Turkish Adventure By Jim Buie

Turkish North Cyprus for Christmas

Girne habour
Originally uploaded by U_Kersting

On Christmas Eve, we flew from Kayseri in central Turkey to North Cyprus, in the Mediterranean Sea south of the mainland. Or Kipras as the island is known locally. Flights were cheap -- $40 a person or less -- and we wanted to be somewhere that celebrated Christmas.

The temperature wasn't exactly swim weather -- in the fifties -- and public transportation isn't as easy or plentiful as on the Turkey mainland, so we didn't make it to a swimmable beach. In retrospect, we made a mistake not to rent a car for our brief stay. Walking from our hotel -- The Ship Inn -- a mile outside Kirenia (Girne) -- was along a very busy street, and Girne was more built-up and developed than we would have liked. I hear that the island as a whole is rapidly becoming overdeveloped.

There is still a big British influence in Cyprus, the island having won independence in just 1960 -- they drive on the "wrong side of the road," and nearly all of the guests at the "Ship Inn" resort we stayed at (package deal -- including breakfast and dinner) were older British couples.

The highlight of the weekend was our visit to the village of Bellapais and the monastery there, built by exiled Augustinian monks, listed as a "sacred destination," but now a museum. Alex climbed the trees shown in the picture and started knocking out what he thought were ripe oranges, and collecting them for his backpack, but turns out they were bitter lemons. You should have seen the twisted expression on his face when he took a bite!

Bellapais Monastery , North Cyprus
Originally uploaded by diesel43

The abbey's history can be traced back to the 12th century. Interestingly, the Catholic Church of Cyprus is independent of Rome.

Climbing the steps of the abbey you can see great views of the harbor, sea and coastline.

North Cyprus www.stringerestates.com
Originally uploaded by www.stringerestates.com

Alas, we have to depend on online photos for pictures, because Cyprus uses europlugs, and the ones I purchased didn't work with either my camera phone or my laptop, so we didn't take any pictures over the weekend.

This was the view from our hotel room:

St. Hilarion
Originally uploaded by Jungle_Boy

 --->

St Hilarion At Night
Originally uploaded by Richard & Jo

There are many things to see in North Cyprus, so maybe we will visit again. It appears we will need to rent a car, as the public busses don't go to many tourist destinations. I would like to see the Saint Hilarion Castle, the Kyrenia Castle archeology museum, the Othello Castle, Buffavento Castle, Leonardo DiVinci's Porte del Mare (Sea Gate), the Farmagusta port founded in 1000 BC, the church and monastery of martyred St. Barnabus, the ruins of Salamis, and the beautiful village of Tatlisu on the Karpaz peninsula or panhandle of Cyprus.

And that's not even considering what there is to see on the Greek side of Cyprus.

$50 a night for 5-star Hotel in North Cyprus, including meals

Alex and I went to North Cyprus, and stayed at the five-star Acapulco Resort for $50 a night per person, including breakfast and dinner. The 3000-year-old beach goes back to the neolithic period.

Somebody was really a great sculptor in the sand!
We surmised (wrongly) that it would be cheaper to take a ferry than to fly over from the Turkish mainland. Actually, flying was only 135 Turkish Lira (about $80) for two people, whereas bus/ferry combination was 180 Turkish Lira (about $120).

See our slideshow from Cyprus.

'Exodus', Great 1960 Movie Filmed Partly in Cyprus About the Founding of Israel

The Academy-award winning 1960 movie, "Exodus," about the founding of the state of Israel, was filmed partly in Cyprus, where Jewish refugees from the European Holocaust were held by the British before being allowed to board flotillas to Palestine.  It was great to see, in the movie, some of the sights I've actually seen in Cyprus, but also to be reminded of the early courage of the Israelis who risked everything to found their own country. While I have serious doubts about current Israeli policies toward the Palestinians,  I think the founding of Israel was basically a heroic act. This movie tells that story without whitewashing the plight of the Palestinians.

The entire film is posted on Youtube.com, so you only have to click through from one segment to the next.

 

 

How to Get from Turkish Mainland to Turkish Cyprus?

 
 The Lonely Planet guidebook to Turkey is, overall, a great resource. But on the question of how to get from the Turkish mainland to the Turkish Republic of Cyprus, it is sorely lacking. In the "Eastern Mediterranean" chapter, it mentions only that ferries travel from the city of Mersin to the Cyprus port of Gazimagusa three days a week. Has this service been discontinued? On two separate occasions, bus company staff seemed not to know of it. According to this LP page, tourists report that the Mersin ferry has been discontinued, though another tourists posts links in Turkish claiming the ferry from Mersin still runs.

Anyway, bus company staff steered me instead to the town of Tasucu, about 90 minutes west of Mersin near the town of Silifke. (Getting off at the Silifke otogar or bus station, you take a service bus, van or taxi to Tasucu. From Tasucu, a fast ferry leaves for Cyprus each morning, taking about three hours, and a large ferry leaves each evening, taking about eight hours. Sleeping on the ferry, stretching out by taking up four seats, makes for not-so-bad a journey, especially since you're saving a night of a hotel bill. Roundtrip fare for two to Girne, Cyprus was 190 TL, plus 20 T.L. "harbor fee" and 47 T.L. "tax." Entering and leaving Northern Cyprus with just a passport was no problem whatsoever. 

Will Unification Make Cyprus A Better Place for Tourists?

So there's still some hope for a deal toward reunification of Cyprus.

I've never been to the Greek or southern part of Cyprus, but one native of Cyprus, now living in Turkey, assures me I "haven't missed much." What charm is left in Cyprus, she says, is in the (Turkish) north,  because the south is over-developed.  Another Turk expresses resentment at the money the Turks give Cyprus, calling the Cypriots "ungrateful," and unworthy of continued Turkish subsidies.

While these Turks obviously have a mainland bias, I suspect the long-term trend is for Cyprus to be unified eventually as a self-determining democracy. I also predict that Northern (Turkish) Cyprus will become just as over-developed as Southern (Greek) Cyprus.  The Turkish north currently complains of economic isolation, though that actually keeps their part of the island more pristine and more fun for tourists. 

Both Turks and Greeks go to Cyprus to gamble. The zoning laws leave a bit to be desired, giving the impression in some parts that the island is aspiring to be a mini-Atlantic City or mini-Las Vegas. In other words, a large parking lot with big hotels. But at least Cyprus has the beach.

Drill deeper:

• Our three trips to Cyprus:  Turkish North Cyprus for Christmas; $50 a night Special Off-Season Deal at Private Beach Resort in North Cyprus;  How should you get from Turkish Mainland to North Cyprus?
• Video: 2002 Australian news report by Journeyman Pictures on Turkish-Greek Cypriot conflict and peace movement.
• Thomas J. Miller, U.S. Special Coordinator to Cyprus from 1997 to 1999:  Cyprus Should Be Reunited As One Country, a federation consisting of two zones, and two communities.
• Hostage to History: Cyprus from the Ottomans to Kissinger, a 1997 book by Christopher Hitchens, telling how big powers turned a local dispute into an international disaster.