Ch 35, Days 5-6: Izmir

16.5 kms, Sept 11,
2006

The Traveler's Journey
continues along the coast, to one of the Turkey's greatest
archaeological sites: Ephesus.. finally finishing his loop of Turkey
in the suburbs of Istanbul once again.

Turkey is one of the
biggest tourist destinations in the world, however, it has been quite
rare that the Traveler has encountered a tourist along the way.
Almost all tourists, it seems, clump together in certain areas.

The west coast of Turkey
is one of them. The bus passes large, all inclusive resorts along
the coast. He gets off in Kusadasi, where crowds of cruise
ship folk wander the streets of what otherwise would feel like a cozy
old city... pausing for a drink at an “English Pub” or “Italian
Pizzeria” catering to their foreign tastes...

But even the crowds of
tourist cannot spoil the Traveler's next stop. Efes, is the site of
the ancient Greek city of Ephesus, and Turkey has pulled no stops in
restoring this amazing site. As the Traveler follows the winding
road from the highway, there are ruins scattered all along the way.
This was one of the great cities of Classic Greece—as well as
during the Roman Empire.

Soon he is greeted by the
Efes's most imposing structure: a 25,000 seat semi-circular
amphitheater. Here dramatic open air plays were held, and later
gladiator fights. From the upper levels you get a grand view of the
city.

Next the Traveler heads
to the Library of Celsus, a beautiful multi-storeyed columned facade,
which was once a pile of ruble, but now has been carefully rebuilt to
give you a visual of what the Greeks were capable of.

Turkey has clearly put a
lot of effort into preserving Ancient Greek culture, maybe even more
than the Greeks themselves, he will later learn. As far as modern
Greek culture... well, almost all the Greeks in this area were forced
to leave during the “population exchange” between Turkey and
Greece a hundred years ago.

Busload after busload of
tourist unloads with crowds of people following the large stone road
entering the city. The Traveler is impressed to hear their Turkish
guides rambling away in half a dozen languages, from German to
Korean. This is a very different Turkey than what he observed in
most of the country.

Wanting to get away from
the crowds, he heads to the quiet side streets to wander through the
remains of regular homes. Not as amazing, of course, as the main
site, but still impressive at how sturdy these stone walls are that
have endured now for over 2,000 years...

Finally the Traveler
continues on his way. Walking back up the hill to the highway, he
finds an old man pushing a tricycle cart full of watermelons off the
hill. He helps the fellow push the tricycle uphill, and in exchange
gets a free ride on the downhill!

The man smiles
gratefully. Right now, the Traveler is not a tourist. He's just a
human helping out another human...

He reaches the large city
of Izmir, where he finally gives up trying to walk to downtown
in the dark, instead takes the subway. Here he gazes out to a
beautiful port far below, with a waterfront promenade lined with
restaurants and cafes with live music.

It's been a good day,
experiencing the much more touristy side of Turkey.

Day 2: Free Tea

1.5 kms, Sept 10, 2006

Stopping in the city of
Balikesir, the Traveler stops to rest in a little restaurant.
Not feeling hungry, he just orders tea. After drinking the elderly
owner tells him, he doesn't have to pay... the tea is free...

A memorable experience
where hospitality overrode the desire to make money