Long Weekend: October 30-31, 2015
On Saturday, we took an excursion to Alanya, also located within Antalya. It was two hours away, so we rented a car. Yasir and Omer took turns driving. We ate fresh fish when driving up the beautiful Alanya mountains, which were both lusciously green and breathtaking. It was so picturesque. Imagine walking into a painter’s masterpiece, and becoming incredulous of the beauty you encounter. Perhaps the photos I am attaching to this blog post can provide you with some idea of what I experienced. I also happened to be wearing green that day—pure coincidence—so I felt especially camouflaged.
In Alanya, we also visited the Dim Cave, which was 400km in
total distance: one side was 350km while other side was only 50km. It was
spooky and cold in the dimly lit cave. Caves are such an interesting natural
wonder—created partly by nature and partly by creatures, including humans and
animals. I must admit, the serendipitous visit to the cave one day before Halloween
was quite fitting.
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| Dim Cave in Alanya. |
Just when I think we’ve reached the epitome of our
adventure, I’m proven wrong. After the cave, Yasir and Omer took us to a castle
(whose name escapes me) where we saw a breathtaking view of the Alanya
cityscape. When brochures talk about the famous “turquoise coast,” I now know
what they mean. Oh it was exquisite. See for yourself.
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| Cityview of Alanya within Antalya province. |
Sunday we spent all day studying for our Turkish exam. We took a break to learn of the Election Results. The Justice and Development Party (AK) won Turkey once again after a five-month break. This means they have regained a parliamentary majority. With these results, AK party now claims 316 seats in the 550-seat parliament, which is enough to win a majority government on its own. Some people were very happy, others were not. Such is politics.
