Our experience with a three week tour of Turkey with Ertunga Ecir far exceeded our high expectations. In light of Turkey’s internal situation with terrorism and domestic unrest in 2016, the four of us (two couples) were anxious and unsure about traveling to Turkey. In pre-trip conversations, Ertunga was honest about the situation and did not pressure us into coming to Turkey if we did not feel safe. We went ahead feeling that Ertunga was on top of the situation; he gave us a sense of confidence that he would keep us safe. However, the first few days with Ertunga completely relieved our anxieties and strongly reinforced our confidence in Ertunga, his perceptions, and his judgement. Observing that daily life in Turkey seemed normal and security were adequate but not oppressive also greatly relieved our anxieties.
Our tour of Turkey was an incredible experience. Ertunga’s passion and encyclopedic knowledge of the remarkable sites and ancient ruins kept us in awe much of the time. He and our superb driver Mustafa are obviously a very experienced and savvy team. Ertunga was attentive to details, enthusiastic and positive, perceptive and sensitive to our needs. In addition he was creative and imaginative in adding sites and experiences that were not on our itinerary, all of which greatly enhanced our experience. Ertunga and Mustafa introduced to us a number of small, local Turkish restaurants with wonderful food, but where there was little English spoken and no one not Turkish in sight. These meals were a delight.
Ertunga perceptively realized that we were open to new experiences. One of us asked about a site, Magnesia. Ertunga said it was an obscure site despite its magnificence. We walked down a farm path about a ½ mile dodging cow pies and cows/sheep and rounded a corner and found another jaw dropping scene, a 35,000 seat capacity stadium. It was all that was visibly left of a large 2,500 year old Greek/Roman town. At another site, Labraunda, he asked if we minded if two nomads could ride in the bus down the mountain to catch a ride. So ‘Maw’ and ‘Paw’ Turkish nomad cheerfully rode with us the 8 miles or so back down the mountain. Later in the trip, we met one of Ertunga’s former colleagues from his Turkish Army service. The stories they shared about their service on the wartime Iraqi border were entertaining. These were treats far outside the normal guided tour experience. He always checked to see if these deviations from the itinerary were acceptable to us.
Our tour of Turkey was an incredible experience. Ertunga’s passion and encyclopedic knowledge of the remarkable sites and ancient ruins kept us in awe much of the time. He and our superb driver Mustafa are obviously a very experienced and savvy team. Ertunga was attentive to details, enthusiastic and positive, perceptive and sensitive to our needs. In addition he was creative and imaginative in adding sites and experiences that were not on our itinerary, all of which greatly enhanced our experience. Ertunga and Mustafa introduced to us a number of small, local Turkish restaurants with wonderful food, but where there was little English spoken and no one not Turkish in sight. These meals were a delight.
Ertunga perceptively realized that we were open to new experiences. One of us asked about a site, Magnesia. Ertunga said it was an obscure site despite its magnificence. We walked down a farm path about a ½ mile dodging cow pies and cows/sheep and rounded a corner and found another jaw dropping scene, a 35,000 seat capacity stadium. It was all that was visibly left of a large 2,500 year old Greek/Roman town. At another site, Labraunda, he asked if we minded if two nomads could ride in the bus down the mountain to catch a ride. So ‘Maw’ and ‘Paw’ Turkish nomad cheerfully rode with us the 8 miles or so back down the mountain. Later in the trip, we met one of Ertunga’s former colleagues from his Turkish Army service. The stories they shared about their service on the wartime Iraqi border were entertaining. These were treats far outside the normal guided tour experience. He always checked to see if these deviations from the itinerary were acceptable to us.
