TURKEY ADVENTURE

We first heard of Bora's Ozkok's Cultural Folk Tours when we went to a lecture about three years prior to our trip.  This organization promised to take us on a cultural tour that  went beyond visiting the usual tourist attractions.  Besides lectures in the archeology, history, culture, society and religion of Turkey, it would give us the opportunity to get an intimate view of how the people actually live their daily lives.

We decided to sign up,  but changed our plans when we learned that there was a problem with Kurdish extremists in the eastern part of the country.  How ironic that is now since we left on a trip a few weeks after the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.  Our country, and we, were in a state of shock.  Most Americans were canceling their trips and our family and friends were concerned for our safety.   When we decided to go through with our plans we wrote a letter in which we explained our rationale for making the trip. It clarified our decision for ourselves and them.

This trip not only lived up to the promise.  It surpassed all that we hoped for.  The three weeks were a vast in vivo classroom.  In addition to visiting numerous archeological sites, some dating back over 4,000 years;  we crossed or traveled along the Mediterranean Sea, the Black Sea, the Sea of Marmara, the Aegean Sea, the Bosphorus and Dardanelles straits; we dipped our hands into and skipped stones on the Euphrates River; walked the original streets that St. Paul walked in Ephesus; were guests at a country wedding ceremony and at the henna ceremony of a wealthy bride; were welcomed into the homes of nomadic people; met three young policemen who were looking forward to further training with the FBI in the US; felt the pervasiveness of the military in the society; visited some of the most impressive mosques in the world; visited the cave where many believe Abraham was born; stood in the cave where the first Christian convert lived; saw the home where Mary may have lived her final days, and had a personal visit with a priest at a monastery whose physical history dates back to 2000 BC. And, throughout our tour, we sampled a wide range of delectable Turkish food. All of this under the expert and nurturing care of our guide, Fatih (middle), our driver, Murat ( left), and company representative, Hakan.

We welcome you to join us, read from our  journal,
and see our photographs as we relive our adventure.

Begin the journey with us in Istanbul...
Or to see photos or read descriptions of a segment of the trip,
click on that area of the map.

 

 

 

 

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 Revised: 01/27/10