Last stop in Turkey May 11, 2008
Posted by drewandlou in turkey.Tags: ephesus, selcuk, turkey
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Our merry band had grown to 5 and at 2:30am in the morning we were all met at the bus station by one of the pension’s staff. A short walk and we finally made it to bed for some well desserved sleep.
The following morning we woke up to vegemite on toast for breakfast. Not really a surprise as the place was called the Australia & New Zealand Guesthouse.
Roman ruins in Ephesus
After breakfast it was off to the roman ruins of Ephesus with some others that we had met along the way. This place was huge and even had a huge open air theatre that could seat 20,000 people. We were treated to a big group singing the Turkish national athemn which really was quite dramatic as it echoed through the theatre.
My Turkush mates
It was also here that I was mobbed by a group of school kids who just wanted to use me as a sounding board for their English. The three most common questions were – What is your name? Where are you from? What time is it? In exchange I taught the double thumbs up!
In front of the Great Library in Ephesus
That afternoon was spent in the pub watching the Chelsea v Man Utd match followed by a BBQ at the guesthouse.
Grocery shopping
The rain rolled in the next day so it was kept pretty quiet just wandering around Selcuk. We were going to head to Pummakale for the day but spending 16 hours on the bus didn’t really appeal.
Our adoptive kids
Back on another overnight bus to Istanbul before we farwelled Turkey for the final time. We didn’t really want to leave and could have easily spent another 2 weeks exploring the south coast.
Lest we forget April 30, 2008
Posted by drewandlou in turkey.Tags: anzac day, gallipoli, turkey
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Another day in Instanbul before we started our three day ANZAC Day Tour. This was one of the things on our trip that I was looking forward to the most.
So on the bus we get and we head straight for Gallipoli Pennisula to visit the memorials and cemetaries before the Dawn Service the following day. It was great to visit the site before the masses arrived the following day and to hear some of the stories of the events that occurred during the landing and the 9 months that followed.
So the next day it was time to rug up and head for the dawn service. Our tour bus didn’t arrive at the site until about 11pm and by that stage the place was absolutley packed. We were actually lucky to get a seat. Most of the people around us had been sitting there since 5pm.
I think it was a blessing that we got to our seats quite late beacuse it was absolutley freezing!! The wind was howling through the cove and it was a pretty funny sight to see 10,000 people covered head to toe in their sleeping bags.
After the dawn service and the Australian service at Lone Pine we headed back to Cannakale for some much needed rest. However we ran into some people we had met along the way and a Two Up game was proposed so it was off to the pub. We got the Turkish guy working at the bar to do the toss and eventually more people joined in as the afternoon went on.
That night it was on the bus to head to Selcuk.
Turkish Beer of Choice April 29, 2008
Posted by drewandlou in turkey.Tags: beer, efes, turkey
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Not much to choose from in Turkey so the prize goes to the Efes Pilsen.
Even picked up a free ANZAC Day T-shirt when we bought a six pack for our game of two-up.
Cappadocia April 29, 2008
Posted by drewandlou in turkey.Tags: baths, cappadocia, goreme, turkey
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Underground cities, balloon rides, turkish baths and cave rooms Cappadocia had it all.
As we only had a couple of days in Goreme we used two day tours to fit in as much as possible. So after arriving on the night bus and settling into our cave we were quickly whisked away for the first of our day tours.
The tour consisted of visting the Derinkuyu undergound city, hiking through the Ilhara Valley and visiting the Selime Monastry. These places were amazing and a tribute to the Turks who used the landscape to its fullest for housing and protection.
We got speaking to alot of people on the tour and at our pension who were just starting their travels along the Silk Roads and were heading all way to China. I think it made us a little jealous but maybe it is something for the future.
The next morning we organised to go a hot air balloon ride over the Rose Valley to celebrate our 1st wedding anniversary. 30 balloons or more sailing over the region at sunrise was a wonderful sight. Louise was urging the pilot to go a bit higher but he seemed more intent on showing us his slight of touch and how he could manoeuvre around the rocks.
Another day tour left us absolutely exhausted by the end of day. We remedied this the following day by going to a turkish bath. The amount of dead skin that came off my body was a sight to be seen. I did join in and start by going nude under my little towel but soon chickened out after seeing what kind of sights the others may be subjected too while watching Louise have her massage.
After the massage it was back on the overnight back to Istanbul for the start of our ANZAC Day Tour.
Our first stop ın Istanbul April 21, 2008
Posted by drewandlou in turkey.Tags: istanbul, turkey
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So we had a quick stop in Instanbul which gave us our first taste of Turkey.
After arranging all of our onward journey plans we took to the streets of Turkey and explored a few of the sites inlcuding the grand bazar and the blue mosque. The sun was out and finally I had a chance to work on my tan.
That night we were off to the bus station to head to Goreme in Cappadocia.
I got chatting to a Turkish guy next to me and even though he didn’t speak a word of English he looked after us for all the trip and got us extra cakes and cups of tea.
After 11 hours on the bus we made it to Cappadocia and the wonderful landscape.
