Unguided Blog

It may all of a sudden occur to you that you have to go to Nakhichevan (Azerbaijan) while traveling in Turkey. Your first option is calling me from somewhere in Turkey I have not been before and ask for directions. Alternatively you can do a Google search and stumble upon this post (I recommend the latter).

The best city with frequent buses (couple of times a day) to Nakhichevan is Igdir or with the exact Turkish spelling Iğdır (notice the change g -> ğ and i -> ı). Failing that (for whatever reason), Kars is also a good option.

Yes, you can get a visa at the border.

Yes, there are flights to Baku from Nakhichevan.

Brought to you by Unguided, public service at its finest!

You have come to Turkey, heard a lot about various spices and maybe want to expand your culinary skills, what spices/herbs would you buy? Although it seems like an easy question, the choices can be overwhelming as anyone who has been to Misir Carsisi (Egyptian Bazaar) or some place similar would attest. Although I did not like him much, I follow the late President Ozal’s advice and even if I do not need any spices, I just visit Misir Carsisi to take a sniff: five minutes and I’m already tripping.

I prepared a short list for you, with my favorites.

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True to the tradition of traveling unguided, here is a quick tip to reach Aphrodisias with no tourist agent or tour bus involved. For the free spirited with a low budget who can not afford to renting a car and have a crush on Aphrodite…

As is often the case in most Turkish destinations of historical importance, no one has ever considered the possibility that travelers may not wish to use an intermediary; not because it is expensive or (add your favorite word here), but they are travelers after all, not tourists.

The antique city of Aphrodisias (Karia) where the archaeologists have been digging since 1904 (starting with Paul Gaudin, then Prof. Dr. T. Kenan Erim and R. R. Smith), hosts Hellenistic and Roman settlements and is located in Geyre (derived from Karia), a difficult place to reach, indeed.

If using public transport, your primary target should be reaching Nazilli, not a difficult proposition. Take a bus, train, air+road, or any combination you like. In Nazilli bus terminal, you will get on minibuses (I like this word) departing to Karacasu - your second target - usually every 15 minutes (Take the timetable with a grain of salt; you are in the land of people where 100 meters can be 50-300 meters, and 5-minutes means between 1 to 10). From Karacasu, you will once again get on those lovely buses to your final destination Geyre village. Geyre is on the route to Aphrodisias and buses usually drop you there if you request it. How will you request it, you might ask. I can not guarantee a foreign language speaking driver but saying “Aphrodisias?” with accent on the last syllable should do the trick.

It is nice to live in a place where you can keep therapist expenses at a minimum. Few consider its home town as a holiday destination. By definition, it has to be far away, 5 to 15 hours must be spent (wasted) in transit plus a good deal of money for accommodation.

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Choosing the right golf resort can be a daunting task when your alternatives are multiplying day by day, especially in a city like Antalya, Turkey where the tourism season lasts almost all year long. Here are some quick tips to guide you and ease your pain:

The Right Location

Antalya is a big city. Not only it has a long coast line by the Mediterranean, the city limits go far north, up to the Taurus mountains. And it can be very hot in summer. Observing temperatures of 40+ degrees Celsius in the months of July and August is not uncommon. There is a neat trick at your disposal, however: choose a place that was once a forest like Belek or Side (Sorgun). Although most of the trees like Turkish Pines (lat. Pinus Brutia) would have been butchered, some were left to provide you shade and comfort. When you want to take a break, you can enjoy a precious moment or two resting your back to a few of those pines left. Besides, the trees will enhance your panoramic view when you are sipping from your tequila sunrise.

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