I love Old City Jerusalem

Let me tell you, my favorite part of the trip was The Old City in Jerusalem.  Or actually, Jerusalem in general.  There's so much history, richness, and emotions that you can feel throughout the city; you can't help but be mesmerized by this historical city.  I think Wikipedia put it best, "You do not need to be Jewish, Christian, or Muslim, or even be overly concerned with religion, to be overwhelmed. Anyone with a sense of history, spirituality or the human species should be absorbed by the tremendous weight of human civilization that cloaks nearly every part of the city."  

We first entered The Old City through Herod's gate and quickly found ourselves in the Muslim Quarter (the other quarters are Jewish, Christian and Armenian).  The city itself reminds me of The Forbidden City, being encompassed by walls, containing over 3000 years of history, all I could imagine was how different life must've been outside of these walls.  What impressed me the most of The Old City was that, unlike The Forbidden City, people still live there!  There were all these streets that branched up from the main streets that were named "____ Ascending" (is that a religious reference, I wonder?).   I noticed children coming in and out of doors so I followed one of them, and noticed that each door opened to a large courtyard with what looked like an apartment building or house.  I didn't go in, well because it would've been rude, but also, I didn't want to be stoned to death.

What I did not like about The Old City was the borderline rudeness of the kids.  While taking a picture, a group of Muslim school girls came over and pulled my hair.  And we overheard another group of kids mocking this male tourist to his face.  I think there's a difference between curiosity and rudeness.  In China, the kids will stop and take pictures with a tall white man and think he's the coolest ever.  They would never pull his hair and mock the way he speaks.

I guess it would make sense why most people enter through Jaffa Gate, which is in the Christian quarter. I'm not implying any religion bias since I am not religious, but it is definitely a less hostile religious culture.

Off to Jerusalem!

Getting from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem is probably the easiest thing in the world.  There are buses that run every 15 minutes and it only costs around $6 USD each way.  It's a short 1 hour ride on a comfortable bus.
As soon as we arrived in Jerusalem, we hopped in a cab to our hotel: Addar.  For a very reasonable $100 rate, we were given a nice one bedroom suite with a kitchenette.  I would highly recommend this hotel if you go to Jerusalem, it is close to the Muslim section of the city and a quick 10 minute walk to the Old City.  The front desk guy could use a little humor in his life, but I think that may just be the Israeli way.

By the time we settled in, we were famished, so stopped in the Shualeh Restaurant purely based on the number of locals inside.  We ordered shawarma with hummus and it was DELICIOUS.  I eat hummus almost every week in NY, but I have never had hummus like this.  It was creamy, fresh without the sour aftertaste.  We devoured the entire thing by soaking up the extra hummus with extra pita bread.  Just thinking about this meal is making me drool right now.

Dr. Shashuka: Which came first, the Chinese or the Israeli version?

Apparently you can't come to Tel Aviv and not eat at the legendary Dr. Shashuka, a popular restaurant by the Jaffa flea market that services simple Tripoli food.  Shashuka is a spicy tomato sauce and egg dish traditionally eaten at breakfast.  Dr. Shashuka offers a variety of shashuka add-ons, like the spicy hot dog we ordered.

Funny enough, after our first bite, my mom and I both turned to each other and said, "Egg fried tomato!"  It is traditional Chinese breakfast dish that we used to eat in China, very similar to shashuka.  Egg and tomato is a delicious combo, but I have to ask, which came first: the Chinese or Israeli dish?

P.S.: we also ordered the lamb patties which were juicy and flavorful.  All the dishes come with a couscous appetizer and a basketful of bread.  Carb heaven.

P.S.: they call Middle Eastern food "Oriental" here in Israel.  Odd.

Celebrating dad's birthday in Tel Aviv

It just so happens that my dad's birthday was a few days ago, so we decided to have a belated birthday dinner at a swanky seafood restaurant in Tel Aviv.  We experienced many "firsts."  First Israeli Chardonnay.  First Sea Wolf.  And first time not understanding half of what's on the menu, even if it was in English.  Like...what exactly is "Sea Bream"?

I'm in Israel! (And did I mention how much I love Turkish Airlines?)

A short 2 hour flight later and we have arrived in Tel Aviv.  The security was tight getting into the gate for the Tel Aviv flight in Istanbul.  We were questioned by several people about when, what, where, why. 

Gotta love Turkish Airlines for providing us with fresh mozzarella and homemade pudding.  A happy tummy always makes or a happier Yue.

The Tel Aviv airport was spectacular - simple and elegant.  We exchanged for some Israeli Shekels and were then off to the train station to get to our hotel in North Tel Aviv.  The best part?  We were meeting up with my dad who's in town for a convention.  He's the reason why we decided to make this entire trip!

Last impressions of Turkey

Here are my last thoughts on Turkey before jetting off to Israel:

Istanbul:
- Great metropolitan city that is super convenient (subway, tram, cabs, buses)
- Very vibrant nightlife
- We hardly saw any homeless people
- Most people were able to understand some English
- Always ask the cab driver to turn on meter
- Never listen to people at the major touristy sites who claim the holy places are closed
- Don't ask street vendors for directions.  They will direct you the wrong way if you don't buy from them
- TRY THE STREET FOOD
- Although I very much enjoyed Istanbul, I didn't find it that unique from any other cities.  I thought 2 days there was plenty of time, unless if you really want to take the time to explore the nightlife.

Cappadocia:
- Completely different from any place I've ever been to
- Low season really means LOW SEASON.  It was quite empty all around
- Fewer people spoke English
- Hard to find transportation during the low season.  I'd recommend hiring a driver or renting a car
- A perfect adventure vacation spot.  I'd definitely go back again and do more hiking around

Turkish men and their sweets

Just another quick observation about Turkish men (besides being affectionate with other men), is that they love their sweets!  At midnight while sitting at the dessert cafe with my mom, a group of men were indulging in an array of sweets at the table behind me.  There's a definite dessert and cafe culture in Istanbul that is not observed in the US.

OK, now on to Israel!

Back to Istanbul; last night in Turkey

And we were off to Kayseri airport to catch an evening flight back to Istanbul.  The Kayseri airport is super tiny and reminded me a lot of the Vieques airport when I visited Puerto Rico earlier this year.  Security was pretty tight tho - they stopped me after seeing my curling iron on the x-ray machine.  Asked me to take it out and questioned my use of it.  After I motioned to my hair, the man snickered and shooed me away.  What did he think?  That it was a weapon or vibrator?

After arriving in Istanbul, we dropped our stuff off at the hotel and went back to Taksim.  Remember?  The fun area?  It was around 11pm and the streets were PACKED!  We stopped in for a lil' pudding dessert that had shredded chicken in it.  I had to try it and disappointingly, it was not bizarre at all.  Damn.  We then noticed that all these vendors were selling mussels on the main Istiklal street.  Of course we had to try it.  So the guy we bought from (kinda sexy, I'm not gonna lie - that's for you Tina) opened up each mussel to reveal yellow rice mixed in with mussel chunks.  He then fed it to us.  Hot.  And delicious.

The highlight of the night was getting to see my tango teacher Metin!  I learned tango from Metin in NYC for over a month and his class was the reason why I fell in love with the dance.  I was disappointed when he went on his teaching rotation in Istanbul but so psyched that we were able to catch up for a hot second.  He came to my hotel dressed in his best tango gear, thinking he was going to show me the Turkish tango scene!  I, on the other hand, could not stand the thought of my mom waiting up all night for me, worrying and possibly calling the Turkish police.  So, I declined, but it was great to see him anyway.

Derinkuyu Underground City: Mystery in tight spaces

The one place we HAD to go to was at least one of the hundreds of underground cities used as a place of refuge and protection for people facing religious invasions.  These were first built in the Byzantine period.

We chose Derinkuyu because it is the largest underground city open to the public, reaching 8 stories down.  As it may seem obvious, the entrance is very unnoticeable and without the signs, one would never guess there was an actual city underneath them.  As soon as we went in, a tour guide spotted us and offered his services for around $20.  Worth every penny as he went from room to room explaining what everything was.  We started out the stables where horses, sheep, and human took shits together.  I can't imagine doing my business next to a sheep staring at me, but I guess I'd get over it.

We then observed the kitchen, bedrooms, schools, churches, and my favorite: wineries!  These cities also had secret tunnels that connected to other cities.  Some rooms were also equipped with defense mechanisms like stone doors.  I was especially fascinated by how small and claustrophobic the tunnels were.  I'm only 5'5" and I had to bend down quite a bit (as seen in my pics), but I can't imagine being a large 6'5" man.  Or maybe, the environment was not conducive to having tall and large people back then.  But I also wonder if they have a height limit for tourists, 'cause seriously I don't know how Kobe Bryant could possibly fit into one of these tunnels.

I was also fascinated by the sophistication and complexity of the entire set up. Who envisioned the whole thing and how long did it take to build?  There was an elaborate ventilation system and communication system.  Similar to how I felt about the Colosseum in Rome, I wonder if manual labor would be able to recreate this today. 

Overall, an impressive place if you're OK with being in small, dark places.  I loved it!

Private tour of Cappadocia

In the interest of time, we decided to hire a driver to hit all the major places in Cappadocia before heading back to Istanbul at night.  I have to say, for around $140, it was a steal!  We had a customized itinerary and a car with blasting heat.  And it included a delicious buffet lunch.  If anyone's not staying too long in Cappadocia, I would highly recommend going this route.

On our tour, we hit Derinkuyu Underground City (which I'll elaborate in another post), Pigeon Valley, Uchisar Castle, a family-run pottery making factory, and Zelve Valley (fairy chimneys topped with black basalt caps).  Simply awesome and breathtaking.

There is just so much to explore in Cappadocia that I think it deserves more than 2 days.  It's a hiker's paradise, with so much land and natural structures to explore.  I've heard of people spending a week here, hiking a different part every day.  There are also so many cave dwellings that one could easily discover "secret" passageways and fun hideouts.  Cappadocia would be THE place to lose yourself.

Good morning Cappadocia!

A nippy (34 degrees) but gorgeous morning in Cappadocia, followed by more cheese for breakfast.  How do lactose intolerant people survive in Turkey?!