Turkey on the cheap

I traveled solo in Turkey for 26 days in May ’09. May is off-season in Turkey, but the temperatures were perfect and there were no crowds at the historic sites.

Excluding airfare, my total expenses in Turkey for the entire month were $950.57. This included all transportation, lodging, meals, a phone card, entry to historic sites, a few souvenirs and, on several occasions, renting mopeds.

At all the hotels and pensions at which I stayed, my room price was for one-person occupancy and included breakfast, free Wi-Fi access and 24-hour hot water. Each had a shower and toilet in the room.

The following description of my visit to the town of Bodrum is an example of how I was able to travel economically in Turkey.

When I arrived by ship from Greece in Bodrum, it was the usual chaos at Customs and Immigration; I got a multiple-entry visa stamp (€15, or $21) before I went through.

Then I hit an ATM for some Turkish liras. ATMs are everywhere in Turkey. At that time, US$1 = 1.60 Turkish liras.

I took a room for three nights at the Sevin Pension (Turkkuyusu Caddesi 5, Bodrum; phone 90 252 316 76 82, www.sevinpension.com), only about 100 yards from the port. I negotiated a room for TL25 ($15.62) per night, down from the asking price of TL35.

The room was small but had a TV (Turkish programs only), heater/air-conditioner, refrigerator and queen-sized bed. The bed was not new, but the sheets and towels were nicely crisp and clean.

There were trees and flowers and hammocks and chairs all over the pension. It had a really nice atmosphere. There was also a book exchange and a restaurant. The manager named Swat, who was in a wheelchair, was really helpful.

The following activities around Bodrum all were free.

I visited an ancient Roman theater (which holds 4,500 people) and took pictures but didn’t pay to go inside the fence. I visited some 2,000-year-old water cisterns; there are about a dozen scattered around the town. And I explored the backstreets and checked out how the local folks live.

I hiked up above the town and checked out the 3,000-year-old Lycian tombs cut right into the natural rock.

I did pay to visit the huge Castle of St. Peter that dominates the port. It was well worth the price (TL10, or $6.25); I ended up spending 2½ hours there.

Construction on it began in the 1400s. It has six big towers and two churches, and housed inside is one of the best underwater archaeological museums I have seen in the world! It also houses the best amphora collection in the world and a very good collection of ancient glass.

My favorite part of the castle was the carving above the door down in the dark, dank dungeon. It read, “Inde Deus Abest,” or “Where God Does Not Exist” (or “God is Absent from This Place”).

DOUGLAS PRAKSTI
Turtle Creek, PA