TURKEY (16 September – 27 October)

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From Post Cards

17 September

After a mammoth 17 hour wait at Thesalonika bus station, we caught a bus across the border to Cannakale – in Turkey at last! We used this town as a base to explore Gallipoli where 1,000’s of English, New Zealanders, Australian and Turks died in the 1st World War. This battlefield was made famous by the movie “Gallipoli” with Mel Gibson. Spent hours perusing the graveyards and original trenches. A sad, moving experience. I was the only “foreigner” amongst dozens of Australian and New Zealand “pilgrims”. Gallipoli is very special to them – this somehow made it all the more special.

18 September

Istanbul is a tale of two continents – spanning both Europe and Asia. The bottom left photo partly shows the famous bridge connecting the two. A wonderfully vibrant and exotic city. We walked for days along its streets – exploring bazaars, mosques, palaces and restaurants. The food in Turkey is irresistible – no wonder Turkish food is called the French cuisine of the East. Sizzling kebabs, mouth watering eggplant delicacies, fresh, hot bread – not to mention Turkish delight and sinful pastries. I’m very fast putting on any weight I lost in Egypt!

20th September

Topkapi Palace
Wow – what a Palace – especially the treasury where all the treasures of the Sultans of old are kept. Never seen such obscene wealth concentrated in one room in all my life. Jewel encrusted daggers, fish sized emeralds, sparkling diamonds, tea sets, and 2 metre high solid gold candlesticks – to name but some of the items. Rather macabre was the “Relic Room” where little bits of the prophet Mohammed are kept in gold chests – like his beard hairs, some toe nail clippings and a single tooth.

Istanbul’s most beautiful mosque – the Blue Mosque – it is a very impressive sight indeed. Its towers reach for the sky and its enormous dome is hand painted with exquisite blue mosaics. Last night I met Ally at the airport – it’s wonderful to see her again. She has been instantly accepted into our travelling family (Kate, Russell and me). The Blue Mosque is the first Mosque Ally has explored inside – a very special experience for her.

23 September

From Instanbul we made an epic night journey east to Cappadocia – one of Turkey’s most extraordinary tourist attractions. A Volcano spewed soft “tufa” over the land millions of years ago and the wind and rain have been sculpturing the landscape into wondrous shapes every since. Then +/- 1800 years ago, early Christians arrived here to escape persecution and carved countless caves, houses and churches in the soft rock of the valleys. The result is a wonderland of sights to explore.

24 September

Needless to say, nature can be a very naughty artist when she wants to be. The valley that contains these amazing “fairy chimneys” is euphorically known as “Love Valley”. Many of the valleys in Cappadocia are blissfully secluded so when you hike, you feel as though you have the whole place to yourself.

Some more weird and wonderful landscaping. The valleys were all dotted with orchards – so whenever we felt hungry on our hikes, we stopped to pick apples, grapes, walnuts (yummy!), beans, pears, tomatoes and peppers. A veritable Garden of Eden. Some of the climbing in the man made caves was challenging – staircases often consisted of a very narrow, vertical tunnel with holes in the wall to use as footholds. Ally handled herself like a pro. We also explored parts of the vast underground cities, deep below the ground that the Christians dug to provide escape hatches when threatened.

24 September

Goreme
This is the town where we stayed in Cappadocia. As you can see, many of the houses are built right into the rock. The hotel where we stayed provided us with caves to sleep in and even the pubs in town were dug into the cliffs. Certainly an unforgettable place. Tomorrow Ally and I say goodbye to Kate and Russell as they have less time in Turkey than us. Sad – after two weeks, we’ve become really close. From now on I’ll always have a place to stay in Auckland and Hollywood – Kate’s father is a famous creative movie director!

26 September

From Cappadocia we headed east to a town called Malatya. East Turkey is off the beaten track – we’ve hardly seen any tourists while we’ve been here – bliss! You wouldn’t believe how cheap it is here compared to the west – a delicious restaurant meal for R10 and T-shirt for R5 at the bazaars. We are using Malatya as a base to explore the Nemrut Mountain – over 2,000m high with an ancient temple on its summit.

28 September

After a long and bumpy ride winding along pot-holed roads, we emerged at the summit of Nemrut. Unfortunately, thick mist obscured the view of the world below but the temple (consisting of dilapidated statues and a 50 metre high man made hill) was awesome. The mist really added to the eerie atmosphere created by massive heads lying on the ground. The statues were toppled by an earthquake many years ago. We spent the night at the summit in a tiny hotel where we experienced a thunderous storm that shook the hotel’s foundations.

29 September

My birthday. Sanliurfa is another “hard core” Eastern town. No tourists, just locals leading their lives as they always have. It’s religiously conservative so we had to cover up. Even then, Ally got loads of interested stares but the locals are wonderfully friendly and hospitable. The highlight of the town is a beautiful, lush garden with stunning mosques and lakes filled to teeming point with “sacred carp” that are revered by the locals. Definitely not the place for a fishing rod! When carp dies (usually of old age) it is buried with its own funeral service – no flushing down the loo for these fishy deities!

30th September

We spent a fascinating morning wandering around Harran – one of the oldest continually inhabited cities in the world. The people here live in traditional beehive huts (see photo) and spend their days moulding cow dung into blocks that can be used as fuel during the winter. We felt like we had slipped back 1000 years in time – until we saw a large Coke sign hanging over the doors of one of the stone huts. Harran also provided an impressive fortress to explore – as well as the ruins of an ancient Muslim university.

1 October

Kizkalesi is a beautiful town situated on the warm, blue Mediterranean Ocean. A serene, calm place. The best part of our stay here was swimming +/- 400m from the beach to an island castle 0- shown on this photo. After a slow, relaxing swim, we explored the castle at our leisure. We had the whole place to ourselves. The steps in the old tower were still in place, so we were able to climb to the top of the walls and walk along the castle ramparts. The view was spectacular.

Here is an aerial view of our very own private castle hide-away. Few tourists seem to know about Kizkalesi because it is a bit off the beaten track. That, to me, is the greatest joy of backpacking. Discovering the slices of paradise far away from “package” bus tours.

3 October

Anamur is another quiet and scenic town on the Mediterranean. We hiked 6km along the beach and snuck over the sand dunes into this fantastic castle for free. I watched the most beautiful sunset I have ever seen from its turret. The doorman was oblivious to the fact that we were 50m above him. ON the following day we explored the ruins of an ancient Roman City that was abandoned +/- 1500 years ago when attacked by the Persians. It was rather eerie walking through the old homes and temple – all covered in creepers and vines. Felt a bit like Indiana Jones. Ally, unfortunately, has come down with a bad case of the “runs” – so she is rather poorly although feeling a bit better today.

Ally is much better! We passed through Antalya on our way to Olympus. Ally, who hasn’t eaten anything but flat coke and bread for over two days, attacked a mighty portion of mutton like a ravenous carnivore. After changing money (Olympus has no such facilities as it is right out in the sticks) we were on our way again.

4-10 October

Oh, what bliss it is to stay in Olympus and live in a tree house! Ally and I stayed in a penthouse like the one in the photo (top left). It was called “Honeymoon Suite”. We decided to give the “Bunny Hutch” a miss – no point in tempting fate! We spent 6 lazy days hiking in the mountains, exploring the local ruins, lying on the beach soaking up the rays and making friends with fellow backpackers. The Tree House Camp is wonderfully rustic – the perfect place to stay in this natural paradise.

12th October

Oludeniz Fethiye
Another slice of paradise on Turkey’s Mediterranean Coast. This is a favourite destination for British package tourists – they fly them in by the busload – so the prices are considerably higher and there’s lots of white flesh about. However, the exquisite blue lagoon soon lets you forget about all that. We befriended the cutest puppy at our hotel named “moaning Minnie” because she whimpered every time she didn’t get any attention. Being backpackers, we were able to find a hotel for F2 per person. We’re becoming pros at finding the best value in town.

13th October

We ended up spending two nights in Oludeniz – because our boat to Butterfly Valley kept on being cancelled dur to rough seas. We bought a big jar of honey (Turkish honey is to die for) and have been gorging ourselves on yoghurt and honey ever since – staple diet! We’ve come across some extraordinary spelling in Turkey. This was printed on a big board outside a restaurant: “Gordon Blue – Chisken Stek – Mashroom with Ches – Deassarts”. Their spelling may be suspect but the food was fantastic!

14th October

Butterfly Valley
We arrived here in the middle of a “hippie” festival. Dreadlocks and loincloths everywhere you look. When the full moon came out they built a huge fire and danced round buck-naked. At breakfast, we tripped over people doing yoga. Weird – but they are friendly and we had a great time. The food was awful, cooked in a massive potjie by the hippies and served burned at 11pm at night – we began to starve so we hiked and climbed up the valley to a gorgeous and peaceful “family hostel” with great views and brilliant food. We could have stayed forever, but running out of time, we left after two nights for Fethiye.

17th October

Fethiye is a great place to charter a yacht cruise at unbelievably cheap prices. We met a friendly captain at the harbour who said we could live on his boat for free until he’d found enough people for the cruise. We spent two idyllic days moored, visiting all the local sights. We discovered an amazing filter coffee and cake café close by (my first cup of filter in three months!) – and visited it so many times that the staff soon knew us by name.

18th October

The Sakilkent Gorge was an exciting day trip. You arrive at the entrance to the canyon where you hand in your shoes and rent plastic ones from the ranger. Then you wade across a mini rapid and walk for miles through the gorge, wading through thick gooey mud and river pooh and climbing up little waterfalls – all the while gawking in wonderment at the beauty of the rock formations. Ally handled herself like a pro – she’s becoming every bit the hardy, rugged backpacker!

Another scene from Saklikent Gorge. The restaurant in the park is a unique experience. You eat your meal on a platform perched over a roaring rapid – so noisy you can hardly hear yourself eat or speak – definitely the place for a shy couple on their first date!

20th October

Our three day yacht cruise begins. There are 22 of us on the boat – 18 of whom are females. The guys simply cannot believe their luck – especially when they discover I’m taken. We visit a myriad of islands, bays, and coves. The coastline is gorgeous – but the weather is cloudy and wet (except on the final day). No one lets it get them down – there is lots of drunken debauchery. One of the girls is caught in a very compromising position with the Turkish captain – and is teased mercilessly for the rest of the trip.

22nd October

Gocek
This is one of the harbours we stopped at for a while on our cruise. A highlight for Ally and I was being pulled behind a racing motor boat as we sat in doughnut shaped lilos. The sadistic driver kept spinning in circles and opening his throttle as far as it would go – breathtaking stuff. I fell off once, Ally managed to stay on the whole time! The sun came out today, so we had some wonderful swims. We spent the night in Fethiye harbour again tonight – on the yacht. Tomorrow we catch the 5:30am bus (ugh!) to Ephesus.

23rd October

Ephesus
This is one of the best preserved Roman ruins left standing in the world today. It is enormous – the population here in Roman times was 250,000 – although 80% of the city is still to be excavated. It could take centuries to uncover completely. Massive theatres, beautiful temples, shops, brothels, public toilets, bath houses, libraries, sports stadiums are all amazingly well preserved. You get an excellent feel for what life must have been like 1500 years ago. The wealthy Romans certainly knew how to live in style. Later tonight we catch a bus back to Istanbul. I cannot believe our Turkey escapade is nearly at an end.

Here we have the public toilets in Ephesus. As you can see, your “daily movement” was an intimately social affair – this was a great place to meet your friends and talk business and politics. When Ally and I sat on two adjacent holes, we found ourselves so close that our hips touched. Things weren’t too hygienic either – after doing your business, you’d scoop a handful of water from the gutter in front of you to do any necessary cleaning. Toilet paper hadn’t been discovered yet! A common practice amongst the wealthy was to send in your slave before you to warm up the seat! All part of their toilet etiquette. My lasting impression: this is definitely the most appropriate way for all politicians to meet, discuss and make their decisions because, let’s face it, they’re all full of shit!

Turkish Baths
Mmmm! I get shivers all over just remembering this experience – the traditional Haman in Instanbul. First you relax on a warm slab in the beautiful marble room steam room. Then it’s time for a heavenly massage – the Turkish masseurs (males unfortunately) pour soapy water onto you with a giant sponge. Then you get scrubbed with a rough towel that takes off layers of dirt you never knew you had. The massage is good too – but you have to stop them cracking your back and neck! All in all a wonderful, relaxing experience. You come out feeling clean and more relaxed than you’ve ever been in your life.

Carpets
Carpets, carpets everywhere. There are carpet shops in every tourist town, no matter how small and on all street corners you meet Turkish chaps with imploring puppy dog eyes saying “do you want to see my carpet shop my friend? For you, special price!” I must say, the carpets are beautiful – all hand woven on enormous looms by the local women. Some take weeks, even months to make. The good ones go for +/- B250 each. I might be tempted to buy one – one day – but certainly not now. The idea of carrying a carpet around in my backpack does not turn me on!

Patriotism
Here is the Turkish flag. The turns are wonderfully patriotic and we soon learned you could use this to your advantage. Wear a Turkish flag t-shirt for example and you’re much more likely to get picked up quickly when hitch hiking. We didn’t hitch hike much because the buses in Turkey are really good but we did get one very exciting trip in an old dilapidated fire engine. Not only did they take us ½ an hour out of their way, but they also insisted on buying us tea. Bless them – the Turks are amongst the friendliest people you’ll ever meet. Buses are really comfortable (some even have on board hosts who serve coffee and biscuits) and dirt-cheap. The only hiccup is that many of the drivers drive like bats from hell along the windy mountain roads but we made it in one piece!

Ataturk
Ataturk, the hero of Turkey. He may have died nearly sixty years ago but his picture still stands in pride of place in every restaurant, shop, hotel and home. His statue presides over every town square. This is the man who “single handedly” whipped the British and Australians at Gallipoli in World War One. After that he drove off the marauding Syrians before becoming one of the most astute politicians in the world’s history – to carve out and preserve the state of Turkey as we know it. No Ataturk then – no Turkey today. A pretty amazing man – no wonder he is a legend today.

Summary
Our route around turkey. I fly back to London tomorrow. I’ll be very sorry to leave Turkey – it has made an extremely favourable impression on me, especially the friendly people, delicious food and gorgeous scenery. Here are some words that sum up Turkey for me:

Sweet baklava pastries, Turkish delight, stuffed aubergine, Iskender kebabs, yoghurt and honey, carpet shops, ischekar ederim (thank you very much in Turkish), friendly smiles, moustaches being shaved with a cut throat razor (took lots of trust!), splashes of lemon juice as a freshener, manic bus drivers, apple tea, soaring mountains, winding roads, clear blue sea, monopoly money, changeable menu prices (inflation is 85% p.a), male only cafes, Ataturk, raki (traditional alcoholic drink), bustling bazaars, galloping chickens, Hamams (Turkish baths), colourful scarves and dresses, Turkish music, mosques, the call to prayer, Ally (it was wonderful to travel with her again!).

We’ll be in London for 10 days, and then we fly into Delhi in India for our next adventure.


My Travel Notes


Gallipoli

• Tues 16 - Arrive in Cannakale - managed to get across border for free - smellier than ever been in my life. Traveling for 36 hours. Book into hotel, do our washing, shower, eat kebab. Glorious. Watch documentary on Gallipoli and bit of movie.
• Wed 17, go on a tour of Gallipoli with tons of Australians and New Zealanders. Windy, overcast day matches mood of place.
• Impresions: Both Turks and Anzaks throwing themselves over the trench to certain death by machine gun. Value systems so entrenched in loyalty to country. Turk and Anzak trenches only 7 m apart. Turkish hero ignored orders and rushed for the high ground with his men - saving the war. British officers order men to die - think they are an inexhaustable source. The Turkish lost 253000 men, Allies <>

Istanbul

• Thurs 18, day of bussing to Istanbul - after a mighty breakast of kebab, soup, pizza etc on me.
• Friday 19, lazy walk around Istanbul - great restaurant for traditional Turkish pankakes - women cook in middle, Turkish music and dancing. Turkish food is Fantastic - egg plant is national dish with all sorts of combinations. Spicy chilles, cracked wheat, lamb, chicken, rice pudding etc. We are eating like pigs.
• Pick up Ally from airport.
• Saturday 20, starts off very tense for me but as day progresses, I calm down. Ally and I soon fall into a comfortable, loving, precious union.
• We visit the Blue Mosque and St Sophia museum (christian church converted to a mosque). Mosaic picture of empress daughter and husband (who forced to marry later in life due to pressure) - she very unhappy so has string of boyfriends so mosaic artist kept in constant employ.
• Sun 22, visit Topkapi Palace with wonderdful Israeli guy (Shaggar) - vast network of royal rooms and treasures beyond wildest belief. 48 kg solid gold candlesticks, gold daggers with emerald handles and diamond encrusted, swords, thrones, Tea sets etc. Priceless sumptuousness. Catch night bus to Cappadocia (Goreme).

Cappadocia

• Mon 23, arrive early - exhausted - collapse at Paradise Hostel in bedroom for 4, wake late afternoon for meal and minibus to watch sunset. Amazing rock formation (fairy chimneys, sculptured valleys) with houses and churches built into them. Russel and I climb to top of hill overlooking valley for spiritual experience and sunset - then hurtling descent that impresses all. Look for nightlife in cave bars.
• Tues, hike with our group and Ryan (hippie American) and Tino (Dutch tour guide) through valleys exploring open air museum (churches with frescoes - eyes cratched out because bue and green denote evil eye) and other more inaccessible spots. We discover the Garden of Eden - orchards of apples, pears, tomatoes, beans, peppers and grapes in valley. Share lunch with a friendly local and he shows us a cave house (Chatteau) with chimney stairs to upper stories. Fantastic tunnels and rooms to explore.
• Wed 24, go on tour. Pidgeon valley. Underground cities built by Christians to escape persecution. Clambered through chimneys and ladders. Secret alley ways and escape hatches - all underground cities were connected - furtive creatures these early Christians. Ally does potting - and creates a huge penis beyond her control.
• Then to Ihalara valley for hiking through riverine canyon and lunch. Tour leaves us behind to camp for night. Sleep - then to local hot spring. After hiccup (have to wait for it to heat up), we have glorious time stewing in the hot waters.
• Thurs 25, late wake. Explore some old church caves in the muntains. Tour bus picks us up. To Soleme - where Star Wars was filmed - fantastic warren of tunnels and caves. We climb steep staircase up and up to a view at top of mountain. Then to pottery exhibition (Ally gets to try - clay becomes enormous penis). Finally, stop for sunset at Fairy Chimney Valley. That night, we visit Oriental restaurant for wonderful food.
• Fri 26, fairwell breakfast to Russel and Kate. Russel not happy to be alone with Kate and Kate very sensitive. Not happy chappies. Ally, Shaggar and I head off for Eastern Turkey.
  Malatya ( Nemrut Mountain)
• Arrive in Malatya after 8 hour journey. On bus, I spend hours poring through dictionery and play word games with Ally. Eat spicy dried sausage. We stay at urine smelling hostel (Asya). Eat at fantastic, dirt cheap restaurant (Istender Kebab with yoghurt). Food in Turkey is a highlight - always tasty and fresh. We have been eating like pigs. Malatya is wonderfully untouristy - relaxed town with sweetshops everywhere.
• Sat 27, more Istender Kebab, then buy nice tracksuit top and toiletries. Epic mini bus journey to summit of Nemrut - splendid rugged scenery. Thick fog at top obscures view but adds to atmosphere of temple - heads of statues on ground and 50 m high man made hill - created by order of egomanical king nearly 2000 years ago.
• Being taught how to eat pancake by enthusiastic restaurant owner.
• I exclaim my praise to the GM from a windy promenade. We spend night at hotel near summit where experience thunderous storm.
• Sun 28, we plan to hike to summit and find lift to Khata but Shagger and hotel have flaming row over prices and Ally and I decide to rather go back to Malatya. Good decision because clouds remain and Ally is sick. Shaggar has huge fight with hotel owners.
• We find a nice hotel (Park Otel). Spend relaxed day making love, exploring Bazaar (cheap and very little hassle) and eating at great restaurant (Buyuk Kent). Speciality is Doner Kebab. Ally finds a bug in her mutton which dampens our euphoria a little. Waiter treats as "What can I do about it?" Speak to Jo on phone.

Sanliurfa

• Mon 29, My birthday! Arduous bus journey to Sanliurfa. I memorise my Mission and associate it with different parts of my body. Great potential.
• Stay in Dogu Hotel. We read naked in bed - peeper looks over door window (needed a chair to do it).
• We meet Shagger again - with a young Turkish chap (Yusuf).
• Spend evening walking streets (old church, lush garden with pools with sacred carp.) Little kids with their coined English phrases "Where you from.", "What is your name", "How are you." Ally' throat still sore afer week. I may be getting throat infection and feeling run down (headaches and fever)
• Tues 30, we vivist Harran. Bee Hive houses and an impressive old fort. Big fight with Yusuf - he suddenly wanted more money. Shaggar and he fight - threatened with PKK.
• Ally and I relax at tea house in garden, then climb steep tunnel to summit of hill-top fort for wonderful views (I like to do this because it always gives me great perspective).
• We meet friendly young Turkish guy learning English (Muhammet) "Would you like to be my guest for the evening." Meet his uncle and friends. Shagger decides to change his plans and come with us to Kizkalesi. Stuff ourselves at new retaurant for 2 for R15. NB Try new things - don't stick with the satisfactory!!

Kizkalisi

• Wed 1, bus to Kizkalisi. Nice sea side town with two castles (one on an island 300 m offshore). Great view from hotel (Alper) though not worthy of their card with false photo of huge swimming pool. Relaxing afternoon and early night.
• Thurs 2, Ally has the runs from supper. We swim to castle - exciting exploring city walls. Ally caught short. Lie on beach afterwards. Play pool till late.

Anamur

• Fri 3, to Anamur. Ally straight to bed while Shagger and I visit local castle - a 6 km walk. Skulk in over sand dunes for free, huge place with high ramparts. Cheekily watch doorman from tower. Best sunset of my life. The sky is on fire and the wonder and glory of the GM unfolds. Hitch and walk back.
• Sat 4, Ally still sick with bad stomach. Shagger and I visit ghost city of Anamorium. Abandoned by Romans after plunder of Persians - very intact with great beach setting. We go for walk along beach for sunset. Ally feeling slightly better but Im feeling like shit - fighting something. Feel low.

Olympus (Tree Houses)

• Sun 4, long road to Anatalya. Bus over cliff with body on stretcher - accidents galore. Change money - refuse to accept small portion at restaurant. Catch bus - then catch hitch on a firetruck to Olympus. Friendly firemen smoke at petrol station. Friendly - thank with beers. Tree houses great - real backpacker place. We meet up with Kate again who has left Russel. He gave her his bible!!
• Hitch hike - picked up by olf fire engine. Windy arrow road. Petrol station - smoke. Pay for our drinks.
• Mon 6, Ally feeling emotionally low - she lost her pillow and is still in pain that our future is not assured. We really chat - have been very open with each other and are having some great converations. Still unsure about my future and what I want.
• Bowels are main topic of conversation wherever you are - not taken for granted.
  I have learned to juggle with three balls (stones) thanks to Shagger. Ally writes her journal everyday - she loves it. I still collect and write postcards for family - but send them all in a big envelope.
• Tues 7 - Sun 12. Relaxing days of lazing in our tree house (Honeymoon Sweet - not Bunnyhatch) and beach, chatting to fellow backpackers. Yoghurt and honey. Mmmm! Volleyball. Table Tennis. Puppy dog and cats. Meet funny guy (John) - great stories. Feeling a bit bored.
• Great spiritual experience on hilltop ruin overlooking sea. Very powerful. Awesome view of ocean and coast. Throw huge rocks into sea. Jump off cliff into sea.
• Atmosphere of Tree House area almost comatized. Too much effort to leave. Kate has job working two hours washing dishes - she eats for free. Free supper - stuff myself. Juggling with stones on beach. Skimming them along river. Toilets don't flush properly - floaters! Ruins all clothed in vines and trees. Eat Pommegranite fruit - delicious.
• Go on cruise in fishing boat - clear, blue water to swim in. Beautiful, shale beaches.
  Owner of Kadir - rolly, polly character "Yum, yum, pig's bum. Romantiek Flame Tour / Fishing Trip." Chickens play American football with bread.

Oludeniz

• Sun 12, catch bus to Oludeniz. British package tourist place. In my grimy clothes and backpack, I feel very superior! We have fun with "moaning Minnie", a cute puppy at our hotel who whimpers when she doesn't get attention. Expensive supper with hideous glass of red wine - send it back.
• Mon 13 - Buy yoghurt and jar of honey from caffee. Our staple diet. Explore the Blue Lagoon. Lie with British tourists. Skim stones and swing on rope attached to tree. Write a poem about gravity. Lie on main beach and swim. Send postcards home. Phone Gramps. So wonderful to hear his voice. Supposed to catch boat to Butterfly Valley - but too rough so we spend another night with Moaning Minnie.
• Tues 14 - More yoghurt. Give magazine to 2nd hand book shop owner. He is so touched, he ofers me a book for free - Exodus. Boat is delayed so spend more time on beach. Meet Irish girls from Olympus and travel in tiny vessel to Valley.

Butterfly Valley

• The Valley has been taken over by hippies for the "Rainbow Gathering." Lots of dreadlocks, flowing clothes, and some loin cloths. 70 year old yoga master (gets himself into Pretzel like shapes) and his 20 year old girlfriend. We put up tent.
  Valley is beautiful - cliffs on three sides with good beach and clear water. Moon shining on cliffs is spiritual. Supper works by food circle - still waiting for it at 10:30 that night. Nothing but yoghurt all day. Finally form a circle, hum tunes and wait for plates to be filled (from mighty potjie pot) and passed one by one around circle. Torture - especially when taste burnt!! They had tried to disguise with cupfulls of cury powder. Curried charcoal. Pepper and salt to the rescue.
• Meet Australian band singer with tales of India, Lebanon and Syria. Great bar on cliff side.
• Huge bonfire - and buck naked hippie dancers disappearing into the "sweat tent" for divine inspiration. I wish I had joined in! What did you learn, I ask Irish girl. One chap was hung like a horse.
• Australian chap is > 40 and traveling for 3 years (spent 14 months just reading with 2 hour breakfast. Loves food - galeti + hargendas.) I realise you choose your own life.
• Wed 14 - Walk up the cliff to George's House with Irish girls. Very steep with ropes and great views. The house is a dream - set in a little farm at the top of the valley - overlooking the whole valley and sea beyond. Open living area wih friendly guy, Bevon, New Zealander who got sucked in.
• Best food in Turkey - bottomless bowls of heaven. Orgasmic yoghurt, fresh from the cow. Communal sitting in a circle, dolloping spoonfulls onto bread. Messy, but wicked. Meet Dion, long haired South African. Professional golf player, working in London as an ecstacy dealer and rave organizer. Also, a sexy Australian girl - Emma.
• Plunge in cool spring. After blissful day (lunch = R9!!), we return to beach. Build a fire on beach. Dance in circle with hippies "I open my eyes to you. I open my heart to you. I lift up my heart to the sun. Our loving hearts are one." "May God's blessing fall upon you. May his peace abide within you. May his presence illuminate your heart. Now and forever more."
• All the while, staring into strangers eyes. Stifled laughter at first - some real stoned stares - but really good.
• Self: Wonderful spiritual contemplation at top of gorge, overlooking valley from rock ledge. Feeling much more centered. I am trying to be non critical of people I meet - loving, see people as souls. Valley is truly spiritual place. Very self conscious with girls.
• Thu 16 - Return to George's house. On way, listen to person piping in the valley.
• Hauntingly beautiful. Creation inspired by God. Spend relaxing day reading, working on my compilation of lessons for life (amazing, but danger of becoming obsessive.)
• Meet Kate again with Scott. More wonderful food - bottomless bowls of traditional Turkish food that eat with thin bread. All falls out to make a mighty mess. Easy to tell who is a veteran and who is new from spillage on laps.
• We walk up road for sunset. Ally and I get seriously deep about life. Her big distractor: Being scared of being disliked by people. Bad experience when she was in Std 1 and moved to Cape Town. "No one wanted to be my friend."
• I have a nasty case of the runs so go on a 24 hour starvation bout to kill the bugs. Real hard wih all this delicious food on offer.
• Fri 17: Climb back down into valley to collect tent and bags. Farewell to Kate and Scott (a guy she met at Olympus). Kate writes an exquisite story about a crab that goes in search of the sky.

Fetiye

• We catch boat to Oludeniz where meet British couple. I ravenously gulp down a chicken roll and yoghurt. Catch Dolmus to Fetiye. Find a yacht that still needs 4 people to go. We get free accomodation in a cosy cabin. Explore the waterfront. Discover a waterfront cafee that serves filter coffee and delicious cake. Make great love in cabin. Go out for fishy meal. Toilet in our cabin is of limits so we have to walk 10 minutes to toilet in harbour. After a while, we pee in cup and throw out of window.
• Sat 18: Another day moored in Fetiye Harbour. Visit Saklikent Gorge - deep, skulptured canyon with shallow river to walk along and through. Rent plastic shoes. Ally does well at scrambling over rocks - good for her confidence. Muddy business! Restaurant seats perched over gushing rapids.
• Sun 19: Rainy weather. Quiet day, walking round markets. Supper with our friendly captain and three other guests ( New Zealand girls). Good fun dancing after supper. Coffee and cake with our new found friends - the waiters. I finish my book, an excellent "who-dunnit" called "Undue Influence."

Yacht Cruise

• Mon 20 - Wed 22.   Mostly girls on board (18 girls - 4 guys). All Australian and New Zealand. Friendly and relaxed. Food excellent. 100 foot yacht. Weather wet and cold except for last day. Loud music and dancing till 5 am every morning. Captain full of card and match tricks. Drum beating to Abba. Go on doughnuts behind boat. I go for swim to discover I cannot get back onto boat. Party goes on all night to disgust of other yachts and people trying to sleep. Guy divebombs woman.
• I read article on Vincent Van Gogh - new insights into opening out and really seeing things (16 different shades of yellow in wheat)

Ephesus

• Thurs 23: Our next stop is Ephesus. Taxi drivers try to rip us off - Ally loses her patience. Communal public toilets. (just the right place for politicians!) - used slaves to warm up the seats. Amazing Library - restored by the Austrians. Huge theatre.

Istanbul

• Fri 24: Arrive in Istanbul after a long night bus journey. Exhausted. Decide not to return to Athens - buy a ticket direct to London. We watch a movie (Speed 2) and visit a Turkish Bath . Steam room, then lathered, massaged and scraped by a masseur. Watch out for the clicks!
• Unbelievable meditation lying on the slab, looking up at the domed roof. Totally relaxed. Wonderful food at local restaurant.
• Sat 25: Ally goes shopping. I sulk that she spent money - grow up!! Ally leaves for Cape Town, I watch movie with Canadian chap - then go out for supper.
  Sun 26: I tell hilarious sex stories to American - really excel myself. I read lots of financial times and Economics. Hong Kong collapses - and soon its flu starts to effect other markets.
• Fly to London.

Impressions of Turkey

• Lemon freshener, squat toilets, aubergine, baskets (bins) of bread, yoghurt and honey, carpet shops, Turkish baths, Teshikur edirim - thank you very much, choc gazel - very good, Iskender kebap (lamb on deep fried bread with yoghurt), Turkish Delight, Beclava (sweet pastries), galloping chickens, moustaches, manic bus drivers and chocolate biscuits, winding mountain roads, rice puddings, road crashes, changeable menu prices, monopoly money, raw restaurant food on display, Apple tea, spraying water on sidewalk, male only cafees where play games, Attaturk, the Hero, Raki, Bazaars, misspelt names on menu (Gordon Blue, Chisken Stek, Deassarts, mashroom with ches.
• Bus frivers from hell, smoke with petrol tank on side, bumps smack ash off ciggie, windy mountain passes, slow down where accidents, then speed up again.

Ally's Journal

20th September 1997

I know there is a saying “this is the first day of the rest of my life” well, “this is the first day of the next six months”. It’s going to seem like a lifetime by the time it’s over, I believe. We’ll see at the end.

Yesterday it was another goodbye to the people at E&Y audit training. I don’t think I will ever get good at these. I have learnt new skills and new skills about working in a team. As a goodbye present, they all gave me a wonderful book of Great Britain. I can see myself using it for a long, long time.

As I left England behind, it was bitter sweet.

Bitter because of leaving my life I had built, my new and old friends and the known.

Sweet to be reunited with the love of my life, make new friends and experience the unknown.

It doesn’t seem real that I will be doing this for the next 6 months.

Woke up with butterfly wings beating against my stomach. I couldn’t wait to get out there and “experience”. I started off by meeting Graeme’s friends Kate & Russell who are every bit as wonderful as he said they were. We had breakfast by sitting down on Turkish rugs, taking off our shoes and laying back. Breakfast was tea & pancakes. The folks will never believe this back home, but I could just be tempted into drinking tea. Not ordinary tea, mind – fruit tea. Apple tea was the order of the day, yummm! Complimented with spinach and meat, this was filling for the rest of the day.

We made our way to the Blue Mosque. I am embarrassed to admit that at 24 this was my first one. Where have I been? We had to take off our shoes and I had to wear a piece of cloth to cover my shoulders. The first thing one notices are the intricate tile patterns. In the second level they are all blue, hence the name “Blue Mosque”. All the tiles are, of course, hand painted. As the Islam religion forbids it, there are no figures of people or animals, only patterns. You can feel your feet sinking into lush carpets as there are no seats. After a while the smell of sweaty feet does become noticeable. One can imagine thousands of people’s toe jam on that carpet!

I did not find it a moving religious experience as I do in a Christian church, but I think that’s because I don’t understand any of the meaning behind it.

After that we explored the Aya-Sopha. Both a Mosque and a church in its past life, it is now a museum. They have uncovered mosaics behind the painting. Beautiful gold with intricate detail.

There is one with an empress who married late in life due to pressure from her father but was very unhappy consequently and had a string of boyfriends. The mosaic artist was in constant employ as every time her boyfriend changed, so did the face of her partner in the mosaic (this is a true story!).

Everywhere we go there are little kids selling things. “Cheap, cheap - for you student price”. Some of them are really good and must make a good living.

We took a quick trip to Grand Bazaar which finished us for the day. The Grand Bazaar was an experience that overwhelmed the senses. Forget quiet, orderly, clean and tidy. Bring on higgledy-piggledy curios packed all on top of each other. If you picked up one the whole lot would fall. We survived the market by not being tempted to purchase one thing. And we were even prepared to buy.

After such a day, a sleep was in order, then dinner. I had stuffed green peppers with rice and meat. I can see Turkey appealing to all my senses, particularly taste!

20th September

Today was a trip to the palace. I got in for free. Thank you Adrian for your advice on the Go Z5 card.

This was the complete antithesis of an English Palace. Gone are the near gardens, gold curtains and huge romantic paintings.

We found tiled everything. In fact, if it didn’t move, it was tiled. We saw the confectionary kitchen, Rosemarie’s complete nightmare. Huge lead pots used to cook for 5,000 people with equally huge ladles. There are pictures of the cooks displaying their skills and I’m sure the food was delicious.

We stumbled on Mohammed the prophet’s memory room. There is every piece of the poor guy on display. Pieces of hair from his beard are in glass displays, one tooth has an ornately decorated casket and dust from his tomb is captured in a couple of glass jars. What was incredible were the letters they had, written by him as well as clothing and Moses’ staff, 3,000 years of history spanning two religions in one room. I couldn’t take it all in.

Round the palace we saw the bridge joining Europe and Asia. I thought the world was too big for that – a bridge across two continents.

Lunch followed consisting of meat, bread, cheese and courgettes cooked in that special Turkish way.

We are off to Cappadocia tonight. We are going on the overnight bus so we save on a night’s accommodation. How well we sleep remains to be seen. There are a big crowd of us going, so it is going to be great fun. I believe we get to sleep in a dorm in a cave. I’ll tell you about it later.

22nd September

The bus trip was fairly uneventful. But totally different to the first world. The bus driver smoked constantly and played Turkish music just about all night. The only time he turned it off was when he didn’t like the station’s music. So not much sleep was had by us paying customers. The nice thing was we were served Fanta and at every stop given lemon water cologne to freshen up with.

We arrived in Cappadocia valley at the town of Goreme as the sun was rising. I think it was a sight to be believed. There are tall eroded pieces of rocks with caves carved inside. About 1700 years ago people used to live in these. The Christians built these cave homes to get away from the Romans, Arabs and Mongolians.

We slept just about the whole day then grabbed a quick bite to eat. I discovered how they make those big Turkish carpets. There are two ways. I just stood and watched, very skilful women make it look so easy. I have always wanted to know how they made them.

Outside there are huge tents with carpets hanging all around. And huge looms in every nook and cranny carrying half worked carpets. This was a huge highlight for me.

After this, we went to watch the sunset over the valley of the chimneys. It was quite eerie with the shadows looming in front as the sky turned a deep red.

We went for a walk round the town and had a look at all the shops. We went to about 12 shops and they all had the same thing. I guess Goreme is not the shopping capital of Turkey.

23rd September

After discussing and analysing our dreams upon waking, we made our way to Panaramo Pension.

The rule on checking in was we had to state what we wanted to be when we grew up. Graeme wanted to be a chicken sex determiner (apparently one of the highest paid professionals in the country) and I wanted to be real.

We met one of Goreme’s tour guides, Tino and we (G & I, Shagar, Kate, Russell, Ryan) all made our way to the open air museum. This is a concentrated number of cave homes and churches in a small valley. We went into a little church and saw all the eyes of the people had been carved out. This was apparently because they were blue and in Turkey blue is the evil eye. They are sold all over Turkey as a tourist gimmick now but way back it was very important.

After this we decided to get off the beaten track and climb and I mean climb around, up and down some fairy chimneys. Russell would have been very envious. After walking through the valley for a while, we had a Turkish man come and offer us tomatoes. After hearing all the horror stories of drugs being in fruit only Shagar had the guts to try them. We followed him down the valley to the orchards below. There were grapes, apples, nuts, chillies and pears. The Turkish man invited us to sit down and share his lunch. We took our hearts in our hands and decided to trust him and thank goodness we did. We spent a wonderful hour sharing our lunches, delighting him with Shagar’s juggling balls. After lunch he took us to the “Chateau”. This was a fairy cave house. There were holes in the walls where pigeons were kept. They used the egg yolks for paint and plaster as well as the pooh for fertilizer. There was a little chimney with stairs at the sides and of course it had to be explored. The Turkish man was so inspired by our excitement he started dancing with us girls. There were two exits, a tiny tunnel leading downwards and the back door. Which one was taken? Of course, none of this boring back door nonsense.

We decided we had had enough excitement for one day and hiked on top of the valley ridge back to Goreme. Exploring a little church with beautiful paintings along the way, as well as eating as much fruit as we could.

Dinner was eaten at a very tourist Turkish restaurant. We sat on the floor with no shoes and leaned back. G & I decided to try the six starters and my favourite were the cheese in cheese pastry and eggplant stuffed with onion & tomatoes. Yumm! I think if anybody didn’t like eggplant when they arrived in Turkey they would either be converted or it would not be a great culinary experience. Just about every dish has eggplant or peppers in it.

24th September

A few of us woke up feeling very sorry we had eaten so much fruit. A good lesson – just because it’s free doesn’t mean we have to make a pig of ourselves, even if it is delicious!

We had decided to do the tour through the Cappadocia region and camp half way through so it was an early start.

Our first stop was the under-ground city of Kaymakli. 200 people could hide and live for up to 3 months including livestock. They had a meeting chamber with seats carved into the walls. They reminded me of the book Clan of the Cave Bear and the meetings the men had. Going off every room there were escape tunnels, some so narrow you had to crawl on one’s hands and knees. We climbed through tunnels with their idea of a staircase (holes on either side of the tunnel). I found it scary – my legs were shaking by the end.

It was a relief to get back out into the sun again. It’s really cold and wet inside.

Driving on to Ihlara Valley the countryside seemed similar to the Karoo except for the poplar trees. Tino explained that poor farmers plant a tree when a daughter of theirs is born. When that daughter is ready to get married 25 years later, the tree is chopped down and sold for its fire wood and this is how the wedding is paid for.

We had to earn our lunch by a short walk through Ihlara Valley. It has incredibly steep cliffs with a muddy river running through it. It made me miss our dear mountain pools. After a very average lunch we slept off our tiring walk and early start. Upon waking our restaurant owner talked us into going to the hot springs. We were all for this. Of course, when we got there we discovered the bath was only ankle deep – so what could we do? The only thing possible, chill out big time. Beers were handed round and we were taught how to play O.K., a kind of gin rummy with plastic cards. This game is normally reserved for men so Kate and I were privileged. Eventually the bath filled up so the water was up to our shoulders. It was an experience definitely off the beaten tourist track.

Our guide and driver stripped to their underpants (they are the same, even in Turkey) and us in our costumes. It was like a regular United Nations meeting. The water was about 45ºC and absolutely divine to sink into. It was so hot we could go outside (12:00am) for about 10 min and not feel the slightest bit chilly.

Needless to say, we all slept like logs.

25th September

We did have big plans to get up and watch the sun rise but after our relaxing hot spring we only surfaced at 9:30am. Hence our exploration up the mountain started at 12:00pm. We saw another church and a couple of houses but sadly all the paintings had been burned.

Tino had us picked up at 1:00pm and we continued for the rest of the tour. The highlight for Graeme was climbing 302 steps and a treacherous stone ladder to a monastery that had a spectacular view over the valley Soleme. This is where a scene in Star Wars was filmed. I can’t wait to see the movie now and recognise the landscape. Film makers must have a field day in places like this because they literally do look like they are from another planet.

The highlight for me was trying my hand at clay terracotta pottery. It is much harder than it looks but I started to get the hang of it. Unfortunately, I had used too much water so my bowl broke off at the bottom. Moulding the clay I found was incredibly sensual. I had to move my hands slowly and deliberately with infinite care to make any changes.

Anyway, that is something I definitely want to try again when we get home.

I forgot to say that we visited a camel stop. They were every 40km and they had a different place to sleep in winter and summer. The driver would sleep with the camel and guard his goods.

Dinner was a sad affair as we knew that the “turtle trio” would be coming to an end. Kate and Russell were off to Olimpos and Shagar, Graeme and I off to Mt Nenrut (the east). Even in the few days I was with them, I got to know quite a bit about them. I think Graeme is really going to miss them.

26th September

It was a delicious yoghurt and honey breakfast before our day long bus journey to Malatya.

Farewells were quick which can be a blessing. Tears can be cried in one’s heart, leaving one’s dignity in tack.

The first journey was uneventful except they over-book the buses so Graeme had to stand and let a woman sit down. I tell you, they accept none of this nineties every man/women for himself stuff here.

Our connecting bus was a more interesting affair. It was ½hr late and we were the only tourists. I could have sworn we had 3 eyes in our foreheads. A group of school kids thought we were very funny indeed. We entertained them by speaking Turkish phrases from our guidebook but it got a bit scary as a large crowd began to gather around us. I was grateful to get on the bus.

The only excitement was we nearly missed our stoop as everybody knew the stop was Malatya so they didn’t need to announce it. That’s when you know you are really off the tourist track. Coffee, water and lemon cologne was all part of the service – albeit rather bad coffee. The 6 hr journey was £5. They could give National Express a run for their money.

We headed straight for the hotel which was a smelly experience. I don’t think that in all the years the hotel has been operating the toilets have ever been cleaned. The smell permeated everything, right down to the pillows. This made me very grateful Nana made me my wonderful travel pillow.

The Turkish flag is seen in every shop, house and hotel. I even saw one carved into the side of a mountain. The people seem very proud to be Turkish, which is wonderful to see.

I heard a story about how the flag was designed. On the fields of Gallipoli, where the Aussies and Kiwis were fighting the Turks in 1916, where some 12,000 Aussies and Kiwis and 250,000 Turks were killed, there was a particularly bloody battle. As the moon rose and the stars came out, the fields were just red with the blood of the soldiers.

Many Aussies & Kiwis visit this sight when they come to Turkey. Graeme visited and it brought tears to his eyes.

After decorating our balcony so it looked like a suitcase had exploded with dripping washing, we went to a kebab shop where the locals eat. We ordered Iskinde (lamb) kebab and coke. They didn’t have coke so someone was sent especially to buy it for us. That kind of service is hard to beat.

A walk following dinner leads us to countless stationery shops and the square where we met a Kurdish man wanting to practice his English. A very frustrating hour was spent trying to communicate with his 3 English sentences and our non-existent Turkish.

27th September

I woke up and couldn’t believe I had been here a week. The days just seem to blend into one another and they go so quickly. In the blink of an eye time has gone and it’s tomorrow again.

As clouds were closing in we changed our plans and decided to go to Nemrut Diji today. The bus trip took 4 hours to go 100km as the road was so steep. It was enough to kill any clutch and brake system. The view (what we saw before the clouds descended) was spectacular. High, high mountains sloping steeply into a warren of valleys.

The main attraction on the Nemrut Diji are the statues and the view by at sunrise and sunset. Unfortunately, the clouds had descended which cut off any view. Nevertheless, the statues were awesome. The head of the statues lay scattered about below the huge bodies that had been built.

It was built as a tomb for an egotistical pre-Roman king. Countless tons of small stones were piled high over this supposed tomb – supposed, as despite extensive excavations, no tomb has yet appeared. The statues stood on two sides of the “mountain” with the heads of gods and one of himself. It is probably the only monument of the Comnagene Kingdom as it only lasted for 26 years.

A disturbing site when visiting are the group of 10 Kurdish soldiers, all with AK47’s and hand guns. They are there in case the Kurdish terrorists decide to make a noise over their cause and kill a tourist or two. Although that definitely does not warm a mother’s heart.

Supper was an extremely average affair. For a hotel that charges B18.00 a night, if you are not on the tour it is one of the biggest rips I have yet to see in Turkey.

Shagar, Graeme and myself toasted to warmth and friendship over a glass of red wine as we had planned a difficult route to Khata the next day.

28th September

One of the biggest thunderstorms I have ever been in the middle of kept us awake. The lightning would light everything up for a flash then we would hear the foundations of the buildings shake as the thunder rolled in. Needless to say, we were a tad apprehensive about walking 3km in dense cloud.

We decided in the end to return to Malatya for another night but we had to return without Shagar. He had had a huge fight with the owner of the hotel about the price of the trip. He had to pay an extra million to stop the fight getting violent. It’s so difficult when one disagrees about money if you don’t speak that language. Shagar stormed off in a huff up the cloudy mountain never to be seen again.

We were glad to return to Malatya because we could relax and visit the bazaar. You could buy anything you wanted from taps, plastic toys, clothes, right down to smelly fish – Unhygienix would have been proud. It was wonderfully relaxing walking through because we were not seen as a dollar sign. But I did have my first pinch which gave me such a shock I couldn’t even react.

Dinner was interesting, it brings to mind the joke “waiter, waiter, there’s a fly in my soup”. “Shhh – everybody will want one”.

Well, anybody who wanted my cockroach could have it ! But amazingly the waiter did not even seem surprised. He just shrugged his shoulders and walked away. Who am I to complain about having extra protein in my food?

To get over dinner we had a yummy Turkish Delight. I like the pink one the best. Then it was time for coffee. As we reached the square there was an army of soldiers standing to attention. Music came over the intercom and everybody stood up and sang the National Anthem – the whole town.

IN every town (including Istanbul – 3 Mil people) they have speakers over which the prayers are broadcast 5 times a day (a little annoying at sunrise). Anyway, over these speakers they can announce anything to the town. In Goreme sitting among the fairy chimneys eating dinner outside suddenly there is an announcement looking for somebody. It was like we were in an outside airport.

29th September

Happy birthday Graeme. Unfortunately we had to travel on a bus, so Graeme couldn’t relax on his birthday. We made our way to Urfa which is a 7 hr journey and it cost us R27.00. Can you believe that a meal which includes 2 meat dishes, rice, soup, 3 Pepsi and as much bread as one can eat costs around R30.00 – and we are paying tourist price.

Breakfast consisted of dried apricots and nuts, the specialty of the region, but we paid for them later. They were the best dried apricots we’ve ever had. Again we were the only tourists on the bus. When we got to Urfa nobody could speak any English. A man indicated to us that he would take us into town. The more we asked how much, the more he said he didn’t understand. No wonder he didn’t understand, he did it for free. Graeme, after being travel hardened from the Middle East couldn’t believe we got a free trip.

In town we stood like typical tourists in a street trying to work out which street we were on sow e could find our hotel. In the end we found a passer-by who could only point at the sign above us (our hotel) and shake his head – don’t these tourists know anything?

Settling down in the hotel only took a few minutes but we were lying down reading when Graeme spotted a man looking through the glass at the top of the door. A Turkish peeping tom. He would have had to stand on a chair to look through. I was not happy to say the least, and became very self-conscious. We ended up covering the window with my scarf.

Later we met up with Shagar who had made it after all. He had had a cold time on the mountain. It was just as well we didn’t go with him because we couldn’t have got down.

Shagar had found a local called Jove who had shown him around all day.

Jove took us to the holy part of Urfa. The cave where Abraham was supposed to be born. We also saw the fish pond which is filled with very fat scared carp. Legend has it that Abraham was destroying all the idols that were being worshipped and Nimrod (the king) sentenced him to be burned at the stake. When the time came and the wood pile was alight, the flames turned to water and the coals to fish. Every time a fish dies in this pond it gets a burial service. It’s not the place to bring your rod and tackle.

By the time we had reached one of the sacred Mosques a band of kids had collected around us. They kept shouting “what is your name”? “where do you come from”? As well as shaking our hands – and an annoying habit was them trying to pinch my cheeks all the time. This was a friendly gesture I didn’t appreciate. Graeme was lucky being so tall he couldn’t be reached. They were making so much noise the Imam came out to shout at them and they quickly dispersed.

Not having had dinner all day, we sat down and eagerly awaited our roaster aubergine and sausage. When it was put down in front of me I started to eat with my fork. Well, as far as the waiter was concerned I couldn’t have done a worse thing. He proceeded with his hands to show me that first you take your bread, then you add the aubergine (mashed) then the meat, tomatoes, peppers, etc. Roll that all up until it’s tight, then eat it. I had never in my life dreamt that a waiter would have such a “hand” in preparing my meal. But I shrugged my shoulders and enjoyed every morsal. Once can’t be too squeamish but I could safely promise never to bring Rosemarie anywhere near the place. Every food shop breaks all the health laws ever imagined. Some of the peppers we saw for cooking hadn’t been washed and they had those little spider webs in them. It just goes to show that us westerners are absolutely paranoid about sparkling clean food. A little spider web never hurt anybody.

30th September

We had agreed with Shagar to go with Jove to see Harran. This is 9km away from the Syrian border. Don’t worry mum, I am back safe and sound !

Harran is the oldest continually inhabited settlement known to man. And believe me, I don’t think anything has really changed over the past 1,000 years! In fact, probably the only difference is the big Pepsi sign painted on the side of a stone hut. There is just about nowhere in the world untouched by Pepsi or Coke.

The first thing that struck me as we entered Harran were all the rocks lying around. They weren’t actually rocks, they were stones from the ruins from over the centuries.

Visiting the Grand Mosque gave us an idea of how important the place must have been. Apparently Abraham lived here for a couple of years.

This place blew my mind as did the ruins in Rome. It all seemed so real and so recent. Walking through the village we saw a woman with a wheelbarrow full of warm wet sheep dung which she was making into circular pieces to be dried by the sun. This is the fuel used instead of wood – there are no trees to be seen for hundreds of kilometres.

Every dwelling has a beehive hut – liked in Ireland only these are being used today. They are cold and dark inside. Today they are used for stabling the animals. I can’t imagine living their kind of life. It all seems so old world.

Upon our return we found our guide to be very annoyed as we had agreed to pay 3 mil and he said that was just for the taxi, not his fee. A lesson to be learned in the Middle East – when going on a trip, ask if the price includes the view and the air you breathe. They charge extra for every little thing.

We spent a wonderful afternoon at a tea room next to one of the fish ponds. It is such a relaxing place to be. It felt positively luxurious compared to the village in Harran.

Tomorrow we start our way along the coast. I am so excited, yet I will be sad to leave Eastern Turkey. The people have been so friendly and hospitable. Today we must have shaken about 30 people’s hands in greeting. Mohammed who met us, while we were looking at the view across Urfa from the fortress asked if we could be his guest for the evening. ON the way home his uncle who gave us fruit and a little deaf child lead us to our hotel. It was all Graeme could do to stop himself from hugging the little guy.

We saw Shagar who had planned to go to Anatyla but he changed his ticket to come with us to Kizkalesi. We wanted to get to the coast but also wanted to see all the small towns along the way.

1st October

Our bus trip was long and boring but we did get served Pepsi and chou biscuits. We passed through a town called Mersin where we saw the most ugly hotels being put up. There must have been 100 blocks in every 1km and it stretched for 10km.

As we got off the bus, a gentleman approached us and asked if we wanted to stay in his pension. He gave us his card when we left only he must have got the picture from some catalogue because his pension looked nothing like it. The closest pool I saw was the puddle left after a shower.

We had a lovely dinner by the seaside then went for a swim. I love swimming in the sea, especially when the water is warm.

2nd October

After sleeping for 12 hrs which got rid of the sore throat that had been bothering me, we went to the beach. We swam out from the shore to the castle. In the book it states that the distance is 150m which is the case if one chooses the shortest route. But we like to make life difficult for ourselves, so it was about 400m out, the way we chose. It only took about 30min. We spent an hour exploring the castle. We felt like we were on a private island in the Caribbean.

Against my better judgement, I had eaten the Turkish pizza with meat so I couldn’t stay too long on the island. I spent the rest of the day trying to recover from the runs.

Graeme & I introduced Shagar to pool. Luckily we were all as bad as each other but we had great fun missing the balls and sinking the black ball in the middle of the game.

Over dinner we were telling jokes and the cutest one was:

There was a husband and wife mouse team and they were playing hide & seek. The wife mouse says “if you find me, I will do anything your heart desires, I will be your slave or your Queen. I will make all your fantasies come true”. Then she says “Oh, and if you can’t find me, I’ll be behind the refrigerator”.

3rd October

We set off from Kizkalesi early but before we could get away Erdemli invited us to tea. The thought of anything passing my lips made my stomach turn so Graeme had to drink my tea.

The Dolmas that we caught has never heard of the safety rule of minimum numbers. We were packed in like sardines. A person was just about sitting on the driver’s lap.

6km from Anamur, Graeme and Shagar spotted a castle which had to be visited as soon as we were settled in our castle (wishful thinking – I meant our hotel). Unfortunately, I was ill from my stomach so I stayed and slept.

They arrived back full of bounce after their visit to the castle and starving hungry. I had to sit and watch them eat as I was on a 24 hr fast to kill all the nasty bacteria in me. Again we went to bed early and Graeme got thoroughly bitten by the mossies. They are vicious in this part of Turkey. They take no prisoners.

4th October

Today I had to use my better judgement and stay on the beach while Shagar and Graeme went to explore a ruined amphitheatre. They said it was good but nothing compared to the castle yesterday.

I spent the day quietly recovering and working on my tan on the beach.

We had dinner that night at the hotel restaurant which was delicious. There was a man there whose full time job it was to scare the cats away. Over the hum of dinner conversation you would hear the whoosh of water from his bottle as he sprayed the running cats. The cats didn’t seem too worried by this game as they were back after 2 minutes.

Once thing I won’t miss about this place is the blasting T.V. They keep it on for the German tourists. I would have thought they would come to this part of paradise to get away from such intrusions, but each to their own.

We are off to Olympus tomorrow where we get to stay in tree huts for next to nothing. I am going to miss the hot showers. We have got into the habit of turning on the hot water taps when inspecting a room to test the owners statement of “hot water 24 hrs a day”. Usually this is untrue as hot water is heated by solar. I can’t imagine how insulted the average B&B host in England would be if we walked in and immediately turned on the hot water tap. They don’t even bat an eyelid here, even if there is no hot water like they promised.

I have since met a woman who gave me a new perspective. That is – some cultures, especially the Middle Eastern cultures, don’t know how to say no. So it’s not that they are lying, it’s that they want to please you so everything is said to what you want to hear. I think that is a wonderful way to view and understand this culture in which we are travelling.

5th October

Joy, oh joy! Solid food. Three days of water and coke having taken their toll. Yoghurt & honey are now the order of the day. I didn’t like honey until I came here but it’s so good that one becomes an instant convert.

Today we had another long, long journey. Anarum to Antalya to Olimpos to tree houses. ON the way from Anarum we saw a bus that had turned over and slid part way down the side of the mountain. This must be the 3rd accident I have seen in two weeks.

To pass the time and keep boredom at bay, we played the dictionary game. There are three ways to play. (1) pick a word and the person has to give the meaning. (2) give a meaning and the person has to give/say the correct word. (3) (the best) you take a word and talk about what it means in your life and what memories it brings up.

I like the third one the best. You can get to know someone really well. Anyway, it beats reading the same books all the time.

Officially we leave Eastern Turkey behind today as we pass 100’s and 100’s of hotels. You know you’ve hit tourist paradise when shops like Reebok, Levis and United Benetton become the norm. I am sad to leave Eastern Turkey and the wonderful people behind.

IN Antalya we changed money and then went to have some thing to eat. A man invited us into his restaurant and pointed to his dishes telling us the price. The price was expensive but we thought that it would be a big plate. For nearly USB3 he dished up one serving spoon. We couldn’t believe it. When we said something he couldn’t understand what we were complaining about. I think they are so used to tourists not complaining about being ripped off. Needless to say we left him with his serving spoon and went in search of a meal worthy of our money.

We made our way back from Antalya town centre to the bus station. This bus station would put Cape Town International airport to shame never mind our bus station. It was incredible.

All along our bus trips we have seek how the bus drivers are in cahoots with café owners. That is, the bus driver will stop at a café which gives them free food and the passengers are forced to eat there. This is generally not a problem because you get to your end destination in a town. However, we got caught big time today. We bought a bus ticket to a certain destination which was a turn off from the main highway to Olimpos. This is w3here the bus was supposed to drop us off. Needless to say we were dropped off at Olimpos Café about 2km from the turn off. The deal being we would have to make a very expensive taxi trip to get down to the coast about 11km down from the highway.

We weren’t about to let these crafty people beat us, so we started walking and hitching. We were picked up by a Turkish fire truck – I kid you not, a fire truck. I was worried as I had heard a few stories, but these men turned out to be some of the most genuine and friendly I had ever met. They went to refuel before taking us to our tree house destination. At the petrol station they bought us tea and we tried to communicate with our 1 Turkish word and their one English word.

They absolutely had a great confidence in their abilities as fire men as they casually lit cigarettes during pumping the petrol.

After tea and their cigs they took us all the way to Kadir’s Yoruk front door. This involved some pretty treacherous road driving. We didn’t know how we were going to repay them for all their effort. Eventually we decided to invite them in for a beer to say thank you. I really regretted not being able to communicate properly with them. IN the meantime, we had to check in. While doing so, they left and we managed to catch them to take a photo. When we went back to the bar we found that they had not only paid for their own drinks but for ours as well. It’s a story of generosity you almost wouldn’t believe unless it happened to you. I can’t wait to send them the photos now.

The tree houses are a great place. A real back-packer’s heaven. Best of all we met up with Kate again. She has been here for 9 days already. She is washing dishes so she gets to stay for free. I think we are going to love this place.

At the end of today I discovered I’d lost all my postcards that I’d spent an afternoon writing. But the worst was I found that I’d left my pillow that my Nana had made me for my first trip overseas. I can count on my fingers the nights that I didn’t have that pillow with me over the past 6 years. It brought back the pain of having my jewellery stolen. Not a great ending to an otherwise adventurous day.

6th October

We woke up and as Kate would say “it’s another beautiful day in Olimpos, what a surprise”. We changed our room from the Doghouse platform to the Honeymoon Suite. Unfortunately the Love Shack was taken and the Bunny Hatch sounded like it was tempting fate.

After breakfast we headed down to the beach. Along the way you pass through the ruins of an ancient city covered in creepers and vines. One feels like somehow you have mistakenly found yourself on an Indiana Jones movie set. Tomorrow we hope to explore the ruins.

Today we just quietly sat by the beach. Suntanned, swam and wrote some postcards. Graeme played some volleyball. This seems to be such a universal game.

At dinner we all sat around telling our funny travel stories. One could write a journal of those alone.

7th October

Today was more of the same. We did manage to do one energetic thing – wash our laundry. Other than that, it was swimming and tanning.

In the evening after dinner we went on a tour to see the Chimaera. Legend has it that Typhon (the son of the earth goddess) was such a frightening and nasty being that Zeus set him on fire and buried him under the mountain. The son of Typhon – Chimaera was killed by the hero Bellerophon by mounting Pegasus, the winged horse and pouring molten lead into the Chimaera’s mouth.

We say it by night and it’s not hard to see how such legends are born. Flames pour out of the crevices in the rocks. In some places they are a foot high. They are so hot one could cook food on them, although it does smell of gas.

The scientific version is that it is gas escaping from the earth and as soon as it hits oxygen, it bursts into flames. I much prefer the legend.

Apparently 2,000 years ago, the flames were much bigger and the ships could navigate by them when they were out to sea. Then the pirates came along and built huge fires in the wrong places so that the ship would be wrecked on the rocks. They were quite a nasty bunch.

8th October

Nothing to do yet again. Swimming & tanning. Talking and lounging about. The biggest lie told at Olympos is “I’m leaving tomorrow”. Tomorrow never comes.

9th October

What can I say? Did so little that I can’t remember enough to write about. But I can report that with each passing day we talk about leaving this piece of paradise and each day it gets harder & harder.

10th October

As we plan to leave tomorrow we decided to do a cruise. We packed our costumes and towels and set off for a “very romantic” cruise. There was, of course, a mix up with the boats sow e ended up sitting on the beach for an hour.

As it is a pebble beach, the guys were throwing stones at each other. I think Graeme saved my life by catching a stone that was heading for the middle of my forehead. He now has a huge bruise on his hand – my hero!

After that excitement we headed out into one of the many idyllic coves and swam to our hearts content. The water is so clear that we could see the bottom clearly at 4M deep. Over dinner we decided to stay another day. Graeme would like to play some volley ball before heading off. What a life – staying in a place just to play volley ball and swim in the Mediterranean sea. Isn’t life great?

11th October

With nothing better to do it is time to introduce the most talked about subject amongst backpackers. The subject that the highest and lowest of society avoid. The subject on which all backpackers have an embarrassing story to tell, a home remedy as well as a current event comment on tap. We were all warned about this subject before we left our safe havens. This subject has to be – you guessed it – “the runs”. Suddenly one is plunged into a world where toilet paper is a highly sought after commodity. It could become virtually a currency. At night, while we are all sitting together it is amazing to listen to a group of virtual strangers talk. It is a topic of conversation that we all have in common. Some of the stories are too embarrassing to believe, yet they are true.

That is one thing I won’t miss about Turkey, the state of the toilets. Squat toilets do nothing for me to say the least, but what gets me is they usually look and smell like they were cleaned last in the 1960’s ! Uuughh !

Anyway, enough of that.

Our last day in Olympos was spent quietly on the beach. Taking in another swim and the mandatory game of volley ball. IN the evening we all shared a few bottles of red wine and started to talk about religion. Everybody has a different opinion and idea of what it consists of. We had an American (Kate) a New Zealander (John), an Israeli (Shagar) and us all talking about it. It gives some insight into why the UN have such a hard time getting agreement sometimes. We are all so different. Sometimes I feel part of a big United Nations out backpacking. We are all meeting each other from all the corners of the globe and we get to know one another and most importantly try to understand and accept each other. Suddenly we become ambassadors for our country.

12th October

Last night was our last in a tree house. We have spent a week in Olympos and although it was paradise, we looked forward to moving on to a new place.

The destination was Oludeniz. The trip took us on another 7 hr bus trip. It was raining and our bus was leaking. How a bus leaks, I don’t know.

While getting on to one of the buses I was in such a rush that I hit my head on the railing while dropping the water. This woman felt so sorry for me that she gave me this piece of dried herb from her purse. I don’t know what it is but it has a lovely clean smell. It summed up Turkish good nature for me. This gesture of utter good will. It touched a deep spot in me.

Our first taste of Oludeniz has been at night and it looks like a tourist trap deluxe. Restaurants are vastly overpriced and every bar is playing western music extremely loudly. We may do a cruise tomorrow and visit a place called Butterfly Valley where they have a rare species of butterfly and where one can stay in a tree hut right on the beach.

13th October

Woke up after spending a very quiet night with a puppy in our room. We nicknamed it Moanie Minnie because whenever she wanted attention she would moan. She was so cute.

It was another beautiful day so we hit the beach. We walked all the way to the lagoon. It has been colonised by British tourists which is not a bad thing, but it means the beach is littered with deckchairs that cost USB3 a day to hire.

The lagoon is so beautiful. Again, it is the amazingly clear water with no waves. We swam and lazed the whole day.

We did go and explore the campgrounds which looked absolutely awful. We thanked our lucky stars not to be staying there. There was also a very impressive looking hotel. I’ll bet there would be some very surprised people if they knew we paid £3 for a room.

We had planned to visit Butterfly Valley this evening but the weather was too rough. We met some other backpackers who had been and they were very disenchanted. They said the food was served army style, you slept in the rain, you couldn’t drink the water as it had cholera, there were a bunch of hippies who sat round the fire playing their bongo drums and to add insult to injury the mattresses have fleas in them. We nearly changed our minds after this damning testimony.

14th October

We decided to go just for the experience. We were joined by the three Irish girls (Carol, Emma, Dierdre) we had met in Cappadocia. The boat trip was 30 min over the most heavenly blue water. As we rounded the corner into the little cove we thought we had found another slice of heaven.

However, our reservations started to mount as we were greeted by a man with dreadlocks and a loincloth. He would have made a Bushman proud. The day was spent reading and sleeping. I’m reading Exodus and I can’t put it down. Night time was when it turned interesting. At about 7:00pm we ambled to the dining area to see about dinner. We found out that the Rainbow festival people had taken over the valley so there was no restaurant, only a Magic Hat. We started our long wait. At 8:30pm we had exhausted all our card games. Our hearts lifted at 9:00pm when food was brought out only to be told this was staff food – spaghetti & chips. At 10:00pm we had lost interest with chess and checkers and were trying to keep hunger at bay by talking to an Australian.

At 10:30pm we saw a big Potjiekos pot being taken out to the beach. We went to investigate as all activity has ceased in the kitchen. We found ourselves in a circle holding hands around this pot. Before we knew what was happening they were shouting FOOD CIRCLE – then singing a song. Then food was dished out and served. This has to go down as the worst plate of food I have ever had. It was burned lentils stewed with green peppers and garlic. Due to it being burned they heaped in the curry powder to cover the taste. I ask you ??? I had to eat or starve as there was nowhere else to get food from. After the meal the Magic Hat was passed around. This is the payment system. Everybody just puts into the hat an amount of money to pay for dinner. In this case they should have sent the hat around before everyone ate.

As well as this the Rainbow people had decided to hold one of their rituals. We were brushing our teeth and did a double take. There were people dancing naked around the fire and every so often they disappeared into this tent. Not my everyday experience of a camp fire. We drifted off to sleep with drums heating and bodies dancing an ancient dance.

PS: The story behind getting Exodus goes as follows. We were all out of reading material which is a tragedy. We went to a shop which had second hand books but they ere outrageously expensive. On leaving our Pension we found we had taken a magazine by mistake and as we were passing the 2nd hand book store, we decided to give them the mag so we didn’t have to carry it. The owner was so touched by this generosity that he gave Graeme any book he wanted. Hence Exodus. Graeme couldn’t believe it.

15th October

This morning we found out what they were doing. Apparently they fast all day then dance around the fire which is really big. They dance until the rocks are hot then they put them in the tent and pour water over the rocks creating a sauna. Having fasted all day and dancing to the drum beat they are prepared to enter the heat of the sauna. They stay in for about 30mins and they experience what all this activity is about. That of hallucinations. Really interesting, but not my scene at all.

Rather than experience another food circle for breakfast, we decided to hike up the mountain to George’s house and see if we could get food there. I can honestly say this was one of the best decisions I have ever made. The hike up was hard and my heart was beating like crazy. When we got to the top we found a little village and George’s House. We were welcomed in with open arms, given the best meal in Turkey and were included in the family. Although we were a paying guest, they had the art of making you feel as though you lived there. We watched the grand daughter Izhim discover a book. We chatted to the grandson about life in Turkey. We watched the ladies make their carpets and lace.

We stayed the whole day and did nothing. About the most energetic thing Graeme did was go for a dip in the icy cold water.

We stayed until evening and had dinner. After having had the best food in Turkey we couldn’t face going down to the worst again.

We met a S.A. named Dion. He was one of the most un-self-conscious people we have ever met. He is a professional golfer and an E dealer. He seemed proud of the fact that he dealt drugs.

In fact, it was just about his only topic of conversation which became quite tiresome. It didn’t seem to faze him in the slightest that some of us did not approve. You meet some really interesting people when you travel.

That night down in the valley we made a fire on the beach. It was very special for the Irish girls as they had never made a fire before. Coming from S.A it is difficult to imagine not having made one. I remember my Dad teaching me to make one from a very early age. We all sat transfixed by the flames. After a while, we joined the hippies in their dances (don’t worry, no the naked ones).

I was quite a strange experience. We had to dance in a circle and swap partners after singing a phrase about love. The strange thing about it for me was the eye contact. Staring into a stranger’s eyes and singing about love completely threw me. But why shouldn’t we? Surely we should do this more often? Learn to understand and really see strangers.

We spent that night under the stars and watched the full moon. The hippies did some fire dancing and fire juggling. It was mesmerising to watch.

16th October

We woke up with stiff necks after sleeping on the ground. Sand may seem soft but it gets hard very quickly.

Dion left early that morning, much to our relief. We’d had about as much as we could take after rhe told us that he had stolen his teacher’s gold watch, given for 25 years service. Although, to his credit, he did return it but he was not the kind of person I wanted to hang around with.

A quick vote settled the fact that we should spend the night up at George’s house. The climb up took longer as there was a person playing the flute down in the valley and it was hauntingly beautiful. Graeme says that of all the instruments he would like to be able to play the flute.

At George’s we stuffed ourselves over lunch. They served six bowls of different vegetables in juice then two other bowls with yoghurt & honey. All of this you eat by wrapping it up in a pancake type bread. The only problem is that juice/yoghurt seeps out of every crevice in the bread. Our table looks as though a bunch of toddlers have been eating there.

We woke up from a nap to find that Kate and Scott had arrived. We thought we had said goodbye at Olympos for good. It was great to catch up with them.

Graeme and I went for a walk that evening. We sat on house sized boulders and watched the sun set over the ocean. We had one of the best chats we’ve had for ages.

That night Graeme got “the runs”. He was quite ill. So he had to do the 24 hr water only diet. It was agony for him to watch us eat a delicious dinner.

17th October

Dearest Ally

Once upon a time there was a yellow crab that lived on the bottom of a clear, shimmering sea. Sunlight threw refracting patterns over the flat rock bottom of his world, iridescent fish swam by in the evenings, and always there was the music of current passing through the seaweed. But our crab had his eyes turned towards the surface, in wonderment. He dreamt of the mysterious sky arching over an inconceivably dry land, populated by trees hundreds of times bigger than the giant kelp that clung to the bottom sands. It was these dreams that propelled him upwards, one sideways step at a time. Breaking the water barrier for the first time, he marvelled at every breath, his eyes turning hundreds of degrees in their sockets. Then he began to notice the sand beneath his claws, the familiar rippling patterns of the waves, and the green of shore-side plants. IN a world unlike any he had ever experienced, the yellow crab was gladdened by the familiar things he saw.

I’m so grateful we got to share this time – the startlingly new and comfortably familiar. It’s always better with a friend, and you’ve been a great friend. Girl power! Thanks for sharing your strength and generous spirit.

Always Kate

17 October

It was even worse for him to watch us eat breakfast. For the rest of my life I will remember the pancake bread with butter & honey.

Sadly we had to say goodbye to the family who had so generously included us in their lives & home. We made our way down quickly to pack up our tent and bags. It was sad to say goodbye to Kate again but she did write that wonderful story above in the diary.

We left for Fethiye by dolmus and arrived in the early afternoon. We wanted to find a cruise that would sail tomorrow as we realised we are running short of time. Unfortunately, the cruise we want to do (3 days island hopping) does not have enough people yet. So we get to stay on the boat for free in our own cabin with a little en-suite bathroom. Hopefully there will be 8 people (the min) and we can set sail tomorrow.

We went exploring along the dockside and found this outdoor pastry restaurant. They serve filter coffee and the most sinful cake we have ever tasted. We felt right at home. The Turkish certainly know about food.

18th October

Unfortunately, they do not yet have enough people, so darn, we get to stay in Fethiye another day.

We didn’t want to sit around for the whole day so we decided to catch a dolmus to Saklikent George. Walking up this George is one of the highlights for me in Turkey.

We arrived and saw the clearest blue water I’ve ever seen coming hurtling down this ravine. To get to the part where you can start walking up the George one has to walk over a wooden bridge which covers the raging water. At the start of the walk we hired plastic shoes as you get thoroughly wet walking up.

The start of the George is fairly wide but as you walk up it gets so narrow that you couldn’t fit three people wide in it. The sun never reaches the water so it is icy cold. We had to scramble up very slippery rocks and in some places walk through ankle deep mud. Above our heads huge rocks had lodged themselves in the George, blocking out the sunlight. It’s a bit eerie walking underneath a rock knowing it’s 20 ton weight is bearing down.

It is beautiful in parts where the water runs over rock. The rocks are all marble so they have been polished up from the water. I could have walked through the mud, climbed the slippery rocks and caught my breath in wonder all day if we’d had the time. It’s a very special place.

After all this activity we were hungry so we found ourselves in front of a fruit stall with the most delicious looking apples. Looking at the shiny red skins and knowing how sweet they taste, it’s not hard to understand why Snow White was tempted.

We bought 2 and they tasted heavenly so we bought another 2. The chap was so delighted that he gave us another apple for free. Yet another touching example of Turkish generosity.

We had dinner at a restaurant which had a palm tree and hanging vines inside. It was a strange feeling. They gave us a huge plate of starters for free. The starters were more tasty than our main meal.

We went back to the boat absolutely stuffed. We had to stop for a quick cup of filter coffee though. We sat up and had a beer with everybody on the boat. I think we are going to have a good time on our cruise, but sadly it doesn’t look like we will get going until Monday.

19th October

Today was an extremely lazy day. We only got out of bed at 1:00pm. Dinner was organised by our captain. It was delicious. Fish, bread and salad. So simple, yet so good. After dinner we did some dancing to Wham. Graeme talked about going to his first disco in white pants & a pink ghost buster T-shirt and I talked about going in my long gathered white skirt &blue tank top. What a pair we would have made.

A coffee and cake was in order before we went to sleep. They know us so well by now that they don’t need to ask what we want, it’s 2 x filter coffee and chocolate & cherry cake. Not much sleep was had due to the hungry mozzies that lie in wait for the light to go off.

It’s Monday, it’s raining and it’s cruise day. What a pity that it had to rain. We are on such a great boat. Everything is done in wood panelling. As we had to change boats my first question was “is there hot water”? The captain said “yes”. I could have kissed him. I stood beneath it for about 15 min. My first hot shower for 2 weeks. Bliss.

It was another fish dinner. We had wild rice mixed with yoghurt. A combination I would never have thought of, but is delicious. We stayed up to play some games which were great fun. I want to remember them so I am going to write them down.

(1) Winking murderer chosen by a card & everybody has to guess who it is.

(2) There is one where each person has a veggie name/animal name/face action. Then they have to do theirs and someone else’s and so on. If you get it wrong you’re out.

(3) New York. Unique, unique New York.

It was a great night. We went to bed early. The hardened veterans went to bed at 5am.

I sadly had to say goodbye to my trusted trademark hat. It served me through 3 summers faithfully keeping me from getting burned. I loved it !

21st October

The hardened veterans didn’t look too healthy at breakfast this morning. Not surprising after they drunk a full bottle of Johnny Walker Whiskey.


We arrived at Gocek harbour and it was great to step on solid ground again. I spent a wonderful time looking at all the knick-knack shops. It’s a pity that the weather is still cloudy and cold.

It was another night for games. We only went to bed at 2:00am because we were having such a good time dancing.

One of the highlights of the cruise were the big blown-up tyres. Our manic captain took us all round our boat. You bounce over the waves as he weaves over the water. Your stomach does somersaults. He went so fast that Graeme slipped off. The water is like glass when going so fast. It was such fun we laughed the whole time. I would love to do it again.

22nd October

Although we went to bed “early” our cruise mates stayed up for the second night in a row. They played the music full blast and ran around the deck screaming and jumping. They only stopped at 7:00am. When we woke up we saw there were 4 other yachts in the harbour that also didn’t get any sleep.

A German lady rowed up to our boat and very politely asked us where we were going to be tonight so that they could avoid it. Fair enough! Then one of the Australian men dive bombed her as she was leaving. I had to ask myself “is he still 4 years old?” I can’t understand the mentality. It was an education.

Typically, on our last day on the cruise it was a beautiful day. We were all sitting down having breakfast outside when the little boat arrives with our Turkish captain, one of the girls still very much drunk and under a blanket. What happened was left up to our imagination. But she was ragged the whole day. This was another education for me.

We spent the afternoon grabbing all the sun we could. It is starting to turn wintry on us. We have been so lucky with the weather.

As soon as the boat docked we headed for cake & coffee. We were too stuffed after being fed consistently on the cruise to go for dinner. Graeme had his hair cut very short and he looks great. We went to bed early as we had to get up at 4:00am to catch the bus to Ephesus. Of course we were woken long before then by the party goers. It was a good thing our cruise was not for too much longer. There would have been some serious personality conflicts.

We got invited into a carpet shop for about the 1,000th time so we decided to look just for once. They explained all the different kinds of rugs which I found really interesting. The ones I like are the small silk ones. One day I’ll be back.


23rd October

Our second last day in Turkey. It doesn’t feel right that it is coming to an end. We are just starting to understand how the people think – or so we thought until hitting Selcuk. This town is famous for its scammers.

After a very early morning and a long tedious bus journey we were not feeling too sharp. As soon as we stepped off the bus we had 3 touts around us. Well we got our bus ticket to Istanbul sorted out to discover we could have got it cheaper. Then we bought a dolmus ticket to take us 3km to Ephesus. We got in only to discover that midway through the journey they’ve changed their minds and are not going to Ephesus but a town 20km away. So we have to swap dolmus’ in mid road and the driver wants another set of fares. Having said a firm “no” we got in. So we drive and get dropped off at the “Ephesus” spot. This of course turns out to be a taxi rang charging exorbitant prices to take us the next 1km to Ephesus.

By this time I exploded with anger at being messed around. I told them all that we were going to walk. All of us from the dolmus walked and it was less than 500m away. What a blatant scam.

Anyway, Ephesus was a wonderful place to visit. It is the best preserved Roman city in the Mediterranean, i.e. better than Pompeii & Rome. Walking along those marble streets took my breath away. I could imagine people going to the market, visiting the bath and having a gossip. All the while I wished Pudding had been there. I know how much he would have loved to explore every nook and cranny of the place. Although only 20% has been excavated, I think many of the main sites are on show already.

Firstly we went to the Library Celsus which was an amazingly restored façade. There were 9,000 scrolls kept there. You can imagine them going about their daily business in the courtyard. Apparently there was a brothel right next to the library just in case the learned men needed a break!

There was a monument built for Emperor Hadrian because at one stage he told the citizens they did not have to pay taxes because he knew they were using all their money to dredge the harbour. It feels like we are getting to know this Emperor a little having seen his wall in Britain and his Mausoleum in Rome. I would love to see this monument lit up at night. The firelight reflecting against the white marble must have been magnificent. After about 3 hrs we were all ruined out so we went in search of something to eat.

We stopped at a kebab place and had a delicious bean & meat soup then a lamb kebab. Graeme loved the English menu because it reminded him of one of my worst skills – yes, you guessed it – spelling! The menu went as follows:

Diana Stek
Gordon Blue
Sinitzel
Chisken Steak
Spesial Kebap
Mashroom with cheese

Graeme reckons that I’ve met my match. I think some English tourist was asked to translate and decided to “take the mickey”.

Waiting for the bus we met a lovely English couple who are on holiday for a week. We sat and had a chat over the first nice glass of wine I’ve tasted in Turkey.

24th October

The 10 hr bus journey back to Istanbul left us jaded. The only nice part of the journey was the cakes. You could have as many as you liked. We got off the bus with a decided limp as too little blood had been getting to our feet for too long.

They told us there was a service from the bus station into Istanbul centre which was of course a scam. They did let us on one of the trams for free. The last tram I was on was in Amsterdam in 1991. I had forgotten how silent they are. Istanbul only has 2 lines and they are packed. By that I mean they make the London Underground rush-hour look like a breezy relaxed first class experience. People packed themselves in so tightly together that they were just about kissing. Needless to say with our backpacks on we were not a popular addition. We decided to walk the last leg to the hotel to avoid much angry hand gestures. This was hungry work so we had a delicious meal at a place just down the road from our hotel. I had aubergine stuffed with a mince and spinach mixture. It had been freshly cooked and I wished I could have eaten more. It was so good.

A long afternoon snooze brought us to 6:00pm. We were still so knackered from the bus journey. We were able to have a fairly relaxed time as Graeme had bought a plane ticket straight to London. The thought of another 21 hour bus trip to Athens was a killing one. Anyway, a definite deep clean was in order after 5 weeks of backpacking, so we decided to go to a Haman (a Turkish Bath).

Traditionally women do not go to Hamams. I think this is because only men were allowed to see a woman’s body for religious reasons. With the onset of tourists they now have mixed Hamams but only in tourist areas. The one we went to was great. They had separate baths for men & women so everybody could be relaxed. There was a big heated piece of marble which I lay on for about ½ an hour then one of the lady masseurs gave me a massage. They started with a skin scrub which was fairly embarrassing. I didn’t know I was that dirty. Then a very soapy massage. I was so relaxed afterwards that I didn’t feel her prod me to get up. I then got a hair wash. It was a very luxurious experience. There is something about water washing over the body that is very soothing. I think every bath should be like that. None of this in and out of the shower in 5 min. You start the day not relaxed.

To complete our entirely hedonist day, we had another delicious lamb stew meal and watched a movie. We saw Speed 2. Halfway through the movie they have an interval. This is because the Turkish can’t go for 30 min without having a smoke.

25th October

As I sit in the plane heading back to London, I feel a tug of sadness. The sentimentalist in me has grown attached to all Turkey was and is. I have been bowled over by the sense of history with the oldest known city being in Turkey – 7500BC. I studied this in Archaeology but it all seemed to dry to imagine. Being here has brought it alive.

Driving through Turkey you see its changeable countryside. From rich, cotton growing fields to high, sparse mountains, from desert plains to green coastal bays. It is no wonder it has been a highly sought after land all through history.

The highlight for me has been getting to know the Turkish people. They are warm, generous, hospitable and patriotic. Whenever I hear a person tut tutting I will think of the Turkish when they find something unacceptable. I can’t imagine a more gentlemanly like gesture. I will also remember the twitching of the men’s moustaches coupled with the twinkling of their eyes when they think something is funny. The women are harder to get to know as they keep to themselves. Nevertheless, I got nothing but smiles and nods as if to say “you are so welcome here”.

Turkey has touched a part of me. The part that relates to tradition, to old values, to being patriotic to one’s country and countrymen. The part that relates to good food, humour, and old friends. And of course, that special part that relates to hand made crafts. To the end I hear “come and see my carpet shop, very good carpets. Cheap price for you, student price. Come have some tea, apple tea for you. Cheap price”. I have to smile. One day I know I will be back to meet my friend Turkey.

Teslukker Ederim, Turkey

Religion
Call to pray
Mosque towers
Kneeling down
Stopping the bus so that people can pray
Women’s scarves
Women covered in black
Women’s skirt pants (in case Allah is born)

People
Turkish hospitality
Being treated like an old friend
The Turkish moustache
Smiling faces
Rip off tour guides
Old men wearing caps
Old men smelling mint (it’s supposed to have healing properties)

Buses
Manic drivers
Stuffed – dolmus
Chocolate cookies
Free Fanta & Coke
Lemon refresher
Smoking sleepy driver
Music at all hours
No, zero, none sleep

Toilets
Squatting
My kingdom for toilet paper
Smell real bad
“The runs”
Fear of tap water
50,000 lira to take a pee
Lemon refresher

Life
Smoking – the national pastime
Ataturk’s image everywhere
Threat of PKK
Old, Ancient Ruins
Hamams
Bazaars
Pensions
Solar heating panels
Satellite dishes
Monopoly money
Yellow Peugeot taxis
Spraying water on the sidewalk
O.K. (card game)
Backgammon
Men only cafes
No women in restaurants
Turkish flags everywhere
Carpet shops
Wedding toasting in streets
Choc gazelle (very good)
Painted pottery
“How are you”?
“What’s your name”?
“Where do you come from”?

Country
Crystal blue sea
Pebble beaches
Grey sand beaches
Olive trees
Long long beaches
Little valleys

Music
Song Kiss Kiss
After 30 min full blast it goes right through you
Being played on buses at 2:00am
Whirling dervishes
Turkish belly dancing
Costumes on sale with many sequins

Food & Drink
Aubergine
Olive oil & Paprika
Olives
Chillies
Lamb
Iskinder & Doner Kebab
Meat on skewers
Buffets in windows
Baklava
Turkish Delight
Roasted Pistachio Nuts
Pepsi vs Coke
Yoghurt & Honey
Bread with every meal
Apple tea
Glses beer (the only beer)
Tea trays
Very very bad wine
Rake

Wildlife
Goats drinking sea water
Goats attached by the leg at road side
Chickens all over
Donkey standing on 3 legs to get that piece of green grass
Mozzies that take no prisoners


Next Stop:

India

GREECE (26 August - 19 September)

Dear Mom, Gran, Gramps, Jo and Ant,

Hi There! I’ve had a fantastic time in Greece during the three weeks I’ve been here. It’s a country where there’s a terrific amount to do and see but most of all I’ve met some really wonderful people who I’ll probably stay in contact with for years to come.

As you know from my phone call, I flew from Cairo to Athens on 26th August. Athens is a pleasant place to visit for a couple of days – but not for staying in too long. I certainly don’t know why they went and gave it the 2004 Olympics! It’s a positive dump compared to Cape Town! The first thing I did in Greece was to gorge myself on Greek salads - it was such a pleasure to not have to worry if it had been washed in dirty water or not. Three weeks in Greece and not a single tummy upset. What a pleasure after the Middle East! I’m doing my best to build myself up before India.

Some of the highlights in and around Athens included visiting the Acropolis and Temple of Poseidon. I inadvertently stumbled onto a nudist beach and was ordered to take my trousers off! I also had some good rambles in the National Garden.

I met a wonderful American chap (Benjamin) and we decided to travel together. Ben was a very interesting travel mate – he absolutely adores women of every nationality and is the smoothest charmer I’ve ever met. So I learned some great tips and there were always gorgeous women flocking about. Ally would definitely not have been impressed !

From Athens we went to the “Oracle of Delphi” situated high in beautiful mountains. We met two wonderful Dutch girls and a Spanish guy and spent the night chatting and drinking ouzo. Ouzo is the national drink of Greece and with over 50% alcohol content, has a potent kick.

After visiting the ancient ruins of Delphi (spectacular views), we headed for Meteora. This is one of the most extraordinary places I’ve ever seen with enormous boulders (the size of mountains) towering into the sky with monasteries perched precariously on top. Really beautiful – we hiked for ages visiting the monasteries and taking in the breathtaking scenery.

Then to the lush and beautiful Island of Corfu – voted by many as Greece’s loveliest island. We stayed at “The Pink Palace” – infamous amongst backpackers for its bohemian parties. Certainly lived up to expectations – on the one night we had a toga party (everyone had to wear a thin sheet and nothing else). By the end of the night, there were a lot of nude people dancing. So this is what I missed out on in my youth!

In between all the raucous parties (occupying the entire night), I relaxed by playing volleyball, swimming, visiting nearby islands and mopedding on a scooter around Corfu. It was a great time but after a week I’d had more than enough so headed for some spiritual renewal at Mount Olympus. This is Greece’s highest mountain and I was determined to get to the top. I met up with some fantastic people – Russell (New Zealander), Kate (American) and Donna (Canadian) and together we made our ascent. It took two days – tough going with our packs but the views from the 3,000 metre high summit made it very worthwhile indeed. Russell has been back packing for two and a half years around the world and is full of tips and stories – so we all learned an extraordinary amount from him. He travels with the tiniest pack you’ve ever seen – with only one shirt and three changes of underwear. I haven’t quite got to that stage yet! Still got underpants for each day of the week. Since travelling with Russell and co., we’ve really been roughing it – sleeping in the mountains and parks. You won’t believe how cheap it’s been! However, I’m looking forward to living it up a little bit more in Turkey.

Inspired by our success on Mount Olympus, we decided to hike the Vicos Gorge – the world’s narrowest, deepest gorge. This took us two days and once again, the scenery was awe inspiring. The only really tough bits were climbing into and out of the gorge (900 metres) but Kate has a gorgeous singing voice and her cheerful voice got us through!

Right now I’m in Thesalonika. Russell and Kate are coming with me to Turkey where we’ll meet up with Ally. Our bus leaves at 2:30am this morning so we are lazing for hours in the bus station. On the way to Istanbul we plan to visit Troy and Gallipoli. I cannot wait to find out what’s round the next corner. I absolutely love the travel thing and am having the time of my life.

It was so great hearing your voices in Athens. Jo, I had trouble getting through to you but I’ll try and phone you during the next few days. I hope you’re all well. The one big disadvantage of being here is that I’m missing you all like crazy. Mu, are you still playing bridge and croquet? How are Liz and Barbara, etc? How is your job going? Gran and Gramps – I really miss popping over for those delicious Sunday lunches. Have you been to see any good movies lately? I haven’t seen a movie in over three months! I’m going to have lots of catching up to do when I get home! Gramps, how is the bowls coming along? Jo and Ant, how is married life treating you? Jo, I hope your nursing is going well – you don’t have much longer to go now! Ant, I hope work is going o.k. Have you guys had any more nice weekends away?

We’re off to get a bite to eat so I must say goodbye. I hope you enjoy the postcards. I’ll write again soon from Turkey.

Chow


From Postcards


Athens
Athens is a nice place to see for a day or two but that’s enough. It has some impressive ancient ruins, especially the Acropolis. It also has a huge National Garden with lots of shady places to sleep. The food here is fantastic, especially after Egypt where I always had to be so careful. I’ve been stuffing myself on Greek salad and lamb since I arrived.


Acropolis
The Acropolis is the most famous landmark in Athens. Really impressive – especially at sunset. I met a really nice American guy here – and we’ve decided to travel together. That’s what I enjoy most about travelling – you’re forever meeting exciting new people. My Middle East and Greece trip is into its 8th week and I haven’t been lonely for a single day of that.


Sounio
Ah, this was a beautiful place. The sunset over the Mediterranean was spectacular. I met a wonderful group of people here – our travelling “caravan” just keeps getting bigger. I went for a swim in a secluded cove nearby – only to discover it was a nudist colony and bathing costumes were not allowed. I made sure to use lots of sun tan cream!


Delphi
This was a very interesting ancient ruin that we visited. Situated high in the mountains, it looks down onto an exquisite valley. In ancient times, 1,000’s of pilgrims would flock here to hear the prophecies of the “oracle” – an old woman who would inhale vaporous fumes and speak gibberish (which would then be translated by a priest). No guessing who had all the influence in those days.


Meteora
Meteora was unforgettable. Huge towering rocks reaching for the sky with monasteries perched precariously on top. We hiked for hours exploring the area and visiting all the monasteries. So peaceful and serene. The priests who stay here live quiet lives of meditation and prayer. Tourists (especially women) have to cover from head to foot so as not to distract them.

In the old days the only way to get to the monastery was to be hauled up by ropes. One of the priests was asked how they knew when to change the rope. He replied “when god sees fit to break it’ that’s when we change it”.

This is the village in Meteora where we stayed. If I ever need a place to recuperate or write a book etc, I’ll come here. It’s one of those places where days just merge into days.


Corfu
Sun, sex and souvlaki is what Corfu is all about. It’s Greece’s most beautiful island – but also home to wild parties and nightlife. I loved it here! Spent eight nights living life to the full – meeting fantastic people.

In Corfu I stayed in a place called the Pink Palace. This postcard shows the stretch of beach on which the resort is situated. Although it’s moving to autumn here in Greece, the weather has been fantastic.

During the days we often hired mopeds (scooters) and explored the island – a myriad of lush forests, mountains and beaches. Another highlight was jumping off a beautiful cliff into the sea (65 feet high!).




Travel Notes



Athens

• Tues 26, catch early taxi to airport and fly to Athens. Phone Mum, Gran and Gramps. Gran is getting very frail - has to have a night nurse. I hope she is going to be OK. Walk round and sleep in National Gardens. Then visit Parthenon where watch sun set. Spiritual. Chat with Brazilian girl I met at airport (Raphael). I'm trying to be always the first to say hello, inspired by Marcus.
• Wed 27, late get up. Visit Cape Sounion to watch sun set at Temple of Psoedian. Swim in sea. Spiritual place. Scenic bus ride. Meet Raphael again at Psoedian with Brazilian friend and American chap (Benjamin). We all get on famously. Late supper at oldest Taverna in Greece. Then get beers and watch lights of Athens till 5 am. Raphael hits on Ben and kisses him when I leave.
  
  

Delphi

• Thurs 28, Ben and I say goodbye to Raphael. We head to Delphi (miss bus). Meet two lovely Dutch girls and Spanish guy (with smelly socks) who we click with. Restarant and drink ouzo (drunk!) till late.
• Visit Delphi where oracle (old woman) would inhale vapourous fumes and shout gibberish to be translatted by priest. Millions of Pilgrims in Ancient World would come for help. Priest had the power! Museum. Awesome views.
• Walk to swimmng pool with Dutch girls but no go. Series of buses to Meteora. Catch series of buses to Meteora. Ben is girl mad (or is he?) - real cool guy.
  
  

Meteora

• Bus to Meteora. Awesome towering rocks with monasteries perched on top. At top of first monastery, I really feel the presence of the Great Mystery as I look out at the view. In old days, taken up by ropes and baskets. "When do you change the rope. When God feels fit to break it."
• Walk from monastery to monastery. Great views. Meet Swiss girl. Ben singing country songs. Luxury hotel with breakfast for £6.
  
  

Corfu

• Meet Joel - creatively weird with deadlocks but very sensitive and full of humility and love. Bus and ferry to Corfu. Everyone drunk all time. Trip to Cucumber Island - free beer if jump 65 feet naked. Flap arms but then cup balls at last minute.
• Volleyball - girls win points if serve topless.
• Ben flyfishes. Breakfast and supper included. Disco where drinking games and everyone smashed. Topless bathing. Staff friendly but hate Sir George, the gruff Greek boss. Meet three nice guys and go Mopeding. Exilerating freedom till one of bikes breaks down. Very green island with gorgeous blue sea.
• Princess Di dies in car accident - cannot believe it.
• Joel gets off with a stunning Scottish girl. He leaves and I become friends with her.
  I meet Carolyn, a very talkative girl (Carolyn) from Los Angeles. Quite fun but only in smalll doses.
• Impressions - Israeli chap who dances like a dream - full on karate type moves. Lots of space of floor. Jumping off cliff, free beer if naked, cup balls at last minute, bravado jump to surface real quiet, Jesus rock, drunken volleyball with topless serving to win points -
  Swim to raft out to sea - further than thought, but saw people on it. Kayak.
  Greek plates broken on our heads, beer races and ouzo circle, ten most told lies "Only stay one night, Leave tomorrow - really, amazing convenience - with pink card as passport, too much effort to leave because steep walk out in backpack at 7 am, Dr George - the shitty owner who picks up table, chair and beers up with his teeth, friendly staff who get drunk every night, Corfu cough.
• My dancing is coming along - no more sideways shuffle, now more subtle. Got free Island excursion, Moped and T shirt!!
  
  

Vicos Gorge

• Mon 8 - I leave Pink Palace with Kate (American) and Donna (Canadian). We meet Russel ( New Zealand) and head for Vicos Gorge, deepest and narrowest gorge in world (Guiness Book of Records). Arrive at Monodendri to find no supermarket or anything. Hike down into Gorge where sleep night under stars.
• Kate is beautiful, spiritual girl into Yoga and witchcraft - smells her food + always gives thanks. She is an ex alcoholic, her father a famous creative designer from Hollywood. Inspiring how she has turned her life around. Kate really perves after Russel - till discover he is a committed Christian. He is fantastic guy, been away from home 2 years and eight months. Donna is very negative, - turns out she has Chrones disease. I realise how shallow most of our transactons with most people really are, I want to focus on opening up connections early on - far more powerful than having lots to say.
• I really excel with my stories, Kate is in hysterics and says I am funniest story teller she has ever met. Quotes also go down very well.
• Walk along Vicos Gorge is beautiful and impressive - pity about no water - altho we manage a skinny dip at the end of the day. Spring water and wild berries. Walk only 6 km to Vicos (suprise), sleep on hill, catch bus to Meteora.
  
  

Meteora again

• We go to Meteora where stay in Kalambaka where stay on roof in hotel. Walk to monasteries again. Donna leaves that night on train - now we are down to three.
  
  

Mount Olympus

• We travel to Lithoro - skinny dip in sea - then hitch to town, shop for food and head off into Mount Olympus. Walk 4 km into mountain where sleep on side of road. Early morning hitch up to beginning of path. Heavy trek up to Youth Hostel and beyond where sleep night. I have good meditation session on mountain peak, then cannot find my way back.
• Kate, Russel and I get on famously. Russel is "the backpacker" - a veritable Mc Guyver, cut shirt, strap on torch, tiniest poack ever seen, all the right gear and no more. Laid back and stong in his faith. Never uppity.
• Sun 14, we climb mountain to very top - to flag and comment book. Great scenery (3000m high) - then walk to Refuge A for chocolate and a very enjoyable walk down to the parking lot. Hitch to catch bakkie down to Lothoro for great supper of moussaka (eggplant pie) and Greek Salad. Mmmm! I love our group - we are getting so close. I am getting excited about Ally coming too. Another night in the woods - starting to smell real bad!
• My neck has been unbelievable for just about the whole middle east trip. What a difference!
• Catch bus to Thesaloniki - arrive 9 am. Bus to Canakkale ( Turkey) only leaves 2 30 am.
• Long wait - make friends with friendly British guy (Philip) making his way overland on £350.

.







Next Stop:

Turkey

EGYPT (4-26 August 1997)

.
Dear Mum, Gran, Gramps, Jo and Ant

Hi there! I hope this letter gets to you because the Egyptian postal service is notoriously suspect! Right now I’m in the Sinai desert on the coast of the Gulf of Aquaba (part of the Red Sea). I’m staying at an extremely rustic camp with Robinson Crusoe style grass huts, very basic toilets and nothing else for miles around. A wonderful spot to relax after my hurly burly trip through Israel and Jordan. It gets rather hot here during the day (understatement of the Century!) so we spend our time lazing in the shade with occasional splashes in the sea – which is a deliciously refreshing temperature. There is a huge coral reef here so there is lots to explore. I’m planning to explore the Sinai for at least a week; the scenery is awesome and it’s so cheap. Accommodation is costing me R5 a night. Some people come here for a day or two and end up staying for 6 months. They’re the ones with long beards and smelly armpits. Not for me though – I cannot wait to get to the Nile Valley to see ancient pyramids and temples. From here I intend to make my way to Aswan, then catch a Felucca (Egyptian boat) up the Nile to Luxor (apparently this is an awesome experience) then head north to Cairo. I’d also like to explore some of the desert oases before flying to Athens on 26th August. Three weeks in Greece, then I meet Ally in Istanbul Turkey.

The Middle East has been a real experience – so different from travelling in Europe. The first thing that strikes you is the climate – it’s very hot. In Eilat and Aquaba we experienced temperatures well into 40ºC. There are advantages – one is able to travel really light with just a pair of shorts and a few T shirts (drying washed clothes is an instantaneous affair) – and accommodation is always cheap because all you need is a mattress on the roof (I’ve become addicted to sleeping under the stars).

After Jordan we made our way into Egypt. To do so we had to use a ferry across the Red Sea. What an experience it was. Two hours late and crammed so tight with locals there was hardly a place to sit on the open deck –not to mention the problem of the beating sun on the three hour crossing. Drank lots of water. After another two hours in Egyptian customs (you would not believe how inefficient and slow the Egyptian “wheels” turn), we were free to begin our hedonistic lifestyle on the Red Sea.

I stayed in Nuweyba for a week – really relaxing and quiet with awesome coral reefs. Highlights included swimming with a huge turtle and wild dolphin. Mark left for Cairo – he couldn’t stand the quiet but I soon became really good friends with a wonderful girl from Peru and guy from Holland. We were all really sad to say goodbye when the week was up.
Then to Darhab, also on the Red Sea, where hundreds of young people come to chill out and have fun. The whole place had a 60’s “free” feel and was very festive. The coral reef was spectacular here too – a temporary diversion from all the partying. For some exercise we climbed to the top of Mount Sinai (resisting the temptation to go by camel). We spent the night on top (very cold, but fantastic stars in the night sky). The sunrise was also awesome.

From the Sinai I caught a boat to Hurgada – a mammoth 5-hour journey of buffeting waves. I thought I was going to die of seasickness. From there, an epic bus ride to Aswan to see the famous temple of Abu Simbel and Philae. The Aswan High Dam was a disappointment – I was expecting a huge wall but it wasn’t to be. However seeing the Nile and walking along it was exciting. IN Aswan I met three wonderful girls from Germany and we travelled together for five days. They didn’t speak much English so communication was a real challenge and often hilariously funny. My German has certainly come a long way.

Then another highlight of my trip – I sailed along the Nile to Edfu on a Felucca (a traditional Egyptian sailing boat). The trip took three days and provided glorious scenery and relaxation. Our captain was a really friendly local who made us laugh constantly and my four fellow passengers were also great fun. On the second night, we stopped off at our captain’s village to meet his wife and kids (all 8 of them) and enjoy a simple but delicious Egyptian meal. Food in Egypt is tasty and cheap –but you’ve got to be careful of what and where you eat. Lots of my travelling companions have come down with nasty tummy problems – but I’ve been fine so far (touch wood). Egypt is good training ground for India – where everyone gets sick.

After three lazy days of watching the banks of the Nile goby (and eating, sleeping and temple watching) we arrived at Edfu. From there to Luxor – home of the famous “Valley of the Kings” where the ancient Egyptians buried their Pharaoh in beautiful, colourful tombs carved in the mountain. Lots more impressive ancient temples, too. After bingeing on all the sights, I caught the train (surprisingly luxurious for Egypt) to Cairo. What a mad city! 20,000,000 people living close together, all Egyptians drive like maniacs and love hooting their horns. The only way to escape the noise is to stay in hotels at least 10 floors up. However, it is wonderfully vibrant with teeming shops and markets and lots of interesting sights including the awesome pyramids which have to be seen to be believed. They are huge! The Egyptian museums also provided hours and hours of interest.

Tomorrow I leave Cairo and fly to Athens. I’ve heard lots of good reports about Greece and cannot wait to see it.

So that’s a quick summary of my Middle East travels. It’s been absolutely fantastic – I never realised life could be this exhilarating. I’ve made some wonderful friends and am fast collecting addresses from all over the world.

I’m sorry that my correspondence has been so frugal while I’ve been in Egypt – but I’ve been hearing so many sad tales about the postal service that I decided to rather keep my postcards and send them from Greece. I hope Ally gave you the message that I was alive and kicking.

I hope you guys are well. I think about you all the time on my travels. There are so many things about home that I miss. I’ll try and phone you as soon as I get to Athens.


From Post Cards

Dahab
I spent close to two weeks in the Sinai – exploring the desert and the coral reefs. Nuweiba, the first town I stayed in was rustic and quiet (very relaxing). Then I moved to Dahab, full of young backpackers and rave-up parties all night. It was great experiencing both worlds.

The Wonders of the Red Sea
I spent many fascinating hours snorkelling in the coral reefs of the Red Sea. Spiritual stuff – teeming with brightly coloured fish and sea plants. My best moments were swimming with a huge turtle and then later, a friendly dolphin that loved the company of people.

St Catherine
I climbed all the way to the top of Mt Sinai (a long way!) then slept the night on the top after watching the sunset. Then after a very chilly night, we watched the sunrise and made our way down to the Monastery of St Catherine’s which has a room full of the skulls of dead monks who worked in the monastery through the ages.

Karnak
Karnak is one of the largest remaining temples in the world and very impressive indeed with towering pillars and walks. Just to walk round it takes an hour. Just about every bit of rock making up he temple is covered in hieroglyphics – some of it rather x rated. Karnak is situated in Luxor, a town on the Nile in central Egypt.

The Temple of Queen Hatchepsut
Here is another temple that really impressed me. As you can see, temples look very different at night when they are lit up. It’s great walking around temples at night, not just because of the atmosphere, but also because you don’t have to contend with the sweltering sun. One advantage though of being in Egypt in the hot summer is that there are less tourists.

Aswan
Aswan is a beautiful place – with wonderfully shady walks along the Nile. Thank god for the shade because it can reach 50ºC here. From Aswan we climbed onto a Felucca (traditional sailing boat) and spent three lazy days sailing along the Nile – exploring islands and temples along the way. We ended up in Edfu and then caught a bus to Luxor.

Valley of the Kings
Visiting the pharaoh’s tombs in the Valley of the Kings was one of my biggest highlights. The tombs are built deep into the mountainside (like caves) and the walls are beautifully painted in fresh, bright coloured pictures (like the one shown on the postcard). The entrances to the tombs were originally hidden to deter thieves.

We went through hell to get here, a cramped three and a half hour bus journey through the scorching desert, but it was well worth it. When the Aswan dam was built, this temple was in danger of being swallowed by the rising waters, so organisations from across the world moved it – brick by brick, to a new site (an awe inspiring achievement).

The Temple of Philae
This is one of the stunning temples I visited in Aswan. Yet another temple that they had to move brick by brick when the Aswan dam was built. The temple is now situated on an island in the middle of the Aswan dam. Not surprisingly, the Egyptians charge you a fortune to visit by boat – you really have to be careful in Egypt or you can get really ripped off. Whenever you want to buy something in Egypt, the Egyptians will tell you an exorbitant price and then you have to haggle them down. It’s part of the culture here.

Cairo – The Mehemet Ali Mosque
The Mosques in Cairo are absolutely beautiful, and very old. Many date back to 500AD. I spent a spiritual morning in the Mehmet Ali Mosque feasting my eyes on its stunning architecture and colourful interior. I’ve developed a much stronger understanding of the Muslim religion in the Middle East. It’s great to explore other cultures. It makes you think about things differently.

Cairo
Cairo is a mad city. 20 million people rushing around frantically like ants. Noisy, everyone continually hoots their car horns, chaotic, smelly – but fascinating. We spent hours just walking the streets, mesmerised by all the goings on. Cairo has enormous markets where you can buy anything real cheap. In all, a great place to visit (but not stay too long!).

Giza
Please excuse the kitsch postcard – it was the only one of the pyramids I could find. Postcards in Egypt leave a lot to be desired! The pyramids and sphinx at Giza were fantastic. You wouldn’t believe the size of them. I explored the area on horseback (great fun) and went right deep inside the Great Pyramid – a very eerie experience. Sunset over the area was unforgettable – miraculously we were nearly the only tourists there. It’s great to have finally seen the 7th wonder of the ancient world.

Cairo – the Egyptian Museum
The Egyptian Museum in Cairo was very impressive – a huge building crammed with ancient relics. Tutankhamen’s treasure, including solid gold masks and statues were awe-inspiring. They certainly buried their kings in style! Another highlight was the Mummy Room – full of grinning and shrivelled up bodies of the Great Pharaohs of old. Macabre but fascinating.

This map will give you a basic idea of my trip around Egypt. It was a fascinating country and I made many good friends. My next adventure is Greece. I fly into Athens tomorrow.



Travel Notes


Nuweyba

• No wonder the Jews were in the wilderness for 40 years - they discovered the Sinai, camped on the Red Sea and smoked grass with the Bedouins all day.
• Arrive in Nuweyba, at rustic camp with grass huts and gorgeous beach. We have met some quiet Check girls. The lazy life begins. Sleep on beach to sound of lapping waves.
  Tues 5, lazy day resting and swimming. Mark like a bear with soar head - to slow for him. He has become hyper critical of so much and I feel all self conscious that he is judging everything I say. Life consists of sleeping, eating and swimming.
• Wed 6, another relaxing day. Snorkel on the beautiful reef. Meet South American girl studying "Grunberg technique" in Israel. Beautiful, radiant person - spontaneous and warm.
• Thurs 7, Mark and Stefan leave early. Ariele and I chat. Fantastic snorkeling.
• Fri 8, more snorkeling where I see a turtle - spiritual stuff. Go into town to Dr Sheesh kebab for fantastic pancake and breakfast. Meet our new resident, Dutch actor called "Case". Warm and funny, he is manager of a theatre company. Laze around and go to town for great evening meal at Dr Sheesh. Make friends everywhere we go. Back to camp for joints and fun with camp people (Looka, Maurice). I learn to smoke properly.
• Sat 9, I find someone has been into my sacred wallet and taken my big notes, including my dollars ($300) and travellors cheques.
• Swim with local dolphin - amazing. Scores of swimmers trying to get a touch. With my flippers, I can keep up really well.
• Try to catch bus to Dahab but never arrive. To Chinese restaurant with Case and Ariele - delicious beer. Case has really made an impression.

Dahab

• Sun 10, I go to Dahab. Hot concrete room like an oven. Very touristy but food good. Swim at Blue Hole, 100 m deep hole in shallow coral. Spiritual world of colour and abundant life. See Scorpion and Rock Fish. At 11 pm, I climb Mount Sinai to watch sunrise.
• Mon 11, climb dow and visit St Catherines Monastery. Really tired! Read "All that Remains" - serial killer mystery.
• Tues 12, back to Blue Hole, then eat out on town with friendly british group. Dahab looks good at night with thousands of lights.
• Impressions - bleak drown desert with multi coloured world under sea, slow motion customs officials, buses that never arrive, bus looks for petrol at 11 pm, driving 100 km off route to get it.

Luxor

• Wed 13, catch bus and boat to Hurdada.
• Thurs 14, I allow myself to be forced to hasty taxi experience. To Karnak Temple, Luxor Temple (by night light - fantastic) Get lost travelors cheques but not resolved. Buy illegal alcohol for hotel. Fuluca to Banana Island with Australian - no wind so motor boat pulls us with 5 other boats.
• Fri 15, to West Bank - Valley of Kings (Ramses IV no 2, Ramses VI - amazing) Also to Temple of Ramses III (Habu) and Hatsheput.

Aswan

• Catch train to Aswan, meeting three wonderful girls from E Germany. (Steffi, Danie, Anya).
• Sat 16, walk round city markets, felucca ride to Kitchener Island (botanical island), Elephant Island (museum + temple). Hotel Norhaan is great. Meet Liverpool guy and his Hong Kong wife for supper at Emy's restaurant. Inspiring - they are well over 30 and traveling.
• Sun 17, long trip to Abu Simbel. Eerie desert scenes. Temple amazing, especially considering been moved block by block to new place when dam built. Built into huge mountain which later find is man made - go into center where like space set.
• Temple of Philae on island of Aswan - lose my temper getting a boat. Chill out.
• Unimpressive Aswan dam. Supper with German girls. They have made me feels so welcome - clicked really well.

Felucca trip

• Mon 18, I begin my wonderful felucca trip with Mohammed, warm and friendly. Fello trippers are Keith (British photographer), Midge (German / English marine biology with confused accent) and two german girls (Connie and Ellen). Lazy watching the lush Nile go by - smoking grass. Two rats on board. Washes plates in Nile. Lots of tea. Zig zag along on strong wind. My soul relaxes and soars.
• Tues 19, early morning temple visit, then day of sailing to Mohammed's house in Edfu. Very poor and basic but warm hospitality and lots of filling supper. Excited children everywhere. Smoke Shisha till late, then sleep on boat. I feel absolutely wonderful - must find more experiences like this.

Luxor revisited

• Wed 20, visit Edfu Temple. Then to New Everest Hotel in Luxor. Walk around town with Merge. Awful supper of Sheesh Kebab. Only eat at recommended redtaurants! Night of drinking cinzanno and smoking grass with felucca girls and a smooth, fuckaholic local.
  I have been traveling now for over 4 months. Learned a lot. Have realised experiences and nature are far more important than seeing lots of sights. Do really NB things (eg pyramids), then look beyond the beaten track. Do what is good for soul.
• Impressions: Hassling everywhere. Come into my shop, baksheesh, inflated prices that have to haggle for. Tooting horns, flash lights when pass oncoming car, use both lanes. Egypt is a narrow strip of green in a hot desert, if the Aswan breaks, the whole country will be swamped. Date trees everwhere. Eating always a bit precarious - will I get the runs, tummy cramps, constipation?

Cairo

• Thurs 21, catch train to Cairo. Meet wonderful German chap (Marcus) with gorgeous sense of fun and enthusiasm. Travel Cairo together. Stay at Sun Hotel, smoke grass on roof.
• Fri 22, to awesome Pyramids at Giza. Ripped off by horse rental company but fun galloping. Crawl through inside of 2nd pyramid and walk round Great Pyramid. Walk round Cairo - mad, bustling, tooting city. Great cheap food (noodle dish eaten by locals - Kushuri). Buy vodca from Duty Free and get drunk with Merge, Marcus and Tom etc. on the roof. The security guard and local roof dweller get drunk with us. What a bond alcohol can make!
• Story: Eed. Family in Cairo playing wth goat. Kicking ball against it. Girls playing with hair. Suddenly arrive - father hacking at it - son kicking head round lawn. Put hands in blood and put on walls. All thru town can hear bleating animals. Sheep killed on cars. Turkey neck broken.
• Sat 23, see the Egyptian Museum - King Tutenkamen's treasures awesome. To think he was a small king! Solid gold masks within masks in tomb in tomb (4x). Mummy room very eerie - Egypt's Greats exposed in death. Walk to Bazaar and old Cairo - miles later catch taxi home. Marcus is wonderful - zestful enthusiasm completely infectious.
• Sun 24, to Citadel to see beautiful Muhammed Ali mosque (spiritual, quiet sit inside, then city of Dead - massive cemetary of graves with people living too. Tom came with us - hyper stressed and negative but nice company.
• I'm so enjoying traveling - haven't been lonely for more than a day.
• Mon 25, quiet day at hotel. Tom going mad with impatience to get out of Egypt. Afternoon return to Giza Pyramids to walk round and watch sun set. Fantastic. Shitty ride on horse. Meet great couple (Dutch guy and his Peruvian girlfriend.) Walked around town together getting on famously. Stay awake till early morning.
• Impresions: Mad roads in Cairo, driving in taxi like an Arcade game, hooting. Chap cycling in street with huge box of bread on his head. Kushuri noodles - local restaurant where we gain respect of locals by pouring on the super hot sauce. Locals jump onto moving buses packed like sardines.
• Hassle - always want something - "My sisters birthday tomorrow, buy me drink from Duty Free shop. Come visit my factory. Want to eat something. You my friend. For you - special price."

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Next stop:

Greece

JORDAN (27 July-4 August 1997)

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From Post Cards


Jordan
Petra in Jordan is without doubt one of the highlights of my trip so far. Huge temples and tombs carved out of the sheer cliff face – a massive ancient city that was forgotten and lost for 700 years till its discovery in the 1800’s. It was used as the setting for Indiana Jones (the movie).

Another scene from Petra. Amazing to think it was carved 1500 years ago. The desert landscape with deep canyons everywhere is as impressive as the monuments themselves. I have spent two unforgettable days hiking the area – one could spend months here and not get bored.

The Siq, Petra
Yet another photo that shows the awesome scenery of Petra – deep canyons that one can explore forever and a day. Steep climbs up the side of the canyon made for unbelievable views over the entire city and beyond.

Amman Roman Theatre
I spend three days in Amman, the capital of Jordan – a large, hustling Arab city with lots to see and eat and experience. The people here are unbelievably friendly. Often they even insist on paying our bus fare and offering us free food. Smiles and “welcome to Jordan” wherever we go. So cheap too – a three course meal costs R10!

Jerash Triumphal Arch
Jerash is the largest ancient Roman ruins of a provincial city in the world and was very impressive indeed. There is an international arts festival here at the moment – another case of excellent (lucky!) timing. The huge ancient theatre was a highlight – the acoustics are brilliant even after all these years. I got to try out my “Friends, Romans and Countrymen” speech I learned back at school.

The Oval Plazza – Jerash
Another view of Jerash. The Jordanians are busy restoring the city to its former glory. I cannot believe how prolific the Romans were – no matter where they travel in the world, there seems to be Roman ruins. I must say my Latin comes in very handy for translating all the inscriptions.

St George Church at Madaba
We went to Madaba especially to see the mosaic on the floor of St George’s Church. It is a huge map of Palestine, laid down in the 6th Century – nearly 1500 years ago. The part of the map shown here is Jerusalem. The amazing thing is that some of the buildings in the map still exist. I should know, I visited them. E.g. Church of the Holy Sepulchre.

Qusair ‘Amra, Jordan
From Amman we travelled into the desert to explore a serious of castles out in the middle of nowhere. Public transport was non existent so we hitched. Anywhere else we may have struggled – but not in Jordan. We got a lift in a huge truck with an ultra friendly chap who wanted to hear our life stories even though he could hardly speak a word of English.

Karak
The highlight of Karak was this enormous Crusader Castle. The views of the desert from the top were great and there was an exciting network of underground chambers and tunnels to explore. At one time, the Crusaders used to throw their hapless captives off the walls of the castle to their deaths – 450 metres below.



Excerpt from a letter home

Then, after some raucous parties in Tiberias (the hostel was very festive!) it was back to Jerusalem for some spiritual renewal. Here I met a friendly Australian guy – Mark. We really clicked and decided to travel through Jordan together. So down to Eliat in Southern Israel, a real touristy hell hole of a place with temperatures over 40ºC and enormous cockroaches in our hostel room. From there we crossed the border into Jordan to Aquaba, and Arab seaside resort where local women are definitely not allowed to wear bikinis. The first thing that strikes everyone about Jordan is how genuinely friendly the people are. Smiles and “welcome” wherever you go. On occasion, locals in the buses insisted on paying our fares for us and taxi drivers bought us drinks. Petra was probably the highlight of my whole trip so far – it has to be seen to be believed. Wherever you look – massive, towering temples and tombs carved out of the cliffs. The postcards I sent will give you a feel – but definitely don’t do it justice.

From Petra we headed north to Amman, the capital of Jordan which we used as a springboard to see all the outlying sights including Jerash (huge Roman ruins), Karak (crusader castle) and we also went for another dip in the Dead Sea, from the east side. This time, all the women were swimming in their black robes. Jordan is a very religious country – devout Muslims everywhere. It is very male dominated and women have to dress conservatively. Western women don’t always have an easy time here.  Unfortunately, because of TV and movies that Jordanians watch, men think that western women are all “free and easy” – easy to seduce and consequently female tourists get hassled a lot, especially if they are alone or wearing revealing clothes. The big advantage is that female tourists travelling alone (or in groups) are always on the look out for tourist males to travel with them – as protection. We, of course, were only too happy to oblige! We travelled for half a week with two gorgeous Dutch girls, and then met up with a fun group of really pretty Italians. You’re never lonely in the Middle East because the culture is so “alien”, tourists tend to be very open and friendly to each other – we constantly bumped into people we had met in other towns and then would travel together for a few days before going our separate ways.

After Jordan we made our way into Egypt.



Travel Notes


Petra

• So friendly at customs! Free on South African passport. Catch taxi to Petra (no buses). To friendly hostel - R 14 a night to sleep on roof and R 21 for all you can eat. Musa Spring Hostel. We watch Indianana Jones and the Last Crusade. Phone Ally to arrange her flight to Turkey to join me.

• Tues 28, we visit Petra. Awesome temples and tombs sculptured out of cliff faces. Treasury. Roman amphitheatre. The Monastery - ventured right up on top of it. 45 m high. Gorgeous canyons and views. Petra was built by Nabateans. Lost for 700 years till discovered again in 1812. So many monumental feats - all inspired by spiritual.

• Wed 29, back to Petra. Walk to animal sacrificial altar at peak of mountain. Nice lazy day.

Amman

• Thurs 30 bus to Amman. Arab music galore. Great food at local restaurant, real cheap. To Jerash - a massive ancient Roman town. Spectacular theatre with accoustic center in floor that magnifies sound. Temples, complete arches, glorious central point with column. Very impressive - only 10% excavated. Bugger - we lose my travel book. Mark and I having many deep chats about everything. Getting to know each other pretty well.

• Fri 1/8, a day of visiting desert castles. Go with two very attractive Dutch girls. Decide to go by bus, not tour. Whole day costs us 2.5 dinar instead of ten. Bus to Azraq Castle - dry stone with roof strong enough to walk on. Three ton door of swinging rock. Then taxi to Quasr Amra, with early Islam mosaics of naked women - very rare. Hitch to Quasr Kharaneh, a large castle / inn with dark rooms and fantastic views of desert from top.  Hitchhiking with Dutch girls - quick pickup. Without, would be very slow!

• Sat 2, visit Madaba to see 6th century map of Palestine on floor of Church of St George. All way back to Amman to go to Karak - massive Crusader Castle with spectacular views and warren of underground chambers and tunnels. 7 stories. Meet hotel manager who loves students - tells us secret of his menu. We pay local price. We have been joined by Stefan, a lovely German chap.

• Sun 3, we go where Angels fear to tread - just for a swim in the Dead Sea. Realise importance (and money saving potential of a good travel book. Lonely Planet much better than Lets Go - more concise and practical. Bus to withn 5 km of sea, then hitch to eventual beach - but must catch slow bus back to Amman where we are forced to spend the night. Our packs still in Karak!

• Impressions: Now that cheap prices, we suddenly hugely price concsious. Will do anything to save a dinar (1 £ English!) Roof everynight with great stars - 2 E£. Food of roast chicken, bread, olives and chiles is 1.5 E£. Bargain for all. Hurt looks, outraged, then all smiles when finalised. Tea. If not bargain, hurt. Chap accepts first offer, oh alright, less. Pity him.

• Women in black coverings with just eyes showing (erotic says Stefan!) - some even covered on beach. Bus routes that make no sense - every journey must start from Amman. Arab markets bustling with goat carcasses hanging everywhere - head included. Friendly people - policeman pays for our bus + gives us his phone number if any problems. Taxi buys us free drinks.

• People take us to 20 minute destinations in person. Apparently, Syria even friendlier - 5 free drinks an hour. In buses, we "converse" for hours with folk who can't speak word of English. Arab music really grows on you - definitely an acquired taste. Buses leave when full - never a problem to find the right bus (friendly people point way), challenge is finding correct station.

• Mon 4, an epic day of travel. From Amman to Karak to get our bags. We manage to catch "service" to Aquaba - cramped in the stuffy back with scratchy speakers. Then a beaurocratic wait for passport stamp and a three hour ferry (beautiful scenery) to Sinai.

Next stop:


Egypt