Albania

1 October

Nine hour bus trip my arse - they lied try more like 12! Upon leaving the bus station in Thessaloniki Greece the heavens let open with rain,  its a nice change from the last couple of months besides I'm on  a nice warm bus.  At 11:00 pm we are woken and just eying up what everyone else does I quietly retrieve my passport and hand it over to the drivers assistant it sticks out like a sore thumb the only blue in a pie of red.  We have a Greek police stop and passports are checked - at this point in time I'm questioning what we are doing parked in the middle of the wop wops with a police check,  cant ask anyone but decide this is not the border so its time to stay awake and just keep an eye what is going on...  apparently nothing 20 minutes later the assistant is back on the bus and we are driving.  The next stop is the actual Greek border and I am surprised at the amount of traffic that is cruising through at 12:30am.  We are caught in a line up of charter buses crossing the border which holds us up for a good 2 and a half hours along with a Pakistani passport holder who is questioned.  No duty free but the Albanian border is a breeze after the Greek and we are through in under 20 mins.  Passports find their owners and we continue on with our journey,  the rain picks up again and a beautiful electrical storm rolls across the countryside I mange to get some shut eye only to be roughly awoken - not by a passenger or the storm but a pot hole!  the lovely tar sealed roads seem to have been swallowed up and replaced by a single lane dirt strip with either water flooding it pot holes or both.  This seriously slows the bus down at times but I'm sure the driver is making up for it when he hits good road.

 

Arrival into Tirana and its still raining I have also entered a different time zone with the clock going back a hour so its now 8am and I'm ready to find a hostel with a bed.  I am being questioned by a taxi driver and getting a soaking from the rain so decide to grab the guide book for a address (its finally come into use) and agree with Mr Taxi man that he can take me to a hostel down the road. I also realise there is a need to visit a ATM as I have no local currency but the euro is mighty -  he informs me for 5 euro he will  take me to the hostel and me being checky decide as he was so eager and has carried my pack into his car before I have agreed on the fare  that  he can also carry my pack into the hostel for me.....

 

 

The hostel  reception give me a once over decide after trying to explain maps, rules and info that although  the body is there nobody is home, give me a towel and promptly deposit me into a dorm which bliss is empty and has a freshly made bed for me.  A few hours sleep a shower and I'm ready for lunch!!  I spend the arvo quietly wandering around the south part of town and discover a artificial lake neat park similar to Victoria Parks set up with neat walking tracks through forested areas, stumbled upon the Commonwealths cemetery from WWII. 

 

 

I realise it is getting dark and popping back to the hostel and having something to eat needs to be put on the agenda.  Cant quite find what I want but in the end pizza (Italian influenced) and beer wins out at 450 leke or $5.00 nz

 

The next day I'm up bright eyed and bushy tailed and keen to explore more of this city along with visiting the local post shop to send some postcards etc home. The people are quite cool,  as in happy to help out point me in the right direction possibly having a laugh at me during the process,  I manage to find the Mother Teresa square which is  a let down and part of the city's bus systems storage yards.

On the bright side the local museum is quite cool with well laid out displays of the history of the land and Albanian peoples  I have enjoyed spending part here and readying the two english display signs.

 

My hostel owners and staff are also neat, each morning I have breakfast with the owner and it is custom I receive a history lesson twice a day and some rough language lessons,  not doing so well the Cyrillic alphabet throws me and it is different from the Greek of last week.   Bleugh. My remaining time is spent up in the mountains behind Tirana,  my feet have been seen to and covered with tape.  I have a brilliant day catching the local gondola in the morning up to Mt Dajti and hiking through out the oak and beach forests discovering a ruined castle and  magnitude of bunkers which were installed in the 1970's to help keep the local economy afloat.  Along with playing some checkers with the elderly gentlemen at the park and enjoying the local market areas from fresh food, electronics to bikes. The other thing I notice is although there are people struggling there are no beggers out on the streets waiting for money to be given to them.  True a person may not have the money for a car but a donkey will be used or they will go collect chestnuts and sell them on the street corners. But there is a air of hope and people seem happy and in the most they are things are changing.   Its a cool city my plan was to head north into the alps and do some further hiking but with bad weather forecasts the locals telling me the roads and areas often flood up there and the fact I don't want to be stuck that way I decide to make my way down to  Berat with a neat Japanese lady from the hostel.

 

One thing that is worth a mention is the bus system- it seems so disorganised to some westerners,  as in they don't specifically have area with a sign that says bus stop.  In fact you could almost say it is so disorganised its organised.  We find the area where the buses to Berat depart from only to discover there are 20 other buses and although we ask we are pointed in 5 different directions until a local assistant takes us by the elbow and directs us to his bus.  I know there is more than one company operating but just a little confusing which bus to go on when they are parked in 5 different areas but all cool  we jump on hang around for another 5 mins and we are off - or so we believed,  we travelled around the city for another 30 mins stopping every so often to call our destination and drive on.    Eventually our bus fills up and we depart the city -  I like it - any one that put their hand out the driver will hit the breaks yell the destination if you say yes your on the bus if not hopefully the next one will go where you need! even at 5am in the morning.

Berat startles us when we get off the bus as there is a crowd of children yelling things and having a go at both the Japanese lady and I. It is also the first time that I am approached in the street (because of my pack) by a local accommodation provider.  I know I haven't booked my accom Mai has and we know where we are going,  it is end of tourist season and any extra monies would help I'm sure but neither of us really appreciate having this much attention. After locating our beds for the night and ditching the bags we go out exploring and up to the Castle Berat which is a UNESCO world heritage site. The castle dates back 2,500 years and records of its first conquering were accomplished by the Romans in 200 B.C.  the other thing which is cool is there are still people living in the castle ground in the housing and for us it was the perfect place to try out traditional Albanian Cuisine.

The day is topped off by an evening walking the main street of town - which is know as promenading .  Pretty much there is a street that cars will not drive down after a certain time and all the town residents will go out for a evening stroll with their families and friends,  its quite neat we even bumped into some other guests from the hostel and were able to easily join in with the tradition,  although I do have to admit we were a little under dressed....

With the rivers still dirty from the earlier rains I decide to give rafting a miss and join two gentlemen form Brazil to cross over the border to Lake Ohrid,  the reason I'm going - that way it will be cheaper to obtain a taxi to the border point form Pogradec and its easier having another person with you and the bus departs at 4:30am as a direct trip rather than having to under take a couple of transfers - trying to keep this simple and less complex. Although early in departure the trip is rather uneventful with a couple of stops to pick people up and  a breakfast stop for our driver we were in Pogradec by 8am.  Which gave us time for  walk around and taxi to the border.

Hope that are well and I will start doing catch up on Macedonia for you!

(National Museum - Tirana)

(Mt Dajti oak and Beach Forest)

(Tirarna - Street vendor selling chestnuts)

 

 

(Berat castle - washing day)

 

(Berat Caste - Church)

 

 

 

Finale of Greece

Overnight on the ferry from Crete back to Athens 9pm sailing arriving into Piraeus port at 6:30am  I managed a bit of a sleep on this crossing.  I am feeling a little spoilt knowing where I am going with the metro. Central station, to discover how to get up to  Litochoro and Mt Olympus National Park.

My metro ride takes me a little over a hour and I'm feeling pretty confident when I realise the information man is already at work -  he even sorts out the ticket lady for me.  I meet a lovely elderly Greek lady (yes all dressed in black) who is admiring my pack and tries to set me up with another Greek backpacker sitting next to her.  Lovely lady salt of the earth - its times like these I wish I had a second language. 

I am enjoying my train ride,  a little slow but the scenery is good and I didn't realise that Greece has such abundant cotton crops - knew they had tobacco, rice, wheat etc.  I have also met similar aged locals and it is pleasant to talk about travels, work (a lot of people doing archaeology)  and the issues with the current economics....  

 

I arrive into Litochoro at 3 in the arvo - not doing to bad, the train station looks completely abandoned and I am feeling lazy not keen to do a 8km walk to the local hostel schlepping my pack in 28 degrees.  So find the local station master, his dog, air nikes and sorts out a taxi  - who bonus! speaks English and I discover is a Marathon runner who competes in the Olympus Marathon yearly.  On hearing my indecision he comes into the hostel with me,  shouts me a beer and sits down to help plan out my itinerary.  Which of course Murphy's Law is changed at 10pm that night before departure as two more people have arrived at the hostel to complete the hike and we decided to spit transport together rather than hitch hiking giving us more flexibility.  The boys have decided to join my loop trip although I will be staying at a different refuge (hut - fully supplied including linen and a cook)

 

We depart at 10 in the morning and the first hour my body is telling me that I'm crazy and what am I doing going up this hill?! - Peter is a little concerned but once the body has been moving for over a hour everything settles into its rhythm and life becomes a lot easier...  

 

The tracks are not difficult and I knew that I had a 1000m climb but thought it would take me a little longer than the three hours. Of course the taxi ride made a huge difference with not having to spend time trying to hitch a ride up to the start point. and yes I forgot to calculate this into the equation and in hind sight I could have easily walked to the next huts.  I was the only one staying at Petrostrouga refuge but it was neat to chat with the staff and watch the donkey's come into camp with supplies apparently it is the only reliable and cost effective way to deliver them. The refuge also had brilliant views up and down the coast line which at night was amazing to view the lattice work of street lighting. Next morning I was able to leave at 8am and rock my way up to where I am supposably meant to be spending my second night.  but after having lunch and chatting with the Refuge C operator I decide to flag my stay as visibility is not the best on this part of the mountain range due to a forest fire, summit and try my luck at the Refuge A or hike out.

 

 

 

 Departing the refuge I nip around Zeus's throne to the assent of Mytikas 2919m it is a reasonably steep clamber with hands and knees to the summit. I would hate to have a accident up here and feel a little uncomfortable not having  a secondary person with me or at least another hiker in the vicinity.  The views are quite cool to the north but towards sea I cannot spy anything due to smoke which is disappointing as the walk down to the next refuge would otherwise be amazing.  On arrival at Refuge A I take a break to grab some water and begin talking to a German couple when I spy Chris form the backpacker who lets me know refuge is full. So - at 3pm I reckon we can easily walk the remainder 3 hours out.  My heals have long given into my shoes and I know something not so happy is going with them but if I don't look it cant be that bad right?! 

 

 The walk down this section has no scree and follows a stream which is pleasant to be in and a lot of people heading up to Refuge A,  not sure where they will sleep but pleased not to be up there. We reach the end point of our walk, cruise refreshing ourselves with mountain water and a change of shoes........  there is no way I will be walking any further in my hiking shoes for the next week or so. 

It is still a 35km trip back into Litochoro and deciding that we had better make tracks we start heading down the road to try our luck at hitch hiking.

 

Success!!  we are given a ride from a kind Russian couple who have some English skills and offer to drop us off at the local motorway giving us only a km walk to the hostel but somewhere in the Russian, English and  hand movement conversations we end up another 30km further south of where we should be.  Gutting - we thank them kindly climb out re-orientate our selves and start walking back in the direction of the hostel trying our luck with our thumbs again.    Arriving at 9pm in the evening is a nice feeling especially when a hot shower is had and a evening meal with the guys!   Happy!!!!

 

As our hostel is right on the beach I spend extra days here swimming, chatting with the hostel management learning Greek history, the debate of Macedonia (Former Yugoslavia Republic)  and Macedonia Greece, doing some home chores washing, mending  and sorting out my feet which will be in jandals for a few days yet. 

 

Caught the train up to Thessaloniki for a overnight stay and enjoy checking out the town areas and I'm going to be biased and say I like the vibe here more than Athens,  also the history here is very neat, not so much of the Greek gods but more Byzantine Roman and Ottoman. If you were unaware This part of Greece was returned in 1912. It is also neat how the city has incorporated the ruins into its aesthetics and it makes you smile to see the archaeologists hard at work.

 

Over night bus to Tirana Albania tonight (30 Sep)  departing at 9pm and I understand is a 9 hour trip.

 

 

 

 

(Photo provided by Peter)

 

 

 

 

(Galerius Palace at Navarino Square Thessaloniki)

 

 

 

 

Greece Athens and Crete

13 August - 20 September


We depart Turkey and head over to Greece, Athens! 

The first thing we notice when we get off the plane it is definitely cooler and we certainly need our fleeces initially for the evenings.  I must mention that it is a warm 28 degrees but after acclimatising to 40 degree temperatures in Turkey we are feeling a little colder!!  Not a good omen for the up coming winter.......

Athens - we have been told after the grandeur's of Turkey, that we will be disappointed and to be honest I'm glad that we were told this as it gave me a lowered expectation which has been a positive thing if that makes sense.   The two countries are very different but do share some aspects of the others cultures  as you will be aware the Greeks were in Turkey and the Ottomans were in Greece. So the Acropolis is very cool,  and has great views over the city!  We have enjoyed having our own timetable having a leisurely breakfast with a nice cappuccino and European food, wandering around the streets and popping down to the sea for a swim along with catching the many sites.

Dionysus Theatre Athens

After three days on the mainland its island time! we jump on a over night ferry to Crete and have spent a week lounging on the south coast where I have learnt about the local turtle conservation efforts and added to my tan from Turkey.

From here we part ways with Anita heading back to The Netherlands and myself up the north coast to Chania.  The beaches are a lot calmer than the south coasts, warmer and have more tourists. This is mainly to do with the fact its part of the Mediterranean sea. There is no backpacker in Chania but a local hotel has clicked onto the budget traveller and have created  a dorm/apartment set up which is very tidy.  I have met some very cool people here and attended a world record attempt for the largest Dakos**  8m long and 1.8m wide in the shape of Crete - the evening has been very festive once the record was declared we all got to eat the dakos of course this would not be complete with out locally brewed raki, traditional dance and music to top it all off!!

 

**Dakos  consists of a slice of soaked dried bread or barley rusk (paximadi) topped with chopped tomatoes and crumbled feta or mizithra cheese, olives and flavoured with herbs such as dried oregano.



Guinness World Record - Largest Dakos - Ag. Apostoli



I have also decided to splash out and take a trip to Elafonisi beach which has beautiful waters, pink sand and a lot of tourists... The Chrysoskaltissa Monastery  is also 5km form the beach which we visited briefly but I found it more interesting at Kandanos village

  -  which suffered from occupation in World War II. During the Battle of Crete resistance fighters had held advancing soldiers for two days, preventing them from reaching Paleochora to secure it. In retribution the occupiers razed the village to the ground. After its destruction, Kandanos was declared a 'dead zone' and its remaining population was forbidden to return to the village and rebuild it. Finally, inscriptions in German and Greek were erected on each entry of the village. One of them read: Here stood Kandanos, destroyed in retribution for the murder of 25 German soldiers, never to be rebuilt again. Today, Kandanos has been rebuilt and reproductions of the sombre Wehrmacht signposts commemorating the destruction of the village are displayed on the local war memorial which was erected in 2000.

The following couple of days (after my beach trip)  I have chilled out locally (Ag. Apostoli) at the beach and playing volleyball into the small hours. The hotel manager George has invited myself and another guest for a day out swimming on the north coast in a beautiful spot with no tourists and to attend a local feast (Greek Orthodox at Ag. Ionnis "Gionas") for Saint John. I wasn't sure why there was a feast and my host couldn't tell me but after a search about the religion I found this specific night was  to commemorate his beheading.

 

Createn Goat - Sunset at Ag.Pavlos

 

Very spoilt - The drive out is fantastic through very old olive groves and areas I would not have gone through on my own accord. The swimming area was full of sea life, a couple of locals out spear fishing explained to us their free diving and fishing tricks apparently if you breath through a straw for a hour a day for two weeks you will increase your lung capacity. They also give us a lesson on the local seaweeds they collect for salad. The sunset is fantastic and the feast is something different again.  People still pilgrimage (walk) some in bare feat over the hill (its reasonably steep and has sharp rocks and bushes) and we did have the experience of a devout follower crawling and praying over the threshold onto the church's grounds.

 

From Chania I have moved down to Rethymnon where I have a three week Helpx stint at a Nature Park. The owners refer to the park as a experimental learning centre and was opened to help the local children have a better understanding of their islands nature and has been extended to include tourists at a cost of 5 euros each.  When I first arrived  -  after a talk about star signs, watering the plants in the phase of the moon I did wonder what hippie commune I had walked into and signed up for the next couple of weeks.

I am camping in the neighbours olive grove and it is bliss to have a space I can call my own. We have all camp amenities in the park which is a three minute walk down the hill through the chicken enclosure and past ROCKY - the rooster who is just a little intimidating but we had him sorted easily enough by taking his breakfast home each night.  The park has three other helpers  Ina from Germany (we get along very well and hang out together alot)  "Mr" Grant from the UK  and a greek lady from the north mainland



10 day old Chameleon at the Nature Park

Ina and I are expected to work from 10 until 2 and then from 6 until 8.  but when I say work I should say we give tours of the nature park, tend to the animals, water the plants to the moon phase and any odd job that we may see .  The tours well - interesting some people are very open about the whole experience and others are just using it to fill the day like they have a tick list but don't want to interact with what is on offer. It surprises me at times how out of touch some people are with their food and outdoors.   Its not that I'm becoming a greenie, more that I am seeing how open we are as a people and although we have niggles with town vs country I don't think we are any where near the attitude of well they are just plants and my food (meat and vegetables) come from the supermarket.



Our boss lady who runs the joint seems quite at ease with us and although I'm not quite sure how it happened the three of us have been left in charge of the park for two and a bit weeks.  During this time Ina and I have had a lot of fun from just chilling listening to music including the new youtube sensation - what does the fox say, learning kendama (Japanese game similar to ball and cup www.kendama.cz ) grabbing the holiday programmes bows and stealing the archery range in the evenings to teasing our tourists and doing some self learning. Thanks to google, wikkipedia and the National Geographic I now have a full understanding of  about 20 of the 400 endemic plants growing here.  I have also learnt that you can use sage to help with throat issues,  thyme for colds/flu and rosemary for memory....

 

Abandoned house Myli Gorge

On a random note and side tangent - Carob. Its other common name is St Johns Bread in allusion to the  fruit sustaining John the Baptist during his sojourn and meditations in the wilderness. The other odd piece of information I came across was the small hard seeds inside the pods which are incredibly uniform were first used by goldsmiths as measuring devices/weights and provided the term "carat."

It still has me a little amazed to find that all our garden herbs from NZ just grow in the wild abundantly also in relation to the temperatures and the amount of goats that graze freely. I know that it shouldn't be a surprise but when you see the rosemary and thyme covering a hillside like broom.... 

 

I love visiting the local gorge (Myli) and spending siesta time here looking at the area, plants, abandoned buildings and swimming. Our days still hit 32 degrees with the evenings cooling quickly and has us all in fleeces by 7:30pm

 

 

We have had a couple of bbq's with yours truly as host and chief,  and I have to smile at the known trans tasman rivalry. The other guests/volunteers  let me know they had  Australians prior to my stay who bbq'd the whole two weeks  they were here.  So they current guests decided to compare Aussie to NZ and after a deliberation - I happily able say they decided the kiwi's bbq is better

 

When I arrived  I was also asked what my goals were during my stay at the park and although I found this a little strange and put me on the spot I did make some short term ones

- Plan a rough itinerary for overland trip back to Germany via the Balkan countries

- learn about the native plants

- learn about herb properties

- get a monetary tip from a tourist (for mad tour guiding skills)

- achieve a rating on the parks trip advisor page 3 or above

Which I am happy to announce that I have achieved.
 

I still have a couple of days left at the park before heading back to the mainland and up to Mt Olympus and still deciding if I go Macedonia, Albania, Macedonia or back track a little and head to Albania then Macedonia,  will decide when I get to the bus station!

 

Hope that you are all well and coming into some warmer weather.

-Gabrielle



War Memorial Kandanos

Elafonisi Beach

Water Meter Sculpture

 

Ag. Ionnis "Gionas"

 



 

Ag. Ionnis

 

Feast of St John, Ag. Ionnis "gionas"

 

 



Myli Gorge

 

Myrte Tree from the park - it is known as a symbol for love and immortality.

Venetian Fountain in Rethymnon, Crete believed to have existed since 1588

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gecko's Turkey Tour

 

26 July - 13 August


Turkey the country that inhabits both Europe and Asia and has eight countries as neighbours,  and yep you bet there is some history here. Dating back to the Neolithic period 10,200 BC so as you can imagine our brains occasionally through the tour were all a little boggled by the age of the ruins we have visited.



Istanbul - left had side is Europe the seas is the
 Bosphorus sea and the right had land mass is Asia.

Arrived into Istanbul late at 11pm  customs were easy and our trip into town uneventful as we followed all the locals to catch a Havatas bus to somewhere!  From the bus stop we nabbed a taxi with complementary tour guide which took as through Taksim Square.  For those asking yes the taxi is yellow and we were pleased ours had safety belts!!

Welcome to Istanbul population 15 million.

The tour planned is a Gecko's 18 Day starting in Istanbul and finishing in Şanlıurfa (Urfa). To check out the tours info try their web site http://www.geckosadventures.com/europe/turkey/turkey-meat-and-stuffing-2013

Day 1 and 2

Istanbul - the smell of fresh or burnt corn on the cob,  street vendors polishing your shoes, the heat of the city and the people.  We had two full days here cruising around the old part of town checking out the Hippadrome**, Sultana Ahmend Mosque (Blue Mosque) Grand and Spice Bazaar, Topaki Palace and a very very cheap trip of 10 Turkish Lira (NZ 5 dollars) for a hour and a half boat cruise on the Bosphorus Sea which is the worlds narrowest straight used for international navigation.

**Throughout the Byzantine period, the Hippodrome was the centre of the city's social life. Huge amounts were bet on chariot races, and initially four teams took part in these races, each one financially sponsored and supported by a different political party (Deme) within the Roman/Byzantine Senate: The Blues (Venetoi), the Greens (Prasinoi), the Reds (Rousioi) and the Whites (Leukoi). The Reds (Rousioi) and the Whites (Leukoi) gradually weakened and were absorbed by the other two major factions (the Blues and Greens). The rivalry between the Blues and Greens often became mingled with political or religious rivalries, and sometimes riots, which amounted to civil wars that broke out in the city. The most severe of these was the Nika riots of 532, in which an estimated 30,000 people were killed.

Day 3



Allied Trench close to Chunuk Bair

Departing Istanbul we cruised our way down through sunflower fields to the battle fields and cemeteries of Gallipoli. Which are just as moving as I expected them to be and it is incredible to view the slopes where our soldiers fought.  It is here that we really appreciate our connections with the Turkish and that New Zealand and Australia are very well respected.This message is on a memorial prior to ANZAC Cove.

Those heroes that shed their blood and lost their lives... You are now lying in the soil of a friendly country. Therefore rest in peace. There is no difference between the Johnnies and the Mehmets to us where they lie side by side now here in this country of ours... you, the mothers, who sent their sons from faraway countries wipe away your tears; your sons are now lying in our bosom and are in peace. After having lost their lives on this land they have become our sons as well.
- Ataturk 1934

There is also a well done movie called Gallipoli produced in 1981 Australian film directed by Peter Weir you maybe interested in watching.

Day 4

Troy - the legend from Homer's The Iliad which turned out to be true after it was rediscovered in 1868.  The city well I don't want to give you a history lesson but if your interested have a read of the legend from Homer (in all good libraries) and check out the link http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Troy  or http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/606871/Troy  then again if your not into reading and you really do like your movies have a watch of the Hollywood produced Troy its not as good as your imagination but will do I.  History and Classical studies were my favourite subjects at school and it is nice to be able to put the knowledge to use and to see these sights!

Day 5

Another few hours drive today in our van to Esphesus and Selçuk.  We have spent lunch trying out Turkish pancakes - not my favourite quite bland cheese and spinach in a wrap and boy does it sit like a rock in your stomach. Visited a site referred to as the seven sleepers  - which did have us confused with the differences between Islamic and Christianity poor tour guide.  But Ephesus - I have never seen so much marble in one place before and yes I know some parts are reassembled but walking around the city of ruins in a 38 degree temperature with the sunlight shinning off it and viewing the statues  free growing pomegranates, olives and figs - I just cant describe.....

We are hot and sweaty not so hungry rock is still in stomach and decide this is the perfect opportunity for Turkish Bath.  Which I have been keen to visit since I spent a day in Bath England.  I had no expectations and after the experience my back was rather good and minus one bruise on the inside of my arm I think I'm in better shape than the guys from the group who attended.

Day 6

Up on time this morning to catch the last few sights in Selçuk before heading over to Pamukkale.

Love this place! not only did I have a fantastic lunch after yesterdays Turkish pancake but Pamukkale roughly translates to Cotton Castle and when see the nature it sure makes sense why they called it this.  The city contains hot springs and  travertine, terraces of carbonate minerals left by the flowing water.** Where you can bathe!! So cool to be sitting up on the terraces looking out over the valley and I don't worry about the temperatures as I have now acclimatised and the sun is not as strong as at home.

**The deposits of  calcium carbonate covers a section of hillside 70m  long and expanse of 240m wide. The water is supersaturated with calcium carbonate and when it reaches the surface, carbon dioxide degasses from it, and calcium carbonate is deposited. The depositing continues until the carbon dioxide in the water balances the carbon dioxide in the air. Calcium carbonate is deposited by the water as a soft jelly and  this eventually hardens into travertine.

The ancient city Hierapolis is also situated here and used the hot water in their baths. The city was destroyed in major earthquakes the remains have been reassembled and the amphitheatre provides a great vantage point to sit with a cup of wine and watch the sunset.

Day 7

Today we travelled over to Fethiye and the Blue Lagoon.  Beautiful and after lunch Teresa and I go for our first ever paraglide! Our jump is from 2500m and after we have run off the side of the mountain and I mange to keep my shoe on we cruise down over a hour and a half to the remainder of the group who a swimming at the beach.  So cool - love the play ground in the air.  Three of us also spent the late evening its dark after 11pm the visitors sites are closed but not locked checking out the Tombs of Amyntas.

Days 8 and 9

Are spent cruising the Turquoise Coast .  Swimming,  sunbathing, sunburning, swimming with turtles and enjoying the down time.  We also managed to visit the sunken city at Kekova Island check out the Simena Csstle and Lycian Rock Tombs.  All in all very enjoyable!

Day 10

Hercules Farnese, Anatalya Museum

Travelling to Antalya .  We miss out on visiting Mt Olympus and its dancing flames but at 42 degrees and the flames being invisible due to todays heat we all feel a swim is the best option! We stop at the ancient city Phaeselis and spend our time walking through it before our  final swim of the trip in one of the cities bays We have a reasonable drive but nothing like the upcoming one to Cappadocia.

Antalya  has nice beaches a neat old city which strangely enough we all find it a little european with trams running  up to the local museum which although small has beautiful statues from the surrounding areas of Alexander the great, the famous Hercules Farnese,   Athena etc.

Day 11

Bus trip long..........  although we did get to stop and visit a historic camel house.  Arrival into Cappadocia 8pm food and bed.

Days 12, 13 and 14

Cappadocia the land of fairy chimneys the only Australian coffee shop I have seen with the best latte/cappuccino I have had since leaving NZ.

Here we have spent three days which we have needed to view all the sites. Our first morning saw us up out of bed at 5am for a hot air balloon ride.  Spectacular, 100 balloons all floating in the air at sunrise viewing the red valley the land formations which have been made due to volcanic ash and the elements.  This is what has caused the chimneys in the area especially in the Red, Rose and Love Valleys. Although we have been up early our three days are not to be spent sleeping with visits to the underground city Derinkuyu, Uchisar Fortress, walking through the Rose Valley, spending time with a generational Turkish family (who say I look Turkish) they live in a rock house and made us traditional evening meal - yummy attending a Turkish night where we are entertained with local food and dance .  A morning at the Goreme open air museum is fantastic with some beautiful frescos and a lot of history about the Christians that lived here.  From Cappadocia a lot of people that were part of the group leave as they were only doing a 15 day tour and there is just Anita and myself left for the remanding days.  The poor tour guide is going to earn his money with the amount of questions that will be asked about agriculture, politics, culture....

Day 15

Another very long drive towards the east of Turkey where we head to Mt Nemrut 2150m where it is said King Antichis had his tomb built in 62BC along with 30ft tall stone statues which had their heads decapitated by earthquakes.  We stayed up watching the sunset and on our decent came across a wedding party.  The site is beautiful and is well worth coming east to view.

Day 16

We leave Mt Nemrut and travel further east to Sanliurfs (Urfa) which is 60 kilometres from the Syrian border.  On entering the city I do note there are anti tank guns but other than this I feel very safe.  Urfa is believed in the Quran to be the birth place of Profit Abraham and there is a large area sacred fish pool which people pilgrimage to.  Very cool  a lot of fish and it is now it is confirmed I need to do more research on Muslim practicing Islam because I don't really understand it at all. 

Day 17



Spice Bazaar

We had a early flight from Urfa back to Istanbul to complete the end of our journey the following day. Have seen a lot from the bright and finely sculpted marble to the carpet shop around the corner.
The history and landscapes have astounded me and with a summer temperature of 42 degrees and a winter temp in the negatives this country is certainly a place of extremes.  I have never felt or been unsafe we have been respected at every turn and found there to be no issues with street vendors. I have enjoyed Turkey immensely and recommend it to anyone that is interested!!

 

Blue Mosque

Turkish Coffee

 

Ephesus



Selçuk - ancient Turkish bath house




Hierapolis



Blue Lagoon

 

First paraglide!!!

 

Kekova Island



Hot Air Ballooning Cappadocia

Fairy Chimney in the shape of a camel from Africa Valley!

A real camel for tourists to ride

Love Valley - don't you think they look like.....  asparagus



Mt Nemrut

Sunset from Mt Nemrut