by Samantha Burmeister | Feb 26, 2014 | Solo Travel
Don’t you get scared hitch hiking?
Yeah, texting and driving is a problem everywhere. It’s terrifying to stand by the side of the road and see people not paying attention.
I guess what I’m really saying is, the world is full of good people. I have learned this time and time again.
My hitching rules:
- Don’t look like a stripper. Not hard for me or the company I keep.
- Smile. It makes me human, it makes me likable, and much less likely to be a murderer.
- Walk in a safe area during daylight. If it’s after dark, I splurge for a cab or bus or contact a Couch Surfer.
- Use my best judgement. I haven’t been in a bad situation yet, but I’m also not afraid to demand to be let out of a car if I don’t get good vibes.
How great is this view?! Why would anyone want to rush by in a car? Also, it’s really cool to get closer to the flags on the mountain. Remember, underneath they say, “Happy is the one who can say, ‘I am proud to be a Turk.’”
123 Bus
The bus that passes my apartment to go downtown and to the freeway is the 123. For the first time since I’ve been here, it pulled up just as Ariela and I stepped out of our apartment on Saturday morning. And it just… kept.. moving. We must’ve looked quite content sitting at the bus stop.
As a joke, I threw my thumb out and started laughing that we wouldn’t get a ride. We started walking toward the main road. Not three cars passed before a gentleman pulled over and told us in perfect English to jump in.
Hitch One- Man with child
I SO wish I remembered this man’s name. He had his son for the weekend and was taking him to see the Peace Players game. The son told us that his 10th birthday is Tuesday, and he’s having his friends all come to a sportsplex for the party.
The father told us that he has 5 extra bikes at his home, and invited us to borrow them whenever we wanted. The only problem is that I lost his number since we left his car.. I was really looking forward to that. In addition, he spent 12 years in New York completing his studies, masters, and his entry level work before returning to Cyprus. He even gave us a bit of a tour of the boundary before dropping us off at Ledra Street.
Ledra Street is the main street in Nicosia’s Old City, and at the end is the border crossing. Pulled out the passport, crossed the border..
1.5- A woman with an honorable mention
As we walked across the border, we decided to get out to the main road before trying to hitch- it’s just awkward and difficult in the city, plus the walk was only a kilometer (10 min walk).
We walked past a Hamam- an ancient bath house that is still used. We went in only for a price list and ended up sticking around and talking to the desk person for about 20 minutes. I was so hungry, and when we tried to leave, she offered us a bagel instead! Breakfast: managed.
The woman commutes in from Kyrenia every day and offered us a list of places to go in her city. She was so polite and thrilled to get to practice her English.
Photo break! This is the castle and fortress that we were going to visit in Kyrenia. It was originally built by the Ottomans and is on the coast that faces Turkey.
Hitch Two- Man who couldn’t match to save his life
This guy spoke three words in English: Yes, Ok, This.
“How are you?”
“Arabic, Turkye”
“Oh.. We’re going to Kyrenia. Girne” Girne is the word for Kyrenia in Turkish.
“Girne! Yes ok! Cafe Turkye”
“Sure. Girne!”
“Yes! This Turkye! La Turkye, es Turkye…” Pointing at every business telling us it’s Turkish, apparently. He then tried to stop for a Turkish coffee, but our goal was not to spend money.
After this awkward encounter, he dropped us off at a bus stop and said, “Yes, this Girne bus”
We thanked him, waited for him to get a bit down the road, and walked past the bus stop in the direction of Kyrenia.
Total spent so far: 0.
Hitch three- Turkish girl
We got the words from Old Crow Medicine Show’s song Wagon Wheel (thumbin my way to North Carolin’) stuck in our heads, and after stopping for a photo op, were almost dancing our way down the road. 18 kilometers to go!
This girl saw us and started laughing, so she pulled over to help us out. As it turns out, she knew English well but was only going about 2km further on our route before taking a turn at a roundabout for her city. It was a really fun 2km, though!
Hitch four- Africans
These three gentlemen were from Africa- one from Kenya, one from Uganda, and one tried to tell us he was from the UK. He did NOT know enough English to be from the UK, so I really don’t know what that was about.
These guys were incredibly nice, and were driving from their university in Famagusta to spend the day in Kyrenia. They dropped us off right in the heart of Kyrenia and went on their way.
We were in need of some nutrients again by this point, and stopped off for some fresh squeezed orange juice. In the US, ‘fresh squeezed’ is a relative term. Here, they cut a spot off the top and bottom of the oranges, and pressed them until the juice fell into the cup below. No sugar, no preserves. He even gave us a carrot when I asked (he also made carrot juice)
The Kenyan one in the group has lived here for less time than we have!
Checkpoint in Kyrenia:
Money spent: 10 Turkish Lira, or about 3.5 Euro.
Nationalities of people met: 5 (UK, Uganda, Kenya, TRNC, Turkish)
Attempts made on our morals our our lives: 0
So far, so good.
Kyrenia
We wandered around the piers and the castle for a while and waited for some friends who were supposed to meet us. Our friends never managed to meet us, but we had a great time meeting restaurant owners and locals and other tourists.
Sitting on the pier/wall. On the left you can see the castle, and the sea on the right.
We kept getting stared at- more than on the Greek side. We deduced that it is because TRNC is a predominately muslim nation, and to see two blonde people, women without men, and not fully covered, was just too weird to not let your eyes fall on.
Eventually, we decided to walk around the fortress and back down to the piers.
“I’m going to go touch the water!” Okay. I pulled out my camera just in time to see Ariela slip. Luckily she fell backwards and did not ruin her passport, camera, or anything else, but she was up to her knees in salt water.
Hitch five- the boat guys
At this point, Ariela was partially soaked and we were about to succumb to buying a seafood lunch, just for somewhere inviting to sit and not get stared at. We joked about how cool it would be to go on a boat, and I told her she should ask the nearest fishermen. Her response: “I’m following the lady in the dress.”
“Hey, do you guys speak English?”
“Yes, my mother is an English teacher!”
“Can we have a ride?”
“Sure, give us… five minutes. Then we can go.”
Well that was easy.
Just sit right back and you’ll hear a tale,
A tale of a fateful trip
That started from this tropic port
Aboard this tiny ship.
These guys were very polite to sit and talk with. After our trip around the bay, they offered us coffee on the dock. American men bring beer- Turkish men wouldn’t be caught dead without their gas burner, coffee pan, and extra cups and sugar. So Euro.
We sat with them for a while, and one of them made a phone call. Out of the blue, he looks at us and said, “Do you prefer doner or kafta?”
“Why? No! You don’t have to get us lunch!”
“Quick, decide.”
“Whichever one you think is best then.”
Not five minutes later, a moped showed up with 4 yogurt drinks and 4 sandwiches! Although the TL is weak and the country is relatively inexpensive, it was still so nice for them to get us lunch. They really were excited to show us plenty of their culture!
As part of our conversation, one of the guys told us that he does beekeeping in his spare time. We found that where we wanted to go next is on the route between the harbor and his bees, so he offered to drop us off in Bellapays.
So, we waited for him to clean up the boat a bit and headed off toward Bellapays!
A view of the fortress and mountains from the boat.
Bellapays
The old cathedral at Bellapais. It has largely been destroyed, but the gardens around it combined with the foggy sunset were so beautiful.
Cheesy friendship photo from the top of the Bellapais mountain. There was no way to get a great photo, but we could see down into Kyrenia and the fortress from up here!
Money spent: 24 TL, or about 8 euro, between the two of us
Nationalities of people met: 5 (UK, Uganda, Kenya, TRNC, Turkish)
Attempts made on our morals our our lives: 0
Hitch six- Lorry Drivers
At this point, we were getting tired. These guys also weren’t in the mood for much conversation, and they got us as far as the bus stop toward Nicosia. Sometimes people don’t understand that it’s about the journey rather than the destination!
At this point, I bought some water and chocolate milk. It was 6 TL, or 2 Euro.
Hitch seven- Guy who wanted to take us home
This guy spoke just enough English for me to realize he was the punk friend I never had in high school. He was a good guy, but also wanted to help us in an odd way. His idea was that he’d go home first, then take us to Nicosia.
Not that we don’t want to see as much of the country as possible, but we also didn’t really want to go to some small town in the North with someone that we didn’t know.
So, he drove us about 10 min down the road and dropped us at a random bus stop. It was a confusing few minutes. He was nice to us though, and was totally okay with us not wanting to meet the family.
Another photo break from Ballapais! I am usually behind the camera 🙂
Hitch eight- Sallih the photographer
This. Guy. Was. Awesome. As a college student in the era of hipsters, when someone tells you they’re a photographer, you can’t help but take it with a grain of salt.
Salli was returning from Kyrenia after having delivered a set of wedding photos that he took a few months ago. He had us look through some of his work, and I was really impressed.
[ https://www.facebook.com/leophotographycyp if you want to check out his work! ]
He and his girlfriend live very close to the boundary, so he took us right to the Ledra Palace gate. This is a different gate with about a km of ‘grey area’ to walk through between the Turkish and Greek sides. He was so cool, and we were glad to have made it home 15 minutes before the last 123 bus.
Hitch nine- The old man
Ariela and I ran into a friend on our way to the bus station. She was so enamored with our story and wanted to try it for herself. Lo and behold, the moment we stepped on to the main street and put our thumbs out, an old Greek gentleman pulled over and brought us home. He was so ornery and reminded me so much of my late grandpa. It was a perfectly humbling ending to a great day! Plus, we got to share our experience firsthand with a fellow student!
The final count- is humanity out to get us?
Money spent: 8 euro between the two of us
Nationalities of people met: 5 (UK, Uganda, Kenya, TRNC, Turkish)
Attempts made on our morals our our lives: 0
No. The world is full of people who want to help people, especially in a culture that views women as people to be protected. People love the opportunity to share their stories or cultures.
by Samantha Burmeister | Feb 23, 2014 | Sam's Thoughts, Solo Travel
I really enjoy true travelers. I met a girl here in Cyprus who is taking a gap year from her university in New Orleans to travel Europe, Northern Africa, and possibly some of Asia. She and I went for a walk on Tuesday, and out of the blue she said, “Sam, I think I’ll hitch hike to Limassol tomorrow, you should come.”
24 hours later, we were in Limassol, a coastal city, swimming in the Mediterranean to a shipwreck and frolicking around the area.
That’s the shipwreck! The water was so cold, but so worth it! We could see at least 10 feet down at any time.
We got to Limassol midday and our couch surfer (Giorgos) picked us up from the center of town. He was hosting an englishman as well at the time, so the four of us went to his house and had an amazing meal of fresh fruits and vegetables, and some lamb. Our host is vegan, so the meals were amazingly and healthily prepared!
After lunch, he drove us to the shipwreck for a swim and some bananas as snacks. After the beach, we found some sombreros in Giorgos’ car and decided that it would be a good idea to wear them as we toured more of the area.
Giorgos then took us to a magnificent place called Amatheus Ruins. The view was unparalleled, so much so that my iPhone camera couldn’t do it justice. Unfortunately, we arrived pretty close to closing time, and the staff was restless, so we were asked to leave pretty soon after arrival. It worked out for the best, though, because we were able to make it to our last destination right at sunset!
Next, we drove to this amazing beach. You can see that there was very dark sand that gave way to perfectly smooth large rocks. These rocks epitomize the tenderness of the atmosphere at this beach.
Tenderness? Yes. This is Petra Tou Roumou, or Aprhodite’s Rock. The aura of the sunset, the cuddly couples, and the rocks arranged in heart shapes made this an incredibly comforting atmosphere. Rumor has it that if you swim naked around the rock (the medium sized one) three times, you will have love and fertility for life.
I stayed on the beach.
Afterwards, we went back to Giorgos’ place. Did I mention that he lives in a 10X10 space, plus a bathroom? Four adults, one room. We had an amazing leftovers dinner, and stayed up until the wee hours talking about our personal philosophies and plans. It was an amazing set of conversations that encouraged and influenced each of us. Plus, it was like a sleepover for big kids!
Sage and I got the futon!
Couch Surfing has many different faces, and this one was so mutually inspiring. After all the touring and talking, I was on an intellectual high. The next day, we had a wonderful dinner of fish and vegetables, and hit the road back to Nicosia.
Today, I am thankful for midweek breaks and still receiving a superior education!
by Samantha Burmeister | Feb 8, 2014 | Destinations, Sam's Thoughts, Solo Travel
“This is the war.” I heard this phrase more than any other this weekend. This blasé term was used to explain so much to the girls and me this weekend. Most of what we did and saw drew questions, and they were often answered with, “Well.. This is the war.”
I took this picture on our walk from the apartment to the sea. We had to walk around this fence because it was controlled by the UN. It goes to show how random the borders are, and how unfortunate some of the boundary parameters are. What was once a seaside basketball court is now.. this. The water is controlled by in places such as this, and there are ships stationed offshore as well.
Famagusta and the Ghost City remind me of what I imagine Detroit to be like.
The place is just plain dusty!
The grass is literally greener on that side. Maybe they’ve gotten more rain than the south. Maybe the climate is different. But maybe, because so many people were pushed out of the country, there isn’t as much pollution and wear on the earth. The earth is swallowing up entire neighborhoods now, 40 years after the occupation began.
There are buildings that have trees growing out of them, entire neighborhoods and homes that have been abandoned. The Greek Cypriots were forced from their homes in 1974 and have not been allowed to return since. Although most of them have been completely looted (down to the wiring), it is said that at one point, the tables were still set as if people would return that evening for dinner.
Right inside the gate were the remnants of an old bath house.
There is an entire portion of the city (about 40%) that has been fenced off by the United Nations. We got to drive around it, but the UN guards do not allow entry, photos, or even stopping a vehicle within a certain distance of the fence. This is the part that is said to belong to the Greeks (see the situations mentioned in the last paragraph) and will go back to the families that own them ‘when’ Cyprus regains control of the TRNC.
A view of the sunset over the occupied city. This is the part people are still living in.
TRNC is not as hellish as the pictures of Sochi look.
We could finally flush our toilet paper!
We’re discovering that every water tank on the island is heated by solar, and most also have electric heating components that we can choose to turn on.
We went two days without showers. By choice.
You can’t drink the water, but you can cook with it.
Yum! Tabbouleh salad, a chicken breast, rice with peas, and a green bean soup!
It was overall a really good experience.
Yeah, it was somewhat lackluster by way of architecture and things to do. But at the same time, it was completely overwhelming. The country is really poor due to the occupation, yet they are ‘Proud to be Turks’ and the flag is flown everywhere. It is evident that the area is occupied rather than free.
We were people watching today and noticed that some families looked like gypsies, while others could have just walked out of a JC Penney’s store in the states. Weird, right? It’s like ‘those Turks’ are real people!
Ezzat ‘pushing’ Ariela into the moat
Our hosts were beyond accommodating. We even got our own room! They cooked two traditional meals for us, toured the old city, the beach, and the perimeter of the fenced in area with us, and even came all the way to Lefkosia(Nicosia) to pick us up! Between the two of them, they spoke Arabic, Moroccan, French, English, and other native tongues, so Hilary and I got to practice our French, and Hilary got to practice her Arabic as well!
Ariela and Ezzat, one of our hosts
The girls I traveled with were true travelers rather than tourists. We somehow spent exactly 17.5 Euros each for over 24 hours of learning. That includes transport! These ladies were amazing, and I think we all learned a lot from each other.
Ariela laughing. I love this picture! You can see the old moat and bridge into the walled city behind her.
This was the closest I’ve been to the third world. My market, or my mission, or whatever you may call it, is definitely the first world, and it excites me to have been exposed to something new.
It made me realize how much this apartment is ‘home’.
I really missed it, even after a day. It felt so rightto cross back across the boundary and head down Ledras Street toward the bus stops that I’ve gotten to know so well. It felt natural to not fumble around in the dark for my keyhole, and normal to flip on the switch to the water heater tonight for my shower.
Here’s to a night in to absorb everything from the last couple of days!
Solitude on the sea. The sea is in front of me, the walled city is behind me, and I’m sitting in a bastion on one of the towers. I didn’t realize until now that this photo might be symbolic! 🙂
by Samantha Burmeister | Feb 8, 2014 | Sam's Thoughts, Solo Travel
On our program, we don’t have many rules. Go to class, try not to get hurt, and stay away from the North side. (Remember, North side= Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, a state that is only recognized by Turkey. In order to get there, we cross The Green Line, one of two UN controlled borders in the world. The other one separates North and South Korea. TRNC is NOT like North Korea.)
So naturally, what do we do on our first full free weekend? Take a cab 40km into the North side to the most affected city from the war.
I’ll write a post about the trip later, but here are the photos to go along with the joke from the title!
The three of us (yes, one is Christian, one is Jewish, and one is a non-converted Muslim) at the old walled city of Famagusta. This was a REAL walled city, straight from the books with a moat, spaces for cannons, and the works!
Me, representing the Christian 1/3 in front of an old church.
The girls in front of a fenced in tree; it must’ve been pretty important! This was right out front of the mosque.
Not sure who to blame, but I had NEVER been into a mosque until yesterday! It was built as a church first, then converted to a mosque after the Ottoman takeover, so the architecture wasn’t anything like I expected. It really just felt like a hollow, carpeted church. I can’t wait to visit more mosques and hear more about the religion, especially because we are so close to the holy lands, and I have such wonderful friends to learn from here!
The girls I surfed with, eating our mmmmmazing meal of tabbouleh, rice, and soup!
One of our hosts is Palestinian and Muslim. Today, we went to the beach and walked around, and all shared a beer together. What does the world think of a Palestinian, a Jew, an American Muslim, and a Christian all sharing a beer in paradise? All I know is that it felt right.
by Samantha Burmeister | Jan 30, 2014 | Destinations, Sam's Thoughts, Solo Travel
I went to Winter Park in October – Mud Season
I went to Ayia Napa in January – Everything is closed.
—
Ayia Napa is BEAUTIFUL. It was by far the best day I’ve had in Cyprus so far. 9 girls took a minibus taxi for only 20Euro each round trip; the driver stayed there for the day, then brought us home. Not a bad deal considering it costs 8 to get downtown in a cab!
Today was a really great day for me because I got to relax and be around people that I am more comfortable with. I do well with getting to know people, but I do much better in small groups than large ones. With just nine girls that chose to be together rather than were placed together was a great environment.
Some random person walking around snapped this for us! Cypriots are so friendly!
Fantastically clean agua
We had an awesome lunch and spent the rest of the day on the beach. Our conversations continued as we took walks, bus rides, had lunch, and took photos on the beach.
At one point, one of the girls asked me to do yoga with her by the water. It was such a positive experience to be able to be outdoors, have the beach almost to ourselves, and to be able to get in to our own practices.
The top one is us just messing around on a walk, the bottom one was actually taken during our practice on the beach- a little bit safer location than a cliff!
Yoga always puts me at ease, and doing it in paradise only furthered this effect. Afterwards, I decided to go off on a walk alone and continue to reflect. I came across another cute church with a simple exterior and intricate interior- this seems to be standard. I saw multiple resorts with relatively private beaches, and one even had it’s own water park and helipad! Most things in Ayia Napa are closed during this season, so I was the only person I saw for nearly a mile!
Plus, I LOVE being barefoot, and these beaches were perfect for it!
I had a ‘moment’ today where I realized how at home I feel in Cyprus. The people here are so relatable, and I find that I fit into this culture very well. I can not wait to start my classes Monday (I got in to all the ones that I wanted) and continue to make this place my home for the next 4 months.
