Whirling Dervishes

One of the top things I was determined to see while we were in Istanbul was the Whirling Dervishes perform. I assumed it would be easy to see as it is so famous. We are here in the off season though so many places that normally have it every night (outdoor) are closed. We walked past Alemdar Restaurant the first night we were here, and they gave us pamphlets for an indoor show at 7pm every day (0212-511 98 60). It cost 45TL/adult and then you order a meal and drinks on top of that. It said you needed advanced booking but we just walked in, and it wasn't full. This was the best option we found just asking around at restaurants. 

To be honest, I did not know much about it except that men in white skirts spin around. I guess I was expecting it to be to be a fun folky cultural dance. 

According to the pamphlet, the Melvie sema performance is a worship service, for the followers of Mevlana Jelaladdin Rumi. It has had a profound influence on Turkish culture. The ceremony felt very sacred, solemn and spiritual. I was surprised by how stirring it was for us. 

The staff at Alemdar Restaurant were great and the food was even better. We decided to make a night of it and order the "testi". It is a stew dish that they make over a fire in a clay pottery vase. It arrives on fire and then you get to slice it open with a sword-knife. It's very cool and the best thing we have eaten so far! 

The only thing that took away from it was the put of place, tacky decor in the nice restaurant. Here were plastic Christmas trees on the tables, velvet bows and gold balls on the walls. They also had these garish disco style green and red lights that strongly detracted. 

Shark Cage Diving

The first time we went to South African (two weeks after we got married to meet N's extended family), N and his brothers wanted to go Great White Shark Cage Diving. I thought it sounded cool, but none of the girls were going, it was expensive (~$150) and frankly I chickened out. 

Last shot of the day!

They came back with incredible stories and almost no pictures. I completely regretted no going and promptly added it to my bucket list. N always said that if and when we went back I would have to go. So when his sister announced that she was getting married in South Africa this year, the plans were set in motion.

Kleinbaai Harbour about 20 minutes drive from Hermanus

It felt like we had hardly fallen asleep and we were up again, although on the eight-hour time difference it felt like jet lag was finally on our side. We drove about twenty minutes from the Hermanus Backpackers to where the boats launch from Kleinbaai Harbour. My heart was in my throat just looking out at the sun rising over the waves and imagining the magnificent beasts I was about to see in the water.

It was a slow morning waiting for everyone to arrive, which only added to my anxiety. We had a strong South African instant coffee and a small breakfast, which later felt like a mistake. Then our leathery skinned guide gave us a bit of information. Great whites were obviously his life’s passion. He made me feel like they were no more fearsome than a kitten and that they are entirely essential to the ecosystem.

Disclaimer:

Cage Diving is controversial—I knew this before we went. We found out when we stayed with N’s aunt in Cape Town, that a close friend of his cousin’s had been killed by a Great White while spearfishing a few years earlier.

I am not an expert on this subject, by any means. I would encourage anyone interested in doing this to do their own research and form their own opinions. Do not take my word for it. I have been wrong before and will be again. That said, I do consider myself a conscientious consumer. I refuse to see animals that are being ill-treated, drugged, kept in small cages. I have little respect for people who think that is acceptable or fun to participate in these things because it’s what everyone does i.e. petting drugged tiger cubs in Thailand. It is not okay to destroy a population or an environment for the sake of an experience.

The Diving companies do not feed these sharks they are migratory, and they travel from as far as Argentina to hunt the seals on a small island off the coast. Seals eat 30% of their body weight every day, so it is important that they do no become over populated, or there will be no fish left in the area. So, my understanding was that the sharks are already in the area. They then do what is called chumming—dump some fish oil and some scraps skin, etc. into the water to attract the sharks closer to the boat. They told us Great Whites are like cats and they like something to chase. They put a few fish heads on a rope and drag them through the water to bring them right up to the cage so you can see them. They do not let them eat it though.

We were all prepped, got our swimsuits on and headed out on the boat. It is about the size of a small yacht. It was a chilly morning.

Shark Cage Diving Boat

Once we could not see the shore anymore, we put down an anchor. Everyone goes up to the second level, which is the best view of the sharks. As one approaches all thirty of us run to one side, and I thought, the boat was going to go right over. The second level is the best view of the sharks because you could see them approaching.

“If you need to feed the fish do it on that side,” our guide says, pointing to the opposite side of the boat from the cage. “It’s perfectly natural, don’t be embarrassed. And do not pee in the wetsuits. I will know. Not only is it disgusting we will not see another shark all day.”

On that note, he called out for the first group to go in the cage. N wanted to be the first in the water, I was less certain, but I regret not being eager now as they that group had one of the best sightings, and I was not yet seasick.

We went in next. The cage is attached to the side of the boat and I was relieved that it had a lid. As I lowered myself down into the water it was so cold it took my breath away. I was glad for the little wetsuit booties, but my head and hands were not covered. Despite the wetsuit, my teeth were soon chattering. You just have goggles on, no snorkel. There are two bars inside the cage for your hands and feet. You float there until the guide gives the signal.

“DOWN, DOWN, DOWN!”

 

You plunge under the water and hold your breath to watch the Great White shark swim past. I could not believe how fast they were. Suddenly it was just there. I never saw them coming. They are gone before you run out of breath. 

We were there in the offseason meaning that the water was very murky and you could only see a couple meters away. They would lure the sharks in close to the boat so that sometimes they would even bang against the cage. It was such an adrenalin rush.

N went in the high season (May/June 2011) the first time and said there were more sharks in the water, and you could see them approaching from further away. 

I was very surprised that the sharks did not seem that scary under the water though. I expected them to be terrifying, and teeth barred, like in all the photos you see, but I never saw the shark open its mouth, and N only did once at the very end. They just swim by just like big fish. They do not seem so ferocious with their mouths closed. Still to be so close to a wild animal of that size is awe-inspiring. It was very cool.

I love being out on the water. I have never been seasick in the past but after about an hour I began to feel quite woozy and did vomit. There were about three others who also got sick. I do not think I would recommend it if you get motion sickness easily. It is a long time out on the rough water, and I think staring into the sea waiting did not help.

By the end, when I was not leaving the opposite side of the boat for fear I would get sick. N got some fantastic shots of a shark coming up out of the water. (*note: my computer just flagged me that I have overused the word "amazing" in this document lol!)

The sharks we saw ranged from 2-4 meters. They have seen a shark up to 6 meters in that area.

Picking your Travel Pack

Never leave your hostel without a day pack!  N purchasing fruit from a vendour at a market in Beijing

So many straps and zippers!

Selecting the perfect backpack for your trip can be overwhelming. 

A hiking pack is different from a travel pack, and bigger is almost never better.

Buying bags is my favourite! I even enjoy watching the video tutorials on them. A pack is an investment you are buying something that you do not plan to replace ideally in your lifetime.

In Edmonton (where we live) our best option for gear is Mountain Equipment Coop. They have consistently knowledgeable and helpful staff, in addition to a great selection of travel packs.

Our pack situation:

1.  DEUTER FUTURA 28 DAYPACK (UNISEX) – this is a carry-on size.

What I love about it:

-    mesh backing that keeps it off your back and reduces sweating

-    side opening

-    separate compartment at the bottom

2. They no longer sell the larger of our large pack, we got it in 2011 to got to Africa, but the MEC SUPERCONTINENT 65 TRAVEL PACK is a very similar model. And there is a plus that these come in colours

What I love about it:

-    attachable day pack

-    completely side opening (the whole top flips down – it’s basically like a suitcase with clip straps to hold your clothes down)

-    separate compartment at the bottom

-    adjustable torso length

3. Our third pack was my Dad’s old pack (from the 80s) but it’s great! It is just canvas bag, top opening

What I love about it:

-    it rolls up small so it can be carry on size. If it is full it holds tons, so we have often ended up checking it at the end of the trip.

-    Old school look

4. Also discontinued this one is a top opening thin plastic shell with padded straps. You can still find similar ones. It rolls up very small, so I like to pack it empty and then fill it as we go—who doesn’t like to shop on trips?

MEC day pack rolls of up to 8" around

MEC collapsable day pack

(We don’t take all for packs on every trip. We pick depending on space and time frame. Although we have never been overseas without Dad’s old canvas pack.)

MUST HAVE FEATURES:

Side Opening 

If you’re carrying a pack instead of a suitcase, it is because you are moving a lot and not sleeping in the same hotel every night. Top opening is super annoying for clothes because you have to take everything out to get at them. Side opening means you can see everything you packed.

Separate Sections 

When you are doing a lot of walking in a hot country some stuff needs to be in a whole separate compartment fully sectioned off for odour control. It’s also ideal for shoes.

Day Pack Option 

This is why I love my roll-up pack because it is packed empty it does not need to be unpacked of other things to just throw in the camera and a water bottle. The attachable daypack with the MEC bag is also good if you are bringing more stuff for the day. We like to travel very light for the day if we have a secure place to leave our other stuff though. 

Adjustable Torso length

This is important for bigger packs and shorter people. I’m 5”1 many full-size packs are enormous on me and very uncomfortable to carry. They do have packs made for women but then N is very resistant to carrying it if we need to swap or are only using one bag.

I would always recommend physically going into the store and wearing the pack before buying it. Don’t be tempted by the great prices online you will be wearing this bag for days at a time. 

Great GoNOMAD article on Cappadocia

We will be in Turkey in just over a month and I am getting incredibly excited!

Photo from Trover by Ana Patrascu
http://www.trover.com/d/a0YM?st=adpdnd1

It is my birthday two weeks before we arrive. For my birthday we plan on taking a hot air balloon ride in Cappadocia. Taking a hot air balloon ride has been on my bucket list for the past seven years. And ever since I got Pinterest I could think of no better place to experience that than surrounded by other balloons floating over the valleys in Cappadocia. I can't wait to capture images like the ones I've pinned!

I thought I would share this article I read this morning from GoNOMAD ezine on touring Cappadocia: GoNOMAD Travel || Blown Away in Cappadocia

Tips for Picking your Guide Book

Whenever we decide on our next destination (or often even before we have) my first reaction is to head to the bookstore and buy a nice fat travel guide. Resist the urge!

TIP #1: HIT UP YOUR LOCAL LIBRARY
Get your hands on every guide book available on your desired location. Don't waste your time reading them all cover to cover. Ain't nobody got time for that! Skim through a few different guide books to get a feel for the one you like best: writing style, maps, layout. Truth be told (don't rat us out to the library) if the trip is not going to be that long sometimes we just take the library copy along with us and renew it a few times. You can't highlight, write or fold the corners down that way though.

Some books are better for preplanning your trip while others are ideal for getting you around day to day. The book, you also choose, depends on how you plan on using it. Some books will be better for preplanning (booking hotels and activities before you go), while others cater to being carried along with you and doing things more spontaneously when you arrive.

I also like to take out a few books on the local culture. I am mainly interested in the art so I like to read up on significant works done in the region and track them down if they are still in local museums or galleries. (Many works of Asian art, for example, on display in North America or Europe.)

THINGS TO WATCH FOR WHEN YOU DO BUY:

TIP #2 - SIZE/WIEGHT
A key feature, to pay attention to, is its mass. If you are going to be on a long trip with limited luggage space you, don't want your guide book hogging all the room. Buy one for a specific region or city if you can. Many guide books also offer PDF version that you can put on your phone or tablet. I liked this when we travelled through eight different Asian countries last spring. We didn't need a different book for each country and city.

TIP #3 -  MULTIPLE COUNTRIES IN ONE
If you are crossing borders on the same continent look for a book that specializes in that. Many of them will have tips on the best ways to cross borders or suggest good stops in multiple places. We liked Lonely Planet's South East Asia on a Shoe String, which helped us navigate currency exchange and border crossing. Some of our travel companions lost over $500, when they ignored the advice we shared with them from the LP.

TIP #4 - TRAVEL YOUR WAY, ON YOUR BUDGET
Lonely Planet is aimed at a younger backpacker audience while Frodor's targets at a bigger budget and more luxury-style travel.

Our personal favourite travel guide is Lonely Planet. I would never go on a trip without one.  It recommends the type of travel we enjoy most. I like a mix of the sights and off the beaten track. We also usually travel out of backpacks and on a budget.
More recently I've discovered "Top 10" is an intimidating place to first start.

TIP #5 - CURRENT
Often when you go on a trip someone you know will be excited that they were there ten years earlier. How convenient that they have saved their old travel guide all these years. Why don't you take it and save yourself thirty dollars? Travel guides can be pricey. Do not travel with a book even one edition out of date—it is entirely useless. An up to date edition is especially important in rapidly developing countries. For example, we found even some of the information in our current edition books was already out of date in India.

TIP #6 - DON'T BRING IT HOME
Some people like to keep their guide books on their shelves like little awards or pins on a map, which is a kind of a cool way to remember your trips. Some people consider books sacred and would never cut them up but for us though travelling light always takes priority over sentimentally, on this one. We cut out the sections of the guidebook that we needed for our trip to India and left behind the sections on provinces and cities we were not planning to see. As we leave a region we, leave that section of the guidebook too. I'd rather bring home something I bought there than an outdated book.


In case you can't tell from my mountain of library books we are off on another adventure again! We leave in a month to return to South Africa and on the layover home we are spending just over two weeks in Turkey. 

Touring Tokyo

Tuesday June 18, 2013

I can hardly believe that our Asia trip has come to an end.

Map of Tokyo Metro System

We left April 28, and we are now in the Tokyo airport headed home via Chicago.  N is hoping to catch a Boston-Chicago hockey playoff game it the airport.  Although every time, I've watched Chicago doesn't seem to be doing very well.

 It has been an amazing trip, but we are ready to head home now.  Our bags are heavy, and our clothes are filthy. It's time to be back in our place.

Our time in Japan was lovely.  Tokyo is not a city that necessarily has "must see" spots, which suited us very well.  I love just wandering around and getting the flavour of a city.

We were not as organized as we could have been, and so we missed out on some stuff we might have liked to see but just wandering around the city proved extremely enjoyable.  N and I were both quite ill on and off during our time here, which slowed us down a little (we are wondering if it is a side effect of our malaria medication). The train system though a bit intimidating is great to use.  It takes you anywhere you need to go.

 National Art Centre Entrance

We went to The Tokyo National Art Centre, which is very interesting architecturally.  I was not blown away by the exhibits.  I can't complain though since most were free, and we only paid about $4 to go into one.

Some of my favourite Japanese prints are coming to one of the Mitsubishi Ichigokan Museums next month.  An unfortunate miss.  We didn't find that out until we got there though.  It is still an interesting building to see.  It looks a bit odd amid all metallic skyscrapers.  It is in a high-end business area, but we found a nice bistro and a little sort of park area just behind it for lunch.

The other museum, I wanted to see was also closed on Monday. It has the largest collection of Asian art in the world. It is surrounded by a beautiful Ueno Park though so we enjoyed the trip. In Sundays, it apparently is a major hangout with a big goth scene.  Again our poor planning failed us, and we didn't get that information until we were there on Monday.  And the Museum is closed on Mondays.

Another museum, which has the largest collection of Asian art in the world was closed on Monday.  It is surrounded by a beautiful Ueno Park though so we enjoyed the trip anyways. In Sundays, it apparently is a major hangout with a big goth scene.  Again our poor planning failed us, and we didn't get that information until we were there on a Monday.  And the Museum is closed on Mondays.

The First Market was a highlight for me.  Early in the morning they are supposed to have enormous tuna but we went late in the afternoon and caught it for an hour just before it closed at 3pm.

The Metropolitan Government Building has a great view if the city for free!  That seemed like a good find.

While we were totally disorganized and missed out on a number of things that we may have enjoyed but it did not at all takeaway from our experience.  I think N was happy enough to have missed spending long hours in the museums, although he was genuinely disappointed for my sake.  The great thing about trying to get to so many if these destinations is that we saw lots of different parts of the city.

I had  my heart set on seeing Mt. Fuji. Unfortunately, June is supposed to be the worst time to see it because the weather is rainy/humid creating a cloudy haze that prevents a good view.  Instead of taking a 2hr bus (one way) to see it and being disappointed by not getting to see it we decided to just not try and enjoy trekking around in the city instead.  I just keep telling myself we'll have to come back.  I'd like to come again to see me cherry blossoms and the art museums. 

We went to an area called Shibuya. It has the busiest crosswalk in the city.  The Starbucks on the corner boasted the best view of the street.  It was quite cool just to sit up there, and people watch.

Again and again on this trip I have been surprised by how much I have enjoyed the major cities: Beijing, Bangkok, Kuching, Kuala Lumpur.  I knew I'd love Tokyo.  I don't know if I had a low expectation for these places, but I feel like I'd to return and spend more time or even live in many of them. 

We've rounded off an amazing trip, and I just feel like we will have to return because there is slouch left that we need to see and so many places that we missed!  The world is just so wonderfully vast and diverse.  The media always tricks me into thinking the world is small and everywhere is the same but it's just not at all that way.  Ever place we go give me such a different perspective and outlook on others, myself and the world.

It's such an amazing experience, something I really consider a gift!

A Few Days in Tokyo

So we've been here just two and a half hours and its pretty much official — I love Tokyo!  I already think this is just the best place ever!

We come in at eleven at night and have the best service hands down that I have ever experienced at an airport information desk, in my life. The lady was  friendly, efficient and helpful.  It was the same story with the cab driver.

Everything in Tokyo is well labeled and conveniently sized.  The toilets have directions...although it scares me.

There are vending machines everywhere!  The pop bottles are normal, "hey, I a glass of pop" sizes, versus, "I was hoping to give myself diabetes in a single day" sizes we get at home.

The hotel room is teeny tiny but has all the things you need and more.  The flat screen tv is about the same size as the bed.  Origami cranes were waiting for us on top of clean pressed robes.  

There are a complementary razor and hair brush along with toothbrush and toothpaste in the shower.  Everyone needs a hair brush! It's very thoughtful seeming. There are also slippers with disposable inserts for germaphobes.

There is s flashlight on the wall in case of power outages and  a teeny little fridge.  The light switches are practically under the pillow.  And my favourite there is a recycling can in our room!    "Oh Tokyo, you had me at hello."

Seriously it's 1:30 in the morning and I am like over the moon happy.  And I am not the night person.