TURKEY - Istanbul

We really loved going to the famous place for BAKLAVA Karakoy GULLUOGLU We went to eat at Döner is one of Turkey’s most famous dishes. It’s a way of preparing meat on a vertical spit, which is then cut into thin shavings. It’s most commonly served as a kebab, but you’ll also find döner at restaurants served on a plate with sides of fries, pilaf, grilled peppers and tomatoes. A good place to try döner kebabs is Durumzade, a small, unassuming shop located a short walk away from Taksim Square. The shop was rec We followed this guide for a day in Istanbul https://journeycompass.com/taksim-square-and-sultanahmet-guide/

UZBEKISTAN

We really enjoyed meeting Filipino friend of Alma's TIM. He has opened a hotel in Khiva and runs a tour company: https://www.instagram.com/go_anywhere_tour/ We booked our five-day silk road trip with Elladia with CROSS TRAVEL. She was recommended by Tenney. They were fine, they got the job done, but I don't feel like they are an extra special company. I would send friends and family to TIM if I were asked for recs. First stop was SAMARKAND We stayed at the Sultan Hotel, perfectly comfortable. Second stop was BUKHARA Alma and William joined us so that was really special. We stayed at ASIA hotel. It's not a very memorable hotel but it was walking distance to all things we needed and there was a pool. Third and last stop was KHIVA Khiva is stunning. We stayed in a Madrasah which is pretty cool.

TURKEY - Cappadocia

FLIGHT You can do a domestic flight for Cappadocia from Istanbul. There are two airports, one is 40 min (Navshir) from Goreme one is 60 min. We took the further away one b/c it was the only one available the days we needed to fly (KayseriO. We flew Turkish airlines. HOTEL We stayed at Historical Goreme Hotel. I just looked on booking.com and it was available for the dates I wanted and they had triple rooms. The reivews said it was in an excellent location and it really was. The two brothers who run the hotel definitely put in 100 percent. They are very friendly and want to make sure you have a good stay. Considering it was only $100/night for a triple room, you really can't beat the view from their breakfast room. The bedroom is spacious too. We loved being able to walk to all that we needed to reach. They can arrange airport pick up and drop off for only EUR 10 per person. They operate by using whatsapp. They offered tours but we found the tours at HIRO were much lower. TRAVEL TOUR AGENCY HIRO TOURS hirotour@hotmail.com TEl +90 384 271 2542 Muze Cad, No 22/A Goreme Cappadocia We booked a private car and a driver with them, it was 90 EUR for the whole day. We squeezed in SO MUCH! Cappadocia has two tours - Green and Red. By doing a private tour we were able to mix red and green which is (more or less) north or south of Goreme. Price was for just car/driver, we had to pay for entrance fees and our lunch. The elderly gentleman was Ravrazan, he was grandfatherly and very kind. He told me that he lost about 102 relatives on his wife's side of the family. He sent me his number 05364188331 Kids really liked the underground city of KAYMAKLI. We booked ATV tours with them, we did the sunset one. There were TONS of people doing the sunset tour. It was major traffic at all the main sights but if you don't mind crowds, it's still super fun. We paid EUR 20 per person, I think it's usually EUR 30. Horseback riding was fabulous, we thought that someone would just pull the horse, but Lulu and I really did just trot along by ourselves. I loved the slow speed and how we could really enjoy the countryside.