Going to the ancient city of Ephesus in Turkey is beautiful and mind-boggling. The city is incredibly old and there are still a lot of buildings that are nearly intact from the ancient Greek city. It's a huge tourist hub, but don't let that deter you from marveling at the incredible ruins! Many women travel alone through Turkey, but often face some verbal harassment from men. Continue reading

Here I am in Cappadocia, a very touristy area, trying my hand at "kilim" weaving - and staying far away from the men that are waiting to charm female tourists!

Turkish people are famous for their misafir pervelik, and pride themselves on this hospitality. Many times have I heard from friends traveling in Turkey about how a Turkish person they randomly met invited them back to their home for dinner with their family, or else spent the day guiding them around without asking for anything in return. Continue reading

While working as an au pair in Turkey, my host-mom always sent the driver with me when I went into Istanbul - making me feel very over-protected. But on my last day in the country, I went there without the driver and finally understood that she'd wanted to protect me from male harassment. While the majority of Turkish men I met were kind and courteous, the unsavory ones often find tourists. Continue reading

The man in the well-cut black suit stood watching me as I struggled to carry my overweight duffel bag across the cobbles of the narrow shopping street. "Must be another carpet seller" I sighed to myself; no way around him without reversing course. After three weeks of solo travel enjoying Western Turkey - that day a hot 3-hour bus ride from Pamukkale to the small Aegean town of Selcuk - I was tired and talked out. Continue reading