Turkey

Hi everyone,

My perception of Turkey was some what different than what it turned out to be. I was expecting a place with amazing food and culture but was confronted by a country trying hard to get into the EU which meant prices had been increased and western culture had taken over.

That said it was still amazing. The first day we arrived after a mammoth drive and border crossing to Goreme, the valley which houses the rock formations of Cappadocia. The eroded volcanic rock was something out of this world. The locals call them fairy chimneys. Have a look at the pic and decide for yourself but I think another name may be more appropriate.


We had our first taste of carpet sales and we were almost persuaded but thought we would wait until Istanbul. The second night was farmed as Turkish Night. It was pretty fun. Dinner all you can drink and some traditional dancing. The food was average the drinks did not come fast enough and I got rough so could not get my monies worth.


We left Gorome and headed for the small beach side town of Olympus. This was a special place which had a real relaxed feel. Walking to the beach included a trip through an ancient ruin ending on a gorgeous clean beach surrounded in forest.


The second night here we headed to Chimera where flames literally burst from the ground. I tried to put them out but the gas ignites itself. Pretty amazing.


Our next stop was Olu Deniz. Another coastal town but with completely different cliental. The English had moved in. With there white or bright red fat bellies they had transformed the place into hell. The food on the menus was fish and chips or a full fry up which is not why you go traveling. I called the experience more of an anthropological study than a holiday. We did however enjoy some ten pin bowling of which my team won. We went on a boat to visit the local area but this was not at all the serenity we were hoping for. The places we visited were amazing in there own right but with the Brit invasion in full force they were all ruined.

Back in the day NZ lost our wonder of the world the Pink and White Terraces, however its closest rival has to be Pammukale. The calcium deposits on the hills above this town are something out of this world. If seeing this natural wonder wasn't enough to satisfy your eyes, the site is surrounded by fantastic roman ruins.


Ancient Roman, Ottoman, Egyptian and other ruins are with out a doubt amazing and if you ever have the chance I would recommend going to have a look at some for sure. I am afraid though that after seeing as many as we now have you start to get ruined out.

We arrived in Selcuk at a very nice camp sight and again pitched our tents rather than upgrading to a room like most of the other people. The ruins of Ephesus were just down the road and are meant to be some of the best in Europe. A lot of other people didn't go however I decided that despite having no enthusiasm I would visit. Unfortunately I believe I made the wrong decision. It was amazing but not as good as it was made out to be. I did however have an episode and had to take an emergency bush poo in the ancient ruins so it will always be a bit special to me.



Our whirl wind mission then took us to Ecebat which is the closest town to the Gallipoli Peninsula. We again pitched our tents but this time is was in front of some houses next to a bar and a dirty rubbish filled beach. We had a tour organised to visit the Peninsula which was a full day. Our guide was amazing and painted a clear and sobering picture of what occurred over the nine months of fighting between the allied forces and the Turkish in the first world war. It is very hard to explain in words, if you have a chance to visit it is a must do.



Our last stop of the middle east mission was the culture capital of 2010, Istanbul.
Despite being very expensive western and full of tourists I can only say that Istanbul is amazing!!! It is like a Muslim disney land filled with grand mosque's, huge bazaar's, Palaces, parks, towers and more doner kebabs than you could ever imagine. All this made having my 28th b-day here amazing and thanks to some great friends and of course Julie I was spoiled a crazy amount.


It was hard to say goodbye to our new good friends from the tour and we still miss them a lot!! We left them to embark on our next adventure, Africa here we come.