Change(s) of Plan(s)

Quietest beach I've ever been to.

Yesterday we went to visit the Roman ruins of Ephesus with a few people (very cool people too, so many Canadians here, it's incredible!) from the hostel. It was stunning, the library was awe-inspiring, but there were thousands of people there, often more concerned about kicking you out of their picture than enjoying the beauty of the city and appreciating the fact that so much of it is still standing. The heat was difficult to bear too, there was no shade to be found, and so when we were done, we all went to the beach at Pamucak. It's on the Aegan coast, and it was beautiful! It makes me look forward to the Mediterranean beaches, which are supposed to be a lot more impressive. I tanned/burned a bit too. That was to be expected. 

The Library from afar

Speaking of which: things have been moving a lot in the past few days. It's almost certain now that Karel will be extending her trip for at least another month. Don't worry people, I will be coming home! I do not have the financial means to survive abroad for that long, and I also feel compelled to come back on time. I know there are people waiting for me. I owe that to my family too, who has been supportive in their own quiet way, by not putting any obstacles and trusting me, even when I didn't trust myself. 

I guess it would make more sense if I started explaining things from the beginning. Early on (as in, while in Vienna) we realized that we probably wouldn't make it to Eastern Turkey. I was heartbroken at first, and didn't want to accept it (this was what I was really looking forward too, the Western Coast not so much). However, I slowly came to accept things for what they were, and my level of exhaustion convinced me that I could use the time on the beach. When we were staying in Istanbul, when the hostel owner heard that we had at first planned to land in Trabzon, his immediate reaction was: "Don't go there. They will kill you. They're extremely patriarchal over there. They'll adopt you or something, but two girls alone, that's not going to work". I doubt it's that bad, but honestly, I think that when I do go, I will need to be travelling with a man (and pretend we're married because otherwise, that's not going to fly either). 

Considering all this, we decided to stick to the Western Coast. Problem is, we realized through conversations with other travelers that 5 weeks is a long time in Turkey, especially since we're cutting out a huge part of the country. As a result, we've started talking about our possibilities, as well as at what point we'll want to split up. We might head to Bulgaria (from where Karel would continue on to Romania, back to Hungary and then who knows), or maybe I'll go to Greece/Greek Islands on my own for something like a week. We're slowly trying to figure it out.

One thing I have learned is that, next time I travel in Europe, I'm not getting a return ticket, I won't even have a plan! We've been going on a straight line since the beginning and restricted ourselves too much with dates and things to do. I feel like I've been on the go for almost a month now, and my body is exhausted to be honest, especially since I know the food I'm getting, no matter how delicious, is not giving me all of the nutrients/energy I need.

Don't mind my face. Cool people from the 'resort'!

I'll upload a few pictures later, and start packing too. We're leaving for Bodrum tomorrow at 7:30 AM. Ew. Hopefully I can get out of bed...

xoxo