Turkey 2022

September 1–2, 2022. A Flight Epic

This time my adventures began even before I left Semey (Semipalatinsk). While we were already standing in line at the boarding gate, we were informed that the FlyArystan aircraft that had just arrived had “broken down,” and the flight would be delayed.
At first we waited in the departure area, then were sent back to the main terminal. We spent several hours there and even had a snack at the airline’s expense. Eventually, everyone went home or back to their hotels. There would be no departure that day.
And I had connections planned – more than one. According to my itinerary, I was supposed to stop in Astana and Aktau, but even with generous layovers I was already missing my onward flights. Luckily, all of them were with FlyArystan, and the airline staff helped me rebook my Astana departure to a later time, free of charge. My first rebooking of this trip…
I also had to change my accommodation booking to make it to the Istanbul flight from Aktau – overnight stays in Astana and Aktau were canceled. By the way, my domestic tickets across Kazakhstan were ridiculously cheap: I managed to grab them during a May sale for 3,000 tenge each – even Astana-Aktau!
In the end, I flew out the next day. As we landed in Astana, I saw through the window the plane to Aktau that I had originally planned to take – it was taxiing toward the runway for takeoff. I waved goodbye to it. I already had a rebooking for the next flight. It seemed like I would make it.

I stayed at the airport, waiting. It turned out that the next flight was delayed as well — once again, I wouldn’t make it to Aktau! What to do? Another rebooking. The FlyArystan staff were great: if you speak politely, they are always willing to help. But the next flight to Aktau was arriving almost back-to-back with my connection — still not enough time. In the end, I flew to Atyrau! (A place I had absolutely no intention of visiting.) From there, flights to Aktau are more frequent, so I booked another connection — all of this was done for me free of charge.
This time we departed on schedule. Hooray! I landed in Atyrau. Early in the morning, my flight to Istanbul was departing from Aktau. I wasn’t there yet, but I was close. I waited through the night transfer, slept on a bench at the airport, and fed the mosquitoes — they were swarming right inside the building. It felt like this was the final stretch, and I would finally make it to my international flight. But, as it turned out, the flight epic wasn’t over yet!

I woke up to find that my flight was delayed again (!) and even if there were no further delays, I would arrive in Aktau just 40 minutes before departure. For an international flight, that’s a disaster. Once again, I turned to the staff for help and found an earlier flight to Aktau. Because of all the delays and calls, they could no longer reach their own office, and only through Air Astana channels did they finally manage — once again — to change my booking. Luckily, this time there were no delays, and by dawn I finally (!) arrived in Aktau, three hours before my flight to Istanbul. It worked!
That’s how this adventurous flight saga went. Traveling alone and light, for a tireless flight enthusiast like me, it’s still manageable. But when traveling with company, of course, it’s much easier and calmer to fly direct — without tricks like these)

September 3, 2022, Saturday. Istanbul. Turkey!

As we approached Istanbul, the clouds rose in the airplane windows like mountains and magical castles. A miracle! Oh, and on every single flight I had a window seat 😊 And twice I was even responsible for the emergency exit.
From the air, the suburbs looked neat and orderly, almost toy-like. But Istanbul itself — bright, diverse, many-faced, like Babylon! People from all over the world.
I had lunch at a café where no one spoke English, so we had to communicate with gestures) And they served the fried eggs right in the pan.
At the airport I exchanged a small amount of dollars at a rate of 14.5; in the city it was already 18.1. At the moment, about 40 lira equals 1,000 tenge.
I got from IST Airport on a large Havabus No. 12; the ticket cost 70 lira. In Aksaray I transferred to the T1 tram to Sultanahmet, then walked down narrow, picturesquely winding streets to my hostel, Cheers Lighthouse.

A wonderful place! A terrace with a view of the Sea of Marmara, a chill-out area, and lots of coziness. And cats! How could it be otherwise here? 😊

During the day I walked around the most touristy spots — near Topkapi Palace and Hagia Sophia. Endless crowds and lines of tourists! I visited a park with huge plane trees and the harbor. Street markets have absolutely everything — your eyes don’t know where to look. When I first arrived, I was a bit disoriented, but that feeling passed quickly)

In the evening, there was a barbecue at the hostel, various games (Jenga, darts, throwing a ball into cups), and even a belly dance show! I arrived at just the right time — Saturday — they organize evenings like this once a week. People around me were from England, Australia, Pakistan, Germany, Peru, India, Turkmenistan… Such interesting conversations! A wonderful evening. This is exactly why I love hostels 😊

September 4, 2022, Sunday. The Princes’ Islands. Büyükada

I had breakfast on the terrace with a cat. Omelet, cheeses and cold cuts, vegetables, even fruit. I watched the ships standing out at sea (there are dozens of them there) and the seagulls flying by, while spreading Nutella on bread and washing it down with coffee. Moments like these are what make life worth living 😊 (And working a boring job.)

I set off by ferry to the Princes’ Islands! The ticket cost 35 lira. The islands are about 25 km from Sultanahmet, yet from there you can clearly see other parts of Istanbul — no more than about 7 km away.

Büyükada is the largest and farthest of the Princes’ Islands. Lots of greenery, flowers, delicate, lacy architecture, and endless hills — a real Toussaint from The Witcher 😊 Around the piers and nearby streets there are crowds of tourists and plenty of “laughing” seagulls. My hotel was right in the harbor, with a terrace looking straight out over the sea, whispering just beneath the window.

Walking along the seaside streets, I tried a sesame bagel from a street vendor for 5 lira, and the freshest cherry ice cream at Yulus’s. Bright, rich flavor!
I rented a bike for 60 lira and rode around the entire island in a few hours. You pick up speed on the downhill sections and practically fly, the wind whistling in your ears. Interestingly, the bike had no chain — instead, a drive shaft with gears. Climbing uphill felt surprisingly easy)

I swam in the Sea of Marmara (finally!), at the private Aya Nikola beach. Entry was 75 lira. The weather wasn’t great — clouds, overcast, wind — but the water was wonderful! And so clear. Watching the underwater world through a mask was mesmerizing: so many fish and seaweed, you don’t even want to surface. I really should get a snorkel. However, there are big rocks here covered with sharp shells — without water shoes, it’s easy to cut your feet.
Along the way I kept meeting cats — they’re everywhere, “grazing” along the roads even in the farthest corners of the island, where there’s only forest and not a soul around. Sitting on rocks like fluffy sphinxes 😊 Only occasionally do tourists pass by — on bikes, scooters, tiny 1.5-seater motor scooters, or golf carts. Regular cars are banned here.
I tried palamut (bonito) fish at the Eskibag Terrace restaurant in the remote southern part of the island — 250 lira, with a beautiful view of the Sea of Marmara!

In the evening I walked along the promenade, sat on a bench, and watched the lights come on in Istanbul as the sky slowly darkened.
Cats everywhere. 🐾

September 5, 2022. Istanbul! A Many-Faced, Exotic, Postcard-Perfect East

I had breakfast at the café of the By Şükrü hotel, right by the water, with a view of Istanbul. They served a boiled egg and a set for sandwiches — sausage, cucumber, tomato, two kinds of cheese, and olives. There was also honey and jam for sweet sandwiches. Simple, but tasty 😊 The room cost $30, which at the time felt expensive after hostels for $12–15. But in return I got a proper private room.)

I took another short walk and then sailed back to Istanbul. Seagulls followed the ferry in our wake.
I spent a lot of time getting around the city using all kinds of transport. There’s everything here! Trams and metro lines, above ground and underground, dolmuşes, metrobus lines, some kind of multi-section accordion buses with lots of wheels, funiculars — and even the famous old red tram.


It was a shopping day. I spent quite a bit, though not everything I planned — and didn’t buy everything I wanted either. I picked up spices, special local ones: sumac, cumin, oregano, allspice; rose tea, a Turkish lamp, soaps, an assortment of baklava. Postcards and magnets too. I even crossed half the city to the old airport area, far from tourist spots, where in what felt like an almost corporate zone I found the official Turkish Airlines store. It sells not so much souvenirs (though there were many interesting ones) as actual uniforms for airline staff. Not every aviation enthusiast makes it here, so my appearance was met with mild surprise. And I managed to buy a real Turkish Airlines flight attendant’s scarf and cap — as a very special and valuable gift 😊 For myself, I got a model airplane in the airline’s livery. After all, I was about to fly with them soon.


I returned to the center and saw the Grand Bazaar — a true Aladdin’s treasure cave. You need strong immunity not to spend money there! It’s better to shop at the Egyptian Bazaar instead — that’s where I did my buying. In the evening, I walked across a bridge (partly out of necessity — roaming service stopped working, and even my geolocation died), admiring Istanbul glowing in the golden light of the setting sun. There were lots of fishermen, even on the bridge — and even more along the waterfront.

I wandered through the amazing narrow, winding streets of Karaköy, and on Taksim Square I was lucky enough to catch the old tram and take a ride on it. It runs along Istiklal, a pedestrian street that seems to never sleep. A sea of tourists!

For dinner I had a dürüm at an unremarkable little café — very filling. They were even showing a Charlie Chaplin film 😊

September 6, 2022, Tuesday. Antalya

Early in the morning I headed to IST, Istanbul’s main airport. Google Maps is incredibly handy here. For example, I found a transfer from the metro to the Metrobus, just 15 lira. The Istanbul Card works everywhere. Only the ferries to the islands require separate tickets, since they’re run by a private operator.
IST Airport is enormous! Getting to my gate took what felt like at least a kilometer on moving walkways.

By the way, fast food prices aren’t much higher than in the city (which is surprising). Maybe because this is the domestic flights area.
I flew with Turkish Airlines and once again ended up responsible for an emergency exit) The flight was only 50 minutes long, but they still served snacks.

Antalya greeted me with scorching heat (not typical for this time of year), a bright turquoise sky, palm trees, flowers, and the sharp chirping of grasshoppers. You can immediately feel that you’ve arrived at a resort 🙂 I messed up with transportation — trudged 3 km through the heat to a bus stop. Even had to show my plane ticket to the surprised security guards at the highway exit—apparently, no one walks there. And the bus never showed up; Google simply lied. As for Antalya, it doesn’t work very well there. And the “stop” itself was just a lonely “D” sign by the road. In the end, I took the tram instead. By the way, instead of an Antalya Card you can use a bank card — 8.5 lira per ride.

I reached the hostel with a transfer in the city center, by bus. All in all, it took three hours, and I thought I’d roast along the way (it was +37°C in the bus, sweltering). It’s much better to take the tram straight from the airport. Taxis are outrageously expensive here — at least 15 euros.
Camp & Hostel Antalya really does feel a bit like a camp. Simple, almost dacha-style. The design of the showers and toilets amazed me — I’d call it “Color Palette Explosion” XD And instead of a sink, there’s a log with a hollow carved into it, with water flowing through.
But the sea is just across the road, practically two steps away. Oh, the Mediterranean Sea — magnificent! Warm, gentle, almost noble. Not water, but cream soda, it feels like. And the colors!.. Stunning sapphire and azure.

By evening there were big waves, but after swimming I felt completely revived anyway. Pure bliss! I had dinner at a home-style café and was surprised by the tiny little manty 😊 I also bought delicious, huge peaches. One meal here or in Istanbul averaged about 100 lira plus a tip — around 2,500 tenge for us. It’s strange to think about such prices now; a few years later, the situation is dramatically different.

At night I swam in the moonlight path on the water, to the sound of a bard-style song, then sat in a café by the shore (with a cat). Delight! The beach is pebbly and public, with changing cabins and even showers. And not many people.
I was also struck by how almost everyone in the hostel spoke Russian. In fact, it’s probably the second most common spoken language and the third written one in Antalya. Funny 🙂

September 7, 2022, Wednesday. Suluada Island and the Mediterranean Sea!

Early in the morning I set off on a full-day boat tour to Suluada Island. It was 86 km by minibus, through Kemer to Adrasan, and then onward by boat, Captain Ali. Standing on the upper deck in the rolling waves, you can really feel like an old sea dog).

The road to Kemer is a ribbon winding between high cliffs, sometimes even diving beneath them. Pine trees and forested rocks look like uncut emeralds on the edge of a sapphire field. And the sea truly is emerald-like — a precious stone in its own right, with such deep, intense color!

We swam all day long and visited as many as four beaches, two of them on Suluada itself. The shoreline varied from rocky to sandy. The water was astonishingly clear. I swam with a mask (brought it from Dubai) and saw many different fish, sea urchins, and even squids! (Small ones 😊) On the island, there was also a huge rock arch.

For lunch they served gilt-head bream (çipura) with pasta and vegetables. Delicious!
The day before I almost got sunburned, and I was also diving off the side of the boat from about five meters. The underwater views were absolutely amazing!

September 8, 2022, Thursday. Antalya, Kemer. Diving!

For breakfast I tried pitaya (dragon fruit). Nothing special — like a juicy but very mild melon.

I headed to Kemer, this time – for diving. The transfer almost left without me — they gave the wrong coordinates. But in the end, they did pick me up) From Kemer harbor we sailed by boat to the cliffs, and there were real grottoes there! And an amazing variety of fish — beautiful and large. We spent the entire day diving; I did three dives in total and even received a certificate: the PADI “fast track” DSD (Discover Scuba Diving). I went down to 12 meters, to a statue of Poseidon with a column.

We started with shallow dives at 3–4 meters, feeding a large school of bright fish and taking photos with them. Diving feels easy and exciting at first! But when I and a few other enthusiasts decided to pass the course, we immediately stepped out of our comfort zone. We went deeper, sat on the seabed, and learned how to deal with water getting into the mask (I didn’t do very well at that). Still, there was a magical moment when we swam over a sandy bottom beneath an entire ensemble of stone arches and underwater passages.

And you’re constantly being pulled upward. To get down to depth, I had to carry a massive rock in the pocket of my buoyancy vest XD.
An amazing experience, but tiring — and afterward your ears buzz and crackle. Equalizing pressure while descending is still difficult for me. And if you surface too quickly, you can even get a nosebleed.
In the evening I walked along the promenade, had dinner at McDonald’s (a combo for 80 lira, with delicious fries), and treated myself to fresh berry ice cream for 10 lira. So good!
I also happily went for a swim in the sea at night 🙂

September 9, 2022, Friday. Antalya

I went for a swim in the morning. A miracle! The sea was so calm — no waves at all. Fish were nibbling at my feet; you can’t even stand still) I spotted a wristwatch on the seabed at a depth of about two meters. Couldn’t reach it. Otherwise, it would have been a great addition to my collection — gifts of the sea.

I tried a fruit cocktail for 50 lira. A powerful mix! (Practically atomic, judging by the name.) And McDonald’s prices had already gone up overnight! Same dishes, but the prices had risen already!
Before leaving, I went for a walk in the center of Antalya. I’d spent all my time at the sea and hadn’t really seen the city properly. Buses run however they please, not always stopping at stops. But you can pay directly with a bank card — very convenient. Fare: 8.25 lira.
At the post office I discovered free postcards. Unheard-of generosity! Sending one, however, costs 40 lira.

I admired the views of the Old Town and the harbor. Unbelievable beauty! Such scenery!.. And that sapphire sea. I kept taking photos — couldn’t stop.

While I was having a snack on a park bench, another local fluffy “freeloader” showed up, begging for a piece of my burger.


I also noticed that there aren’t many trash bins in the city center. On weekends there are traffic jams in places. The thermometer in the bus showed 42.5°C — terrifying. And everywhere there are signs saying “DURAC” and “DURACAK”. Sounds funny in Russian XD. A lot of people smoke.
I called a taxi to the airport for 300 lira (about 7,500 tenge). I had no strength left to drag myself across the entire city in that heat — especially with traffic.
Before the flight I ate a huge, incredibly tasty peach (only 6 lira). I stuffed myself 😊

In the evening the sun set, but after takeoff I saw at once the second “sunrise”! A flaming horizon. And then it faded again.

On the plane (the low-cost AnadoluJet) they gave us water in a little carton — very welcome, I was thirsty.
Nighttime Istanbul sparkles under the wing like a giant fairytale treasure chest. From Sabiha Gökçen Airport (SAW) there are Havaist express buses straight to Taksim — very convenient. Only 50 lira (from IST it’s 70). The bridge over the Bosphorus is exactly like ours — identical!

My seatmate chatted on the phone in Turkish the whole way — the “fountain” never shut off. XD Later I even helped him find his way around Istanbul from memory.
In total, I spent about $450 plus flights (around 170,000 tenge). And I gained a wealth of priceless impressions!
And 9 out of 9 flights — window seats! A total of 16 flights for me this year. A new record! 😊