The Epic Tofurkey Adventure of 2011 - Day 7 (Part 8 of 12)

Day 7 – Wednesday, August 31, 2011 – Cappadocia

After a night of interrupted sleep on the bus, we arrived bright and early in Goreme, one of the bigger cities in the region of Cappadocia. The views from the window as we drove into the city were stunning with the sun coming up over the panorama of fairy chimneys. When we arrived at the bus station in the center of town a shuttle came and picked us up to go to our hostel. Turns out it was only about 3 blocks away and we easily could have walked. We checked in and put our things down in our cave (yes, our room was built into the side of a cave) then had a brief explanation of the different tours offered around the region. After a nice and much-needed shower and coffee, Daniel and Leah decided to head off and ride scooters around Cappadocia for the day, and Jeremy, Abram, Leah, and I went on the "red" tour.

We started our journey with our tour guide, Kazban, at the Goreme Open Air Museum, which is a collection of caves, fairy chimneys, and churches. We started our tour at the monasteries, and visit the church of St. Basil, the Apple church, and the Dark Church. Each of these churches has amazing frescos preserved inside the caves that the churches are built into. Interestingly, most of the eyes and faces are scratched off of the frescos – a result of the Muslim population moving into the area and not being comfortable with the human depictions common in Christian imagery. From the museum we headed to a delicious lunch buffet which was full of meats, vegetables, salads, and incredible desserts. After lunch, our tour made a stop at a pottery factory. The Cappadocia region is known for its red clay, and the pottery made from it. Up until about 50 years ago, a man had to know how to make clay pottery in order to get married (and women had to know how to make textiles). We got a tour of the factory and a demonstration of how they throw pots on a kick-wheel. Leah got a chance to try, and made a beautiful pot. From there we went to visit an old village all carved into the mountainside. From the top, we had an incredible 360 degree view of the fairy chimneys and Cappadocia landscape. We then visited the Pasabag Monks Village and the Fairy Chimney Valley, both regions where the mountainside homes and fairy chimneys are plenty. Our last stop before returning to the hostel was n Urgup, to see the collection of family fairy chimneys. These three chimneys, which look like a father, mother and child, sometimes represent the holy trinity.

After our tour we met up with Daniel and Leah back at the hostel and headed into Goreme to rent scooters. Each couple piled onto a scooter and we headed out of town to a sunset lookout spot that Daniel and Leah had found earlier in the day. We parked the bikes and walked out onto the mountains where we found a somewhat quiet spot to watch the sun go down. The sunset over the chimneys and the moon-like landscape was just beautiful. After driving back to Goreme and returning the scooters we had a lovely dinner at a rooftop restaurant to celebrate Abram's birthday. Like all of our meals in Turkey, this one also did not disappoint. It was a great way to celebrate with a friend while overlooking a beautiful city.

The Epic Tofurkey Adventure of 2011 - Day 6 (Part 7 of 12)

Day 6 – Tuesday, August 30, 2011 – Pamukkale (and Happy Birthday Abram!)

August 30 is Turkish Victory Day, commemorating the Turkish victory in the final battle of the Turkish War of Independence in 1922. All of the country there were ceremonies commemorating the day, and we were lucky enough to stumble upon one as we walked to the bus station in Selcuk. There were a few speeches that we didn't understand, then a Turkish cultural dance show, which was really fun to watch. We had to cut our viewing short to get on the bus that would take us to our next destination – Pamukkale. The bus ride was very pleasant. It was about 3 hours long, and they served us beverages three different times along the way. The first and third time they gave us water, and the second time they gave us some sort of orange soda, which was surprisingly tasty.

Upon arrival in Pamukkale the bus company offered to let us keep our bags in their office, which turned out to be perfect. After leaving our stuff and having a quick lunch in the restaurant next door we walked up the hill to the entrance to the park. Pamukkale, which means "cotton castle" in Turkish, looks like exactly that. The city consists of hot springs and travertines and terraces of carbonate minerals that have been formed by the flowing water. We walked up to the entrance of the World Heritage Site, and removed our shoes for the walk up the hill. The entire hillside is covered with calcite pools, and as we walked up the views kept getting better and better. It was really neat to put our feel and legs in the pools and walk up the rock with water spilling down over our feet. Since we weren't in bathing suites yet we really didn't get to swim in the pools, but we did take our time walking up the hill to take some fantastic photographs. When we got to the top we walked around to see other pools that are no longer open for walking, then headed over to the ruins of Hierapolus, the ancient Greco-Roman city located atop the hot springs. Abram wasn't feeling to well so he and Leah stayed in the shade, and the rest of us walked up to the top of the ancient theater. We had an incredible view of all of Pamukkale and the surrounding regions. After spending some time in the ruins seeing the Temple of Apollo, the Plutonium, Nymphaeum, and Necropolis, we walked to the Antique Pool, where you can swim in the mineral water. We took advantage of this respite from the mid-day heat and quickly changed into bathing suites and got into the water. The pool was incredible, with old columns and ruins at the bottom to swim around and climb on. The water itself was fantastic. Warm like bath water, the mineral water was so full of bubbles that it felt like swimming in soda water.  After a small snack we split up and found spots to watch the sunset over the calcite pools. Jeremy and I walked around a little to see the sunset from different angles, then ended at the end of a long walkway watching the sun go down over the horizon and send its beautiful colors into the water of the pools. After walking down through the pools once again we had a quick dinner overlooking Pamukkale, then got on an overnight bus that would take us to our next stop – Cappadocia.

How Do You Spell Yom Kippur?

Note: This is the first post in a series discussing how to "properly" transliterate common Hebrew words and phrases. Whatever your philosophy is regarding using Hebrew in the Shul, the reality is that most people in the States (and I'm sure this could also be expanded to include most other English speaking countries as well) don't write these phrases in Hebrew, they write them in transliterated Hebrew (i.e., Hebrew words in English letters). This will hopefully serve as a guide to those who want to spell these phrases of greetings and the names of the holidays in "proper" transliteration. I also put "proper" in quotations, because I will be using one system for transliteration, but I know there are many different systems out there. This is the one I have become most familiar with and, in my opinion, makes the most sense.


יום כפור is the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, outside of Shabbat. It's a day when we ask for God's forgiveness and request that we be sealed for good in the year to come. Accordingly, there are a few phrases that we say relating to this holiday.

• יום כפור - Proper spelling: Yom Kippur. 
• Rationale:
• Yud, vav, mem sofit gives us Y-Oh-M, hence, Yom.
• Kaf, peh, vav, reish should give us (with vowels) Ki-Pu-r. So why do we spell this word with two p's? The reason is that there is, what is called, a dagesh chazak, or a hard dagesh. Since the peh is preceded by a letter with a vowel, it receives the hard "peh" sound instead of the normal, easy "peh" sound. Ergo, Kippur. 
• Lastly, all transliterations, unless the word is already in the English dictionary (such as "Shalom") should be in italics. That's not a transliteration thing, that's a grammar thing from 9th grade. Also, both words should be capitalized. 
• גמר חתימה טובה - Proper spelling: Gamar chatimah tovah.
• Meaning: literally, "A good final sealing." In more natural language, "May you be inscribed (in the Book of Life) for good."
• Other usage: You can also just say "Chatimah tovah."
• Rationale:
• Gimel, mem, reish gives us Ga-Ma-r, hence, Gamar.
• Chaf, taf, yud, mem, hei gives us Cha-ti-mah, hence, Chatimah. The important thing to remember here is the hei at the end of the word. This should not be lost in the transliteration. While it does not make much of a sound in modern Hebrew, it is important to include it in the transliteration.
• Some transliterate the chaf as "kh." I prefer "ch" in this system. To me, it looks less archaic.
• Tet, vav, vet, hei gives us To-vah, hence, Tovah. Again, hei at the end means we transliterate it with an "h" at the end as well.
• צום קל - Proper spelling: Tzom kal.
• Meaning: "Easy fast."
• Rationale:
• Tzadi, vav, mem sofit gives us Tzom. Some transliterate the tzadi as "ts" like "Tsar." I prefer "tz" because I think it more clearly describes the hard sound of the tzadi. 
• Koof, lamed gives us Kal. Some transliterate the koof as a "q." While historically that may be more accurate, in modern usage, it sounds like a "k." Ergo, Kal.

Gamar chatimah tovah and Tzom kal on this Yom Kippur!

Apple Event (iPhone 4S and iOS 5) Recap for the Less Technologically Inclined

Once in a while, a technology company introduces a product or feature that not only makes using technology easier, it may actually improve your quality of life. Yes, I admit that's a very lofty setup for what was announced yesterday by Apple, but I sincerely believe that some of these new features will, indeed, make life just a little easier.

iOS 5

I originally wrote about many of the new features in iOS 5 in June (click here to read that recap) such as the new notification system, iMessage, location-aware reminders, and the new camera (if none of those things made sense, go back and read the recap :)). iOS 5 will be available on October 12 on nearly all iOS devices (both iPads, iPod touch 3 & 4, iPhone 3GS, 4 & upcoming 4S). So far, while most of the announced features make using iOS devices easier, they won't necessarily make your life better. Two new features, though, will make iOS 5 an incredibly useful tool.

Cards

Cards is a new app (although it won't be limited to iOS 5) where you can print and mail your very own, custom made and personalized greeting cards. For $2.99, Apple will print and mail your card to whomever you like, to anywhere in the US ($4.99 to anywhere in the world). Further, when the card is delivered, the sender will receive a notification. While this concept isn't new, I think its streamlined process will make sending physical cards really easy. Imagine: a family member's birthday or anniversary is coming up in a week. You get a reminder, and send a card, right from your iOS device. Cool.

Find My Friends

Raise your hand if you've ever been in this scenario: you're at a large event with a lot of people and your friend gets lost and needs to find you. Or, maybe, on the way to visit you, your friend calls and says "we're lost, and we have no idea where we are." With "Find My Friends," you use the GPS built into the phone to see exactly where your friends are. You can set it up so you're always sharing your location with your friends or you can share it for a limited amount of time. To apply it to the first example, you can set it up so that your friends will be able to see your location for as long as you're at the event. To apply the feature to the second example, you can request that your friend temporarily share their location so you can give them directions to your place. Or, alternatively, you can just get some new friends that won't get lost all the time! But seriously, I believe this feature will significantly improve the quality of life for many people.

iPhone 4S

A lot of people thought this would be the iPhone 5. It's not. This new phone is to the iPhone 4 what the iPhone 3GS was to the iPhone 3G: mostly a speed increase. It includes the same new processor as the iPad 2, it's a CDMA/GSM phone, meaning that it is a truly global phone, its antenna allows for super fast data speeds, its got a new 8 megapixel camera, but what I've mentioned so far only helps you interact with technology. So far, this would seem like an evolutionary, not revolutionary update. And then they introduced us to Siri.

Siri

Siri is so awesome, it must come with a disclaimer: it will only be available on iPhone 4S. If you currently own an iPhone (i.e., something other than an iPhone 4S), it looks like this feature will not be available to you. I give this disclaimer because when I told Sarah about Siri, she got really excited and then really mad at me that I didn't start by saying that it wouldn't be available for her current iPhone. Love you, Sarah!

Siri is a voice-activated assistant that uses natural language to give you incredibly smart answers to your questions or complete complex tasks. For example, when people ask about the weather, they really want to know how it will affect their day. So, you can ask Siri, "Do I need an umbrella?" and it will answer, "Looks like it will rain today." Or ask, "What time is it in Paris?" and it will answer, "The time in Paris, France is 6:45 PM." You can also use Siri for accomplishing tasks, such as "Wake me up at 6 AM tomorrow." And it will set your alarm. Ask, "Find a great greek restaurant in La Jolla," and it will come up with the top 25 Yelp rated greek restaurants in La Jolla. You can use it to check, set, and move calendar appointments (For example, "Do I have a meeting at 4?" "Yes, you are meeting with Sarah about Talmud at 4." "Move it to 5." "Your meeting with Sarah about Talmud has been changed to 5." IT EVEN UNDERSTANDS THE CONTEXT OF THE CONVERSATION!). You can use it to create geolocation aware reminders, such as "Remind me to call my mother when I leave school." And when I leave school, I will get a reminder that I need to call my mother. You can use Siri to search Wikipedia. You can use Siri to get directions (i.e.: "Get me home"). You can use Siri to play music. Use it to read you your text messages or emails, and then use it to respond (which will be great for hands-free texting in the car). Use it to check stock prices. Or, you can use it to make calls. But seriously, who uses a smartphone to make and take calls anymore?! Also, you can use Siri's technology to dictate text anywhere in the iPhone's system where you would normally use a keyboard. This is similar to the Android system, but knowing Apple, they really made it work really well.

The iPhone 4S will be available on October 14.

Thoughts

The combination of Siri and Find My Friends alone make the iPhone 4S an incredible tool. These features embody what good technology does: it will improve your quality of life. Am I excited for this release? Absolutely. Will I get it when I get back to the States? Maybe. It will really depend on the rumors regarding when the iPhone 5 will be announced. The latest rumors are saying third quarter of next year, so basically a year from now. If you're ready for an iPhone upgrade, though, this is an incredible machine.

It's Been A While, Why Not A Food Post!

There's a lot to discuss today. A post will be hitting here in a little bit about Day 5 (I think) of our Turkey Adventure, and I'll be writing a re-cap and analysis regarding the Apple iPhone 4S event that is happening right now. 


But for now, let's eat!


I call it a healthy everything-but-the-kitchen-sink soy vegetable rice salad.


We've got wild rice with red peppers, green peppers, onions, sprouts, carrots, cucumbers and tomatoes, topped with Tivol honey soy "chicken," dried garlic and ginger and some soy sauce.


Yum!


Enjoy with your eyes.

The Epic Tofurkey Adventure of 2011 - Day 5 (Part 6 of 12)

Day 5 – Monday, August 29, 2011 – Ephasus

The following day started early, with a shuttle from the hostel to the airport at 7:30am. We had a short flight to Izmir on Pegasus airlines, which was completely uneventful. But of course, Jeremy has some more details to share. We actually went through security twice: once when we were walking through the innards of the Ataturk airport from our shuttle’s drop-off to the domestic terminal, and once again when we entered the terminal. Surprisingly, both here and when we flew in Israel, there was no liquid check, nor did we have to take our shoes off. There was some great plane viewing which actually made us feel like we could see, first-hand, the impact of Hurricane Irene: There was a Delta plane. Delta is the only American airline to fly to Turkey, and obviously, this plane was stranded during the hurricane. When we boarded, the rush to get on reminded us of Israelis trying to get on a bus – a surprising moment in a country of very polite individuals. Although this was a discount airline, they still had gorgeous and stylish uniforms. And of course, because it was a discount airline, everything other than access to the bathrooms onboard had to be purchased.

After arriving in Izmir and finally finding our shuttle (after about 40 minutes with an incredibly nice local who called the hostel to find out where the driver was and then kept calling him until he arrived at the airport, and then wouldn’t take a tip) we were off on ah hour-long drive to Selcuk. We arrived at the Boomerang Guesthouse and had a lovely lunch in their gardens. The owner of the hostel was incredibly nice and informative, and he arranged a taxi that would take us to Ephasus, pick us up after our time there, take us to see the Artimus temple, then bring us back to the hostel. So, we loaded ourselves into the taxi, and off we went to Ephasus.

Ephasus, pronounced 'Efes' in Turkish, was an ancient Greek city and later a major Roman city with a population of more than a quarter of a million people around the first century BCE. Even though only about 18% of the site has been excavated, Ephesus is the largest collection of Roman ruins in the eastern Mediterranean. We explored the baths, the amphitheater, temple of Hadrian, the main streets of the city, and of course the remains of the library. We were so lucky to have our resident archaeologist Abram, who really gave us a lot of insight into the importance of what we were seeing. While all of the ruins were interesting to see, the remains of the Library of Celsus were truly amazing. The entire façade is standing, and looking at it you can just imagine what it must have looked like with the entire city built up around it. We spent about 2 hours walking through the ruins, and then went with our cab driver, Shakir, to the remains of the Temple of Artimus. Once one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, the temple was originally constructed during the bronze age, and subsequently destroyed and reconstructed a number of times. Now, only one column of the temple is left at the original site. The amazing thing is that in antiquity, the temple was dedicated to the god of fertility and now, atop the lone column, sits a stork’s nest, the modern symbol of fertility. We spent some time looking at the column and at St. John's Cathedral in the distance, and found a small pond with frogs and turtles. Abram decided it would be fun to chase the ducks that were gathered nearby, and we're all just glad that he emerged with all of his fingers intact.

After our day of ruins we walked through the town of Selcuk trying to find a restaurant that had been recommended in our guidebook. When we found it closed, the owner of the restaurant across the street explained that there was a death in the family and the restaurant would be closed for a few days. But, we were welcome to try his restaurant! We ended up having an absolutely delicious meal overlooking a fountain and some ruins. With gelato in hand we walked back to the hostel where we relaxed in the garden with some tea, hookah, and backgammon. The surprising part of this city was the incredibly heavy influence of Australians, exemplified with our hostel: The Boomerang Hostel.

The Epic Tofurkey Adventure of 2011 - Day 4 (Part 5 of 12)

Day 4 – Sunday, August 28, 2011 – Istanbul

On our last day in Istanbul we decided that we'd had enough of the hostel breakfast and went around the corner to a cute little café with outdoor couch seating. After a leisurely breakfast we walked to the Fatih district to visit the Fatih Mosque. Built between 1463 and 1771, this Ottoman imperial mosque boasts true Turkish-Islamic architecture. The inside of the mosque was so incredibly beautiful. Unfortunately the mosque closed about 5 minutes after we got there for prayers, so we sat at a little café just outside the grounds and had a little snack and tea while we waited for it to open again. Like the Blue Mosque, there was such an incredible feeling of quiet and peace inside the mosque. Unlike the Blue Mosque, there were very few tourists in the Fatih mosque, and the very large space was mostly empty. We took a few pictures of the beautiful inside, then just sat, looked, and took in the space. When we finished at the mosque we headed back toward the hostel with a quick stop for lunch atop another restaurant, with views of the bazaar and surrounding area.

After a quick stop at the hostel to change, the six of us were met by a man from the Turkish bath, and he lead us through the streets of Sultanahmet to the bath house. A few people told us that we had to do a Turkish bath while we were in Turkey, and they were right. When we got to the bathhouse we were each given a little room where we could change and leave our things. We wrapped ourselves in towels, and were escorted to the main room where we laid on what looked like a hot stone alter, surrounded on all sides by little stations with basins and running water. As we started to sweat, we could use the hot and cold water to cool us off. After about 45 minutes, the attendants came and got us and the women were taken into another room for a scrub and massage. They use a rough silk mitt to exfoliate your entire body before washing you with the sudsiest soap you've ever experienced and giving you a massage. It is such a treat to not only have someone massage your body but also wash your hair and every last part of you. After the scrub and massage the girls rejoined the boys and we spent about another half an hour in the hot room, alternating with hot and cold water baths. When it was time to come out they wrapped us in robes and we sat in the lobby relaxing and sipping apple tea. Overall, the baths were incredible. I would go back in a second. Jeremy was a little sore from the rough massage he got, but other than that really enjoyed it as well. All relaxed and clean, the six of us had dinner at an outdoor restaurant near the hotel, then spent the rest of the evening lounging on pillows with tea, hookah, and baklava.