Tag: pros and cons

The Realities of Life in Adana

M's Adventures

So I wrote about the great things about living in Adana. Now, here are the things that are not so great.

The hot summers: It gets up to 110 F (44 C) almost every day for a few weeks and the rest of the three or so months (mid-June through mid-September) the temperature will be above 90 F (32 C) during the day for months on end. This heat is not too sticky but it’s not completely dry and you still sweat. A lot. There is one good thing about this heat and that is that there are minimal outdoor activities or anything outdoors during this time. And there is lots of air conditioning.

The smoking. They smoke. A lot. Even inside restaurants.

The traffic. Yes, it’s bad. In the city. The roads are in bad condition. Not everyone follows the rules. Is the traffic worse than Dhaka? No.

Chaos but no animals in the streets.

The flies — well that ONE fly that goes straight for my mouth when I step outdoors. Or buzzes around our food at the breakfast places. Ugh. Usually it is not a big fly. But after I bought the electric fly swatter, life changed. Now I just have to figure out a way to attach the fly swatter to my face…

The lack of international items other than Japanese sushi rolls. No real Indian food. None. There is pasta with curry or rice with curry but it’s nothing like curry.

The language. It’s hard.

Other parts of Turkiye look down on this city. Many treat it like the ugly step child… It seems like lots of people come from Adana but have left.

But, even with all these negative things about Adana, I like this city. Maybe because it’s the underdog.

The Good Things About Life in Adana

M's Adventures

As I have done for all the places I’ve lived these past 15 years, I write about the pros and cons. This is the good stuff about living in Adana as a foreigner.

It’s a chill place even though the weather is hot in the summer. People are fairly relaxed here about dress code, lifestyle, smoking, drinking, etc. Live and let live. Cover your hair if you want. Wear shorts if you want. Hijabs next to mini skirts.

There are lots of coffee shops open late into the evening so that one can go out without going to a club.

Cups for sale.

There are thousands of restaurants in all price ranges. Every place will serve Turkish breakfast (kahvalti). Just ask.

A local eatery.
A fancier restaurant.

The locals are friendly. Everyone has a phone so they can use a translator app.

There are no tourists. I mentioned that already in another article.

The great things about living in Adana are that it’s a vibrant city full of people going about their lives. Food is fresh and good. People are friendly. Taxis are cheap.

The Pros and Cons of Visiting Tikal

M's Adventures
I was alone with this majestic sight.

Tikal is a World Heritage Site. It was used for a Star Wars movie. It is majestic. But HOT. Here are my pros and cons of visiting Tikal.

This was used in a Star Wars movie (think ending of the movie).

The pros:

It is only a 90 minute drive from Isla de Flores. But 30 of those minutes are at the main gate while those that didn’t buy their tickets online go to the ticket office (my advice is get a coffee at the stand where the driver is getting his cup of joe).

On the way, you can see the alligator island.
See monkey do.

The tourist museum and vendors are all at the entrance of the archeological park.

No one dresses up like a Maya.

There are lots of birds (peacock like birds and others).

There are howler monkeys that will spook you making you think some monster is coming to rip out your lungs…

You can still climb some of the original structures.

It’s fairly unvisited.

The main plaza.

There are bathrooms in the park. But you won’t need them as you will sweat out all the liquid in your body (or at least whatever is not blood).

Another pyramid.

The park is clean.

The guides are good. You must hire a guide (around 500-600 quetzal) for a sunrise or sunset tour, separate from your extra ticket.

More.

The cons:

Other ruins.

Too much walking on boring dirt roads wide enough for trucks. In fact, a dump truck takes stragglers out of the park at 3 pm every day. The walk in is over two kilometers (over a mile) to the rest station/toilets at the base of the main plaza (for the love of all that is right, put in a transport system! I’ll pay for it!)

The Jungle Lodge has cobble stones (why break our already shattered feet?) and costs $375 per night.

The Ceiba tree.

A sunrise tour from Isla de Flores starts at 2 am. I still recommend doing it so that you are not walking in the heat.

This is a huge site.

The sunset tour ends up with that two kilometer death march in the pitch dark.

Walking in the dark down stairs and over tree roots…

The mosquitoes leave puncture wounds that last for weeks.

A storage hole.

I can’t decide if the ticket price is a pro or a con. Things were in general more expensive than I thought they should be. But, maybe it’s a way to keep the place intact.

Another thing that may be a pro and a con — it’s not so easy to get to Tikal. An eight hour bus ride or a one hour flight from Guatemala City. Then the smaller bus. Then the walk in to the jungle. I guess it’s pro if you like excursions. It’s a con if you would like a pleasant air conditioned minivan.

To wipe some of the salt rime off your face.

I’m sorry Tikal, but I’m not coming back. You are just too hot, hot, hot for me.

Tamarind juice, water, and hibiscus (flor de jamaica) juice to replenish the five liters I lost in sweat.