Rick's Ramblings: A tale of Turkey

The soul of a gypsy wants nothing but to wander through the wonders of this world. There's nothing more fulfilling to the soul than to see an unseen sight of the world. It can be a moment as small as unexpectedly spotting a little humming bird in a garden in the middle of Istanbul or it could be a moment as magnificent as looking at the sunset lying on a yacht floating on the Bosphorous, seeing the whole horizon turn into the most beautiful shade of orange, just moments before the sun hides behind the magnificent Süleymaniye Mosque with the sound of the beautiful azan in the background.

My latest trip to Turkey has given me sights, moments and new friends that I will cherish for the rest of my life. From the beautiful city of Istanbul that holds together people of all cultures, religion and faiths together as its own to the lovely seashores of Bodrum and Fethiye and Ölüdeniz, spotting sea turtles in the backwaters of the turtle beach, the ruins of Ephesus and the eerie-yet-phenomenal structures of necropolis (city of the dead) carved on the mountains of Dalyan.

There's so much this mystical country has to offer - the stunningly vintage charm of the old town of Antalya still bound in time withing the walls of the fortress, walking through the Saklikent Gorge looking at the milky white river running ferociously through it, looking down at the valleys and flats of the miraculous landscapes of Cappadocia with its fairy chimneys from a hot air balloon. I also soaked in the white pools of Pamukkale /cotton castle and a magical pool in the middle of the ruins that apparently was the secret of Cleopatra's beauty.

Turkey has thrown surprises at me every single moment of this trip. Everyday I asked, "What should I do today?" and Turkey answered me with a magnificent out-of-this-world experience. Not for a single day or a single moment did it disappoint me.

A friend of mine said a wonderful thing to me when I was in Turkey. She said, "Bring me a little stone from Turkey and Turkey will call me to itself to take the piece back." It's a beautiful thought but I think turkey has in fact kept a little part of my soul and would want me to go back to take it back and I definitely will ....