Yesterday morning (21st April) I awoke to the sun streaming onto my face... the weather was AMAZING. The sun was shining, bold blue sky and no clouds in sight. I stayed in bed for as long as I could bear (it was so hot!) then got up for my cold morning shower (there is never any hot water in the morning!) and went up to the rooftop of the hostel for breakfast - and what an amazing spread it was. It is included in the price of our hostel, which is fantastic! Cheeses and bread, salad and fruit. The view was stunning; it is hard to believe this is the view for some people every day. I noticed that Jess, an Emergency Nurse from Australia, was sitting alone so I decided to join her. What a good move that was - we ended up spending the day together. We were to be going to the Hamam (Turkish Bath) with a group of girls at 11am, so decided being it was only 9am we would go for a walk as we could see how close the ocean was to our hostel.
We ventured downhill and were met with the best sight - dolphins! I love seeing dolphins in their natural habitat. Apparently these are the baby dolphins and are really common at this time of the year. We walked from our hostel in Sultanhamet to Kabatas, which is a fairly decent walk. The walk along the path reminded me of Mission Bay. We made it back to the hostel at about 10.45am to find a note from the girls saying that they decided to make the most of the weather and go to the Hamam at 4pm instead. Jess was unable to do that as was attending a Turkish cooking class (wish I had thought to look into that before coming, what an awesome idea, but all the spaces were booked) and couldn't go that late - so I suggested we just go now.
I was terrified to be perfectly honest. The thought of walking around in the nude with a bunch of other women did not thrill me... but hey - when in Turkey...have a Turkish Bath! We arrived at Cemberlitas Hamami, which is a Historical Turkish Bath about a five-minute walk from our hostel, built in 1584. It is hard to comprehend walking into a building that has been there for that long, let alone a building with a huge marble slab in the centre that has also been there for that long. Incredible. We arrived and paid our 99TL (about $70NZD) and were given a token for a bath and an oil massage, a traditional Turkish wrap and a small bag with black bikini bottoms inside. We walked through some double doors and it was all on! (or off, depending how you look at it)
Off with the clothes and on with the bikini bottoms and wrap. We locked up our things and went through some more huge doors to where a huge centre slab of marble was. A large Turkish woman walked towards me and took off my wrap (not allowing me time to even think twice) and lay the wrap on the slab and gestured for me to lie down. So I did. With Jess who I had only met that morning and a bunch of other women. This is an outstanding way to get to know new friends intimately. I got over being topless about 5 seconds after I lay down to be perfectly honest.
I lay on the stone which was warm, and sweated (I mean delicately opened my pores and prepared me for scrubbing) for about twenty minutes, and when I was really comfortable and almost asleep, the Turkish woman poked me gently on the arm and told me to get up. She then poured warm water over my body (mmmmm) and took what looked like a pillowcase out of a bucket. She opened the pillowcase to catch some air inside and it produced soap suds - LOTS of soap suds. Cool trick! She then lathered me up and scrubbed me all over. It was the most amazing experience, I tell you!! I found that I am INCREDIBLY ticklish on my décolletage... I couldn't help giggling. She then poured water over me again and had me stand and go over to a marble water bath where she had me sit, whist she washed my hair. How I love having my hair washed... made me think of when Mum used to do it for me alllllll those years ago. I just needed Dad to 'Huminaa' me at the end... (dry my hair vigorously as he would chant a huminaa song.... haha. All my siblings will know what this is hehehe). I then went into the Jacuzzi for another twenty minutes before it was time for my 30-minute oil massage. AMAZING. By now I had pretty much forgotten I was only wearing briefs!
By the time I came out of the Turkish Bath I felt incredible... my skin was soft from the scrub and oil massage and my muscles nicely unknotted. The best 99TL I have spent since arriving and I would ABSOLUTELY recommend it to anyone who comes. Jess and I were then ravenous so we went in search of food and found 4TL kebabs. That is about $3.50NZD. OM NOM. OM NOM NOM NOM it was. We also had freshly squeezed pomegranate juice (they are plentiful here) so got an excellent antioxidant injection! We wandered deeper into the heart of Istanbul and found the Spice Bazaar (market), which was just incredible. The only problem with it was the Turkish men who yell out ‘Aussie’ or ‘Kiwi’ and use the most appallingly dreadful pickup lines… like:
“Hey beautiful… you dropped something…my heart”
or
“Honey, come and spend you money, for some honey with me, you can be my honey”
and
“Did you fall from the sky? You are like an angel”
Insane. Really. You learn to hold your head up and walk on! We walked right through and came out on the other side at this amazing Mosque, so we decided to go in. There were hundreds of people praying, and I wondered if they find it offensive that people (tourists) walk in and take photos etc… hmmm. We left there and I found 10TL at the bottom of the stairs, which Jess and I decided could pay for our afternoon tea. We went back to the Spice Bazaar, spent 36TL on Turkish delight and Baklava in many flavours and went in search of some apple tea. We found a really nice restaurant near our hostel and order Turkish coffee… we were feeling brave. It was actually really very nice!
Jess needed the bathroom so asked if they had one at the restaurant, and the waiter shook his head and pointed her in the direction up the road. Once she went on her merry way the waiter was talking and laughing and pointing to her with his friends, so I was wondering where he had really sent her. He came closer to my table and turned to me and said he was playing a joke on her. I was like, what? Why would a waiter do that to a customer? Jess came back after being harassed by an old man for entering his shop – and I told our waiter he owed her a free coffee. So he showed her the bathroom in the restaurant and gave us the free coffee… I think he felt bad realising his joke was actually not very funny at all.
We made it back to our hostel in time to see the rest of the group go off to their Turkish Bath experience, and Jess to get organised for her cooking class and I have been typing my blog and organising photos, because everyone else is out. Except Heidi, who arrived today in my room – another new friend who is doing the same tour as me, with her cousin who is due to arrive this evening – YAY!! I already met a travel buddy and she said I’m more than welcome to hang with them. Stoked. And she lives in East London, bonus.
On an annoying note, Cameron and I have to move from Lyham Road on the 11th of May because the landlord can no longer fund tenants, whatever that means. So Cam is on the job – looking for a new place of residence. I knew this would happen sooner or later, but a little annoying. Cam reckons a curve ball has been thrown our way for a good reason – I love his optimism!! I will inform of the new address when I know what it is!
Today is the 22nd, and the day my tour actually commences, at 7pm this evening. I am quite excited about it all beginning and having a large bunch of people doing the same thing together to hang out with. Traveling alone is not the most enjoyable experience J After all… life is made for sharing!
Oh, and Mum: I bought a Turkish ‘evil eye’ bracelet today, which wards off evil. So I will be totally safe now. It is like a Power Ranger ring but way cooler. LOL.
Until next time…
Cheery bye :)
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