Eat, Sleep, Play - Turkey
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Welcome to the gateway to the East! Turkey is famous for its hospitality, but beware the fine print (ie: that tea might cost you a half hour listening to why you need to buy a rug). Still, the country is geared to backpackers like few others, transportation is great, the smell of grilled meat floats in the air, and the locals are always ready with a smile. Here are my (very limited) stops along the way.
EAT
Istanbul
Tarihi Sultanahmet Koftecisi - It looks like an institution. Buzzing, always busy eatery with few items on the menu, but few items done well. Kofte (mince kebabs) are the speciality, the price is right. Opposite the tram stop. Divanyolu Caddesi 12. T: 0212 513.7475
Donors - They’re everywhere. In Sultahmet, prices are high for the throngs of tourists, so even a basic donor will cost you $4. Up the road along the tram line, watch the price drop to half that.
Selcuk
Amazon - Alison’s new restaurant slays with the Amazon Special Surprise. Don’t ask what it is, just do yourself a favour and order it. A candlelit table on a warm breezy night under huge palm trees in views of the ruins of one of the seven wonders of the world. Around the corner from the bus station. Ataturk Mah.A.Kallinger Cad 22. T: 0232 892.3879 . And get some peaches!
Koyecegiz
Pide - OK, you’re tired of donors but want cheap. Damn cheap. Turkish pizzas are the ticket. Pides are tasty, generous, and even better than the real thing. I ate at Istanbul Pide, which is opposite Penguin Pide, supplemented with some Doritos and some Tabasco, of course. In town, can’t miss it on the main street.
Fethiye
Megri Restaurant - This sprawling spot seems to occupy half the open square of Fethiye’s tourist distict. Great mezes, not too expensive. Just follow the tourists through the market and look for Megri, its everywhere.
Gorome
It’s a small village so if you’re looking for these places, you won’t have much trouble finding them.
Silk Road Cafe - The Turkish staples (donors etc) but done well and done cheap. T: 271.2633
Firin Expres - Cheap, yummy pides! T: 271.2745
SOS Restaurant - The best place I ate at. Their set meal cost 7 bucks, and their tasty tomato soup plus clay oven stew was the highlight of my Turkish cuisine experience. Yeni Evler Mah No.4. T:271.2872
Ankara
I enjoyed some serious home-cooking for a few days before trying any of the gazillions of kebap shops. The best one was Kebap 49 in the cool Kavakliderie neighbourhood. Lots of cool little coffeehouses to sit around and play backgammon.
Amasra
It’s a really small town, although a little confusing to find your way around at first. I had the best pides in the whole country at Amasra Sofrasi, and loved the home-cooking and roasted chicken at Karadesler Kokanlasi. Amasra is famous for its seafood and enormous salads. There are number of fish (balik) restaurants, and they all do it well although not cheap.
SLEEP
Istanbul
Bahaus Hostel - Well run, funky, friendly, and yes Nezo, you do come close with the 36 points of a perfect hostel. Great terrace, character staff, clean, free internet, minutes from all the sites, deserves its high rating on the hostel sites. Akbiyik Caddesi Bayramfirini 11, Sultanahmet T: (90212) 638 9167
Antique - Alternatively, if you’re looking for something quieter, the Antique is the next block up and will do nicely. Hilmi is enthusiastically friendly, its clean and central, and has an internet cafe. The dorm rooms are small without lockers, and beware the other Antique Hotel in the area. Private rooms are perfect for couples. Kutlugun Sokak 51, Sultanahment. T: (90212) 638.1637.
Selcuk
Kiwi Pension - The best night’s sleep in months, a cool, dark and quiet room with new mattresses, and ex-Kiwi Alison has all the tips for the top. Huge points for the spring water swimming pool in the mandarin orchard. Chilled out, friendly accomms to see the ruins of Efesses. Ataturk Mah.A.Kallinger Cad 22. T: 0232 892.4892.
Koyecegiz
Tango Pension - Koyecegiz turned out to be a gorgeous stop, with a funky, friendly hostel and an unforgettable day (and booze cruise) on the lake. Tango has it going on - the hammocks, the tunes, the bar, the comforts, and with the Fez Bus depositing travellers every two days, you’ll meet some friends quick. Free bikes, doubles, triples, dorms, great activities, friendly staff. T:0232 262.2501
Fethiye
Ideal Pension - I don’t often put places down without reason, and the Ideal wasn’t that bad, it just wasn’t that great for the price, and I hate making reservations and showing up the next day and they don’t know what you’re talking about and try rip you off. Plus being locked out at night and having to wake up an old man to open the door isn’t Turkish hospitality’s finest moment. The bed was lumpy and hard (if that’s possible) and the reputation wasn’t good around town. But Fethiye seems to have few other budget options. Still, be weary of this one when its pitched to you.
Gorome
The Flintstones - Neat cave rooms with clean, modern bathrooms! A five minute walk from town, but Flintstones has a pool and picks up serious traveller traffic. Email flintstonescave@hotmail.com. T: (354) 271.2555.
Ankara
Good luck finding budget accommodation in Ankara. There are few capital cities offering ZERO hostels, and the cheap hotels in Urus are in a particularly skanky area you just don’t want to be. Hotels in decent areas start at about 50 bucks a night for a single, but negotiate and you can get that down. I spent a night at the Ozilhan Otel (T: 417.5066) in the lively student area of Bakanlikar, which was nice but not cheap. Hey, we’re not all politicians or businessmen Ankara, so give us a break!
Amasra
Tourist info was closed, so I started walking and Belvu Palas appeared just under the walls of the old castle. They didn’t speak much English, but were really friendly and offered me a simple, but clean and comfy room with a lovely view. After walking around for a few days, I decided it was really the best place I could have stayed on my budget. Even the booming live Turkish music from the restaurant across the street didn’t bug me. Be warned though, it might bug you.
PLAY
Istanbul
The Sites - The Mosques (Suleyman, Blue, New), Topkayi Palace (way expensive, so find out if its really worth the 40 Lire it’s gonna cost you to see everything) , the Hagia Sofia, the Bazaars. Best deal is a 1 Lire return ferry up the Bosphorus.
Koyecegiz
Booze Cruise - Stop whining, if you’re at Tango and a decent enough crowd is going, pay the 20 Lire and get your ass on the night cruise. It’s fun, it’s cheap, and you ain’t nobody unless you’ve skinny dipped in the fresh waters of a huge lake under the stars with drunk strangers. The Day Cruise is stunning, seeing what you missed in the daylight, albeit without the booze and the appetite for destruction.
Fethiye
Deep Blue Bar - Next door to the Car Cemetary, both bars are cool but Deep Blue is smaller and had music somehow stolen from my iPod. Great tunes, the staff were friendly, beers reasonable, nice place for a game of tavla.
Hector’s Tandem Paragliding - Lots of paragliding companies offering you the jump in Olu Deniz. Hector prides himself on not driving his instructors like cattle, which means less jumps per day, but happier instructors. From 4 to 94, hey, go for it, but watch those spins if you’re prone to motion sickness! T: (252) 617.0512
Gorome
Gortur - Lots of options to choose from, but I liked these guys because they didn’t seem to hustle me, they offered mint tea for a sore throat, and they were honest, unlike the guy at Hitchhikers (who lied and threatened me about nine times before I managed to walk out of there). They’re also cheap, but be aware they don’t carry full insurance, for that you can expect to pay double the price. You won’t need it, but don’t sue me if you do. Right next to the bus terminal. T: (384) 219.2680
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