Gocek to Istanbul
Trip Start
May 17, 2006
1
15
16
Trip End
Jun 01, 2006
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Istanbul,
Turkey
Wednesday, May 31, 2006
Gocek to Istanbul
The crew has had quite a night, and I am grateful that I brought my own alarm clock. It rings at 6:30am. It is the time when the captain has promised to come through the yacht knocking on cabin doors. He is out cold on the settee in the main saloon, so I do wake-up duty. After several attempts I manage to rouse the cook so that we can have breakfast before disembarking. I later learn that the captain only returned to the yacht a couple of hours before, at 4am. Ah, the seafaring life! A seaman must make the most of limited time in every port!
Slowly the vessel stirs to life. We eat breakfast and then say our farewells to the crew, straggling down the gangplank at 8am. A dockworker has been hired to push the majority of our luggage the length of the dock in a large cart. It is heavy going! Crossing another property on the way to our bus, one of the cart's wheels slips off the pavement into some dirt and manages to dump several bags. I am grateful it didn't happen on the dock or we might be diving for luggage!
The trip to the airport is quick and effortless, and we arrive about two hours before our domestic flight is scheduled to take off. Better early than late, I always say! We take off our luggage, I tip the driver and we proceed through security, which is set up at the entrance door to the terminal. After everyone has gone through the security screening, we look for our check-in counter, only to realize that the entire terminal is closed.
01 Hookers
To our dismay, we learn that the driver has dropped us at the international terminal instead of the domestic terminal!We drag our luggage back outside, and gauge the distance to the domestic terminal. It is judged to be too much for people to walk with their heavy bags, so our guide phones the driver and he returns to the scene in about 15 minutes so that we can reload all our luggage and drive around to the proper (domestic) terminal. As I said before, better early than late!
The flight to Istanbul is about 1.5 hours, and features a meal service (which you would never get aboard a domestic flight in the States). I am amazed continuously at the beauty and variety of the terrain beneath us, and how much of the country is surrounded by water. Our hotel transfer is uneventful, and our rooms are all ready for check-in even though it is just 1pm. The guys disburse for various individual and small group shopping and sightseeing missions. I join a small group for a hike in search of a restaurant that will serve hamburgers. All queries are met with blank stares and cries of "kabab" so we finally settle on a nice-looking restaurant. Most of the guys order spaghetti. I opt for fresh fruit and yogurt with cucumber, and am delighted when it arrives.
We depart the hotel at 6:30pm for our farewell dinner. It is in a lovely restaurant, Sarnic, created in one of the old cisterns near the St. Sophia church. Classical music is playing, and everyone is delighted with the vast, candle-lit setting.
Upon arrival I announce that I am providing wine for the dinner, and then I look at the wine menu and nearly have a heart attack. The cheapest bottle is about US$50! I blanch and beat a hasty retreat on my previous offer, knowing that the tour profits will not support a huge bill for wine.
There is creative use of artichoke for both the first and second courses, the first being seasonal vegetables in olive oil (the broad bottom of an artichoke is one of the vegetables), and the second being a vegetable crepe with cheese sauce mounted on the next layer of the artichoke. The salad is served with the main course of chicken "Topkapi" which is nicely curried, together with more vegetables. The potatoes are particularly delicious.
Following the desert course of baked rice pudding with vanilla ice cream, I make our presentation of gratuity to our guide and thank the group for everything they have done to make the tour a wonderful success. As soon as I am finished, we enjoy our tea and coffee to the musical accompaniment of a flautist and a harpist. It is an excellent conclusion to a fantastic tour!
