A trip to Northern Cyprus should be on the list of any Istanbullu who thinks that our fair city is (sometimes) a bit too noisy, frantic, polluted, loud, and possibly unbearable. Here are the reasons why:
1. Cyprus is peaceful
2. A bottle of vodka costs 7 Lira
3. The combination of the Mediterranean + caretta carettalar (loggerhead sea turtles)
4. You don’t need a visa, and neither does your Turkish lover
5. Pegasus has cheap flights
I have been to Cyprus twice now, and thoroughly enjoyed both visits. In retrospect, my most recent visit during Ramazan Bayramı 2013 may not have been the best time for a trip to the island, considering that the temperatures hit 40 C everyday (that’s more than 100 F for our American readers). The good news is that most places were pretty empty, which is unusual for beach towns in the summer. Due to the hot summer weather, most of their tourism comes in the fall, when you can beach bum it all day without being lobsterized.
I flew from Sabiha Gökçen to Ercan airport (Lefkoşa) for about 200 TL round trip per person, and having arrived at 10pm, I had to wait at least an hour for the Kıbhas bus, the Northern Cyprus version of the Havataş airport shuttle, to Girne. Girne, a coastal city in the north, is Northern Cyprus’s second-largest city and my final destination.
Having found my friend in front of the casino upon arrival in Girne, we gambled a bit (it’s legal in Northern Cyprus and a big draw for tourists), drank a 2 TL Tuborg from the tekel, and had a wander around the city center, which is actually pretty busy after midnight, as it’s the only really acceptable temperature to be outside.
For those readers who don’t have the option of staying with a friend and must search for a hotel, there are about a billion along the coast, and the average price in August is around 100 TL for a double room. However, cheap accommodation is scarce, with no pansiyons or hostels to be found, and almost no airbnb.com listings.
The hotels on the beach are filled with sun-scorched white European types, as the island has a long tradition of tourism from the days of British colonial rule. You can also still see remnants of their rule in everyday life, with everyone driving on the wrong side of the road and drinking gin and tonics.
Wait, how come there is no mention of war or conflict? To be honest, they are trying to forget it, and it’s not considered polite to bring up the topic with a Cypriot. There are many land disputes, ownership issues, and resource delineation arguments, but if you are only there to eat halloumi cheese and film fish underwater with your GoPro, then it’s not a topic you need to worry about. Unless, of course, you are trying to cross onto the south side of the island with your aforementioned Turkish lover, as they won’t be able to join you. But who needs to go there anyway? In the north you can buy bacon, cheddar, and ouzo. Game, set, match.
Girne Recommendations: The Cacao for ice cream. Kıbrıs Evı for good eats and a nice view in the city center. Sunset Beach and Ambiance Beach for swimming. St. Hilarion Castle for nice views and cooler air. Ego bar for a late night drink. Bellapais Abbey for some nice architecture. Avoid: The Bigos Restaurant, it is disappointing to say the least.
Louis Herman is a contributor for Yabangee
a must go 🙂