Don't Let the Bed Bugs Bite

We left Istanbul to drive to Cannakale early in the morning. We left to catch a ferry when Mr. B our guide said there might be an issue. It was very windy that morning from a storm on the Bosphorous and all of the ports we had passed so far were closed. We were told there was one last port to check and if it was closed we would have to stay the night on the bus. We were in luck! The port was open but the line to board the ferry was long and getting longer every minute. We got in line but had to wait through two ferries before we got onto one. It was so windy on top of the ferry it was not very fun to be out in. Once we crossed it was only a minute or two drive to our hotel. The hotel was a cute small place. They even put out Turkish Delight for us in our rooms.

Cannakale was a small city but also a college town so it was full of cafes and small little bars. We walked down the shore to see the wooden horse from the movie Troy and then around the town until we were hungry. We stopped at a smaller place where they gave us an upstairs seating area that was filled with their classic books. We got a really delicious macaroni meal and had the beer Efes which is the name of Ephesus the town we were going to in a few days.

The next morning we woke up and boarded the bus with all of our bags to drive to Troy and then onto an even smaller town to stay in for the night. Troy was pretty unreal to see. Of course with our luck the wooden was under construction at the time but the rest of the city was neat to see. There were layers and layers of parts of the city that had evolved over time. After boarding the bus we headed onto our next stop.

We arrived in Cappadocia late at night just in time to eat dinner and explore around the hotel. A group of us signed up to go on a sunrise hot air balloon ride over the rock formations but it was cancelled in the morning due to bad weather. The dinner that night was delicious at the hotel. After dinner we all went our separate ways to do homework, work out, and some swam.

We also had to deal with our first issue of one of our group members that had picked up bed bugs at a previous hotel. He had been so itchy from all of the bites that he could no longer get sleep at night. We all pooled our money and began a bed bug fund so that if anyone got them they could get their things washed and try and get rid of the issue. We also looked up facts together and briefed everyone on how to check for bed bugs in the future.

Early the next day after waking up at five A.M. To find out the hot air balloon ride was cancelled we set off to see the underground city. When we arrived at the city they explained that people with asthma and heart problems should not enter the city. I thought the warning was one of those disclaimers they put on everything but as we entered the door and began descending down the steep narrow stairways. The underground cities were used in the 1st and 2nd centuries A.D. The people had carved out 12 stories of rooms and spaces including kitchens, stables, churches, meeting halls, and bedrooms under ground. The stairs continued winding down into smaller and smaller rooms while getting narrower. They have only excavated 8 of the 12 floors but that was far enough for me. I started feeling my heart rate increase while crouching through the hallways. It was pretty terrifying for a minute until we reached taller spaces and began heading back up. I am so happy I saw the city and braved the small spaces.

The next stop was the churches carved into the rock. The churches were small but were decoratively painted and very impressive. We got to walk around and take some fun pictures in the area before heading to see the castle used in the 6th century. We climbed up to the top of the rock and could see all of Cappadocia before heading out to explore on our own to sketch.

Not knowing we would be climbing around on the rocks, I wore shoes that had very little tread. We ended up climbing through holes in the rocks and taking photos. I took a few pictures of my friends in a small carved out cave before deciding to head down after them with the warning to watch out for the hole around the corner from the one I was entering. As I neared the hole my feet began to slide and I knew I was a goner. I slide down and jumped to the ground in the cave when I began to slip down again into the hole next to the one I began to fall through. Terrified not knowing how far down the hole was since we were on a cliff I closed my eyes until my feet hit the ground four feet down. I was so shaken up but all in one piece and only minor scrapes. I began calling for help to get me out of the hole. It took people a few minutes to find me but Jake came to the rescue and helped me out. Phew!

Our last outdoor stop was called the three beauties which was a rock formation and steep cliff that a few of us decided to climb down and see what was at the bottom before climbing back up to take some more photos.

The last stop of the day was a pottery factory where they gave a demonstration of how the pottery was traditionally thrown and then chose one person from the group to try the technique. Hana was chosen out of our group. Haha She made it clear that the ancient technique was much harder than they made it look.

At the end of the day we had a great dinner and prepared for an early morning of driving back 10 hours to Istanbul where we would head to the airport. The drive was very long but I got a lot of sleep and in the stops at the gas stations we got to see even more of the traditional Islamic culture.

The gas station was full of people and men wearing green hats which we found out were the hats worn by the men making their pilgrimage to Mecca. It was prayer time and the bathrooms were filled with women washing their hands and feet in the sinks before praying which was crazy to see. As we left we saw the bus of men in green hats pulling out as all of the people stood in the parking lot waving goodbye to their loved ones.

We finally arrived in Istanbul around six where we boarded our flight to the U.A.E.!