Flight to Antalya

We had to get up early to catch our flight to Antalya this morning.  We left early enough to avoid most of the heavy traffic, but when we reached the airport it was pretty congested.  There was not much effort to yield to other vehicles or take turns merging, simply survival of the fittest.  The student who's luggage was lost recovered it and we were able to get checked in.  Fortunately they did not hassle us about being overweight for a domestic flight since we were making an int'l connection.  Our bags gained several pounds after shopping yesterday.

I had a good view of the city coming in to land.  The most remarkable thing were miles and miles of buildings that looked like warehouses at first glance, but were actually greenhouses upon closer viewing.  (This must be where they grow the pounds and pounds of tomatoes and cucumbers they serve with every meal!)

The airport in Antalya looked brand new.  Large, shiny, modern, with the fastest luggage delivery system ever.  We had to wait about 45 mins for the shuttle bus to arrive to take us to the conference site.  While waiting we met students from Pakistan, Lebanon, and the Indonesian School in Moscow (children of diplomats stationed there).  We found out that the Pakistani school(s) always win the awards at the conference (and after the first session it was obvious why).  All of those I visited with were pleasant and friendly.

The drive to Goynuk and the conference hotel was about 45 mins and it was overcast and rainy.  We drove along the coast and had a good view of the sea.  The mountains were shrouded in cloud, but we caught glimpses of them.

An orange tree growing along the median of the main road from the airport.  

View from the bus of the main road we took.  Palm trees...nice.

Typical apartment complex with solar hot water heaters on the roof.

I found this so interesting...just like some pedestrian crossings have countdown timers so pedestrians know how fast to cross, the red (and green) traffic lights also have countdowns so you know when to step on it (or not). I found it funny that the bus driver actually counted it down and then went immediately upon the green.  Better not run lights here!

We are staying at the Mirada del Mar.  We got checked in without a problem.  The rooms are quite nice and the resort is very attractive (more pictures to follow).  The conference staff recognized me immediately (from our Facebook messaging prior to the conference).  They were quite polite and perhaps went out of their way to make sure our checkin went well.  This reflects well on them since I was so pushy with them before the conference in trying to get the information we needed to prepare for the conference.  I'm just going to try to keep a low profile I think.