Asia
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Maldives
Maldives is a country of almost 1200 islands. Somewhere between 150 and 200 of them have private resorts – one resort per island. Another 80 or so islands are inhabited by locals. The actual number is hard to pin down since the numbers change – resorts appear, islands disappear. Yes, islands have disappeared already. Maldives is the first country that may disappear due to rising sea levels from global warming. Much of the land is only about a meter above sea level. I decided I must visit since I was only a short flight away from the capital, Male, when I ended my Sri Lankan adventure. Why is Maldives so…
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Sri Lanka
Where is Sri Lanka? Sri Lanka, formerly know as Ceylon, is an island in the Indian Ocean off the south coast of India. Brief history of Sri Lanka Urban settlements were first recorded about 3000 years ago, in the 10th century BCE. Sri Lanka was colonized since the 16th century by the Portuguese, Dutch, and British. It gained independence in 1948. Sri Lanka experienced a civil war from 1983 to 2009. In 2004, tens of thousands died in the tsunami, along with destruction of coastal resorts. In 2019, terrorists attacked churches and hotels on Easter Sunday. And then came Covid. So Sri Lankans are very happy to welcome tourists back.…
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United Arab Emirates – Dubai
Why visit Dubai? I finally booked a trip to a destination I had been eyeing for years – Sri Lanka! But it is so far away, on the other side of the world. And then there were terrorist attacks in 2019, followed by the pandemic years. But now Sri Lanka is welcoming visitors. I looked for flights to Sri Lanka, and many of them connected through Dubai. And I thought, why not do a stopover there? It’s a dazzling city, home to a lot of “biggest in the world” structures, and known for its over the top opulence. And then I looked at a map, and saw that Maldives is…
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The trip home from Turkey
It was finally time to return home. For the rest of my trip, check these posts: https://lynntowin.ca/wp-admin/post.php?post=1720&action=edit https://lynntowin.ca/wp-admin/post.php?post=1738&action=edit https://lynntowin.ca/wp-admin/post.php?post=1753&action=edit https://lynntowin.ca/wp-admin/post.php?post=1786&action=edit https://lynntowin.ca/wp-admin/post.php?post=1850&action=edit https://lynntowin.ca/wp-admin/post.php?post=1880&action=edit https://lynntowin.ca/wp-admin/post.php?post=1920&action=edit https://lynntowin.ca/wp-admin/post.php?post=1990&action=edit Tips for international air travel Checking in I couldn’t check in online to my flights. I also couldn’t see any emails on my phone suddenly, so no links to help me check in. A British guy in the lobby told me to log in through my email website, and that worked! I still couldn’t check in online, because the time of my flight had changed – by five minutes. With help from the hotel staff, I arranged a taxi, then shuttle bus to the airport in…
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Sights around Fethiye
How to get to Fethiye I chose Fethiye as my last stop, since it’s closer to the Dalaman airport where I need to go to return to Canada. Fethiye is much bigger than Kas, more like 100,000 people, and is also on the Turquoise Coast. To get to Fethiye from Kas, the very easy and cheap option was to take a public bus. They run several times a day, and cost about $5. The bus stations are conviently located in the middle of the towns. I texted for a taxi to get to the bus station. The station wasn’t what I expected. It’s an open parking lot surrounded by booths…
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Boat tour from Kas
The day for the first boat trip of the year turned out to be a gorgeous sunny day. A group of about 20 of us got on a van for a half hour drive out of town. At the dock in Ucagiz we boarded a double decker boat and set off to see the tiny tourist town of Simena. Simena is a few shacks built around ancient ruins, including a castle at the top of a hill. The Lycians We sailed over the ancient sunken city of Kekova that was destroyed by earthquakes. The water was so clear, but either there wasn’t a lot to really see under the water…
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My favorite place in Turkey
Arriving in Kas At Dalaman airport, the shuttle was waiting for my flight to arrive. A couple of other passengers got on, and we drove through valleys and hills, with the sights of snow capped mountains and moss covered ruins along the way. And then the sea! The turquoise coast of Turkey. Did you know turquoise comes from the french word for turkish? So these waters are actually the namesake of the colour! The shuttle dropped me off on the main square of the tourist part of Kas, and the driver told me to turn a couple of corners to find my hotel. Kas is so small that I found…
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How to travel around Turkey
My last trip to Turkey In 2005 I travelled to Turkey and joined a small group adventure tour to travel around the country. The tour was jam-packed with historical sites in western Turkey. Highlights were Cappadocia, Pamukkale, Ephesus, and Kas (pronounced like cash). Kas is on the Mediterranean Coast in the southeast, also known as the Turkish Riviera, also known as the Turquoise Coast. Kas was my favorite place on the trip. So I decided to get back to Kas when I returned to Turkey. The other places were amazing but Kas felt like a place I could stay for a while. My favorite place in Turkey Kas is a…
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Sights in Istanbul
For the next two afternoons, we met with our dance teacher Ezgi to see some sights in Istanbul. Quite a few of us went along the first day, taking taxis. Our meeting spot was to be the Grand Bazaar, a huge marketplace in the old town of Istanbul, Sultanahmet. Most of the famous sights are in this area, at least a half hour drive from our hotels. The unexpected sights of Istanbul are interesting too. My group ended up at the Spice Bazaar, another huge marketplace a long walk away from the Grand Bazaar! It’s a great spot for shopping also, but not where we needed to be. Ataturk You…
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Istanbul Dance Festival
The dance festival As I mentioned in my previous post, I’m going to Istanbul to attend the 10th annual Istanbul Dance Festival. It’s billed as the biggest afro-latin dance festival in the world! Salsa – Bachata – Kizomba and many related dance styles, 4000 dancers from all over the world attending, shows every night with the professionals performing, workshops led by the pros for all levels of dancers, vendors selling dance shoes and outfits. It’s a lot! Getting to the festival The dance festival is at the Pullman, a huge convention hotel located close to the Ataturk airport – which is now closed to international flights. (It was partially destroyed…