travel tips | On My Canvas

Passing By Rize, Turkey: Pumpkin and Baklava Adventures

rize city turkey mosque prime minister prayer time people cars things to do in rize turkey

A Few Hours in Rize Turkey: Things To Do in The City and More

Rize was more than a transit town for me. I had arrived in Rize around 11 am from Avanos. Avanos is a sister town of Göreme, where I had been for two nights and three days. Göreme is Capadoccia, the most famous location in Turkey, where you can find tourists from around the world. That is not so true for other places in Turkey.

Göreme was the only place in Turkey where I saw other Indian faces, not that I was looking for them. In Rize, there were only locals; at least, I didn’t see any tourists.

I had had a special bus experience from Avanos to Rize. But more on that in a separate article on the bus journey.

Ninoskhevi Waterfall, Also Known as Gurgeniani Waterfall, in Lagodekhi National Park, Kakheti: a Wonder of Georgia

Ninoskhevi, also known as Gurgeniani, is a beautiful waterfall in the lush green forest of Lagodekhi National Park in the popular wine region of Kakheti. This one is about forty meters high and falls ferociously.

From Lagodekhi, I had hitchhiked to the trail starting point. I walked down to the main road. From there, I hitchhiked in a car, which dropped me at the beginning of the Ninoskhevi Waterfall Road. This driver was interested in knowing why I was alone, where my husband was, and how old I was. These are questions that always come from men who pick up women hitchhikers thinking there would be something more in it for them. I was bored and annoyed by the time I got out of the car.

Now I walked on the side road. It was seven kilometers to the waterfall. The sun was shining, and the ladies outside a market at the beginning of the street replied to my hello cheerfully. I was happy, walking briskly, often turning around to see if a car was coming by. After a while, I was picked up by a car that had four passengers. I squeezed myself in. The gentleman dropped his passengers one by one in the small villages on the way and brought me to the beginning of the waterfall. When he turned around his car, I understood that he had driven extra for my sake. I was thankful.

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Things to do in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina: Or Rather What I did in the City, In My Own Way

Sarajevo, a city whose pronunciation I had to confirm with my host. Sara-yevo. A city circumscribed by mountains, so that when Serbia laid siege in 1992, they surrounded them for four hundred days, stationing themselves on these very mountains, which are a mix of Alps and some other Bosnian range. The locals built a tunnel to go in and out and bring supplies. My host told me one kilogram of coffee was probably two hundred euros at that time.

It is an old city, probably mentioned for the first time in the 13th century. I am not sure. Ruled by Ottomans, Austrian Hungarians, and then by themselves. It was part of Yugoslavia once. Then broke apart to form an independent nation, but only to first fall under the greedy eye of Serbia.

I was told that now, probably more than eighty percent of people are Bosnian Muslims, and Serbians and Croatians are very few. They still have three presidents, one for each community. Recently, the presidents rejected the 180 or so conditions of the European Union(EU), which they had to agree with to be included in the EU. My young host, Nahid, told me that they would benefit from joining the EU in terms of freedom of movement.

“Do you need a visa to visit, let’s say, Paris?” I asked Nahid as he sat on the couch chair imprinted with blue and red leaves. The World Cup football match between Bosnia and Switzerland was being broadcast live on television. He had come to help me run the match because the remote hadn’t been working. We started talking, and after half an hour, when I couldn’t stand anymore, I sat down on the couch, and said, “I am sitting.” He sat down on the leafy couch chair, too. During the day he had chatted with me for more than an hour, never sitting down.

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Bosnia and Herzegovina Visa for Indians: Landing in Sarajevo and Immigration

Though I had cancellable bookings for 20 days, a bank account statement, life insurance, my itinerary on Google Maps, an idea of entering Montenegro from Bosnia and Herzegovina via a bus booked through Flixbus, and so on, I wasn’t asked anything at the Bosnia and Herzegovina immigration at Sarajevo airport.

The lady officer saw my US visa, looked through it for a few seconds, and stamped my passport. No questions asked.

I had flown in from Yerevan, where the exit immigration had been smooth too. They had stamped the passport easily as well. While boarding Pegasus Airlines, the young angry employee checked my passport, looked at my visa, and asked his colleague, “Hindustani America visa…” something something. The airline employee must be Turkish; his manners were definitely Ottoman. Dressed in a crisp white shirt and ironed pants, he was blonde, with blonde hair, and a temper that could singe anyone. He wasn’t easy.

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I wrote most of this piece about taking a bus from Istanbul to Izmir City in Turkey as it all happened. Sharing it here as it is. I also added a part about the host in Izmir after I arrived in the city. Enjoy!

Leaving Istanbul, Taking a Bus From Istanbul to Izmir, and a Great Welcome Dinner in Izmir by a Couchsurfing Host

Today morning started at seven am. After the long laundry confusion (with a Couchsurfing host in Istanbul), I had gone to bed at almost 11:45 pm. A little more here and there and another toilet run, I put in my earplugs and tried to sleep. Earplugs because the dryer was still running. The host’s clothes, which he had asked me to wash in the machine, weren’t dry yet. I didn’t think they would dry at all with that pathetic dryer, which wasn’t working. The host had still not returned, so some lights were on too, but I couldn’t care too much. I covered myself with a blanket, and then you can hardly see any light. The couch was big and comfortable, and I was adamant about spending six to seven hours in bed (which was the couch). My bus in the morning was at 9:20 am. I had had a long cold and wet day out at the Basilica Cistern. Finding some vegetarian food and also the long way back had tired me out.

I looked at my clothes on the chairs. They were all wet, almost as wet as they had come out of the machine. My leggings and bag, which I had kept near the radiator, were dry. I should have put all the clothes next to the radiator. They would have looked too odd, though. All shirts, leggings, and undergarments wrapped around the radiator. No. No. We’ll see in the morning.

In the morning, I put a few more clothes on the radiator and removed the ones that had dried. Thankfully, I had clothes to wear. My leggings and jackets had dried. I went to the toilet and messaged this dryer story to my partner, Sagar. “I don’t know why he asked me to use the dryer when it doesn’t work. He knew I had to leave. Now I have to carry wet clothes. He asked me to wash his clothes, too. It was a huge pile.” Still grumpy, I boiled the kettle, started packing my clothes, and put my laptop on the charger. You need to be well planned for the day.

Time passes slowly when you have nowhere to go, but quickly when you have to be somewhere. I packed all dry clothes in one pack and made one empty for the wet ones. I signed a copy of my book for my host and sipped hot coffee, thinking that if I had to go to the toilet, I’d better go now, and not when I am on the bus. Right after eight, I went to shower, carrying all the clothes that I had to wear. My host had woken up too, and I had to get ready in the bathroom. I didn’t finish my coffee. I had to get ready.

Slowing Down in the Forgotten Mining Town of Tkibuli, Georgia

I can’t pronounce Tkibuli. I have practiced the word with ten Georgians, but I still have not got it right. Now you say it, please!

Tkibuli was a small village with a river running through it, many abandoned homes, and a theatre which I couldn’t see. The theatre is said to be a beautiful structure, but it was always closed, probably temporarily. I tried going in three times.

I had hitchhiked to Tkibuli from Nikortsminda, a town about which I have written in the linked post (coming soon). I had been traveling with a Russian traveler, Rasha, whom I had met through Couchsurfing. She had put out a hitchhiking trip to Racha mountains, looking for travelers to join her. I did, and we had arrived in Tkibuli after visiting the mountains. Tkibuli lies in the Imereti region, right at the foot of the Racha mountains.

I was slow in Tkibuli. I walked around, stared at the Tkibula river, found the world’s friendliest and best-priced supermarket, rattled my brains over why there were so many forgotten homes with their doors and windows stolen, cooked, and read the book, The Portrait of a Turkish Family by Irfan Olga.

When I researched a bit about Tkibuli, I found that it was an old mining town from the Soviet era whose population has now moved on. That explains the abandoned homes.

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Buying a New Car Vs Used Car in Bangalore (Karnataka), Deciding On a Car, and Booking a Car in Bangalore

I wrote this piece in January 2021, when I was looking for a car. Publishing it now with minor grammatical errors. I am sure many things such as prices and car models would have changed, but the basic ideas regarding new car versus used car, how to trust old car dealers, how to do proper due diligence, which car model to choose, how to book a car in Bangalore, what kind of discounts run, how to negotiate the prices of old cars, insurance and extended warranties, car delivery timelines, etc would be the same. Take what you need and leave the information that is not applicable to you or has changed.

Good luck and drive safe. Enjoy 🙂

Sevanavank monastery lake sevan near sevan writers house armenia

My almighty person in Armenia, Ekaterina, had helped me plan my Armenia itinerary. She had suggested visiting the Sevan peninsula and the popular Sevanavank monastery there.

“The monastery is popular so there are a lot of tourists, but it is nice.” Ekaterina had told me.

My post about hitchhiking to Sevan from Alaverdi narrates how I had reached my guesthouse. After a cup of tea, I was out to explore.

I put the peninsula on Google Maps and also read a bit about Lake Sevan. It is one of the largest freshwater lakes in Eurasia. For sure, the lake was big. Once the lake began, it never ended. I couldn’t see the other side of the lake. On Maps, it was huge too. It is about 5000 square km, covering one sixth of Armenia’s territory. Lake Sevan reminded me of Lake Titicaca in South America.

The ancient Sevanavank monastery was once on an island, but due to the overuse of the lake water for irrigation and power generation, it has now become a peninsula. Alright, I would see this peninsula and monastery.

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I hitchhiked to Sevan City, the biggest town on the banks of the giant freshwater Sevan Lake in the middle of Armenia, from Alaverdi in the North. The distance was 120km, and I was going down, towards the south of Armenia. First, I got a ride from the upper Alaverdi that dropped me near the bridge in lower Alaverdi. You can read about the fascinating town in the link I shared above (coming soon).

I walked in the direction of Sevan, both my bags strapped onto me. On the highway, I was picked up by two men in a small truck-van sort of thing. The guy sitting between me and the driver flirted with me all the way. He wanted me to stay back with him in Vanadzor so that he could show me the beach and take me out for a drink. I told him I had friends coming to Sevan from Yerevan and I couldn’t hang out with him. The insistence and rejection went back and forth for seventy-five percent of the ride, after which the lover gave up, the driver increased the volume of the music, and we drove on.

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When I Took The Tram to the Marina Beach Dubai, Walked the Dubai Marina Walk, Indulged in a Water Taxi and Falafel, Strolled in the Air Above the BlueWaters Island, and Finished the Day By Taking The Wrong Metro

The morning had started slowly. I had been sleeping on the couch at a friend’s home in South Dubai. They had been accommodating another family who had taken shelter in their home because they were too scared to stay in their own high-floor apartment in a downtown skyscraper. I woke up groggy, not having slept so well. While having tea at nine am, we heard loud interceptions.

The interceptions and the bangs had been dying down, though. My friends, Haninder and Aina, both agreed that it would be okay to go explore a bit of Dubai.

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UAE Visa on Arrival For Indians: Eligibility, Requirements, and Immigration

As I have a US visa, I didn’t take a visa for UAE. I decided to visit UAE on a whim. In early February, I was looking for flights to Turkey. As days passed and flights got expensive while I decided on the date, I do what travelers do. I put in my destination in SkyScanner, a website I have been using for years. I also put in my source destination and looked for flights around the world for the entire month.

Dubai had been on my mind since I had traveled to Chile in 2016 and had an all-night layover on the Dubai airport. I knew it is a major airport and connecting hub. There were many flights from Calcutta to Dubai and from Dubai to Istanbul. The combined fair of the two flights would be slightly more than the single flight from Calcutta to Istanbul. The prices looked great, and so a plan formed in my head.

I searched for visas to Dubai for Indians. I had a hunch that I could fly to the UAE on a valid US visa. My search confirmed my intuition. For Turkey, I could get an e-visa, given my US travel visa (a travel friend and a dear reader had confirmed).

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Armenia Visa for Indians: My Experience

Indian citizens who hold a valid visa or residence permit from the US, EU/Schengen, UK, or GCC countries can receive a visa on arrival for Armenia.

I showed my US visa at the land border between Georgia and Armenia. The officers didn’t ask me anything. I had to fill a form with information about where I would stay during my visit, my passport details, place of birth, countries visited in the past five years, was it my first time in Armenia, my profession etc. The visa fee was about 3000 Armenian drams or 9 USD (which I paid with my Wise VISA travel card). The visa was printed instantly, and the officer stuck it to an empty page on my passport. It was valid for twenty one days.

The officers were friendly. The one who was processing my visa exclaimed at reading writer as my profession, and I showed him my book. Then I passed through the biometric counter where my picture was taken.