7. Turkey,

Istanbul, Turkey

Aqua Club Dolphin,
by Leila Taleghani

20080704

            Since we were not driving straight through Istanbul, and had some extra time, we decided to go to a water park.  This aqua park, or water park, is definitely not as big as the ones I’ve been to in LA. The few slides they had were great, and the pools were huge. There were six slides open, and I went on all of them. The first one I went on, was, well, it was the one with the shortest line. At first, it was enclosed, and then when you entered the open again, you went straight down.  It might seem fast or scary when looking at it, but it was actually quite relaxing.

            The second slide I went on was a bumpy one. Kind of like a super slide with a lot more bumps. When I got to the bottom, the place where you get deposited into the pool, I slid off the mat I was on.  I had to jump back on the slide to get it. The third was an open one you needed an inner tube to go on. My dad and I took a double tube and went on it. The weight of both of us combined comes out to about 340 lbs. Enough to feel like you’re going to flip over the top. At the end of that slide, when we got dumped into the pool, the sudden slowing caused my dad to flip into the water, while I was still sitting in the inner tube stretched back, and totally comfortable.

            The next slide we tried was one similar to the third, but enclosed. (And it was painted red, while the first was blue.) This one required screaming. It was not that scary or fast, but it was one of those slides you just have to scream on.  Right after being in pitch black on this one, you suddenly enter thin, rainbow skylights. Then it goes back to being black.

            You know those things that you put a coin into and it spins around and around until it drops into a hole? Well, we went on a human version of that. Except our feet got all banged up.

            This next one was definitely my favorite.  I went on it twice.  You should know that this one is shaped like a “V.”  You go down on side, and up the other, then down, up, down, up, and you eventually stop.  The first time worked out perfectly. I was standing in line, watching the people go down.  Except that the top was so steep I couldn’t see the drop. Finally, it was my turn. The lifeguard put my inner tube down, and I sat in it. Then he pushed, and I was off. I had watched the people’s faces, and they all looked relaxed and comfortable. But my eyes were wide, and my mouth was open. I sped down the four-story drop, and went right back up on the other side. Just like I had seen everyone else do, I waved my feet when I reached the top of the other side. Then I was headed back down. I let my face relax, and I knew that the fastest, scariest, (and best) part was over. I went up and down a little, and eventually slowed and went down into the pool. I got out. It was fun. The end. Well, not really. I did it again. But this time…

            Things did not work out so perfectly this time. I started and went straight down like the first time. But I didn’t go up and down slowly as much as I should have. Not at max. speed, but pretty close, I rammed into a hard cushion, twisting my head. (I’m fine now.) Then, at the middle of the “V,” the place where the water starts to slow down, I stopped. I scraped my feet against the slide, trying to move, but I was stuck. I bounced a little in the tube, but nothing happened. Finally, I reached my hand over, and pushed off. That did it. I slid down, and was dumped into the pool.

            Kambiz did not have luck on his side. After my first time on the “V” shaped slide, I waited for him to come down, but he still didn’t come after two people had come down. Then I saw him coming down the stairs.

            “What happened?” I asked.

            “The lifeguard looked at me, and pointed to his arms, saying, ‘problem.’ I pointed at my stomach, and asked ‘problem?’ He nodded. Apparently, I am too heavy to go on the slide,” Kambiz answered laughing.

            We went on a few more slides after that, but then we had to go.

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Saffron Bolu

By Kambiz Taleghani 

20080706

We left Istanbul around noon.  

Our destination today:  Town of Saffron Bolu, 200 km north of Ankara, the Capital.  More on Saffron Bolu later, below.

Since Istanbul was a major 3-day replenishing stop for us,  it took us about 3 hours to load all our stuff in and on the car.

Just out of Istanbul, the Air Conditioning stopped working – again!

We headed East towards Ankara on a toll road.    Excellent highways until we passed north of Ankara, then intermittent 2-lane highways became the norm.     Wooded hills and mountains almost all the way.     Nice road stops on the way.   Clean facilities.    Petrol Stations accept Visa and Mastercard.    Most rest stops have separate prayer rooms for men and women.  Very interesting.  They are called masjids.   Larger rest areas have parking, picnic, restaurant, fuel, mini-market, gift shops, etc.

Arrived Saffron Bolu before in early evening.

Old town.    On the Silk route.  Main product:  Saffron.    Turkey produces about 15 Kg of Saffron here every year.  At $9/gram, that is under $180,000 annual Saffron sales.  Rich merchants built large well-appointed houses in 19^th century.    UNESCO World Heritage Site.   Maintained in the original state.   Most old houses have been equipped with modern trappings and serve as hotels.   Very limited motorized traffic allowed.     Narrow streets.    Small mini-bazaars. 

This was one tour one does not need a guide.  Just walk around by yourself and experience life as it might have been in 19^th century Ottoman Turkish village.

A number of tourist buses had parked outside the periphery of the village, and were leaving as we arrived.

Nice mosque, Turkish Bath (still working), bazaar, etc.    Perfect for overnight stay.   We checked in to an old and well-preserved merchant’s house.   This was converted to a 4-star hotel.   

The hotel had a houz.   This is an indoor pool that actually cools the house as the breeze passes over the water.   Cushions and round brass tables around.  The ever-present Samovar for tea, waterpipe for those who smoked, and assortment of sweets and fruits abound.

Dry warm weather.   Took a walk through the town.  Really pleasant.   Narrow streets (circa 1700’s-1800’s).  Compact bazaar.  Everything preserved as of two centuries ago.   A few donkeys and many cats!

With the sunset and the slight breeze came the fragrance of the recently-watered plants, roses, and jasmines.    Oh… the jasmine in the air!   Those of you who have lived in dry warm climates know what we experienced that evening.    Evening dinner was at the garden restaurant of the hotel.   What a treat!   It was a dream.   Natural cabanas, covered with grape vines.  Fruit trees everywhere.  Well-maintained and trimmed gardens.  Water fountain in the houz.  

Leila was enjoying the company of multiple cats who had detected a tender heart and a giving hand!    Oh yes… and the soft Turkish music from unseen corners of the garden.     To top that off… it was totally unexpected pleasant surprise of an overnight stop, thanks to Adriana’s good sense of finding the right place as we go.    Thank you Adriana. Thank you UNESCO!  Thank you Turkey!

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