December 15, 2008

Dear Cengiz,

Prior to writing this letter I started to search the thesaurus to find the perfect superlatives to describe the beauty and wonderful time we experience during our visit to Turkey.  Unfortunately, there are no words that can convey emotional feelings one gets as you travel throughout your beautiful country.  Just when you think nothing can compare to the last site the next one is even more impressive. To give you some indication of our two week trip, Cynthia and I took over 2,000 pictures and four video tapes each 60 minutes.  Trying to capture the essence of various ancient civilizations while trying to understand what life was like during those difficult times.  While traversing the ruins we felt like we had just step out of a time machine and was taking a causal stroll down Main Street.  What an amazing feeling to walk on stones worn down by the people and carts and to think of the hardships they had to endure.  Our eyes were fixated on the unbelievable workmanship and trying to imagine the amount of effort it took to build these enormous cities of stone.  To see the unique carved statues leaves a person breathless and wanting to see more.  Even our excellent guide who has seen these sites many times before was in awe of such beauty.

The sites are only one aspect of this all inclusive FAM trip; I would be remised if I failed to mention the outstanding and variety of food dishes.  If you’re an olive connoisseur like me you hit the jackpot.  It is my understanding even the Greeks purchase olives from Turkey.  The Turks serve several varieties for breakfast but you need to ask for them at lunch and dinner.  We found that interesting since the countryside is covered with endless olive trees.  The variety of food reminded me like being on a cruise ship so of course we had to sample everything.  The hotels we stayed at put on a culinary display fit for a king.  The accommodations for us were excellent some better than others.  The hotel staff did an outstanding job and was always available at any given time.  Despite the size of our group totaling around 70 plus agents, the speed of checking in and out was exceptional. Each evening we were able to meet on time for dinner and enjoy many different forms of entertainment. By the end of the day when retiring for the night you had time to reflect on all that you had seen. 

For Cynthia and I we never judge a country by the great sites or the food but rather by the people.  That is why we intentionally make a concerted effort to speak with them and try to better understand their customs, values and beliefs.  We found the Turkish people to be compassionate, hard working and exceptionally friendly if you allow yourself to get to know them.  If you go to Turkey with a poor attitude and expect everything to be handed to you or are not flexible in accepting unexpected changes then I say stay home. All these years we have had a preconceive description of Turkey based on the movie Midnight Express.  We thought it was a third world country with dark and mysterious places and to be frank a dangerous place to visit.  My co-worker who is from Turkey has been promoting his country from the time I first met him. It was by accident I came across FLO-USA FAM trip.  When we compare the value of what I experienced to that of what it cost, the trip was priceless.  My recommendation to anyone is never judge a country by some Hollywood movie you will only be deceived.  Also, if Turkey is currently on you list of places to visit I suggest move it up to the top.  The expression, one of the best kept secrets fits Turkey to a T.  But I would not wait because the word is already out and there has been a substantial increase in visitors.  Our only regret is we wish we had visited Turkey sooner instead of being haunted by one Hollywood movie that was a total misrepresentation and disservice to a wonderful country with beautiful people. 

In conclusion, thank you Cengiz and your staff for everything. This trip will live forever in our memories. More importantly, it has changed our hearts and minds and now we know why your countrymen are so proud of coming from Turkey.

Sincerely,

Don E. Newton

Freehold, NJ