Regrettably, there is not a whole heck of a lot of material out there on Zonguldak. It is a 5-6 hour bus ride. There are a lot of caves. There are some historical cities nearby. There is a nice waterfall. There are a lot of trees. It rains a lot. They make nice canes. The mine coal there (it grew as a result of the coal industry). It is on the Black Sea. That is about all I knew when I jumped on the bus. I found a bit of material on http://www.turizm.gov.tr/EN/ and one or two other sites - I emailed the relevant stuff to myself on my Blackberry so I could travel as light as possible - I didn't take anything other than money, keys, phones, camera, and the clothes I was wearing!
I left my apartment at around 9am on Saturday and took the same route to the Harem bus station - a bus to Besiktas (YTL 1.5), a ferry to Uskudar (YTL 1.4), and a taxi to Harem (YTL 6). I keep on forgetting about the dolmus from Uskudar to the bus station. Anyways, right as I entered the bus station area, one of the bus people was yelling Izmir, Bursa, ZONGULDAK, etc. I had to doublecheck the name on my Blackberry (I kept on forgetting what it was called), and then followed him to the right bus. I hopped on and it left a few minutes after 10am. It was YTL 30 for this trip. Another bus, another bus company - there are so many there. I am glad I haven't had to wait for a bus yet.
The bus was rather empty, compared to the Bursa trips. I had both seats to myself for some of the ride, although a kid sat next to me for part of the trip. There were a lot of empty seats, both going and coming. Zonguldak just isn't on most people's radar I guess. Probably for good reason. None of my other colleagues had ever been there besides Erkut.
The bus ride was okay, alhamdulillah. Not much traffic, except in a couple of spots. I dozed of for much of the trip. What I did see was quite beautiful though, subhanallah - lots of trees, hills, mountains, changing fall colors, pink and green mosques, windy roads, the Black sea, etc (thankfully, there was no rain, otherwise the trip might have been more dangerous). We made several stops to pick up or drop off people along the route, including one 10-15 minute break about halfway at a rest stop (the bus pulled out, so I thought I missed it, but perhaps it just went for fuel; all the buses were getting washed by the service station people as well, I noticed) where I got a chocolate bar (YTL 1). Most of the stops came in Zonguldak province, in smaller towns on the way, including Eregli, which is named after Herakles/Hercules. It is there were he supposedly entered Hades and defeated Cerberus. Eregli was on my radar as a potential place to see. More on that later.
We reached the final stop, Zonguldak terminal station, at around 330pm or so. I could see the Black Sea right away - it is quite easy to see from the central city area. I walked to the downtown, which was about 1 km away from the bus stop. I prayed at the only mosque in that area - there are a few in the city, but rather more spread out than even Istanbul. I saw other mosques, but they were in the distance. As I was walking in, I saw a hotel, the Mer Hotel, so I was relieved that I at least could stay somewhere - I couldn't find too much hotel info online and wasn't sure if there were any in Zonguldak or if they were in Eregli or what. I hadn't made up my mind if I wanted to spend the night or take the midnight bus back, but after darkness fell at 5pm or so, and all I had done was walk to the pier and gaze at the sea, I knew I had to stay the night to have a better experience for my time invested.
It was getting chilly, but I walked up and down the sea wall area around sunset time. The waves weren't too big, but they did break on the rocks and I did take a little bit of splash damage. Not a whole lot of people out watching the waves, but I wasn't alone either. It was very rocky - no beach. I didn't see too many boats at first, but then, a bunch left the harbor area - I think they went out to help guide the much larger Rafi back in. I saw it enter the port as I ate a very late lunch (Kofte Burger and Ayran for YTL 4.5) at a small cafe that was built on the water. Some people were selling fish, so that smell was there. Many of the restaurants seemed to specialize in fish as well.
There were a lot more people closer to the inner harbor/dock area, as the seaside restaurants were full from about 4-9pm. Lots of people playing backgammon. However, after walking up and down (and avoiding more dogs, even here), I decided to go and check out the hotel to see what the rates were. It is always nice to have a base (and bathroom) in any new place. Alhamdulillah, YTL 70 is what I paid as a single person for a decent room - more people would have a higher rate. Hotel Mer purported to be a two star. It was clean, and my room was quite large. No AC, but there was a TV and (I think) even wireless. Alas, the elevator was worthless. Still, the lights were motion sensing and the key card was needed to power the room's electricity. I also got some tourism material and maps to help plan my activities. I was happy with the place and it was in a good location. My target rate would have been YTL 50, but 70 was close enough. FYI - I haven't needed a passport to use the bus system, but I did need one to check in.
It was still early when I got the room, and even though the staff wished me a good night, I wasn't quite ready to sleep. I had passed by a movie theater earlier, so I figured I might as well do that. I went and saw Max Payne at the 745pm showing for YTL 7. I walked in right as it started I think - I didn't feel like I missed anything other than the previews. An usher showed me to an empty row. It was a decent movie. A little dark, and somewhat predictable, but in English! About halfway through however, the lights came on and the show stopped - there was an intermission! That was wierd.
After the movie, I went to an internet cafe for half an hour (YTL 0.5), but they didn't have Skype. I walked around a bit more. I almost walked into a different restaurant that was packed, but upon closer inspection, it appeared as though a wedding was happening there, so I went to the same restaurant for a late dinner (hamburger combo for YTL 6.5) - this time I sat inside though. I went back to the hotel, watched a bit of TV, and slept early.
Some things in Zonguldak are relatively cheap compared to Istanbul. Aside from the hotel, even candy bars (I got two for YTL 1) are about half off, and movies in Istanbul are closer to YTL 10-12. It is like Damascus in some ways actually, with some guys picking up garbage with donkeys, and it got quiet even earlier than Damascus - nine or ten at night. Still, I didn't hear the adhan at all during my visit.
Alhamdulillah, I was able to start my day early. I went back to the sea wall/rock area at sunrise and hung out for a while - the primary purpose of my visit was to see the Black Sea after all. The Black Sea is not really black. I am not sure how it got the name, or how the Red Sea got its name, or even the Mediterranean, which the Arabs call the White Sea. Rather, I saw four colors - cloudy green, sea green, aquamarine, and blue. Alas, there were some clouds that morning, so I missed the sunrise part anyways.
I went back to the hotel and got ready. I grabbed a simit (they are growing on me; I know think of it as kind of like cram) for breakfast for YTL 0.75 and went out. I wanted to see the nearby Gokgol caves as well as the Harmankaya waterfalls before coming back for a noon checkout. Gokgol was only 2 km away, so initially I figured I would just walk or maybe take a bus. However, I wasn't sure how to get to Harmankaya from there, so I ended up going to a taxi stand and asking how much it would be for two hours, to take me to both places and bring me back. I got a quote of YTL 40, which I thought was reasonable, so I went for it. Alas, taxi drivers are ever scammers and not to be trusted.
A short, five minute drive brought us to Gokgol. The place opened at 9am, so we waited about 10 minutes before the caretaker arrived. Entrance was YTL 3, although I paid after I exited. I went in alone, as the taxi driver stayed to chat with the caretaker at the entrance. I certainly had not planned on entering a huge, dark cave that was actually quite dangerous by myself, but that is the situation I ended up in. The cave itself was actually secondary - I really wanted to see the waterfalls, However, I decided to go forward, despite the possibility that wild animals might have taken up residence in this out of the way Turkish cave! Alhamdulillah, the cave was completely empty except me. No evidence of bats or bat guano at all, unlike the caves I saw near San Antonio. Another difference was the presence of an underground river that would overflow with any rain from above. It was quite wet throughout, with lots of dripping and puddles on the path itself. The deeper I went into the cave, the more that worried me (I had seen The Rescuers on the plane just a few months back!). Another thought that troubled me was the possibility of being buried alive in an earthquake - after all, I am in an unstable, quake-prone part of the world. Still, I kept pushing forward until I reached the end, almost 1 km in. I was quite impressed that even here there was motion sensing lights - they are everywhere in Turkey!
Alhamdulillah, the cave is quite beautiful - lots of neat formations, stalactites, stalagmites, crevices, and open areas (alas, no pics or touching allowed though - no one was watching, but I don't like breaking rules unnecessarily). Still, I wouldn't recommend it, given the potential for earthquakes and flooding I mentioned. The flooding risk is quite serious. I was quite thankful that I wasn't exploring the caves in Eregli - those caves are named the Caves of Hell or something like that (after Hades), and I would rather not be buried alive in the Caves of Hell or even give fate the chance to do that. Needless to say, once I reached the end, I hurried back.
The taxi guy was waiting for me - about one hour had passed since I hired him. The sunlight was quite amazing as we left Gokgol - it seemed almost solid (perhaps due to smoke or dust; we did pass a coal mine shaft). We drove back into the city and then back out again in another direction (even though the map showed that we could have just gone further past Gokgol). Then the guy says, sorry, we can't go any closer to the waterfalls - you have to walk. He should have told me that to begin with! Then, he said, well, you can pay me YTL 20 more to go to the forest which is actually closer and on the way to the waterfall. I was angry and said just take me back to Zonguldak, which is probably what he was aiming for. I am not going to curse him to hell, but I will admit that I won't be disappointed if I get some of his good deeds on Judgement Day. I paid him the full YTL 40 upon reaching the hotel, even though there was still half an hour to go on my time. I certainly didn't need him just for Gokgol - I could have walked, taken a bus, or even paid a cab YTL 20 for that much. Khayr in sha Allah. I hate it that I spend more on taxis inside these random cities than I do on the bus to get there in the first place.
I cleaned up a bit, checked out of the hotel, and then started walking up the coast, trying to find a beach. Alas, all I could see was rock, rock, rock in Zonguldak. I went to the western end of the city limits and found a beach like area. The approach was a bit dangerous though, and I didn't want to risk it by myself. I called Osman as I tried to find a good place to stop and we chatted for a bit. I saw another beach further west, so I kept walking for a couple of kilometers and found it. Unfortunately, as I walked down towards the beach area, a dog started barking at me, so I ran back up to the road. Foiled again. Some things just aren't meant to be. Still, it was nice to watch the sea for so long anyways, alhamdulillah. I even saw some rainbows form in the spray as the waves smashed against the rock.
I had lunch at a nice looking restaurant with a penguin logo that is right next to the bus station. I had the house special, which was chicken in soy sauce with rice and some Ayran for about YTL 15. It was okay and the view was nice. The waiter took a while to break my YTL 100, so when I got my change, I rushed out to the station to see if I could catch the 1pm bus, since I had enough of Zonguldak and didn't want to get home too late. Alhamdulillah, I caught a bus right as it was exiting the station - I just stopped it and hopped on, without a ticket. I paid the attendant YTL 30 and it seemed everything was ok. However, at the first stop, he gave me my money back and told me to take another bus, so I went and got a ticket and jumped in the second bus, only paying YTL 20. Strange. We reached Istanbul at the same time, I think - certainly, we reached the rest stop at the same time. I'm not sure what the transfer was all about - it is not like the bus was full.
The ride back was also nice and beautiful. I felt a bit queasy, but it passed, alhamdulillah. The trip was a bit longer though, because of traffic near Istanbul. Erkut says traffic on Sunday afternoon is always bad. It took closer to 6.5 hours, including the transfer to Mecidiyekoy - the shuttle/transfer bus guy almost dropped me off very far from my place, and I indeed got off the shuttle, but I think the other passengers must have yelled at him, because he told me to come back on. It would have been quite a hike for me. Alhamdulillah.
I tried to Skype after eating dinner, but I think the internet connection wasn't working well in MI. That is too bad, since everyone was at our house. Khayr in sha Allah.
Overall, I had a nice trip to Zonguldak. It was an interesting place. I think more time would have been helpful. to hike to the waterfall and maybe see some other things. I am also disappointed I couldn't find a place with local cuisine (other than fish, which I didn't want). It was worth it to see the Black Sea, although I am a bit disappointed I didn't find a good beach. I saw some nicer beaches in Alpali, which is in Zonguldak province but closer to Istanbul. Perhaps that would be a better place to stop and stay to access beaches. Also, there is some Black Sea frontage very close to Istanbul - I could try checking that out as well. Khayr in sha Allah.
My trip set me back about YTL 200, or USD 130, which isn't bad. Alhamdulillah.
Here are some pics, not in any particular order:
A borrowed image of Gokgol - since I didn't take any pictures. A beautiful cave, but keep a weather eye on the weather forecast:
Me with the main area of Zonguldak in the background:
You can see the different colors within the Black Sea - none of them black:
The sunlight seemed almost physical, possibly due to smoke or dust or whatever that is:
Some nice fall colors just outside of Gokgol cave:
This boat was just sitting there the whole time I was in Zonguldak:
I couldn't tell this was a wedding for sure, until I saw the wedding car:
I saw this wall - it looks like a memorial or something; I couldn't figure out what happend to 1983 though - almost everyone was ripped off for some reason:
Fish mongers - no thanks:
Fish mongers - no thanks:
Alas, the sea front area nearest to the city was just a bunch of rocks:
Alhamdulillah, I caught a nice sunset:
The bus ride had some nice views:
More bus views:
Alhamdulillah, I caught a nice sunset:
The bus ride had some nice views:
More bus views:
