Kusadasi, pronounced "Koo-sha-da-see," is known as the Las Vegas of Turkey. We arrived here on a ferry boat from Rhodes, Greece. Tangent----> One expense you don't always account for is entrance and export taxes to leave and enter different countries. We payed a per person exit fee from Greece and an entrance fee for Turkey...and we needed a visa to get into Turkey. So at the port we were able to purchase these for 25 euros per person....times that by 2 people = 50 euros for the Vetetos...yikes! Even though it is cheaper to travel with more people when sharing taxis (spelled "taksi" in Turkey), etc......it sort of blows your mind when you are paying for not one but 2 people out of the same pocket for things such as this.
We finally arrive and get our 4 person condo...for 5 people and realize quickly that it isn't even equipped for 4 let alone 5. So we get an extra bed and shove it in the only usable space available and go to sleep. The next morning we get a few things sorted out and end up staying in the same location and took a taxi into town. The resort we are staying in with Gramma's RCI exchange is this huge all inclusive resort. It is amazing! Jan refers to it as a " cruise boat on land".......and she is right. It was filled with people and it is an off season and it was full. Families from all around the world were there. This place even has its own water park and marina. It is huge and basically on a peninsula off the coast of Turkey...what am I saying...it is the peninsula! Haha
So while in town we have lunch at this quaint water front taverna where we enjoyed a beautiful lunch! We picked up a few groceries and headed back to the condo to make bruschetta with fresh tomatoes. Yum! Great night of walking around watching the sunset and enjoying the beautiful and luxurious location.
The next day we woke early because Adam and I made reservations for a 2 hour traditional Turkish bath and massage. I have never in my life had a massage and I was a bit nervous. We started at 8:30 am and it was a full 2 hours of full on pampering....I LOVED it! We started with the sauna then transferred to a steam room to prep our skin. We were then led into the traditional Turkish bath in a room of marble. They had us lay on either side of a marble slab while they (the masseuse) provided the bath by splashing water on us as we lay there and then did a peeling ritual where they use basically a pumice glove to vigorously peel the top layers of skin off. Are you thinking "ouch"......that's about right at the beginning, but you eventually get use to it. Note: I had a male masseuse and Adam had a female.
Following the full body peeling we had a full body clay mask where they rub and massage clay all over your body and you sit there until it starts to harden and does its magic! Haha.....at one point we were laying there with just covers over our important parts covered in clay and all I could think of was that at any moment I would become the sacrifice. It was certainly a new experience laying on a marble slab covered in clay. After the clay mask we were given a soap massage where they take this beautifully smelling soap and cover you in bubbles and then use the soap for a full body massage.
Following the Turkish bath and massage we were guided into a quiet room with relaxing music for a face mask. I loved the face mask and my skin was incredibly smooth when we washed it off. Lastly, we were guided into this beautifully prepared and romantic room for our couple aromatherapy massage. The gentlemen that provided my massage throughout the entire 2 hours sure got his work out. I've never had a massage before, but it felt and sounded like it was a workout for him. We exited the room barely able to walk as each part of our body was so relaxed. We also looked like we had just came from a crazy night because our hair had also been massaged in the process of the face massage .....just imagine what our hair looked like mangled and rubbed with oil. I was embarrassed to be seen in public, not to mention I felt like I had just woken from a coma.
We arrived back to the condo, still in a relaxed coma to find that we were all moving to a new condo room. So we quickly packed, had lunch at the marina and moved into the new 2 bedroom condo without any additional charge. Adam and I then went snorkeling for the afternoon in the very cool Mediterranean water and saw some really cool fish. We enjoyed a lovely buffet dinner at the condo restaurant with mesikan (Mexican) style food and free drinks to seal off a wonderful day.
Our 3rd full day in Turkey we hired a taxi for the full day to take us to the House of the Virgin Mary, the archeological site of Ephesus, and the wine town of Sirince. The House of the Virgin Mary is basically a shrine to commemorate the Virgin Mary. The location is supposedly where she travelled with John following the death and resurrection of Christ. It was a lovely location and a small shrine where people from all around the world bring notes and prayers and tie them to the wall outside.
We then went to Ephesus. It was enormous and probably the most extensive site we've seen. It was full of tourists, but we were still able to feel the life of the ruins. The cobbled streets were beautiful alongside the emaculate theater(s) and library. The library itself was a site to see....standing in front of it was as if it was just me and it and all the history it held. It was as if it told me the history of the growth of the city, the lives that were lived, and about its eventual destruction. I teared up as I stood there and looked up at its magnificent size, elaborate architecture, and incredible history. A moment I will never forget!
We then stopped by a traditional Turkish delight factory and had the full court press to buy something....we got samples..yum! We then made it to the small village of Sirince. This village has wonderful history and is now well know for its local production of wine. We had lunch at a lovely home run restaurant and enjoyed stuffed vine leaves and a fresh salad. We then had a wine tasting of a few of their sweet, fruit wines. I bought the black mulberry wine which is basically a sweet dessert red. We will have it for dessert with chocolate! After the tasting we walked through the town and went through their local shops, met local people, and enjoyed the atmosphere of the town.
On our return from Sirince, the taxi driver had an agenda to take us to a rug distributor.......like the Turkish delight factory and the leather factory. He kept saying something to the effect off " good product, guarantee.........etc.". I think this gentleman might be getting a comission or some sort of incentive for bringing tourists to these shops. Great way to do business I guess. Side note: while on our way to Sirince the taxi driver stops in the middle of the road and buys a watermelon and then proceeds to drive and drop it off at his house on our way out of town.........only in Europe is it ok to do a personal errand while on the job! Haha...I love Europe!
So we ended up at this fair trade rug shop whether we wanted to or not, went inside and had a lovely, lovely time. They greeted us like kings and queens, showed us the process, and served us tea and coffee. This is an organization where they are focused on training a new generation of the art of rug making and focused on giving the majority of the profit to the artist. So we also find out that to get silk you actually have to pick the caterpillars after they make their cocoon and before they exit to keep the silk strand. To do this they basically take these live caterpillars in the silk cocoons and drop them into boiling water and murder them and take their silk. Somehow as a vegetarian and vegan......we felt really bad about this. Anyway.....they continue by showing us the differnt types of looms and styles of rugs......all very interesting and certainly art. They even showed us a huge silk on silk rug worth $100,000! What? It was beautiful but all I could think of was ......how many poor caterpillars had to be boiled alive to make this. The answer was too many! We managed to make it out of the shop with only one cotton on wool rug (bought by Gramma) and finally made it back to the resort after multiple attempts by the taxi driver to take us to another rug or leather shop...."good price, guarantee."
Day 4 we stayed in.....slept in and enjoyed the day of swimming, sun bathing, and taking advantage of the multiple amenities the resort had to offer. That night after a good workout run up and down the hills of the resort we dressed up, enjoyed the sunset and had dinner at the lovely restaurant. We spent the night listening to live music and enjoying free drinks from the sunset bar. What a great night!
It was a beautiful resort and the amenities were delightful, but we are ready to see more of Turkey. After a beautiful run around the complex and a delightful breakfast we polled in a taxi and made it to Pamukkale. Our next adventure awaits!
Interesting note: we read all about the Turkish hospitality and that these people are world renowned for their hospitality......it is totally true! The Turkish people go out of their way to be kind and it is endearing. We are falling in love with this country and it's people.
Blessings,
Adam & Kristin Noel
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