2022 World Tour – Izmir, Turkey
Hello from Izmir, my 57th stop on the trip. Skipping the summary and history as I’ve already done it in Marmaris.
I chose Izmir as my penultimate stop on the trip due to its position roughly halfway between Marmaris and Istanbul. It’s on the coast with a long waterfront so should be right up my alley, right? Not so much…
I took a taxi to the nearby Marmaris bus station to start my journey, it was nearby but uphill and only cost âº40. There’s a guy at the station gate with a tiny flatbed vehicle who insisted to take me and my bags 100 meters uphill to the ticket offices and bus parking slots. He asked for a tip as I was expecting so I gave him all the coins in my pocket. I checked the first bus office only to find FlixBus has subcontracted this run out to KamilKoc again. I was seated next to a young kid who was very into his music, he seemed to be acting out an entire dance video with his head and hands for every song. He lives in Izmir so I asked him what I should see, he pointed to the coastal town of ÃeÅme 80km away. Hmmm, I’m starting to get a sinking feeling. We pulled into a big mid-way station and I asked him if I have time to use the toilet, he says no time. 20 minutes later we pull out so I guess there was time. We’re randomly stopped by a police check on the side of the road, they take everyone’s ID cards except mine and 10 minutes later we’re rolling again. As we approach Izmir I realize how big it is, this is not just a seaside port, it’s a full-on city. Turns out it’s the 3rd biggest city in Turkey. Well shit, not the quiet low-season beach town I was expecting. We get dumped at a big bus station about an hour outside the city, not great. I start looking at Google Maps for city bus routes and taxis, then a helpful girl said there’s a free shuttle bus into the city – yay! The bus pulls up, it’s a full size coach except we’re not allowed to put our bags underneath! The girl in front of me struggled to get her big suitcase up the stairs and out of the aisle. We pulled out into rush hour traffic, stopped and crawling the whole way. I got out at the first stop and rolled about 15 minutes to the hotel, along beat-up streets. The hotel is really out of place, it’s got a nice marble entryway and Victorian furniture in the lobby but is positioned in a really run-down part of the city. The room is a suite with a kitchen and washing machine, but I need to get some washing detergent to do my last laundry. The door is 4″ thick with the most complex and sturdy lock set I’ve ever seen in my life. But above all, the Wifi rocks!
Later I walked to a nearby ‘M Migros’ grocery store, got the usual plus a mystery Doritos flavour that looks like savoury spices and a bag of Lay’s that looks like BBQ flavour with a nice Turkish potato farmer on the front. I asked the butcher for hummus or tzatziki, he found some hummus that he said was spicy, so I took both small packages, a bag of pita bread and a bottle of laundry detergent.
The next day I plotted out my sightseeing route. This is not a tourist town so not much to really see and do. I walked to the clock tower, tiny mosque and public square next to the waterfront. The water is green and murky, no beaches anywhere near the city. I walked into the harbour ferry terminal and bought a 3-trip bus / metro / tram / ferry card and walked home through the bazaar and past the crumbling Agora which was built by Alex the Great.
The following morning I walked through nearby large Kultur Park with a nice permanent carnival, full of families on a Saturday afternoon. Then I walked to the trendy Alsancak neighbourhood and the nearby local-run train station. I took it east and north around the harbour about a dozen stops then got off and started a very long walk towards the shoreline, past giant park areas to the ferry terminal where I can get a quick ride back to the city. I asked which ferry goes to my destination, they say go one more over. I tried to beep on board with my card but it’s empty, it should have been good for 2 more rides! I tried to top it up but the machine kept rejecting my bills. I asked security, the lady walked to the machine with me, I point to 50, she says big bills are only allowed for the “other kind” of card. Well that’s stupid. I got some change and I bought a new 3 trip card, what a waste. I beeped through and got on the ferry that just unloaded. I had just sat down when a guy said the ferry is closed! I got off, walked to the next boat and got on. I stayed inside to be away from the smokers outside but there’s a huge kids play area and the echoing screaming is nonstop. I just can’t catch a break!
The next morning I booked my hotel for 2 nights in Bangkok to get over the jet lag and do some last electronics shopping. Then I booked a lower-bunk train ticket home – my very last mode of transport until I’m back in my condo! I looked at how to get from Izmir to Istanbul, there’s supposed to be a train but the line may be under construction so I walked to the train station and confirmed there is no train running now, so I booked my last bus ride. Then I walked a long, long way across the city and up a massive hill to the “Historical Elevator”. It’s in a cool, quirky street with a jazz bar and a few restaurants. Built in 1907 to avoid walking up 155 dangerous steps on the ultra-steep hillside in this part of the town, it must have been recently renovated because it’s in surprisingly modern shape, quiet and smooth. There are two lifts, each can hold 10 people and there is no charge to use it. There’s a great view from the top of the tower and another restaurant up there. I went back down again, walked to the waterfront tram station, got off at the clock tower, walked through the bazaar again and then home.
Is it worth a visit? For touristy things – No. It is strategically located to get from Marmaris on the coast to Istanbul though, so if I had to do it again I would only use it as a stopover for one or two nights.
Next Stop: Istanbul, Turkey
Edit: Well it turns out FB throws away all of your selected photos when you add a video, so here are the photos, I’ll put the video in a comment below.
