Our group of 4 adults spent 10 days with Ertunga Ecir as our guide in Turkey. He met us at the airport in Istanbul, and we toured this fascinating city for three days, seeing the major tourist sites. We then flew to Izmir, which was our base for exploring the area of the 7 churches of Revelation–Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamon, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea. There are extensive archeological sites in some of these places, and Ertunga had a wealth of information at each of them. We were an inquisitive group and had many questions for him about the history, geography, and culture of each location, which Ertunga graciously and thoroughly answered for us. We also spent a full day visiting Pamukkale/Hierapolis. From Izmir we flew to Kaseri to explore the truly unique and wonderful Capadoccia region. Would highly recommend the Garimisu cave hotel, by the way. What made our touring with Ertunga so special was his warmth, good humor, and openness. When he found out we were interested in more than just the usual “touristy” things, he took us to places that the average tourist might not ever see. He took us to some fabulous Turkish restaurants and was a great source of information about his country’s current culture and history. He was delightful, flexible, and knowledgeable. Also, he was extremely helpful in working with us to set up our itinerary. While other guides we contacted just “cut and pasted” he took the time to help us set up an excellent personalized travel plan. He took care of all of the arrangements for us (hotels, transportation, plane flights, entry fees, and lunches–all included in his reasonable rates). If we ever go back to Turkey, we will definitely ask for Ertunga to guide us again!
Visited September 2014
letinsky
Thousand Oaks, California