Hi,
I recently took my mother travelling around Turkey. She is 70, reasonably fit but often complaining of joint pains and limping. I wanted a trip which was doable but a touch 'adventurous' - otherwise she might as well join a tour. The itinerary I chose was Malatya (south-eastern Anatolia), Kapadokya, Istanbul. I was rather familiar with all these places already.
The trip was a thorough success and everything went perfectly well. Limping and pains disappeared the moment we landed. This is my report - all the practical details are at the end.
We started in Malatya (flying via Istanbul) where we arrived quite late in the evening. I was a bit nervous because the Havaş (airport shuttle) bus left us in a part of town which was nearly deserted and pitch-dark, and we had to cross the (closed) bazaar to get to the hotel, dragging the luggage. But there was no problem and the hotel was in a great location, very central, just in front of the Yeni Camii (my mother claims she woke up at dawn because of the call to prayer. I didn't notice it). Malatya is a thriving city of about half a million people, centre of a large agricultural district, and the world capital of apricots. It has pleasant streets, squares and fountains, a large bazaar with a section devoted to metal work (you can see all the craftsman working there), plenty of wonderful-looking fruit and vegetables, and apricots literally everywhere. Tourism is definitely not an industry there, although the tourist office is helpful and well organised. People are friendly and very welcoming (not much English spoken - one has to make do largely with hand-signs). We were greeted in the street by a woman from Moldova who seemed to be living there and who recognised us as foreigners. In nearby Battalgazi, we were asked if we were “Magyar” (which I suppose means Hungarians). Malatya is a traditional place, where many aspects of life are quite old-fashioned.
I have a nice story to tell here. I have known a Malatya family for ten years. The father is a successful entrepreneur involved in many businesses. He is a personality in the Malatya world and clearly enjoys it. He has been married more than 30 years to a woman chosen by his mother, whom he met the first time on his wedding day (“a wonderful woman”, he says about her, his “best friend”). She was 17, he was 24. Their eldest son works in one of the family companies, after studies in Istanbul and some banking work in other parts of Turkey. He is about 30 and going to marry soon – to a young woman chosen by his mother, whom he met two months ago. Last week the two met in the evening for the first time, when his family invited us for dinner, and the girl was invited, too (stiletto heels). Neither of the two has ever been abroad. Now they are looking for an apartment where they will move after the wedding (which will feature more than 1000 guests).
Both father and son speak fluent English, use the internet and certainly are people of the world, the father with his ever-expanding businesses and the son with his literary interests and his blog; they combine modern and traditional aspects of life in a seamless way.
Having been invited, we decided to bring flowers. We needed two bunches, for two different branches of the family (we had invitations from both). So we investigated all the flower shops in town, which had either half-dead plants or rather horrid creations of artificial flowers. In the end we found a shop which had some decent-looking real flowers. The chap there greeted us in English and asked if we wanted a bouquet. Having braced myself for some complicated interaction, I was very relieved by this promising start. We managed to get a rather garish bunch of flowers made, complete with colour paper and ribbons, and asked for a second, similar one. It turned out that the guy’s English was limited to greetings and the word “bouquet” – and my Turkish is even less than that. So in the end we had to pay the first bunch, get out of the shop, get in again and ask for a “bouquet”. It worked.
One afternoon we took a local bus to the village of Battalgazi, where Old Malatya (Eski Malatya) is. Walking to the old mosque, we passed an elementary school. The courtyard was full of children in blue uniforms. They immediately spotted us and in no time we were surrounded by at least fifty children all chirping “hello, how are you” and “hello what is you name? My name is …”. So I started counting in English, and we made a large and loud choir of “one, two, three..” all the way to twenty (then I started in Turkish, but had to mumble my way after number 5). It was very funny. By the time we were back to the main square, the place was swarming with pupils of different ages (up to high school), all in neat uniforms (so much more stylish than pupils in Western European state schools). We were the star attraction of the day for all of them.
Nemrut Dağı:
From Malatya we went up Mt Nemrut with a tour minibus, organised by the Güneş Hotel. Besides the two of us, there were 10 other people (a very large number, I thought): six women from Taiwan, three Japanese and a Turkish young man. The tour takes place when there are a sufficient number of people, so I think we had been ‘accumulated’ over a few days. The drive (about 90 km) is fantastically scenic and the mountain landscape fascinating. This tour is worth even for the drive alone. At this time of the year, the road was not in the best conditions – patches of frozen snow here and there, lots of large stones fallen from the slopes. We stopped at a tiny inn for lunch, then continued to the hotel which is almost at the top of the mountain. The Güneş Hotel, although quite large, is more of a mountain hut (e.g. electricity from a generator, no heating, ice-cold water, etc). It was very cold. Despite the 'hardship', not a word of complaint from my mother, who was smiling all the time. At dawn we went to the top again. The wind was so strong that it was difficult even to stand, but the day was very clear and the view wonderful.
Kapadokya:
A bus took us from Malatya to Göreme. Coming from traditional, hard-working, no-nonsense Malatya, Göreme is a bit of a shock. It is geared uniquely to tourism. One would think that local people sleep in hotels, eat in restaurants and do nothing all day but shop for souvenirs and sip drinks in cafés with blasting Arab-like music. The municipality seems to have given up on running services, apart from a rather cursory garbage collection. There seem to be no local public transport, no useful maps, no clear signs for the various walks around the village. Even if all this existed, you couldn’t find it out, as there is no independent information office. Of course the innumerable travel agencies are happy to offer all these services to their customers.
All this does not dent the beauty of Kapadokya, with its magical landscape, frescoed cave churches and underground cities. We splurged on a hot air balloon trip, which was not only great fun but also a good way to see a lot. We saw all the various technical preparations - when they unpack the balloon, inflate it, prepare the basket which carries the passengers, etc - and then took off (again, 5 am and bloody cold, but mamma didn't seem to register this). We flew over valleys, caves and fairy chimneys. It was really a great fun. They even organised a party afterwards, with cakes and champagne served in real glasses on a table (with table-cloth) decorated with fresh flowers, in the middle of a field, where we had landed!
Later we also visited the Open Air Museum in Göreme, which has spectacular frescoed churches and monasteries, all dug into the rock. You don’t need a tour to do this, the place is well organized, the path is easy and there are explicatory signs. We also joined a one-day tour which brought us to more fairy chimneys, an underground city (Kaymakli) and a pleasant walk. This walk went over rather uneven terrain, and for my mother it was not so easy, but, again, she was walking happily with no complaints, only smiles. Included in this tour was a visit to a pottery factory in Avanos. I had told my mother not to buy anything, but of course she didn't listen and bought some stuff, which we later found identical on sale in Istanbul, only cheaper (so she bought more).
My mother knows Istanbul already, so we skipped the usual tourist sights. Instead we took the public ferry from Eminönü all the way up to Anadolu Kavağı at the mouth of the Black Sea. It was the first time that I did this and I liked it immensely. The Bosphorous is truly wonderful. In Anadolu Kavağı, on top of the hill, there is a Byzantine/Genoese fortress. The climb to reach it was a bit steep and long, but the views made it worth.
We came back home loaded with souvenirs: a beautiful Nayin carpet; 5 m of cotton fabric from Malatya, with which my mother wants to make a tablecloth (yes, cotton fabric is sold also back home); apricots, honey, etc; pottery (bowls, plates); wool and silk scarves; coffee; various trinkets, and I myself bought several Chinese-made paper bags for my old Philips vacuum cleaner, which cannot be found here.
Practical details
- Domestic transport. Flights: Turkish Airlines from Istanbul to Malatya (approx EUR 70 per person) and from Nevşehir to Istanbul (approx EUR 45 per person). A discount applies to senior travellers. Tickets bought on the internet on www.thy.com . Bus company: from Malatya to Nevşehir: I was told the best company is Zafer (zaferturizm.com.tr). I can confirm the service was impeccable. Malatya- Nevşehir YTL 25 per person, departure 12:30 pm from the MAŞTİ otogar. You can check destinations, timetable and prices on their web site under “Seferler”, even if you don’t speak the language.
- Money: many prices are quoted in Euro. Plenty of ATMs everywhere, larger businesses accept credit cards.
- Phone: any of the zillion mobile phone shops all over the place can sell you a Turkish SIM card, which will cease working in about a week or two if your phone is not officially registered. The registration procedure itself apparently takes longer than that. I brought a Netgear Skype phone and used it whenever I managed to access a wireless internet connection. Otherwise of course you can buy a (fixed)-phone card and use it at the public phones, which are plenty.
Malatya
Airport to city: Havaş bus, YTL 7 per person
Tourist Office: in the Town Hall building, where the İnönü statue is. English spoken. They are very helpful and provide maps and explain where to get buses, etc. Email: malatyakt@gmail.com
Hotel: Malatya Büyük Hotel
Yeni Cami Karşısı No:1
Malatya
Phone :+90 (422) 321 14 00
Fax :+90 (422) 321 53 67
malatyabuyukotel@mynet.com
Price YTL 60 double room with breakfast (price posted at the reception: YTL 75)
Booked through the Tourist Office.
Far from being a luxury hotel, it has an unbeatable location, staff are friendly, there is plenty of hot water and even free wireless internet (ask the reception for the code).
Nemrut Dağı: A tour departs daily (if there is enough demand) from the city centre at 12 o’clock, back the next day at 10 am. Ask the tourist office in the town hall, or ask around in the tea garden right behind it. The tour costs YTL 80 per person, including transport, dinner, overnight stay in the Güneş Hotel, breakfast, both sunset and sunrise at the top of the mountain. A flashlight can be useful, as the hotel runs on a generator and it’s pitch-dark when the generator is turned off. Warm clothing and good shoes necessary.
Battalgazi – Eski Malatya (Old Malatya): local bus, about 20 minutes each way.
Carpets: a marvellous store is Dinçarslan Kilim, a wholesale business for carpet-sellers in Istanbul and around the world. They also cater to private customers, if any shows up at the shop – but in a totally hassle-free way, as no-one there pushes you to buy: they will show you their wares if you’re interested, but that’s about it. Antique and new carpets from Turkey, Iran (Persia), Central Asia, etc. Their silk marvels are definitely worth seeing. Fixed prices clearly marked on each carpet, and much lower than in Istanbul.
Address: Pak Kazanc Is HaniNo:52 - 44100 Malatya
Tel : +90 422 3239378
Fax: +90 422 3245490
www.kilimmalatya.com
Restaurant: Şelale Esenlik is an excellent one and also cheap (recommended by local people). It is next to the museum, in a pleasant park full of fountains at the end of Kanal Boyu (that’s the street with a canal running in the middle, full of restaurants and cafés).
Ice-cream: MADO in Kanal Boyu, tel 0422-323 23 46 (again, recommended by locals). I found their ice-cream really good, and I am an expert in this topic. It’s different from the Italian one, more solid and a bit glue-like.
Another branch is Çarşi MADU, İnönü Cad. Temelli Pasaji No:10 (that’s the main street), tel 0422-323 71 48
http://www.mado.com.tr/
Tea, coffee and pastry shop: on the corner of the Yeni Camii square with the main street (that is, west of the mosque). It may or may not be called “Serhent Simit Sarayı”, İzzetiye Mahallesi Temelli Pasajı 1. Delicious snacks, light and clean premises and fast service.
Honey and various apricots products: a good shop is Hasanbey, Atatürk Caddesi 30/B, but there are hundreds of them all over town.
Kapadokya (Göreme)
Hotel: Sultan Cave Suites Hotel
Phone: +90 384 2712687
Fax: +90 384 2712699
www. sultancavesuites.com
info@sultancavesuites.com
Located in Aydinli Hill of Göreme, just 10 minutes walk from the bus station (free pick-up service from the local otogar; YTL 15 from the Nevşehir otogar). Free wireless internet.
Travel agency which manages this and other hotels, and organises tours:
Turkish Heritage Travel
Aydinli Mahallesi, Yavuz Sok. No:1 50180 Göreme, Nevşehir.
Phone: +90 384 271 2687
Fax: +90 384 271 2699
info@goreme.com
Comment: our stay was organised by Ms Serap Ağa (serap@goreme.com). She is extremely helpful and hospitable, and very prompt in answering enquiries. I got a lot of help from her in organising things for my mother. I recommend her agency warmly.
Transport from Göreme to Nevşehir airport: provided by Turkish Heritage Travel at YTL 20 per person. Nevşehir is very close to Göreme, but the airport is actually quite far, about 45 minutes’ drive.
Kapadokya day tour covering an underground city (again, a flashlight can be useful here) and several sites, with a pleasant walk at the end (organized by Turkish Heritage Travel): from approx 9.30 am to 6 pm, YTL 60 per person including lunch.
Open Air Museum: YTL 10 per person, easily covered in an afternoon and without any organised tour.
Hot Air Balloon ride: with Kapadokya Balloons (www.kapadokyaballoons.com), again organised through Turkish Heritage Travel. Great fun, really a remarkable experience. They even organise a little party afterwards, with cakes and champagne served in real glasses on a table (with table-cloth) decorated with fresh flowers. Bring warm clothing.
Restaurants: A’laturca, quite upmarket, good food and local wine.
Simple but very good dinner (and very cheap): Firini Express. I loved it.
Istanbul
Airport to city: Havaş shuttle bus, YTL 9 per person, info on www.havas.net/en/otobus_istanbul_ahl.asp
Hotel: Grand Hotel de Londres / Buyuk Londra Oteli
Mesrutiyet Caddesi. No: 117 80050 Beyoğlu Istanbul
Tel: (90) 212 2450670 / (90) 212 2931619 / (90) 212 2931620 / (90) 212 2491025
Fax: (90) 212 2450671
www.londrahotel.net
londra@londrahotel.net
EUR 80 per night, twin room B&B – 10% discount if you pay cash (their web site says 5%, but we got 10%).
Great location, plenty of Victorian charm and very nice rooftop terrace. Free wireless internet.
Airport bus (Havaş) stop Tepebaşı, the hotel is just a few metres away.
They also organise a city-to-airport transfer at YTL 35 (per trip, not per person).
The nearby Hotel Santa Pera (www.hotelsantapera.com) probably offers more recent facilities, but far less charm, at the same price. Another excellent but more pricey choice is the Richmond, directly on İstiklal Caddesi. Once I found a great deal for this hotel on the web site www.otel.com .
Bosphorous excursion: departures at 10.35 and 1.30 pm (and maybe more) from Eminönü. Return ticket YTL 12.5 per person. The last ferry back to Eminönü leaves Anadolu Kavağı at 5 pm.
Light lunch: very tasty and fresh fish sandwich at Eminönü, from the boats anchored there, YTL 4.
All manners of silk and wool scarves and ties: İpek, İstiklal Caddesi No 120 / 7 - 8, Beyoğlu. Property of the Calvo family (members of the small Jewish community of Istanbul).
Marvellous coffee roastery: Kurukahveci Mehmet Efendi (www.mehmetefendi.com), always packed with customers buying bags of freshly roasted coffee, impeccable and fantastically efficient service. Just off the right-hand exit (coming from the sea side; that is, the west end) of the Spice Bazaar.
For an evening splurge: head to 360, a bar/restaurant/club in a large glass box on top of a building in İstiklal Caddesi (www.360istanbul.com). The views are unrivalled. The food is good and well presented, and everybody is beautiful (they will accept you even in case you aren’t).
