I Be Trippin

This is my first weekend at home in Ankara in 4 weeks. I spent two weekends in Istanbul to A. Party and B. Get my new tattoo (both were complete successes, thank you very much). The next weekend was spent in Alanya, Antalya and after that it was a trip to Mt. Nemrut to see some giant heads.

I just adore Istanbul. I know what you're saying right about now: "How many times has she been to Istanbul now?" Five. The answer is five. Istanbul is full of life and I hope to go at least five more times.

View from the ferry on the Bosphorus 

Partying hard until 6am...

... then going to the after party until 8am. 

When some Turkish buddies offered me a spot on their trip to Alanya, I was naturally all in. My first beach trip this season and my first beach trip on the Mediterranean! Everyone had a 4 day weekend thanks to Children's Day, a national holiday that landed on a Thursday. Me, Kristen, and my Turkish friends Ozan (nickname Ozzy) and Kaya hopped in the car Wednesday afternoon and set out on our 6 hour drive.

Alanya is a beach resort city in the province of Antalya, on the southern coast of Turkey. It is absolutely gorgeous and I keep bugging Kaya to take me again. The Mediterranean was absolutely breath taking and the landscape was lush and everywhere you looked there was fresh fruit for the picking. We picked and ate mulberries, oranges, and japanese plums whenever we had the chance. We rented a three story villa with three bedrooms and three bathrooms. Kristen and I got our own rooms and the boys shared a room.

It was really nice to go with the Turkish boys for a number of reasons. They had both been a lot (Kaya's uncle owns a house there) so they knew the best beaches. They also took control of being hosts and chauffeuring us ladies around everywhere. In the morning when Kristen and I would ask what we would do for the day they'd say "first we will cook breakfast, then we will take you to a nice beach, then we will go see a cave and the castle. Later we will come back and BBQ for dinner." It was a fantastic way to relax! They were also REALLY fun and silly- just my style. We danced on tables in our villa, sang songs, jumped on beds, and joked around and laughed a lot. They were also all about being active. As soon as breakfast was over, they were ready to go do stuff. I love people that like to do stuff! I'm so eager to explore a new place and I need to be with people that'll get a move on rather then let the day slip by.

The boys and the lovely dinner they prepared for us

"We will take you to see a waterfall now."

Pirates!

View from the castle

Our villa, which cost a whopping $50 USD a night. 

For some reason I attracted some stray dogs. So Turkish. 

SO HAPPY TO BE IN THE SEA!

Fresh mulberries growing at our villa- they were perfectly sweet and delicious!

Alanya

Alanya

Kristen and the fellahs. 

Me and Kristen 

Having a great time burying Kaya in the sand!

The boys would randomly start wrestling. Boys *eyeroll*

In a cave

My watercolor compass tattoo

View from an after beach bar we visited

So many ships flying the Turkish flag!

 The picture below is a story. These boys were FANTASTIC cooks, but it turns out they couldn't clean worth a damn. Ozzy did a classic 70s sitcom move and put dish soap in the dishwasher. Here are Ozzy and Kristen trying to clear out the bubbles:

So funny

Japanese plums ready to be picked!

That about sums up the super fun 4 day weekend in my first beach trip (but far from the last) in Turkey.

"Do you want to go to Mount Nemrut and see some giant heads?" My co-worker Akasha (she teaches second grade) asked me. I predictably responded with, "I have no idea what that is, but yes. Yes I do." We had another long weekend. This time our school had professional development days for teachers on Wednesday, and a half day on Thursday, with Friday off (yep, I get a LOT of vacation and it's totally awesome). Our Nemrut group would consist of myself, Kristen (my best friend here and my favorite travel companion), Akasha, her husband Mike, and Brett (he teaches first grade). We left for the airport Thursday afternoon to return Saturday, since seeing the heads doesn't actually take that long.

From the UNESCO World Heritage site: "Crowning one of the highest peaks of the Eastern Taurus mountain range in south-east Turkey, Nemrut Dağ is the Hierotheseion (temple-tomb and house of the gods) built by the late Hellenistic King Antiochos I of Commagene (69-34 B.C.) as a monument to himself."

We stayed in a tiny village about 20 minutes away from the actual mountain. The village is Karadut, and it's full of children herding cows and goats along the road. It was quaint, out of the way, simple, and GREEN. Our party agreed that it was the most beautiful landscape we've seen so far in Turkey, even the people that have been here for two years and have seen a LOT of Turkey.

Making a flower crown while sitting in a pretty field :)

Admiring the view from our hotel

Our humble hotel

So pretty!

The heads are supposed to be at their most gorgeous during sunrise and sunset, and we were there for both. We went up the mountain at 4:30am, went around the area to see some other old stuff, and went back for sunset. On Saturday we relaxed before our flight at 4pm (the only flight to Ankara). The trip was short and sweet. The pics are out of order, but you get the idea.

Brett, Kristen, and I with a head

Riding the eagle!

Me, Akasha, and Kristen jumping for joy!

Being silly

Copying Hercules

I love you, giant head.

I <3 being silly with old stuff

Our hotel had good Turkish breakfast (plus it was Whole30 approved!)

I'm looking forward to staying in Ankara for the next few weeks. But who am I kidding? If another trip is proposed, I'll go. However, I am currently pretty broke due to booking my tour and flight to Croatia, then booking my flight and stay in London, and my flight home for a month this summer. It's going to be a great Spring, and an epic Summer.