rooms as I go ( or ahead to the next place) at this time of year? I am hoping to book Istanbul from Cappadocia ( partly because I will not know for sure unti then when I will actually be there as we have a pretty open plan based on how we feel at a given moment). Will that work at this time of year for a small place like the Apricot?

If I were you, I would at least email the hotels and ask them what their availability is around that time. I had no problems booking at the last minute in May, but I don't know what June will be like - and if you want someplace specific in Istanbul, I would definitely book ahead.

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Mardee..why didn't you stay at Apricot? Just curious.

I thought about it, but sometimes I just get a bee in my bonnet and want to stay someplace different than what's been recommended. I've never heard anything bad about the Apricot (in fact, just the opposite) - I just decided to try someplace different. Actually, now that I think about it, I emailed the Apricot, the Hanedan and one or two other places about rates, and the Hanedan offered the best deal.