Category Archives: Adana

27 Things to do in Adana Book On Sale Now!

Posted on July 4, 2012 by | Leave a comment

I’m proud to say that my first ever book is completed, and I’m very proud of the result.  27 Things to do in Adana is a 37 page book that can be purchased as an ebook or as a physical book and shipped anywhere in the world.

27 Things to do in Adana CoverI believe that this is the best resource in the English Language for things to do in Adana, and I’m very proud of it.  I would greatly appreciate your help in spreading the word.  If you know anyone who is new in Adana, or will be relocating here soon, would you please encourage them to visit www.adanaadventures.com/book ? This would also make a great gift for anyone new to the community.

I also want to mention that I offer a no-questions-asked money back promise.  If you’re not 100% pleased with your purchase, I’ll return your money with no questions asked.

Please feel free to email me if you have any questions about this product. jakedolson at gmail.com.

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Posted in 52 Things to Do, Adana, Adana Day Trips

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Life Update – Upcoming Book

Posted on June 12, 2012 by | Leave a comment

Here’s a quick update on the Olson’s life and and AdanaAdventures.com

Moving to Minnesota

My family and I are planning a move to Minnesota in mid July.  This transition is the reason for the lack of updates on the blog here. Although I will no longer be blogging much at this site, my goal is to index it in a way that it’s still a good resource for people coming to Adana.

Forthcoming Book

I’m also very excited that I’m creating my first book/ebook.  I am taking the content that I’ve created for the 52 Things to do in Adana series (14 articles) and adding another 14-16, to add up to 28 Things to do in Adana.  I’m very proud of how it’s turning out and excited to say it will go on sale as an ebook or a print-on-demand book within the next 30 days.  Stay tuned for more updates.

 

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Posted in Adana

Turkish Produce Cheat Sheet

Posted on February 29, 2012 by | Leave a comment

Turkish Produce Cheat Sheet

Turkish bazaar

I recently found a very helpful cheat sheet for Turkish markets.  Here at Incirlik Air Base, there is  a regular series of articles on the base’s home page called “Ask Mehmet”.  He recently wrote a great article called “Finding Local Markets.” I encourage you to check out the whole article for instructions about shopping at an Adana Fruit and Vegetable Bazaar.   I think you’ll appreciate the list he’s put together below. Click the image below for a downloadable PDF of the list that you can take to the bazaar with you.

Turkey Bazaar cheat sheet

Click the image to download a printable PDF

Vegetable – Sebze (sab-zah)

bean – fasulye (fah-sool-yea)

pea – bezelye (beh-zell-yeah)

cabbage – lahana (lah-hah-nah)

spinach – ispanak (ihs-pah-knock)

carrot – havuç (hah-wuch)

cauliflower – karnibahar (kahr-ne-bah-are)

tomato – domates (doh-mah-tess)

potato – papates (pah-tah-tess)

artichokes – enginar (ehn-ghin-are)

cucumber – salatalik (sah-lah-tah-like)

corn – misir (mis-ihr)

pepper – biber (be-behr)

red pepper – kirmizi biber (kihr-mih-ze be-behr)

green pepper – yesil biber (yeh-sheel be-behr)

radish – turp (tuhrp)

egg plant – patlican (pot-le-john)

leek – pirasa (pih-rah-sah)

okra – bamya (bahm- yah)

mushroom – mantar (mahn-tar)

onion – sogan (so-o-aahn)

garlic – sarimsak (sah-rihm-suck)

lettuce – marul (mah-rule)

fruit – meyve (may-veh)

apple – elma (el-mah)

pear – armut (are-mut)

orange – portakal (pohr-tah-kahl)

tangerine -mandalina (mahn-dah-lee-nah)

cherry – kiraz (ke-razh)

banana – muz (mooze)

peach – seftali (shef-tah-lee)

grapes – uzum (ue-zuem)

plum – erik (eric)

melon – kavun (kah-woon)

watermelon – karpuz (kahr-pooz)

grapefruit – greyfurt (gray-fuhrt)

apricot – kayisi (kah-ye-se)

strawberry – çilek (chee-lack)

pomegranate – nar (nahr)

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Posted in Adana, Adana Food guide

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Go out for Sunday Brunch in Adana

Posted on February 20, 2012 by | 1 Comment

Things to do in Adana – Go out for Sunday Brunch

Brunch at Kaktus ParkOne of our favorite things to do in Adana is to get out on a Sunday morning for a nice lazy brunch.  There are many places in Adana where you can have brunch.  The general format involves multiple tables with a generous selection of cheeses, olives, jellies, jams and honey, bread, pastries, some type of meat like Sucuk (Turkish beef sausage), boiled eggs, omelet bar, fresh veggies, sigara böreği , orange juice, limitless tea and nescafe, some cereals, yogurt and some cold salads.  Think the typical Turkish hotel breakfast on steroids.

If you’re new to Adana, you may think that this doesn’t sound very breakfastey.   I encourage you to embrace it and enjoy the variety available in Turkish brunches and expand the borders of what you consider breakfast food.  I’ve grown to love olives with my breakfast and even an occasional tomato and cucumber.

At a Turkish brunch, you can expect a relaxed atmosphere and no expectation that you’d clear out of your table in a certain time frame.  This is meant to be a relaxed time to enjoy a newspaper, a book or company with friends while snacking, nibbling and drinking Tea.

You can expect brunch to run from about 9:30 – 1:00 at most places.

My favorite place for brunch is Ekotepe and my wife’s favorite place is Pastabahçe.  You can’t go wrong with either place.  Other places to check out would be The Hilton, Mado, Kaktus Park or Bosanlı Hotel.

This post is a part of my “Things to Do in Adana” series.  You can purchase my book 27 Things to do in Adana and see a list of all the posts in this series at http://www.adanaadventures.com/book/.

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Posted in 52 Things to Do, Adana

Laser Tag at Optimum Outlet Mall

Posted on February 7, 2012 by | 5 Comments

Laser Tag at Optimum Outlet Mall

This post is a part of my “Things to Do in Adana” series.  You can purchase my book 27 Things to do in Adana and see a list of all the posts in this series at http://www.adanaadventures.com/book/.

Laser Tag Guns Adana

Adana Optimum Outlet Mall is Adana’s newest shopping center, and is constantly improving its offering for things to do in Adana.  They’ve recently opened a Lazer Tag park that really provides an exciting way to spend an evening with friends.

The playing area is 400 square meters on two floors with a mythological themed interior design.  The sound and lighting effects provide a high adrenaline environment and the guns and vests they issue you for use is of a very high standard.  The record keeping system for the teams to look at after playing are really fun as well.

I was invited to a birthday gathering where we played Lazer Tag and this was my response; “That was a lot more fun than when I last played laser tag 10 years ago!“  It seemed that everyone (men and women of wide ranging athletic abilities) all had a great time.   The Laser Tag area can be found in the “Fun Gate” area on the third floor of Optimum Outlet Mall above the movie theatre, just behind the bowling alley.

Fun Gate Laser Tag Group Adana

The regular price is 10TL per person for 15 minutes, but if you go on Monday, the price is only 5TL for 10 minutes.  The low price allowed us to play two games which was just enough action for everyone to get nice and sweaty and to get the competitive juices flowing.  I should mention that our group was all young adults (and a few of us older ones), but this would be an appropriate activity for preteens, teens, or adults of all ages.  If you’re looking for a great place to have a birthday party, or just a fun night out with friends, I highly recommend Laser Tag at Optimum Outlet Mall. Many of the staff speak English and reservations can be made by calling 0322-333-3407.

Laser Gate Adana

Fun Gate Adana Promo
TRANSLATION: Across the world, 3 million people play this game every day. Lazer Tag has finally come to Adana

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Posted in 52 Things to Do, Adana, Uncategorized

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Top 6 places to take your Valentine in Adana

Posted on February 3, 2012 by | 2 Comments

Top 6 places to take your Valentine in Adana.

Valentine’s Day is right around the corner, and men, it’s good to have a plan.  What better way to celebrate this hallmark holiday than with dinner at an upscale restaurant? The six restaurants below are among my best recommendations for a fancy dinner in Adana.  I’ve linked to the restaurant’s website and provided a phone number for making reservations.  I’d recommend arriving early if you don’t have reservations; however the restaurants below featuring fixed menus all start at 8:00 pm.  Please feel free to comment below if you’d like detailed directions to any of these places.

Western – Turkish Blend

Terras Restaurant Adana

The Terras Restaurant

  1. Terrace – Terrace Restaurant is one of Adana’s enduring establishments for high quality food in a sophisticated atmosphere. Their menu is a perfect blend of Turkish specialties and western options.  I’m told that the owner is a very serious foodie and this is why the standards of quality have remained high for so long. Terrace’s Valentine’s Day program consists of a fixed menu of Cheese platter, hot and cold Turkish appetizers, spring rolls, a main course of fish or chicken and deserts.  Soft drinks are included in the price of 50TL.  They will have acoustic classical Turkish music. The program starts around 8:00pm. 0322-226-0343 Directions here
  2. The North Shield –A beautifully designed Irish pub, The North Shield is one of the nicest places to have a beer and a western meal in all of Adana.  They also have an extensive selection of single malt whiskies.  North Shield is a block south of the train station on Ziya Pasa Blvd Map.  0322-458-6262
  3. Park Zirve – One of Adana’s fanciest restaurants, Park Zirve is putting two special events on Valentines day.  The first event is a dinner with a fixed menu, unlimited drinks and live music for 95 TL.  Although the price may seem high, I can virtually gurantee that you won’t be disappointed with the quality of the meal. The second event is an evening of dancing to a DJ in their club with a cover charge of 30TL (one drink is included.) For reservations call 0322-231-2404. Map
  4. Şato (Website in English) Şato restaurant is a beautifully designed restaurant in North Adana with an outstanding menu.  They will be putting on a special program for Valentine ’s Day.  For 80TL, you get a full meal (appetizers – hot and cold, salad, the main meal of Kavurma (a meat and vegetable dish which is amazing), desert and unlimited drinks.  They will have live Turkish acoustic folk music performing.  0322-233-1444 Map
    Seafood
  5. Kumkapı –is a nice fish restaurant near the Burger King in Gazi Pasa Neighborhood.   If you want a simpler night, you may want to take your valentine to Kumkapı for a quiet dinner and follow up with deserts and coffee at Mado or Starbucks on Ziya Paşa. Map0322-458-3238Traditional Adana Cuisine
  6. Gazi Paşa Restaurant –  I’ve written recently about Gazi Paşa Restaurant, and  I’m very fond of the place. This could possibly be the most sophisticated place to have true Adana Kebap in the world.  If you want to have traditional Turkish food this Valentine ’s Day, but want the luxury of a fancy restaurant, Gazi Paşa Restaurant is the perfect place for you 0322-453-3550.

 

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Posted in Adana, Adana Restaurants, Lists

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Restaurant Review – Pastabahçesi Restaurant

Posted on February 3, 2012 by | 2 Comments

Restaurant Review – Pastabahçesi Restaurant

One of our favorite places in all of Adana is Pastabahçesi Restaurant.  “Pasta” is Turkish for “Cake” (not to be confused with “Makarna” which is Turkish for “Pasta”) so Pastabahçe could be directly translated “Cake Garden”.  Pastabahçesi Restaurant combines a great view of the lake, amazing architecture and high-quality food to brand itself as one of the best places in Adana to get a meal, have deserts and coffee or have a lazy brunch.   One unique thing about Pastabahçesi Restaurant is that they offer a great brunch spread on both Saturday and Sunday mornings.

Pastabahçesi Restaurant has an extensive menu with many very good western dishes and I think it’s the best place in Adana to get a burger.  The urban legend of Pastabahçe is that the founder was well known among her friends for making amazing cakes and was eventually pushed by friends into opening a little cake shop ,“Pasta,” in Gazi Paşa neighborhood.   There she developed a strong reputation for making the best cakes and pastries in Adana.  With a son who studies culinary arts in France, she eventually opened the most beautiful restaurant in North Adana; Pastabahçesi Restaurant.  Pastabahçe Restaurant still makes amazing cakes and also is one of the best places in Adana to buy artisan breads and pastries.

We can’t get enough of Pastabahçesi, and when we lived closer, we were there for brunch about once a month.  If you want a great experience of Turkish dining at it’s best, I can’t recommend Pastabahçesi enough.

You can visit their website here, and find directions here.

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Picnic at Sarıçam Park – Things to do in Adana

Posted on January 28, 2012 by | Leave a comment

Picnic at Sarıçam Park - Things to do in Adana

This post is a part of my “Things to Do in Adana” series.  You can purchase my book 27 Things to do in Adana and see a list of all the posts in this series at http://www.adanaadventures.com/book/.

If you need to get out of the city without driving for an hour, than an afternoon picnic to Sarıçam picnic area might be just what you’re looking for.  Sarıçam Picnic area is about a 20 minute drive from the city center or from Incirlik and we’ve charted out the route for you.

There are not many (or any) services there, but that’s not always necessary.  Sometimes all you need is some picnic tables in the middle of a forest and a place to make a fire for hot dogs or hamburgers. If that’s what you’re looking for, I’d suggest a quick trip in the car to Sarıçam Park.

We most recently visited this park on a Saturday in late January, 2011 and this was the assessment:  There is a little forest of pine trees right off of a main road with plenty of picnic tables and fire pits where one could make a fire and have a picnic.  There are some swings and slides that are pretty beat up, but our kids loved them.  On the back side of the picnic area is a wooded valley that seems to have some walking trails through it, although we were unable to explore much.   I look forward to getting back there with one of the kids to explore more later in Feb.

Getting there is pretty easy. The key is that you have to get on the Imamoğlu/Kozan road.   After that, it’s just a matter of looking out for the signs.  Below are directions from Incirlik, but the same directions could be used from the city center, only you’d be traveling East on E5 to the freeway exit.

Directions from Incirlik:

  1. Get on the main highway outside the alley (E5) and go west (toward Adana).
  2. Drive half way to Adana until you get to the road that takes you to the freeway (autobahn). You’ll see green signs that say “Mersin”.  Turn north (right).
  3. There are two main exits off of that road before getting to the freeway.  You want to take the second exit, which will be on your left. Follow the signs that say “Imamoğlu/Kozan”, which means you’ll go up a few blocks and take a right.
  4. Once you get on that road, you’re home free.  You just have to drive 10-15 minutes until you get to a restaurant called Hanım’ın Çiftliği.  After that restaurant, you’ll see a little picnic area with a rustic little security shack at the entrance on the right.  You’ve arrived.

When you see these signs on the right, you're about 1km away from the destination

Now, it’s possible that at high-season, a city official might be there to charge a small fee, but there was nobody there when we visited. I’d recommend going on Saturday rather than Sunday to avoid the crowds, but if you’re going in winter, even Sundays shouldn’t be too crowded.

If you’ve been out to this spot, please leave your feedback in the comments.  I’d love to hear what you thought of it.

Here’s a little video that shows the park in all it’s glory.  As I said, nothing super special, but a good place for a picnic

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Posted in 52 Things to Do, Adana, Adana Day Trips, Adana Parks

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Adana Adventures – Elevator Pitch

Posted on January 25, 2012 by | 4 Comments

Elevator Pitch

A book about blogging that I’m reading, 31 Days to a Better Blog, encouraged me to write an “elevator pitch” for Adana Adventures.  An “elevator pitch” is a description of one’s company that can be shared verbally in 30 seconds; i.e. the time it takes to ride an elevator. It should summarize one’s business and make the listener want to ask for more details.

I’ve been hard at work trying to develop an elevator pitch today and have come up with the following:

Every year, a few thousand English-speakers come to Adana, Turkey, but there is very little quality online content to help them experience the city.  Adana Adventures strives to fill that gap by being the #1 source of information about exploring Adana for English-Speaking visitors

At AdanaAdventures.com, you can find great ideas for things to do, foods to try and restaurants to visit while in Adana. Whether you’re here for a few days, a few months or a few years, I hope that Adana Adventures helps you to make the most of your time in Adana.

If you’d like me to help you experience more of Adana, please sign up for our email list or RSS feed and “ Like ” us on Facebook ?

He also talks about developing a tagline, which is a short phrase that captures the essence of your business.  For Adana Adventures, the tagline is

“Helping you to make the most of your time in Adana, Turkey”.

I’d love to hear your feedback on the elevator pitch and tagline.  How do those statements speak to you? Can you identify the problem I’m hoping to solve with this site? Can you tell who my intended audience is?

Would you please leave your constructive criticism letting me know what you think in the comments below? Commenting is easy now, as you can even sign in with your Facebook.  I’d love to hear what you think.

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Gazi Pasa Kebap – Restaurant Review

Posted on January 24, 2012 by | 1 Comment

Gazi Pasa Kebap – Restaurant Review

This is the first in a series of restaurant reviews.  When I was in Heidelberg Germany last November, I wanted so badly to find a website by an expat who would say “Go here and eat this. ”  I found some great restaurants,  but wasted a few meals at duds.  When I write a restaurant, I’ll attempt to answer the most important questions for our family and give a review.

I’m sure I’ll be asked “why are all the reviews positive?” The reason is that I won’t be posting any negative reviews.  If I can’t endorse a restaurant, I won’t review it. This is simply because I don’t care to make any enemies or burn any bridges in a city where (after 7 years,) I’m still a guest.

Gazi Pasa Kebap

Click to go to their Website (still in construction)

Summary: Gazi Pasa Kebap is a great restaurant to go for classic Adana grilled cuisine, prepared and presented in a premium  environment at a premium price.  If you’ve been turned off to Adana Kebap in the past, I’d recommend trying it here. If you are entertaining guests from out of town, I’d recommend bringing them here.

One of the best Kebap I've ever had

We went there for lunch on a Sunday around noon.   We had the restaurant to ourselves.  The interior of the restaurant (formerly Kip Kirmizi) was very classy and clean.  The bathrooms were very clean, and there was a nice little kid’s play room.  The waiters did not speak English, so I’d recommend preparing your order before going if you don’t speak Turkish. You can read my guide to ordering Kebap here.

We had all of the standard salads, drank salagm, ordered one meze, which was amazing – Mediterranean olive salad,  and we each ate Beyti Kebap (Adana Kebap with garlic), we also had one portion of desert (Tel Kadayif). The bill came to 69TL. As I said, it’s a premium establishment with a premium price.  The price could have been brought down by ordering  “Tek porsion Adana Kebap” as Beyti kebap is always served as 1.5 porsion of meat.

Tel Kadaif

Tel Kadaif - A Classic Adana desert

Other notes:
They have Valet parking, so despite being in the city center, it’s easy to find parking (tip 3-5 TL)
Sunday lunch is a great time to try this place as it was very empty.
You can choose mezes (appetizers) by ordering from the glass cooler.
The meat was very lean for Adana Kebap.  If you think Adana Kebap is too greasy for you, try it here.

Meze Cooler

Meze Cooler - Choose what sides you want from here

Getting There: Go to the intersection of Vali Yolu and Ataturk Cd (1 block north/east of Ataturk Park). Go east 1 block on Vali Yolu, Turn North on the first street (there’s a Kare Pizza on that corner). The restaurant is 3/4 of a block up on your right. (Right after Waffle House).


Click the  Map above and zoom in for more detail

Check out the form below with our family feedback.

Restaurant Name Gazi Pasa Kebap
Location In Gazi Pasa Neighborhood
Distance from Incirlik Air Base 15 minutes
Type of Restaurant Upscale Kebap Restaurant
difficulty to find (easy/med/hard) Easy
GPS coordinates  36.999742,35.324767
Price Range (Pricey/Medium/Cheap) Pricey
cost of one beer ?
cost of one wine 8TL
Is there a menu? (y/n) N
English Menu (Y/N) N
Bathrooms (clean/dirty/nasty) immaculate
What did you eat? Beyti (Adana Kebap with garlic) + all standard salads + Olive salad
Should you tip there? yes (5-10 TL depending on size of party)
Kid’s play area (y/n) yes – pretty basic, but kept the kids busy
how many members in your party 2 adults 2 kids
How was the food? Amazing
How was the service? Great
how long did it take to get food less than 20 min
Overall rankings (Amazing, Good, Ok, Bad, Terrible) Amazing

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Posted in Adana, Adana Food guide, Adana Restaurants

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