Earlier this year, Mr Ezekiel residing in Borivli, Mumbai contacted COMPACT TRAVELS for a tour of Turkey. However, being a single traveller and a senior citizen, he requested the travel consultant Puja at Compact Travels to organize a tour along with a like-minded single traveller so that he could save on the single supplement. Fortunately, a few days later Mr Pereira too came with a similar request and we booked the two of them for one of the most popular tours of Turkey organized by Compact Travels - The Aegean Experience. Here is the feedback of Mr Pereira and Ezekiel after they returned (as narrated to Dinmeher Bunshaw at Compact Travels)
(E= Ezekiel, P=Pereira)

You are fond of travelling. Which are the places you have been to previously?
E. I have toured India extensively, abroad I have been to the Holy Land of Israel, Singapore, Hong Kong, twice to Kathmandu, Bangkok and Ceylon(now Sri Lanka).

P. I have travelled a number of times abroad - I have been to Singapore several times and visited Thailand as well, as it is a good combination with Singapore. I have been to Hong Kong and China. Up north, I have been to Kathmandu as well as to Mauritius and Sri Lanka. I also have visited Maldives, Seychelles and Egypt.

Why did you select Turkey and how did you go about selecting the tour company?
E. My friends and relatives who are in Israel had visited Turkey and they had told me about Turkey being a very beautiful country. This got me interested and I made up my mind to visit Turkey and after seeing your advertisement, I visited your office and I finalized my trip. The other reason for me to go to Turkey was that I was to go to the USA and as the ticket was cheaper from Turkey by flying on Turkish Airlines, I thought it would be of dual purpose with my visit to Turkey included. Though, unfortunately I could not manage to get my US visa. I came across your advertisement and you were offering the tour at great value and on contacting your office, I knew I was at the right place for choosing my trip to Turkey.

P. I read in the newspaper about Compact Travels and was very impressed. Your slogan “EXPLORE PLACES LIKE NEVER BEFORE” was very appealing. I was curious to know how to explore Turkey differently and I contacted COMPACT TRAVELS along with the cutting of the advertisement. I was impressed by the promptness and the great value being offered and I booked myself on the tour.

Initially you wanted to opt for the shorter tour of 5 days. What made you change your mind?
E. When I came to the office at Compact Travels, I was pleasantly surprised at the various options that you have for Turkey and as I was travelling all the way, it made sense to select a comprehensive itinerary which would cover all the important places. I thought the 9 days tour is an excellent itinerary and I confirmed the same rightaway

P. I was to take the 5 days tour originally. However when I was told that there was a single traveller who had shown interest for the 9 days tour and I thought it would be a great idea to do the 9 days and save on the cost of travelling on twin sharing basis and without any hesitation I booked the Aegean Experience. Later, I spoke to Mr. Eziekel and we both felt that it would be a good idea to travel together and thanks to Compact Travels that eventually it was a good decision for both of us.

How did you enjoy your trip - the stay, the sightseeing and the transport?
E. Our trip as a whole went off very well. The Hotels where we were put up were all very comfortable. The Breakfast was a good spread with plenty of options in the buffet. At times we had to rush through breakfast as our pick up for the tours would be early at around 8 am . Sightseeing was great for the tours that we had booked.

P. Our accommodation arrangements were very comfortable. Service was good. The only flip side was that there were hardly any English television channels and there were no English newspapers. In a way, it was good as we utilized our time to experience the culture and flavour of the country.
E. I would like to add that there are cheaper hotels especially in Istanbul.

P. However, Mr Ezekiel it is always better to book thru a travel agent who can always get you a good deal and recommend proper tours. If we book thru the internet and the website may have impressive pictures and the hotel property may not be up to the mark, so it is always safer to go thru a travel agency like Compact Travels.E. I absolutely agree with you.

What was your experience about the Local food?
E. I didn't try much of the local cuisine as I am a vegetarian. Although I had fruits and salads. You can get international vegetarian cuisine and that's what you can have especially if you are a vegetarian.

P. I had plenty of the local cuisine and it was first class, and very cheap, everything was good and food wise I was extremely happy, and you get very good seafood as well.

Which part of your trip was the best of all?
E. The best part of our trip to Turkey was our visit to Kusadasi which is on the banks of the Aegean Sea. Kusadasi is a very scenic place. Our Hotel was located near the Harbour and big ships would come cruising into the harbour in the morning where people would disembark to visit the place and in the evening they would set sail. It was enjoyable to watch all the activity at the harbour. Our Hotel here too was very good.

P. I enjoyed the food every where in Turkey be it at the Hotels or even if we went out on our own. Even if it was late at night we would get a good meal and the quantity is huge. I enjoyed the 1001 Night Show - there were Belly dancers, the food was good, on every table they had kept the national flags of the people sitting on that table. Later a singer came and went around each individual table singing songs of all nationalities. When he came to our table we were surprised as he sang famous Hindi songs as well - I remember that he sang 'Mera Joota Hai Japani' from 'Avara'. It was great fun and good to see the efforts put in to make tourist from every country feel as if they are at a “home away from home”. The Turkish people are hospitable indeed.

Which is the best place you liked in Turkey
E. In Turkey I liked Istanbul - it is a beautiful city with all its mosques, churches synagogues and plenty of scenic views. The cruise on the Bosphorus was simply beautiful. The people in Turkey are also very nice though they speak in broken English they would always be helpful and guide us.

P. My reason to go to Turkey was to visit the home of Virgin Mary. On the first day we could not manage to go to Ephesus but on the next day we not only visited Ephesus and saw the amazing architecture but also visited the House of Virgin Mary. It is a fantastic place it is like seeing the essence of Christianity. This is the home of Virgin Mary where she stayed after Christ was crucified. St. John got, Mother Mary here to spend the remaining years of her life here. It is amazing how she stayed here, it is up on a hill surrounded by forest, and she stayed here for 12 years. The house of Virgin Mary is the only house here, how she survived is a mystery, what she ate and how she got her food is a mystery. It has been a very touching experience for me. It is unfortunate that this place is not popularly known not even among our community. Even our Priests have not gone to Ephesus - they visit only the Holy Land. The other beautiful place is the St. Sophia's church in Istanbul - it is by far one of the biggest church's in the world and now a museum.The Süleymaniye Mosque is also a very big Mosque even though my legs had started to pain yet I went in as I did not want to miss out on anything after having travelled so far. But once I went in, my leg pain disappeared, it was like a miracle. The Mosque is worth a visit.

Tell us about the people of Turkey
E. The people of Turkey are very good looking, the Ladies are very beautiful and don't wear Burkhas, the gents too are extremely handsome. They are fair and healthy looking. The Turkish are very friendly and helpful. They are more European and are not inclined towards Islamic Fundamentalism. Friday is not a holiday, Sunday is the weekly holiday. People do visit the mosque, they respect religion and at the same time take pride in what they do.

P. Here I would like to add that the girls are Ultra - Modern. They are very fair and move about freely in trains and they also work. It was surprising to see that quite a few ladies are successful entrepreneurs.

Could you manage to talk to them.
E. Yes we did not have a problem with trying to talk to them. They would talk in broken English which at times could be a bit difficult to understand but they were extremely helpful. When we went on the Metro they would announce the next stations name, they also had a route map above the door, like the Indian railway, so there was no difficulty for us.

P. The Turkish people are very helpful, they would ask each other and help us if we asked them for something. Over all how was your tour experience.
E. Overall it was a comfortable trip except the drive from Pamukkale to Istanbul which was a long drive indeed. I have enjoyed the whole experience and it has been one of my most memorable trips.

P. Overall the tour was perfect. I thoroughly enjoyed myself, and I am glad I went to Turkey as I could visit the House of Mother Mary, and could pray there. In future if I get a chance to go back I would like to go and explore the remaining part of Turkey as there is lots more to see and experience.

Why would you recommend Compact Travels as your tour organizer?
E. The first time I visited the office I did not know anything about Turkey and the people at Compact Travels explained all the different sights I could visit - the Bosphorus cruise, the Sultanahmet Mosque and besides Istanbul, the different places in Turkey, I decided that I should see more of it rather than just go to Istanbul. Of course the team at Compact Travels were very helpful and they took care of my health restrictions. So obviously I would recommend people to book through Compact Travels as they give a personal touch to the services they provide for the tour, and besides I enjoyed the tour that they booked for me.

P. I would recommend Compact Travels as I like their slogan 'Exploring places like never before, and they truly do so. Besides they were helpful in getting Ezekiel and me together for which I not only had his company for my travel to Turkey but have acquired a new friend, and the team at Compact Travels in some way or the other are always ready to help out.

What would your message be to Travel buffs?
E. One should always plan out their tour well and read about the country they are to visit, or ask your Travel Agent to help you, depending on your interest . There is always so much to do. If you know the details well in advance, before leaving it would be great.

P. People generally go to Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia. I recommend they should go to places like Turkey and Egypt and explore new destinations. People should read magazines like Opportunities Today. There are so many wonderful articles and one can read about so many places, Compact Travels takes people to all different places, unlike the usual places which are offered by most travel agents. I was so impressed by the Rio - de - Janeiro write up that my next trip is going to be to Brazil that too with Compact Travels.