The Syncretist International » underground places

Lazy Sundays, Busy Mondays

stellar magnet — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 19:16:04 +0000

My Sunday was mostly lazy. I’ve been kind of sick. I emailed Kyle about meeting up on Monday and we had a plan arranged. Sunday evening I met up with Martin and Dora to watch Milk in the cinemas. I enjoyed the movie… After the movie we had a drink at some place in this weird building, like on the 5th floor and you gotta walk up all the stairs to get there. Interesting place. Good cheap wine all around Europe. Went home, slept, etc.

Monday I met up with Kyle and we explored the “Buda” side of the city (or the west side, we were both staying in Pest, or the east side). We went to the top of the fortress, chilled out, and visited the Labyrinth under the Buda Castle… it kind of reminded me of some Disneyland thing. There was like creepy music playing and one part of it was barely lit and Kyle had to hold my hand to help lead me through. We left the Labyrinth and finally realized where the main castle part was. My camera died when we got to the really pretty part with the great view. OH WELL.

Funny story: Kyle says that he found a wallet in his luggage that was not his, but there was no money or anything at all in it. But the wallet has something to do with Manchester, like our British friend we met on the train who lost his wallet? But how did this empty wallet end up in Kyle’s luggage? We are thinking someone might have gotten to it when we were all trying to sleep and then stuck it back in Kyle’s things. Mystery wallet. None of us got Shaun’s information so unless he finds this we will never know.

Searching for the Sarajevo Tunnel

stellar magnet — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 19:55:55 +0000

Me and Rhea ventured out to the very edge of Sarajevo and got very lost looking for what was left of the Sarajevo Tunnel. It started raining and everyone we asked where the Tunnel Museum was, they’d say oh it’s 1 km that way, 500 meters that way. Finally these two girls led us there and there was just like 10 minutes until the museum closed and the guy working there was laughing at us the whole time, I guess since we came so late in the day (it was just 4pm!) It’s a really small and random museum in the middle of nowhere. It was interesting to see the 20 m of remaining tunnel. The guy working there was nice enough to give us a ride back to the tram. Score!

Basilica Cistern and More Stalkers

stellar magnet — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 20:35:54 +0000

The stalking does not stop at the Ayasofya. When I exited the Ayasofya I was heading to the Basilica Cistern and this Kurdish-Italian-Turk starts talking to me, asks if we could be friends, etc. He walks with me inside the cistern and is talking to me the whole time and I am trying to be nice and stuff. Then we leave the cistern and I tell him I am going back to where I am staying. Then he is all asking me to dinner. I tell him no thank you and get back on the tram.

Cappadocia, aka Flinstones Land

stellar magnet — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 14:43:18 +0000

Overnight buses are so horribly uncomfortable and driver was chain-smoking the entire time. Never again. We arrived in Cappadocia on the morning of the 14th and we had to immediately go on a guided tour, we couldn’t even check into our hotel room and shower beforehand. Oh well. Saw a lot of Cappadocia: visited the Derinkuyu underground city and hiked through Ihlara Valley and had lunch in Belisirma Village. A few more stops on the guided tour and then back to check into the Star Cave Hotel in Göreme to take a hot shower. Cappadocia is so empty during the winter, since it is pretty cold and very far away from civilization, it’s almost like a ghost town. Except there are scattered tourists and locals who cater to the tourists here and there. On the second day, we were supposed to go on another guided tour but we didn’t really feel like it (feels like you’re in this long high school field trip that you can’t leave) – so we canceled the tour and chilled in town of Göreme. Shane wanted to take portraits of locals so he hired our tour guide from the 14th to take him on a private tour. I was just sort of wandering around town and a local Kapadokyan that works at an ATV/motor bike/car rental shop started to talk to me, wanted me to have some tea. After he showed me where I could use the restroom, I returned to his shop for some tea. Next thing I know, I am riding on the back of an ATV and cruising through Kapadokya’s Love and Rose Valleys.

The town of Göreme

One of the Volcanoes that made Cappadocia look the way it does

Derinkuyu underground city

Sign posted on one of the public restrooms

Walls of a cave church in the the Ihlara Valley

ATV adventure to Love Valley

S’more of Göreme