Suddenly Turkey feat. mom

It was the second week of November, I received an unusual afternoon phone call from my mom, she asked me if I would join her on a trip to Turkey. She knew I am very enthusiastic about exploring the world, especially those places I had never been before. and then I asked her when it would start, she said within two weeks, and it will take around 11 days for a group tour with Taiwanese elders. I was really surprised  this travel invitation came on such short notice, but in the meantime I had spent two months at home studying my Dutch non-stop. I can definitely use some breaks and take my soul for a small adventure with my mom, after all, traveling in Turkey with mom is not something that happens everyday.

Due to my flight availability, I had to arrive in Istanbul before my mom and the group. which is totally fine for me, I walked around the neighborhood called Cihangir which has the artisan vibe, and hipster coffee shops, but not many handcrafted boutiques tho. Then around noon I tried a famous Turkish brch store, where I ordered some sort of spinach egg with sausage, with KAYMAK as extra. People say Kaymak mixed with fresh honey on sesame bread is the most delicious and authentic way to experience turkey culture, which after I personally tested it, I couldn't agree more.  After my lunch I also spent a couple hours in the modern art museum, where I saw a very inspiring painting from a local artist, I think one day in the future I would make a painting to salute him (only if I had time).  Last but not the least, I experienced my first Turkish Hamam. How can I describe it? It's so amazing, so comfy, so purified, so detoxic! When was the last time I had someone spend hours washing me from head to toe ? mmm Never! Not even my mom spent such effort washing me when I was babe. (I guess...).

So that was it, my alone journey in Istanbul before the Taiwanese travel group and my mom arrived.
And then what? yep! a 10 days military style sightseeing tour began! This travel group is very ambitious, we will take a bus and drive almost half of the country, visiting many famous tourist spots. Every time we move from this location to another, It's always took us at least  4-5 hours in the bus, and to be able to catch up the day hours for sightseeing, we have to get up super early, had breakfast very quick, everyday before the sun rise we are already on the bus driving toward to the next destination. Here I am going to list those places we have been in 10 days:

Istanbul→Saffronbolu →Ankara→TuzGolu→Kaymakli→Sultanhani
→konya→Pamukkale→Sirince→Kusadasi Korfezi→Tevfikiye
→Osmangazi→Istanbul.

I must say while listing these places, It does give me a feeling like we have achieved something. However, as I asked myself, do I really feel something from this great tour in Turkey? mmm my answer is I do feel some,but most of the feelings are not completed. Every time we arrive at the destination, we have a maximum of 1 hour to explore, sometimes even less than an hour. It's almost like when I am just about to feel something, and the next second I must stop my feeling because we are leaving again. I remember there was an old lady sitting in front of me and my mom, she looked outside the window and said, I wish I could stop the bus to see this beautiful world up close. That moment when I heard it, I can feel my heart crying with her too.

Anyway, this is how group traveling works, they have only one purpose, which is to take us to the destination, and then we can take a lot of photos.  To exchange this, people have to spend hours on the bus, eating terrible cafeteria buffets, being treated as an unlimited credit card  and everyone wants to sell you shits at an unreasonable price, and.... as a bonus you will definitely get flu whether you want it or not.

Wow, I didn't know that I could be so critical. but to be honest this trip was not as bad as what I described. What I found the most treasured moments from the trip is certainly that I had spent a lot of time with my mom. We haven't spent such a long time together since I moved out from home. I didn't know my mom could be so adorable and cute while traveling with a group of people. and she can take multiple naps as long as she sits in the bus, and she can fall asleep instantly even if she still plays with her phone, she prefers cheap prices over good quality.  She likes to wear things that are comfortable to her rather than just looking good. she doesn't laugh out loud but more like giggling, which I love to hear a lot. I love her smile, and thanks to this trip, I see her always smiling. yeah, instead of complaining how terrible this trip is, I am very grateful now, I have the most loving mom as my travel companion.

I love you mom.