My Favorite & Most Popular Travel Posts of 2016

In case you missed any, here is a list (and links) to my favorite and most read blog posts of 2016.

My Favorite Blog Posts

Arusha, Tanzania: Four Days on Safari in Wild Africa
"In the coming decades and centuries, men will not travel to view marvels of engineering, but they will leave the dusty towns in order to behold the last places on earth where God's creatures are ..."

The Nameless Women Who Shaped My Travel Perspective
As I sat staring out the airplane window, I heard the thud of a large backpack landing in the overhead bin. A woman with short dark hair shoved into the seat next to me. She sighed ...

Pearl Harbor, Hawaii: A Civilian "Lost" in the Pacific
Guest Blogger: Stephanie Anderson. I'm on a boat. And while I may not have found myself lost in any foreign countries on my most recent vacation, I did get the chance to get lost on an aircraft carrier ...

Bratsk, Siberia: A Country of Contrast
"Everybody's like Cristal, Maybach, diamonds on your timepiece. Jet planes, islands, tigers on a gold leash. We don't care, we aren't caught up in your love affair." Lorde's song "Royals" is bellowing ...

Thimphu, Bhutan: Stumbling Upon or Selling Shangri-La?
Shangri-La: a mystical, harmonious valley; an earthly paradise; a mythical Himalayan utopia where people are chronically happy and isolated from the outside world. For years many have touted ...

Cinque Terre, Italy: The Italian Riviera by Sea
Nothing is more breath-taking than admiring the Italian Riviera by sea. As we cruised down the Ligurian coast in our private taxi boat, we gazed at rolling green hillsides dotted with colorful ...

Most Popular Blog Posts (Based on Page Views)

Imatra, Finland: Fifteen Efficient Facts about the Finnish
Why didn't we think of that? Reflecting upon our two years living in Finland, we've discovered several items the locals have enlisted to make life easier ...

St. Petersburg, Russia: First Fifteen Days of #Fails
In my 36 years I have moved 19 times. While I've been fortunate to experience different places and make friends all over the world, the process of moving is stressful ...

Istanbul, Turkey: The Truth about the Traditional Turkish Bath
For me the thought of a massage conjures up reflections of gentle kneading and peaceful relaxation with the light aroma of lavender swirling ...

Ivalo, Finland: Scouting the Northern Lights from a Glass Igloo
A short drive from the northernmost commercial airport in Finland and tucked well within the Arctic Circle, sits the new world-famous Kakslauttanen Arctic Resort ...

Novi Skomorokhy, Ukraine: Unearthing Treasures in Old Country
"Even if you have to put some in your shoes or the pockets of your suitcase," my mom told me, "bring back as much as you can." Most mothers discourage their children from playing in the dirt ...

Istanbul, Turkey: 24 Hours in the Queen of Cities - January 2016

Earlier this year my husband and I flew Turkish Airways from Dar es Salaam to Helsinki and chose to have an extended stopover in Istanbul on our way home. Having been to the city before, we didn't want to pass up the opportunity to take in a few of the sights and immerse ourselves in the welcoming Turkish culture.

With only 24 hours, we set out to experience the best of Istanbul's old town, Sultanahmet:

12:00 p.m. - Touchdown Istanbul Ataturk International Airport. We run through passport control, grab our checked luggage and wait in line for a Turkish visa.
 

1:00 p.m. - Excited to get a jump start on our abbreviated adventure, we flag down a taxi and make our way to the Armada Hotel Old City. Ideally located in the heart of Sultanahmet and just a stone's throw from the Marmara Sea, we are walking distance to all of the old town's major attractions.
 

1:30 p.m. - Walk the cobblestone streets from our hotel to Sultanahmet Square. Stroll past the various street vendors hawking roasted nuts and simit, molasses-dipped, sesame-encrusted fried dough, and make our way to a corner restaurant with dürüm on the menu. Dürüm is the standard doner kebab and makes for a perfect midday snack.
 

1:45 p.m. - Having filled our tummies, we set out to explore Sultanahmet Square. A lively center in the old town, the square is surrounded by some of the most famous and awe-inspiring sites in the city: Topkapi Palace, Aya Sofia, the Blue Mosque and Aya Irini. We leisurely enjoy the square taking photographs and fending off the persistent carpet peddlers.

3:00 p.m. - After enjoying the scenery and history of the square, we head into chaos. A short 10-minute walk takes us to the world-renown Grand Bazaar. Once within the walls of endless shopping maze, our senses are ignited, and we are engulfed in the mayhem: aggressive shop keeps shout for our attention and pull at our arms, wall-to-wall people navigate the dimly-lit, narrow alleys, and the market stalls themselves glitter with hand-painted ceramic tiles, lamps, scarves, carpets and jewelry. After not even an hour, we need to escape for air.

4:00 p.m. - A visit to Sultanahmet wouldn't be complete without a stroll through the Spice Market. Considered more of the locals' shopping area, the Spice Market has all of the goods from the Grand Bazaar but at lower prices, and also boasts an endless supply of candies, dried fruits and, of course, spices.

5:00 p.m. - As we exit from a side door of the Spice Market, we are greeted by the evening Islam prayer bellowing out over the loud speakers. The Yeni Cami, translated literally to mean new mosque, is illuminated and we quickly glance in before setting in on the steps to watch the crowds gather.

7:00 p.m. - After a quick rest back at our hotel, we set out to take in more of the Turkish culture. The hotel calls a taxi to deliver us to the Hodjapasha Theater. There we sit comfortably and marvel as the dervishes whirl and the bellies dance. The colorful and engaging show accompanied by classical instrumental Turkish music lasts about an hour.

8:30 p.m. - Across the street from the theater we see a string of quaint restaurants. We pull up a few chairs to an outside patio table and enjoy a late dinner of kebab meat, grilled vegetables and rice.

10:00 p.m. - By late evening we are back to have a cocktail on the hotel rooftop. We relax on the colorful couches, wave off our neighbors' cloudy apple-flavored hookah smoke, and admire the illuminated Blue Mosque in the distance.

8:45 a.m. - After a solid night's sleep we enjoy a buffet breakfast on the hotel rooftop. The spread spans an impressive three meters and includes jellies and jams, olives and cheeses, and fresh-squeezed juices.

9:30 a.m. - After repacking our suitcases, a taxi cab whisks us off to Suleymaniye Hamami for a Traditional Turkish Bath. The authentic hamam, or Turkish bath house, built in 1509 is the idyllic setting for a reinvigorating 90-minute Turkish massage. After the massage, we sip some Turkish tea and coffee, and are out the door.

12:00 p.m. - By noon we are en route back to the airport and ready to catch our flight home.

While 24 hours doesn't seem long, with a well-planned itinerary, we covered a lot of ground and thoroughly enjoyed our Turkish detour. For our next visit we hope to have time to further explore the history rich region near Izmir, the sandy southern coast around Antalya, or revisit the captivating lunar-like landscape of Cappadocia.

Istanbul, Turkey: The Truth about the Traditional Turkish Bath - January 2016

For me the thought of a massage conjures up reflections of gentle kneading and peaceful relaxation with the light aroma of lavender swirling in the room and the sound of babbling brook in the distance. If that, too, is your vision of a massage, run as fast and as far as you can away from the traditional Turkish bath.

A far cry from a soft Swedish massage or an Indian head rub, the traditional Turkish massage is a different experience entirely. You either love it or you hate it, but before you schedule a session, let me do you a favor and break it down for you. I wish I had been the wiser.

Step 1: The Customs and Attire. Upon arrival in a traditional Turkish hamam, or bath house, you will be escorted to a private room where you are instructed to undress and don a pestemal. A pestemal is a colorful checkered cloth or bath-wrap that is tied around your bottom half. If you are a woman, and you are lucky, you will also get another swath of fabric to cover your upper half. In addition to the fabric swathes, you are provided thick wooden sandals and a locker to store your personal items during the bath.

Step 2: The Roast. After changing into the appropriate attire, you will be led into the hararet or hot room. There you will be told to lie down on a marble slab and sweat. It is typically around 42-48ºC/ 108-118ºF in the hararet. You will be left to sweat for a long, long time. You'll feel dehydrated and beg for water. You'll wonder what you are doing and if you'll survive. This is the perfect time to relax and enjoy the beautiful scenery around you; some of the last sights you may see if you aren't fortunate enough to survive the incredible Turkish bath experience will be towering marble pillars, ornate artwork and magnificent domed ceilings. The roasting period is intended for patrons to loosen up. Surrounding the göbektaşı, or the raised platform above the central heating source, there are several basins where you can draw scolding hot water. Approximate roasting time: 15 minutes (feels like: a lifetime.)

Step 3: The Massage. The massage begins when the masseur enters the room and beckons you over to a new marble slab. Your masseur may or may not speak English; he may be a handsome young man or she may be a large, angry woman. Regardless of your luck, the massage commences as the masseur uses a metal goblet to cover your body with warm water. Once your body is thoroughly drenched, the masseur uses soaped towels or a pillowcase-resembling-cloth to create massive bubbles and a thick lather. Every inch of your body --- I mean, every inch of your body --- is then soaped and scrubbed. The masseur then proceeds to firmly massage your back, arms and legs. In my experience, 'firmly' is an understatement; I would have felt more comfortable describing it as violently or savagely. In any event, your cries or yelps will be ignored, and sometimes your complaints will be met with more severe treatment and laughter.

Step 4: The Body Scrub. After your "relaxing" body cleanse and massage is complete, it's time for the scrubbing. Your masseur will guide you from the marble slab where you've been laying to a sitting position underneath a water faucet. There you will be rinsed with cool water. The cool water will feel heavenly, but beware: the worst is yet to come. To your dismay, the masseur will grab a coarse goat-haired washing brush and proceed to scrub your body. The brush feels like sandpaper on your sensitive, hot skin. Again, crying or begging for it to stop will only make it worse. The pain will end with the masseur is pleased with the amount of skin collected in the basin. Only then will you be rinsed one last time and freed to go.

Step 5: The Aftermath. Following the trauma that took place within the hararet, you will be escorted into a small shower-like stall and asked to disrobe. You are to put your wet "clothes" in a plastic bag, and are given a white sheet to drape around your body and head. In some hamams you are able to extend your experience by using a sauna, in others there may be showers, but in all there is a soğukluk, or the cooling down room. The cooling down room is a lovely place where you can sit on wooden benches surrounded by questionably erotic artwork, and breathe a sigh of relief that you survived the experience. Most hamams offer bottled water, Turkish coffee and Turkish tea in the sogukluk.

A traditional Turkish bath will leave you dehydrated, exhausted, sore and inexplicably clean. That being said, you should try it if for nothing else to join the club of violated, confused survivors.

Cappadocia, Turkey: Flashback - July 2012

Lying on a hard marble slab, hot suds pouring over my eyes and mouth, I gasped for air thinking that this was different from the relaxing experience I was expecting. I'd had many massages in my life but nothing would've prepared me for a large Turkish woman flogging my back with a soapy wet pillow case. As I laid there naked, dehydrated and bewildered, she violently scrubbed every inch of my body with bar soap and a wash cloth while loudly singing. In the clouded sauna room, I was laid out head to toe with a scattering of other naked women. I coiled under the abuse and motioned for a drink. I needed water. But the woman didn't speak English, so the belting continued.

The traditional Turkish massage was my first glimpse into the culture. Several other sights I would encounter were far more pleasant like the lunar-like landscape of the Cappadocia region.

According to our local guide, millions of years ago a volcano erupted in the region with lava spilling everywhere. Overtime, the lava rock was sculpted by the wind and rain to create vast cavernous valleys, jagged cliff faces and protruding rock formations. After the crater lake and nearby streams dried, the surreal moonscape formed the nearly 250 by 160 mile territory in what is now considered Turkey's central heartland.

The towering pillars of rock were soft enough to carve yet solid enough to provide protection from the variable climate. The area began being inhabited by people during the Roman period in the 9th to 11th century. Entire villages were chiseled from the rock with houses, churches and monasteries dotting the hillsides.

Today the Goreme Open Air Museum is one of the most popular monastic communities to visit. The museum preserves thirty rock churches and chapels with colorful Byzantine frescoes adorning the walls dating back to the area's earliest inhabitants. The fairy chimneys, or hoodoos, are also a sight to be seen with tall thin spires of rock rising from the bottom of an arid drainage basin in Urgup, near Cavusin. Fairy chimneys are characterized by soft rock topped by harder, less easily-eroded stone, and some in the area stand higher than ten-stories tall.

Several of the fairy-chimneys in Cappadocia have been converted into boutique hotels. In addition to admiring the peculiar landscape, exploring the underground cities, trekking and hot-air ballooning is popular. The cities of Nevsehir or Kayseri allow for the easiest point of entry into the area by both air and rail from Ankara and Istanbul.