Private Magic Carpet Tour

I travelled on Fez Travel’s Magic Carpet Tour during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. Sites visited Particular highlights for me were * Ephesus, more deserving of the title “ancient city” than any similar sites I’ve visited before * Pammukale, not like the photos that first piqued my interested in visiting, but because I’d read about it in advance I was not disappointed * Cappodocia Some sites were under partial restoration, including Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque, and the Grand Theatre at Ephesus. All worth viewing, but should be more impressive once restoration is complete. I would have liked more time in Pammukale as I choose to visit both the calcium travines and the ancient/Cleopatra’s pool. I swam in the pool, and took all the photos I wanted of the travines, but it would have been nice to have an extra 30min just to take it all in. I was less interested in the shops. This tour included four. * Carpets, including a couple of demos. The method used is one unique to Turkey, and has been handed down over generations. * Leather, including a fashion show that was a bit of fun. * Jewellery, including a chat about the stones unique to Turkey. * Ceramics, including a demo. Also a business handed down multiple generations. Ultimately each of these was intended to get you to spend your money. The sales people were polite and not pushy or intimidating but I would have preferred to skip both the leather and jewellery shops. Optional extras * Ancient/Cleopatra’s pool in Pammukale Unique experience, but it would have been helpful to know the arrangements for taking photos in advance. It seems unfair the pool do not allow people to take their own photos in the pool when they were offering photo services themselves, and couldn’t even describe the photo services they were offering, I really wanted an underwater photo. * Whirling Dervish show Good to watch, but I feel some of the significance was lost on me as I don’t understand the language of the songs played. * Hot air ballon ride over Cappadocia Incredible, the combination of coloured balloons, interesting terrain, and sunrise made this a very special memory. Tour guide Gurksu was knowledgeable, sharing with us the history, and geography of the country and it’s seven regions. We learned the Turkish word and pronunciation for cheers, “şerefe”, but it would have also been helpful to learn the same for “thank you” early on in the tour. He answered almost every question we had, was polite, and looked after us by negotiating better deals for the shoppers and getting us extra dishes for free with our meals. His recommendations of particular points of interest at our tour sites, resturants, and dishes were good, and I never felt unsafe on any of our walks or stops. His English was very good and he was friendly, but professional, though I would have felt more comfortable if he wore his face mask over his nose more often. It also would have been nice to hear more stories on our drive. Maybe a fable or two from Islam, or stories of the Sultans, maybe even some of Rumi’s poems. Accommodation Due to the pandemic our hotels were upgraded. They were a mix of styles, from a resort style hotel, to a cave hotel, to a homely city hotel, to modern hotels. It seemed as though across our group we got to take turns in having an especially good room, at the cave hotel my “bath” was more of a hot tub, large enough to lie in! The food served was mixed, some hotels better than others, though none bad. Similarly the cleanliness, though none bad, was mixed, and a little more attention to detail wouldn’t have gone awry. All the staff were polite and although perhaps not fluent in English, I had no trouble communicating with anyone. The spa at Adempira Hotel in Pamukkale was excellent, and MDC Cave Hotel in Cappadocia really was something special. Driver Seyfi was always on time and I never felt unsafe as we drove through the country. He didn’t speak English but was polite enough to join us for meals after we spotted him having his on his own and invited him to join us. He had a smile and a joke with us when Gurksu translated for us, and stayed behind at a restaurant when one of our group invited us to go ahead, to make sure she was okay and safe. He always wore his mask while driving and was armed with hand sanitizer ready for whenever we ented the coach, which itself was fitted with a hand sanitiser dispenser by the door. Overall It was a very good experience, and the memories will last me a life time. Only a few niggles kept me from giving a top score, but it is no doubt achievable in the future. Thank you Fez Travel.