December 2008

Sunday, 28 December 2008

North Cyprus Trip by Car Part 4


Client Testimonial: My Trip To Cyprus – Day Four: Famagusta
Two more days in North Cyprus before I go home and today I left Karpaz and drove to Famagusta.From Famagusta I tool a short drive to Salamis which was once a very important city in Cyprus. I love old Roman ruins like this and the entire site is about 5 kilometres all together. I spent the rest of the day checking out the entire site, seeing the gymnasium with its columns and headless and appendage less statues, the theatre and the bath. The entire complex is impressive because it is one of the most complete Roman ruins to ever be excavated in Europe.
The sun was starting to set as I made it back into the city proper and I had enough time to visit Othello’s Citadel. This attraction is the most famous part of the wall that surrounds Famagusta, and while Shakespeare never made it to Cyprus he probably had heard tales about the island and its inhabitants during the time of his play and shaped them around that. You can see quite a way over the ocean and city from the Citadel.
Tomorrow I travel to the Lefke area and then back to Ercan Airport to go home. The last four days have gone very fast.

Tuesday, 23 December 2008

North Cyprus Trip by Car Part 3


Client Testimonial: My Trip To Cyprus – Day Three: Esentepe And Karpaz

I woke up this morning to a beautiful sunny day and I decided to drive to my next destination, Karpaz, early. I wanted to have enough time to stop in Esentepe where some people at the hotel in Kyrenia told me was beautiful. Esentepe is nestled between the mountains and the ocean and the scenery is breath taking. The village itself is at the base of the mountains that overlook it like a sentinel, and the beaches are great for taking long walks on. I snapped some great pictures from both locations and then headed into the town proper to catch some lunch.

The local cuisine in Esentepe is superb and I enjoyed a meal of kabab with meze. It was filling and perfect for the rest of the drive.
As I headed out towards Karpaz I stopped along the road and took some more pictures of the countryside. Cyprus may be an island, but North Cyprus is filled with terrain that is so varied you cannot help but to stop and simply enjoy it. The forest behind Esentepe is cool and filled with plenty of local flora and fauna, and just being able to walk through some of it was a great way to stretch the legs.
I arrived in Karpaz early enough to get settled in my hotel before heading out to check out the unique peninsula that stretches out into the Mediterranean. There are numerous historic places to visit here including the Byzantine era Monastery of Apostolos Andreas.
According to the legend, this was the last place St. Andrew visited before heading back to Palestine. I took some time walking along the beaches here too before heading back into town for a light supper. I cannot describe the rich beauty of this land adequately. It’s definitely something you have to experience for yourself.

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Sunday, 21 December 2008

North Cyprus Trip by Car Part 2


Client Testimonial: My Trip To Cyprus – Day Two: Kyrenia

After a good night’s sleep I decided to check out some more of Kyrenia. I went ahead and took a walk on the beach and saw some of the turtles that lived there. The air off the Mediterranean felt good as I sipped my coffee and walked along. I wasn’t sure what to do as there are so many historical things to see and do. I debated whether or not to take a ride into the Five Finger Mountains and go horseback riding or to do something else. I guess my natural instinct to see historic places got the better of me, and when I returned to the hotel I gathered up my camera, the keys to the rental car and took a drive out to the Karmi Necropolis.
The Necropolis is located outside of the village of Karmi close to Kyrenia and it is a group of Middle Bronze Age chamber tombs. There was a man found buried in one of the tombs when it was first discovered and he was holding blue beads that came from Egypt as well as bowls that were made in Crete surrounding him. Researchers believe that he was a sailor.
When I got back to Kyrenia, I decided to do a little bit of shopping. The streets of Kyrenia are narrow medieval ones that are filled with interesting little shops and stalls where you can find just about anything. If you can take your time, you can find numerous goodies that range from antiques to handmade Cypriot crafts to...well, just about anything else. You definitely want to stop at one of the cafes in town and enjoy a true Turkish coffee. But be forewarned, they are strong and take a little bit of getting used to. There were a few gentlemen there who got a chuckle out of the face I must’ve made when I took my first sip.
Tomorrow, I’m off to Estanpe and Karpaz. I can’t wait.

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Thursday, 18 December 2008

North Cyprus Trip by Car Hire Part 1


Client Testimonial My Trip To Cyprus – Day One: Kyrenia

I recently had the opportunity to visit the island nation of Cyprus, namely North Cyprus. Excited about seeing this interesting place, I landed at Ercan Airport and collected my bags to find the Pacific Rent-A-Car agent waiting for me. I have to say that their service is definitely top notch and the car they brought me was clean, filled up with petrol, and ready for the week ahead. We quickly went over and signed the paperwork and within a half hour of landing – had to deal with getting through security and the whole passport checking thing – I was in my rental car and driving to Kyrenia. The car I rented was a Ford Focus, a car I was used to driving, and I felt comfortable driving on the strange North Cyprus roads to my hotel.
It was hard to not try and take in the scenery as I drove from the airport to the city of Kyrenia, but somehow I managed. I still had plenty of the day left to wander around Kyrenia a little bit, and once I got to the hotel and checked in I stood outside for a few moments to determine what I wanted to do first.

There are so many interesting places to check out in Kyrenia that choosing one is not the easiest thing. So I decided to check out Kyrenia Castle and then take in a little shopping. Kyrenia Castle sits at the mouth of the harbour and it is an impressive structure. It has the Kyrenia Shipwreck Museum inside of it with the remains of the ancient trading ship in it that was preserved after it was retrieved from the harbour. I was so intrigued by the museum that I never did make shopping. Ah well, I would catch some shopping before I left. After all, I had another day in Kyrenia and plenty still to see.

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Wednesday, 3 December 2008

North Cyprus Hire Cars and Taxi Transfers from and to South Cyprus


It’s a shame that you only ever hear bad press and propaganda about the border crossing between North and South Cyprus.

The reason we do not allow our vehicles to be driven in South Cyprus is simply a matter of insurance cover and recovery. Whilst the restrictions have recently been relaxed by the Greek Cypriot authorities, vehicles from the North may only be driven under 3rd party insurance cover. As you may or may not be aware, we cover all our vehicles with full insurance to provide security for our business and piece of mind to our customers when they hire with us. Therefore, allowing our vehicles to then be driven under 3rd party cover, presents many difficulties for us should there be a problem.

One of the main problems being that commercial vehicles are still not allowed to cross the border, meaning that we would be unable to for recovery of vehicles that have either broken down or been involved in an accident in the South.

We are fully aware that this may cause some of our customers an inconvenience, and we therefore provide taxi transfer services at extremely competitive rates to assist people who wish to fly into either Larnaca or Paphos airports. The rate from Larnaca Airport to our office in Kyrenia in a standard taxi is just £35, and just £5 more for a 7-seater (a party of up to 6 people). For any of you who may be concerned about crossing the border with your family and luggage, there is no need to worry. There are many people living in both the North and the South who cross on a daily basis with no problems. The customs personnel on both sides are generally very friendly and helpful, and if you are travelling by taxi, your driver is on hand to help you.

The process itself is very simple. Holders of EU Passports do not require a pre-arranged entry visa, you will simply need to show your passport, which is date stamped both on entry and exit.

by Jayne Butcher-Pacific Rentals,Reservation Manager

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