Part 2…Ten year ago as we headed to Izmir, Turkey to see the ancient city of Ephasus…Oh, the crowd!

Posted by worldwide-admin on June 13, 2023 with 0 Comment

We tried not to miss a photo op at the ruins. See the post here.

The main reason we dislike visiting popular tourist sites is the crowds. It is uncomfortable to squeeze through amongst the people and challenging to take photos when everyone is crowded around for the best possible shots.

No offense intended to other tourists. This is just us. We’ve enjoyed the freedom of doing exactly what we want to do over the past almost 11 years. Being in crowds is not one of them. However, over the years, we’ve visited many venues which wouldn’t have been safe for us to visit on our own, depending on the country and circumstances.

This piece was one of the most appealing, having survived for centuries.

When our ship was docked in Turkey, we received the following letter from the ship’s captain warning all passengers of demonstrations in various cities in Turkey occurring at the time of our arrival. Here is the letter from this post:

This letter was posted here on our bed the previous night that we returned from dinner.

Under these circumstances, we had no choice but to book the tour through the cruise line, resulting in traveling on a bus with 40 to 60 passengers. As it turned out, the bus stopped running in the middle of the desert, and we had to wait until someone came with another bus. Weird. We remember it well.

We also recall how after the tour of Ephesus, the bus took us to a leather factory/store; on the way back to the city, where we were unloaded and entered the building, herded like cattle, to a showroom where we had no choice but to watch a runway fashion show.

Good grief! We were all upset about being “forced” to attend the fashion show and then, afterward, herded, once again, through the actual store where the items we’d seen on the runway were on racks for sale. None of us purchased a thing. Besides, the pricing was no bargain.

We certainly appreciate and understand the need for vendors to make a living selling their wares. But, to include such an event where we were a captive audience was asking too much, especially after we paid dearly for the tour. After that, we asked the cruise line staff if any such events were included. Knowing ahead of time would allow passengers to decide if they want to participate in touring a venue on their own.

It was hard to believe how many people were there.

Undoubtedly, we were glad we had an opportunity to see Ephesus with many good photos, some of which are shown here today. For the balance of the photos, please click the ten-year-ago post here. This will be the last post about Ephesus.

Yes, these are toilets without much privacy!

Tomorrow, we’ll return with a new and highly relevant story with photos of a major change in Tom’s life that ultimately impacts me. Please check back to read that story.

As for tonight, we are going to dinner at the Mallory Country Club for dinner with cruise friends Nancy and Bill, whom we haven’t seen since our last cruise in April 2022. We went to dinner with them on the night before we tested positive for Omicron (and continued to suffer for months from the illness) on the second to last night on the cruise. We’re curious to ask them if they got Covid from us after sitting with us across the table that night.

We will also take photos tonight of our friends and the food. I feel bad that we didn’t take photos of Tracy and Nancy this past week when we met them for dinner at City Fire in Brownwood Paddock Square on Wednesday evening.

Tonight, we’ll drive the golf cart to meet them at their home, 23 minutes from here, and then follow them to the nearby country club for dinner. This way, we can return to our house to watch game five of the Stanley Cup (hockey) playoffs, which starts at 8:00 pm. Our team, the Las Vegas Golden Knights (three wins), plays the Florida Panthers (one win).

Once a team wins four games, the championship is over. and they receive the enormous silver trophy.

Be well.

Photo from ten years ago today, June 13, 2013:

The Ephesus crowd in Izmir, Turkey, was so dense at times that it was hard to walk. For more photos, please click here.

Is worldwide travel safe at this time?

Posted by worldwide-admin on November 24, 2015 with 0 Comment

Flowers blooming in the yard here in the Korovesi neighborhood, here in Savusavu.

After yesterday’s warnings from the US State Department, and today’s world news, we carefully consider where we’re traveling over the next few years. This travel warning was issued on November 24, 2015 includes the following:

“The State Department alerts U.S. citizens to possible risks of travel due to increased terrorist threats. Current information suggests that ISIL (aka Da’esh), al-Qa’ida, Boko Haram, and other terrorist groups continue to plan terrorist attacks in multiple regions. These attacks may employ a wide variety of tactics, using conventional and non-conventional weapons and targeting both official and private interests. This Travel Alert expires on February 24, 2016.

Authorities believe the likelihood of terror attacks will continue as members of ISIL/Da’esh return from Syria and Iraq. Additionally, there is a continuing threat from unaffiliated persons planning attacks inspired by major terrorist organizations but conducted on an individual basis. Extremists have targeted large sporting events, theatres, open markets, and aviation services. In the past year, there have been multiple attacks in France, Nigeria, Denmark, Turkey, and Mali. ISIL/Da’esh has claimed responsibility for the bombing of a Russian airliner in Egypt.

U.S. citizens should exercise vigilance when in public places or using transportation. Be aware of immediate surroundings and avoid large crowds or crowded places. Exercise particular caution during the holiday season and at holiday festivals or events. U.S. citizens should monitor media and local information sources and factor updated information into personal travel plans and activities. Persons with specific safety concerns should contact local law enforcement authorities who are responsible for the safety and security of all visitors to their host country. U.S. citizens should:

Follow the instructions of local authorities. Monitor media and local information sources and factor updated information into personal travel plans and activities.
Be prepared for additional security screening and unexpected disruptions.
Stay in touch with your family members and ensure they know how to reach you in the event of an emergency.
Register in our Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP).”

As we’ve mentioned in the past, we don’t take these warnings lightly. If we were simply on a two week vacation/holiday traveling to a less vulnerable location, it could be of less concerning. With the world in front of us, we can’t help but proceed with caution.

As we consider countries we visited a mere two years ago: Egypt, Jordan, Turkey, Kenya, the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden, UAE, we realize had conditions been as they are now, we may never have visited those countries or sailed along these seas.

Looking back, we’re grateful for the experiences, knowing the likelihood of us ever returning is slim to none. As we waited for six and a half hours at the airport in Istanbul, sitting in crowded areas, we couldn’t help but consider the risks may be high in such a busy area.

The night before our ship docked in Izmir Turkey on June 12th and 13th, 2013, we’d found this letter sitting on our bed upon returning to our cabin after dinner:

The letter we discovered on the bed in our cabin on June 11, 2013.

As we rode on the packed tour bus in Turkey on the long drive to visit the ruins of Ephesus in Turkey we couldn’t avoid feeling aware that the risks existed in this country, along with others in the upcoming itinerary.

The day after we visited the Pyramids in Egypt, the State Department issued a warning for American citizens traveling to Egypt. Luckily, during our tour of the Pyramid, our trusty armed guard, Mohamed, who’d traveled with us on the bus, stay close at our side as shown in this photo below:

Mohammed, who carried a foldable Uzi in holster under his black suit. Oddly, he took a liking to us and stayed close to us during our tour of the Pyramids.

By reading world news daily, we feel we’re abreast of areas of concern worldwide as we continue to book locations far into the future. Long ago we followed warnings from the US Department of State, realizing that no where on earth is exempt from risk.

It was only 15 months ago we spent two weeks living in Paris, often walking the city streets for hours each day. Parisian citizens and tourists are now wrought with worry and fear over recent horrific attacks.

We remain mindful and on alert as we continue on our journey, hoping and praying for safety and good fortune to continue to travel along with us.

___________________________________________

Photo from one year ago today, November 25, 2014:

One year ago today, we posted this photo of Spam options available at the Kihei, Maui grocery store where we shopped each week. For more details, please click here.

Istanbul, Turkey…Story and photos…

Posted by worldwide-admin on June 11, 2013 with 0 Comment

Mosques and churches are abundant in Istanbul.

What a view of Istanbul!

The contrast between old and new is breathtaking in Istanbul.

It was not an easy decision, deciding not to visit Istanbul, Turkey today. Tomorrow, while our ship will have docked in Izmir, Turkey we are going on an excursion to Ephesus, not returning until late in the day, posting the story and photos on Thursday.

As our ship overlooks this magnificent city, it is quite tempting, to simply walk off the ship and venture out on our own. From the information provided to us by the excursion desk, it’s about a 30 minutes vigorous walk through the city to arrive at the mosques, the Grand Bazaar, the Underground Cistern, and many other renowned historical sites of interest.

We were able to zoom in on many historic sites from the deck of the ship.

Taksim Square wherein lies the political unrest in Istanbul, Turkey, is across the bridge from the Blue Mosque. The far-left point of the blue line is the Port of Istanbul. The end point of the blue line toward the right is the Blue Mosque and an area of most of the tourist attractions, a little too close for comfort by our commitment to safety.

Staying behind is not based on fear as much as on practicality and logical thinking. Most likely, if we did go out, we’d be safe. The odds are in our favor.
Honestly, it’s more my being cautious than Tom.

Looming in my mind is all the bus bombings and terrorist attacks that have occurred whereby tourists have been killed, injured, and captured. In many ways, Turkey is safer than in many other countries. But, in our own US, who would have thought the Boston Marathon would be a high-risk area, on that particular horrifying day?

When we planned this year’s long adventure, we made a commitment to each other: we will protect ourselves from the “things we do know” since we have no control over “the things we don’t know.”

Today, Istanbul falls into the category of “things we do know.” Thus, we stay behind, perhaps viewed as overly cautious and “chicken” by some and sensible by others. Whichever the case, we’ve made peace with our decision.

Here again, old and new intertwined in Istanbul, Turkey.

We reminded ourselves that only four weeks ago, we traveled the Middle East, visiting many high-risk areas, reveling in the adventure of it all, grateful for the experience. We’re not pushing our luck to see yet more mosques, shopping areas and historical buildings, however magnificent they may be.

We find this French style of architecture not only in parts of the US, but in other cities throughout the world.

We remind ourselves of our personal travel objectives: to focus our time, money, and energy experiencing amazing wildlife, vegetation, natural wonders. And most of all, living in and learning the culture of people all over the world. This makes us happy. Historical buildings? Nice to see, but not as life-changing for us as it may be for others.

This simple church spire adds to the Istanbul skyline.

The Panama Canal, Petra, and Mykonos tell us a story that fills our hearts and minds with awe and joy. Wearing the burka and thobe in Abu Dhabi visiting the Sheikh Zayed Mosque gave us a gift of cultural differences that will remain with us forever.

Mingling with the Mayan people, eating their food from their shops and markets in Belize was so meaningful to us. Tom getting a haircut from a Creole barber while sitting under a tree on a plastic chair atop cement blocks was a delightful experience for us both.

Also, on our trip to the Monkey River in Belize, seeing the howler monkeys, the manatees, crocodiles, dolphins, the unusual birds and vegetation, the likes of which we’d never seen before, left us reeling with pure pleasure. And, the lunch at Alice’s Restaurant will be etched in our minds forever, as Alice and her family ran circles around us to serve us their perfect version of local lunch.

Who’s to say what “trips one’s trigger?” Luckily, both of us have similar expectations. Five days from today, we’ll plant our feet in Italy for the summer, living for two and half months in a non-English speaking area, learning their ways of daily life, eating their locally grown foods, attending their summer festivities, enjoying their rolling hillside all the while and making friends along the way.

The Port of Istanbul, where we sit today, a 20-minute walk from the unrest in Taksim Square.

Yes, we are doing what we want, when we want, what feels safe to us while enriching our lives daily to the world around us. It’s not perfect. It never will be. But for us, this, our friends, is as good as it gets.

Sea day…On our way to Mykonos Greece, arriving in the morning…

Posted by worldwide-admin on June 9, 2013 with 0 Comment

No photos today due to poor Internet connection on a sea day with many passengers on the ship using WiFi.

On our prior seven cruises since 1/3/2013, our captains were rather chatty, announcing destinations, weather condition, points of interest plus generally anything at all that may peak the curiosity of the passengers and crew. Not so much here on the Norwegian Spirit.

He’d hardly said “boo” until today when we attended a “Latitudes” members only, cocktail party at 1:00 pm for the 419 passengers on board who have attained a certain number of points starting at Bronze, then to Silver, Gold and ultimately to Platinum.

Currently, we are Silver members, but when this cruise ends, we’ll be Gold members, allowing certain privileges, none of which are relevant to us at this point, other than the 15 minutes of free Internet time and invitations to a few cocktail parties with free drinks and appetizers.

Thus, today at the party, the captain finally spoke at the party as many of us eagerly await the cruise line’s decision to as to whether or not we’ll be allowed to get off the ship safely in Istanbul with the news of ongoing
civil unrest. He didn’t provide us with a definitive answer at this point. From there, we’ll have to make of our own decision, should they give us the “go ahead,” as to whether or not we’ll choose to get off the ship to tour
Istanbul. With all the amazing comments we’ve heard, we’d love to see Istanbul.

However, if we can’t get off the ship in Istanbul in a few days, we’ll hopefully be able to venture out in Izmir, Turkey in order to take advantage of the tour to Ephesus, supposedly comparable in its wonders to Petra, Jordan, my favorite all time places to visit since we began our travels over seven months ago.

We’ve made it through the Middle East without incident (aside from illness), one would think an eastern Mediterranean cruise would be relatively safe. But, as we continue to watch the BBC world news daily (only news we can get on the TV), violence continues to rage everywhere in the world, including in the US (based on the latest shootings in Los Angeles county a few days ago).

Tom and I have a theory that perhaps some share with us: that the terror throughout the world has been going on for years and its only the media’s constant announcements of these events that bring it forefront in our minds. “World at War” then and “World at War” now, generation after generation, leaving each civilization suffering the ravages of political, religious and social unrest.

When will it ever end? Never. As long as humans have the ability to think, to be coerced and manipulated and to strongly uphold their beliefs, right or wrong in society’s view, this state of terrifying expression will continue, leaving those in its wake at dangerous risk.

Drive-by shootings occurred only 1/2 hour from us in our “old lives.” We chose to avoid these areas as much as we possibly could. Tom’s mother, a dear woman, passed away in 2008, having spent many years living in that kind neighborhood. In many cases, it’s poverty that increased the risks in certain areas. Perhaps, in many of these worldwide high risk areas, it’s not only the criminals, but where you happen to be at any given time.

Tom and I don’t know any “high risk” people (that we’re aware of) but we’ve increased our exposure as to where we will happen to be at any given moment. We proceed with caution…possessing a desire not to diminish our experiences while we continue to grow our range of experiences.

After all, in the past month we’ve been to Egypt, Jordan, the Suez Canal, the Gulf of Aden, Strait of Hormuz, United Arab Emirates plus we’ve traveled past Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Iran, Yemen and Oman, albeit with a bit of adventure, coming out safely on the other side, having loved every moment while feeling safe most of the time.

Soon, we’ll know how as to the safety of visiting Istanbul, Turkey deciding from there our course of action and sharing it all with you here.

Tonight, a dress-up night on a sea day, we’ve been invited to join a party of four from the US for dinner in the Windows dining room. With our dressy clothing long gone to lighten our load, we’ll make the best of it, me in a casual long dress, spruced up with accessories and Tom, in black long sleeved dress shirt and dress pants.
With this as our last cruise for the next 17 or more months, we’re at ease to no longer hauling dress up clothing.

Updates: Xcom Global responded to our frantic inquiries, explaining they have reset the MiFi and it should be working by tomorrow morning. Secondly, the property owners of the house in Tuscany have graciously agreed to accept our credit card payment for the two and a half month rental, making paying the balance much easier for us. Plus on the 16th, they’ll meet us at the property at 3:00 pm to let us in and familiarize us as to how everything works.

Moving right along, photos coming after tomorrow’s visit to Mykonos, Greece!

Tag: Istanbul