What Did They Say?

Hi Kazim:

We can’t put into words at this point how great a trip it was.  It was an amazing hike around the country -the operative work beıng hike! Wıth the exception of airport lounges, mosque, hamam and temple floors we discovered there is not much level in this country.

It is a wonderful country so rich in hıstory and filled with kind, kind people. Istanbul is a cıty that defies dichotomies. Its wonder is in convergence of dıfferences. East meets west-the truly ancient world meets the 21st century- traditional cultural norms meet modern ones – religion meets with the secular – democracy meets autocracy – water meets land – up meets down!

There is no doubt that Anatolia has captured our imagination and has had a direct effect on how we see ourselves and the world. What more could you ask from an adventure!

We love Turkey and plan to return next year. You will be one of the first we contact!  Thanks again for the big part you played in this adventure.

Sincerely,

Please accept my personal thanks for a most enjoyable trip to your country. You are most fortunate to have excellent people such as Mehmet Çabuk and Enver our driver associated with your organization.  They made a great team
and helped us in every way.  Mehmet is the finest guide I have ever met.  He is ever the student, always refreshing his memory for the next stop. His intellectual grasp of the entire country present and past, was and is astounding.  As we say here, he is on top of his game.  No problem is too big because there is never a problem.  He doesn’t have to scramble for new solutions to problems that pop up because each discrepancy has already been faced in the past.  If A doesn’t work, then he moves to B, then to C, and so on.  I can’t say enough good things about his leadership and graciousness.  And I am sure that behind the scenes, you and your office staff were working the magic show in real time as well.

Hi there!  We just returned from Turkey on Thursday.  What a wonderful experience.  I wanted to contact you to make sure you tell your Road Scholar friend that he is correct:  this trip was the best ever.  Everything was really remarkable regarding the tour itself.  We had a wonderful guide (37 year old young man with all sorts of enthusiasm, diplomacy and incredible knowledge), perfect weather, remarkable stops for sightseeing and/or lunch or dinner along the way, great food and hotels and some terrific hands on experiences like visiting an elementary school, a farm, a special musical evening with antique instruments and, the best, 4 nights on the Mediterranean aboard the gullet.  Our group, 14 people, was the perfect size and we enjoyed everyone.

Dear Kazim and Burcu,

I just returned to Denver from Istanbul and am still thrilled over my trip to your beautiful country. I just wanted to let you know how much I really enjoyed the ElderHostel program in Turkey and will highly recommend it to all my friends, young and elder !.

I wanted to especially say how much I enjoyed Burcu’s leading the tour group. I don’t think there could be a better guide.  You were so well prepared, knowledgeable, warm, patient, well-organized, efficient, warm, kind, and entertaining. The list of compliments is endless.  After your introduction to Turkish culture I felt very comfortable traveling alone in Istanbul. I wish you well and good luck on your future travels and I hope to return to visit Turkey again soon with friends.

Thank you again for such a wonderful experience in Turkey.