More from Terry:
READ the photography notice folks!
FIRSTLY: In the list of 'optional trips' already circulated, the eclipse trip was included just for the sake of completeness! It's assumed that everyone will want to go on that, for obvious reasons! Of course, it's not compulsory, but we are assuming that everyone will come, for the best view, for the longest duration, from the best location, with the best weather prospects, & for the craic & the company! Remember, the price includes a good 'a la carte' lunch, and a visit to one of the many interesting sites in the area on the way back. Not to be missed! BUT - if you are not going to go on the eclipse trip itself, please let me know BY RETURN, so that I can let Yildirim know the numbers.
ANTIQUITIES - MORE ON: Don't be tempted either to dig for items, or remove anything even lying on the ground, or found when diving. That is regarded simply as theft, and will be punished severely! [albertw: please tell me someone didnt ask about this!]
BANKS: Open 08.30 - 12.00 or 12.30, and 13.30 - 17.30.
DRIVING: at night, outside cities, beware! Some vehicles such as tractors etc don't have lights at all, or only switch them on at the last minute when you approach. Drive within easy stopping distance of your own lights to be safe. If hiring a car for a group, make sure that you specify that it has seat belts in the back, although most newer models do.
CAR = araba. 4WD = dort ceker (pronounced 'dert cheker') ( I can't do all the accents on the letters, but you should be able to read them anyway):
SIGNS Dur = Stop
Cikisi = Exit
Giris = Entry
Girlilmez = No Entry
Tek Yon = One Way
Ucret Odenir = Toll
Yavas = Slow down
Yol Ver = Give Way
[albertw: this should make the messier Marathon interesting!]
DOLMUS: Boarding places are marked by a sign with a black 'D' on a blue and white background. You can usually get out anywhere you wish along the route on request: say "Sagda" (pronounced 'Saada'), which means 'right', i.e. pull over to the kerb on the right.
ELECTRICITY: Supply is 220V, 50Hz. Two-prong plugs. Any 'continental' adaptor should work in Turkey.
EMERGENCIES: Ambulance: tel. 112; Fire brigade Tel. 110; Police (Emergencies) Tel. 155; Traffic Police (to report an accident etc) el. 154; Gendarmerie (in country areas): Tel 156. Directory enquiries Tel 118.
LANGUAGE: Get a Phrasebook! But six important words
Hello: Merhaba
Please: Lutfen, pronounced 'lewtfen'
Thankyou: Mersi
Yes: Evet
No: Hayir or Yok.
Toilet: Tuvalet
MUSEUMS: Open 08.30 - 12.30, and 13.30 - 17.30, closed Mondays.
NEWSPAPERS: The "TURKISH DAILY NEWS" has news in English.
PHOTOGRAPHY: NEVER photograph where signs forbid: the offence carries a prison sentence! There may be an extra charge for cameras and video cameras at some tourist sites.
POST: Buy your stamps yourself, and post letters & postcards in postboxes. I sent 10 from the hotel, none of which ever arrived! Main post offices are open 08.00 to 20.00; smaller ones only from 8.30 - 12.30, and 13.30 - 17.30, and Sat mornings.
PRONUNCIATION: letters are pronounced more or less as in English, with the following exceptions:
VOWELS:
ay = ai as in aisle
ey = ay as in say
I (an i without the dot, upper or lower case) = uh as the 'a' in ago.
i = ee as in bee
o with two dots above = e as in her
u = oo as in moon
u with two dots above = ew, as in few
CONSONANTS
c = j as in jam
c with a cedilla below = ch as in church
g with a curve above it is silent, extending the vowel before, acting like 'gh' in weigh.
h is never silent, so always pronounce it as in house
j = zh as the 's' in pleasure
r = a strong rolled 'r'.
s with a cedilla below = sh as in ship
PUBLIC TOILETS: Not found in abundance, and may not all be up to the highest standards of cleanliness. Apparently the best are in the Mosques, which are free and open to all. But observe the usual respect when entering, i.e. women should have a head scarf, and both sexes remove shoes.
RADIO: TRT3 on 88.2, 94, and 99 MHz, gives short news broadcasts in English, French & German every 2 hours. BBC World Service can be found on short wave.
RESPECT: It is a serious offence to insult, defame, or make fun of Kemel Ataturk (founder of the modern state), the Turkish Flag, Turkish People, or Turkish Republic. Don't do it, even in jest, unless you want a night in jail instead of the hotel. And just to be safe, I wouldn't even say anything bad about their football teams!
TAXIS: Yellow taxis have a standard day rate (one light on meter) and a 50% higher night rate (two lights on meter), from 00.00 to 6.00.
TELEPHONES: If you have no mobile, or it's too expensive, public telephones are widely available. Buy a phone card or 'jeton'; available in any main post office or 'PTT'. You can get them in 3 values, for local, intercity, or international calls. There are two types, so make sure you get the right one for the phone you want to use. Newer public phones accept credit cards, so that's probably safest & easiest. Or look for a sign for "Kontorlu Telefon", which means 'metered telephone', at PTT offices, where you pay only about €0.05 per unit.
Cheap rates locally apply between 6 p.m. and 8 a.m. Cheap rates for international calls are from 22.30 to 07.00, but even so calls to UK or ROI will be expensive. Dial 00 for an international call, e.g. 0044 for UK, or 00353 for Ireland.
Calls to a mobile or 'cep' phone costs about 3 times as much as to a landline. It might be cheaper to use your mobile, depending on your tariff.
The Hillside Su phone charge tariff is horrendous!
TURKISH BATH: Known as a 'Hamam', reputed to be good to clean away the dirt and grime, open pores you didn't know you had, and leave you feeling fresh and invigorated. There's one in the hotel, but it may be expensive.
SHOPS: Open usually from 9.30 - 13.00, and 14.00 - 19.00.
SITES OF INTEREST: The additonal information in the Appendix below (slightly edited to save space) was compiled by Valerie Canty - many thanks, Valerie.
TIPPING: 10% is the norm, except in cheaper restaurants, where it's not required. Taxi drivers don't expect tips, but it's usual to round up the fare. Dolmus drivers don't expect a tip.
TRAVELLERS CHEQUES and EUROCHEQUES: Not widely accepted, and can be slow and expensive to convert. Use credit cards or cash.
VAT, known as 'KDV': This should already be included in all bills, so query it if it seems to have been added separately. Refunds can be obtained on larger purchases from official shops displaying the appropriate sign. Get three copies of the invoice, two of which the customs official at the airport will keep. In theory you can get the KDV refund converted to cash at a bank at the airport as you leave, but I'm not guaranteeing that!
Sorry that all this info has been so piecemeal, but it has been obtained from about 20 different sources, at different times. As such, I can't guarantee its accuracy! I'm sure that you're all capable of copying, cutting & pasting it, together with the previous instalments, into an alphabetical, or otherwise more logical format!
Finally: if you have sent me an email to which I have not replied directly, or your queries have not been answered in one of my general missives - my apologies! I've been getting about 8-12 emails every day since December on this eclipse trip alone! I've tried to reply to them all, but may have missed one or two. So if you are still awaiting a reply on anything, please contact me again asap.
I have now obtained the list of names, as booked by OAD, and I'm going to check that and sent it out to you all separately.
Terry Moseley.
APPENDIX: SITES OF INTEREST:
ANTALYA: Republic Square: Multi-domed, 13th century mosque and 38metre high fluted minaret.
The route to the old city quarter, known as Kaleici, leads from this square through narrow, winding streets lined with old stone and wooden Ottoman era houses. Some have been restored and converted to traditional style hotels and pensions. The old houses were designed to provide protection from the heat of summer. The characteristic stone overhangs and courtyards aided air circulation.
The area around the marina has many cafes, restaurants, bars and tea-gardens and shops.
There is also a small beach (Mermeli Beach) in this area accessible by steep steps leading down the cliff.
Traditional wooden gulet trips from the harbour to view the coastline and its hidden caves. (Maybe not in March/April?)
Hadrian’s Gate: The only one of four city gates to have survived until the present day is guarded by towers on either side. Built in honour of the Emperor Hadrian’s visit to the city in 130AD, the whole gate with its reliefs and carvings is made of pure white marble.
The Ataturk Museum and the Archaeological Museum are worth seeing. (prehistoric stone implements, Roman, Greek, Persian, Byzantian and Ottoman artefacts)
Antalya Museum is at the end of the beach promenade, and is located at the near end of the tram terminus. Its about 2.5 km from the hotel - just within walking distance.
Hydyrlyk Tower (14 metres high) situated on the cliffs to the south of the harbour entrance was built as a lighthouse in the 2nd century
Termessos
Isolated high in the Gulluk Mountain National Park 34km northwest of Antalya, Termessos is among the most striking and dramatic ancient cities in Turkey. Because of the location it is difficult to access therefore the organised tour is advisable.
Perge, Aspendos and Side
18km eastwards from Antalya along the coast is Perge, originally settled by Hittites around 1500B.C. Theatre stage has finely carved marble reliefs. City gate flanked by two towers. Long colonnaded marble mosaic street. Other structures include the necropolis, city walls, gymnasium and Roman Baths.
Aspendos (50km east of Antalya) - has the best preserved classical theatre on the Mediterranean and is still in use today. It was the scene of a huge bloody battle between the Persians and Greeks in 469BC. Ruled by the Spartans 120 years later, it became part of the Roman province of Asia in 133BC
Side (80km east of Antalya) was an ancient harbour and now a resort town, is one of the best-known classical sites in Turkey. Its theatre built on colonnaded arches is the largest in the whole region and would have seated 12000 spectators. The extensive Roman baths, now a museum, houses one of Turkey’s finest archaeological collections.
Demre (Myra) and Kekova (Simena)
Demre is south west along the coast from Antalya. Myra’s ancient rock-hewn cliff tombs can be seen here. Also Roman amphitheatre here. Cruise to Kekova Island, site of the ancient city of Simena. Some of its Byzantine ruins are on the island, others are submerged but visible.
Myra was the seat of the 4th century bishop Nicholas [Santa Claus! T.M], sainted for his charitable works. Visit burial place and the church dedicated to him.
Geology: Sketchy information - very little readily accessible on internet. Interesting geological features of Antalya: City is built on a 300 foot travertine terrace; karstic topography; travertine stalactite and stalagmite caves. Some of the largest caves in Turkey are in Antalya Province. One of the closest to Antalya city is Karain Cavern which was continuously inhabited from Paeleolithic period to Bronze age. There is a museum at this site. Other caves in region are: Kocain and Yerkopru. Derya Cave is situated inside the Ataturk Park in the city.
Albert White MSc FRAS
Chairperson, International Dark Sky Association - Irish Section
www.darksky.ie/
