8/30(Fri) | visit to Kaymakli Underground Cities by chartered taxi / Nevsehir 12:30-(Bus)-18:30 Ankara |
Lodging | Olimpiyat / 37,000TL (1,110Yen) per night |
Major expense(s) | Chartered taxi: 60,000TL=1,800Yen Bus / Nevsehir-Ankara: 25,000TL=750Yen |
Related Sites | General Links - Europe Turkey Ankara Cappadocia |
Since tourists seldom buy anything
at a fixed price in Turkey, bargaining is
very important.
However, if each other's agreement is broken
unilaterally, it is only cheat.
Matter of fact, when we went to Kaymakli Underground Cities by chartered taxi, we were likely to get
ripped off by taxi driver.
He charged more than twice or three times
over our estimate, but we didn't pay overcharges
due to my friend's protest.
We were known how much Japanese are taken
for a fool by this matter.
He thought Japanese seem to be such a sucker
because Japanese are not good at English
and no protest.
Japan's proverb should change "Silence
is golden" into "All evil comes
from silence."
Moreover, it is correct that the latter is
"Open your mouth too often and you're
likely to put your foot in it." in Japan,
but it seems to be wrong out of Japan.
We used chartered taxi from Ürgüp
to via Kaymakli for sightseeing on that say.
Well, this taxi driver was as already stated,
and our estimate was within the range from
60,000TL (1,800Yen) to 70,000TL (2,100Yen).
By now we don't know whether even this price
was overcharges or not.
Whether or no, he was fundamentally different
from friendly taxi driver in Marmaris.
In underground cities, chambers
(chapels, cellars, silos and living rooms
etc) are linked with each other by narrow
corridors.
These must have been constructed for security
purposes by an enemy, and the openings were
closed by huge stones.
So these stones are laid down now.
Well, it's OK to drop in here if you have
a chance.
If possible, you might choose any guided
tour including here when you make a reservation
it.
Getting to Ankara from Nevsehir,
it took about 6 hours by bus then.
Now that Ankara isn't necessarily main sightseeing
places, you might go direct to Istanbul if
you are bothered by traveling long-distance.
Of course it is the best way if you wish
to fly to Istanbul.
By the way, if you already booked passage by Turkish Airlines, you need to reconfirm by 3 days before
departure.
If you are budget traveler like us, it would be better to ask for reconfirmation
at airlines office.
8/31(Sat) | sightseeing in Ankara Ankara 22:20-(TCDD/Ankara Ekspresi)-8:00+ Istanbul(Haydarpasa) |
Lodging | (on the train) |
Major expense(s) | TCDD/Ankara Ekspresi (first-class sleeping car): 115,000TL=3,450Yen |
Related Sites | General Links - Europe Turkey Ankara |
Matter of fact, there is not
so much sightseeing places in Ankara.
It's OK to visit to Ankara Citadel and Anitkabir
(Atatürk Mausoleum) at the most.
Well, there is a department store in the Kizilay quarter of the city, it is a big opportunity for tourists to know Turkish prices because most
of items are sold at list price.
Now that Ankara is also business city rather
than sightseeing place, and there are a few
touts, it is good for tourists to relax.
As we went up to Ankara Citadel,
beautiful panoramic scene stretched as far
as the eye could see from the top.
There are also many fine traditional architecture
within the citadel walls, the locals are
living there.
Some peddlers came close to us, but they
were a pretty girls.
Should I feel pity for them who have worked
from early childhood, or do their parents
use them as an excuse to outreach?
Though this area is quiet old town, such
things are Turkish, right?
Anitkabir (Atatürk Mausoleum)
was set up in honor of Kemal Atatüre,
founder of the Republic of Turkey.
He is hero in Turkey, however, does such
a person appear among Japan's politician?
Now that there is Japan's proverb "Don't
make waves.", I cannot calculate such
a thing, right?
Ankara station was deserted because
train services was inconvenient than bus
services in Turkey.
However, we intend to travel to Istanbul
from here in a first-class sleeping car of
"Ankara Ekspresi (Express)."
So night buses have a reclining seat, but
sleeping car is rather comfortable.
In Japan, if you travel to Osaka from Tokyo in a first-class sleeping car of express
"Ginga," you end up paying for
631,300TL (\18,940).
9/1(Sun) | sightseeing in Istanbul (Haghia Sofia, Blue Mosque) |
Lodging | (unrecorded) / 25,000TL (750Yen) per night |
Major expense(s) | Haghia Sofia: 10,000TL=300Yen Blue Mosque: 10,000TL=300Yen |
Related Sites | General Links - Europe Turkey Istanbul |
When we arrived in Istanbul,
where looked dim in a downpour of rain.
I have left my umbrella in Japan because
I believed it almost never rain in the summer
in Turkey.
In Japan, everybody can buy an umbrella at
train station whenever they want, but I was
not able to buy one anywhere at Hydarpasa
station in Istanbul.
In addition, there is a lot of tout and peddler
in the city, far from umbrella, I'm likely
to end up buying some carpets.
Finally, I bought a used umbrella for 25,000TL
(750Yen) from Japanese-speaking peddler.
I had no other choice, but it seemed to cost
the same as lodging expense for tonight.
Haghia Sofia (Aya Sofia) | Blue Mosque (Sultanahmet Camii) |
Istanbul was the former capital of
three successive empires - Roman, Byzantine
and Ottoman.
Today Istanbul has many legacy of its past.
One of these legacies is Haghia Sofia (Aya
Sofia) and Blue Mosque (Sultanahmet).
Haghia Sofia (Aya Sofia) is the ancient Byzantine church, built in 535
AD, which was later converted to a mosque with the addition of minarets.
The structure with its immense dome is a
museum today, and is no longer used as a
place of worship (salat).
Blue Mosque (Sultanahmet Camii) is the 17th century mosque, near Haghia
Sophia, is famous for the beautiful blue tile work ornamenting its walls.
This was also built on the orders of Sultan
Ahmet the First and still bearing his name.
Its surrounding six slim minarets distinguish
it from other mosques which normally have
two or four minarets.
It was still downpour of rain,
but many people were calm without an umbrella
outside.
There are a lot of other sightseeing places
in the city, but we spent our energy because
of tired from traveling by night train and
sightseeing in the rain.
At a time like this, we can do no better
than having forty winks at lodging.
Well, it often seemed to have hard luck because
of taking budget hotels in large city.
Now that both of our room and shared bathroom
were unclean in the lodging, we got depressed.
Then we didn't repair our spirits for moving
in the rain again.