Our tour today was to the ancient city of Ephesus. We went through the gates at around 10.00am with hordes of other people. Apparently there were a couple of cruise ships in. The site has been excavated and restored for about 100 years and as a result there is plenty to see. Just outside the main entrance is the tomb of Luke the Evangelist. Inside the gates is the Odeon which was basically a Council Hall where political issues were discussed. There are so many aspects to Ephesus that it would take ages to write about.
In summary we saw the temple of Hadrian, Fountain of Trajan, Gymnasium Baths, Library of Celsus and The Great Theatre. One interesting aspect was the Roman mens toilets. Nice little slots cut into the marble and once the business was done it was taken away by running water. Apparently the wealthy Romans would bring along a slave to warm up the cold marble so that they could enjoy a comfortable sitting. The 125000 seat theatre has been host to great singers including Tom Jones, Frank Sinatra, Sting and Tony Aitchinson.
After a fantastic lunch it was off to a leather factory where they put on a fashion show in an attempt to lure some Turkish Lira from the hip pockets of gullible tourists. I sat out in the car park and when Alice returned with the news that she had purchased a beautiful red jacket I could not have be
en happier.Our next stop was the home of the Virgin Mary. There is no definite proof that she spent her last days here but there are strong indicators that she did. The Catholics and Muslim faiths however do recognize the site and as a result many pilgrims travel here. A baptismal pool was discovered in 1961 which is not far from the church which has been reconstructed on this site. There were many people at the site and our guide had to restrain the many pensioners who caused a stampede when they saw the church. You would have thought they were going to expire before they could get inside.
Outside the church there is a fresh water spring that is supposed to have been blessed and once again there was a mad crush to get to this potent elixir. I managed to fill my water bottle and will see if it has an impact on my receding hair line. There is also a wishing wall. You write a note on a piece of paper and stuff it into the wall amongst the thousands of other notes. It is like a miniature version of the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem.
Next stop was the Temple of Artemis which was recognized as one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. These days there is a big hole, a few building blocks and a column where this great temple once stood. You just have to use your imagination.
A riot nearly occurred as our mini van made the turn into a carpet factory. It was a unanimous decision and our driver who also did not wish to go in quickly turned around and took us back into town. He joined the majority of us in the consumption of a few beers in the local cafe/park.
After 100 TL of beers we adjoined to the terrace of his hotel for further relaxation. It was an impromptu event which we all enjoyed over more beer, wind and some take away Turkish Pide (pizza). To make it a memorable evening we also had a small earthquake that registered about 3.5 on the Richter scale.
Tuesday 12th October – Happy Anniversary
Today Tony and Julie celebrate their 8th wedding anniversary. The weather is overcast and we are getting some intermittent showers. We have nothing planned for today so we can relax, as if we are not already, and take it easy by browsing around Selcuk.
We had a nice little lunch of “Gozleme” which is spinach, cheese and potato wrapped in a flat Turkish bread. The venue was Ali Baba's restaurant and our delicious meal was coked by Mrs Baba. Ali drives all the guests of the ANZ guesthouse around the town and to local sites. I suspect that he does all right because many of them end up in his carpet shop around the corner. Nevertheless you can't help but like him.
Alice and I then
ventured off for a look at the Basilica of St. John. According to the literature this church would have been the 7th largest in the world if it was still active today. St John's tomb, today, is marked by a simple marble slab. We were going out for dinner to celebrate Tony and Julie's anniversary but ended up on our rooftop terrace swilling a few beers and wines. Tony brought out the guitar and he and Mike entertained us for a few hours on the rooftop. A little reminiscent of the Beatles. Words for the music came from Chris's (Mike's wife) laptop. Ah the marvels of technology! Ernie and Leslee from Tasmania entertained us with some jive dancing. To ward off the hunger the girls ventured down to Ali Baba's and ordered takeaway. It was a good night and Tony and Mike were really in the zone.
Wednesday 13th September – Hierapolis
Up bright and early today as we are leaving our guest house for a three hour trip to Pamukkale to visit the famous Travertines.
It is hard to describe the way that the calcium cliffs shine in the sun but it is like the mountains are covered in snow. The ruins of Hierapolis evoke what life was like in the early centuries where Romans, Jews, Christians and Pagans. The whole area was set up like a modern day spa where people came for health cures from the hot sulphuric pools. The whole site is covered in ruins. Sites include the temple of Apollo, Byzantine Church, a 12,000 seat Roman Theatre, museum and the famous antique pool where Cleopatra had a bit of a dalliance with Mark Anthony. There is also an octagonal Martyrium of St Philip the Apostle built on the site where it is believed St Philip was martyred.
We decided to pay 25 TL for a swim in the antique pool where you can bathe amid submerged sections of original fluted marble columns. The water temperature is a languid 36 degrees. Tony felt that he was a bit like Richard Burton who starred in the 60's movie “Cleopatra”. I on the other hand felt like I was in a busy watery scrum as hordes of overweight Russian men and women competed for seats on the submerged columns. They say you will feel ten years younger after a swim here. I never looked so good! To finish off our time here we took a magic carpet ride. You will have to wait for the video on this one.
At 4.00pm we transferred to a mini bus so we could catch our bus to Fethiye which will take about 4.5 hours. In the bus park a young American couple were throwing a Frisbee which caused great amusement among the staff working at the bus station. They joined in and had a tremendous time throwing a piece of plastic. I think they were a little sad when it was time for the bus to depart.
It wasn't long before we started to get a little rain as our very cramped midi bus took on the mountains surrounding Pamukkale. As usual the bus driver was excellent however the WC at our first stop has lived up to the norm. The girls are tired of having to pay 1 TL for a squat toilet with no toilet paper. They reckon that they should not have to pay for inferior ablutions but I guess it keeps someone employed. It might be a good program for those who never want to enter the workforce in Australia!
We finally arrived at the bus station at around 9.30pm and I did a quick walk around to ascertain if our pre-booked hotel had sent someone to pick us up. Alas, nobody was there so we decided to have a Doner Kebab to ward off the munchies. After our feed we found a taxi and made our way to the hotel for a well earned rest. There were a few young ones having some drinks at the bar and one girl had a laugh that you get when you have had one too many drinks. You know the sound, just like fingernails scraping across a blackboard. Fortunately, we were too tired for it to be a problem but I did hear of a few complaints in the morning.
Thursday 14th October – Fethiye
After a reasonably good nights sleep at the V-Go Guest House we awoke to gray skies and intermittent rain. I guess the weather in Turkey has finally caught up with us. We pondered about what we could do in this inclement weather, Shopping! No, that would be too easy. W did what eve5yone who comes to Turkey should do, indulge yourself at a Turkish Haman.
We organized a pickup from our hotel and were soon on the other side of Fethiye sitting down discussing what sort of treatment we would have. All of us decided on the traditional Turkish bath with an extra thirty minute massage and a face pack for the girls. It wasn't long and we were all sporting our sarongs with our togs underneath in a very hot sauna.
When we couldn't take the heat any longer Tony and I went into the wash house to receive our punishment whilst Alice and Julie had their face packs applied. Tony was the first one to be laid out on the marble slab and seemed to enjoy (just kidding) the slap across his buttocks that his burly Turkish male body scrubber gave him.
After a good scrubbing Tony received a liberal dousing of water to remove all the dead skin from his body. He then moved over to the washing side of the slab where another Turkish man was ready to give him a good wash. They really froth up the suds and it is like soft bubbles landing on your skin when they start.
After a through wash you are given a good soaking before they start on shampooing your hair. I don't think Tony has ever been so clean! Meanwhile Julie and Alice appeared looking like extras from the Mel Gibson movie “Braveheart”. After the face mask was removed they both looked years younger not that they have aged that much.
The massage that we had later was of a high quality and left us all feeling relaxed. At about $40 each this was a great way to while away a few rainy hours.
While I was watching the Turkish CNN in the cool down area of the Haman they reported severe flooding and mudslides in the town of Bursa which is not far from Istanbul. The majority of Turkey at the moment is in the grip of this severe weather depression. Hopefully, we will be able to enjoy the next few days as this area has a lot to offer.
After a good lunch of Lentil soup, pide, doner kebab and beer Tony and I headed back to our hotel for a number of beers, Along the way we passed the fish market where you can buy a fish and then ask the local restaurant to cook it up for you. The cost is 5 TL which also includes a salad. Not a bad way to have a fresh fish dinner. The girls mean while have decided to do what they do best, SHOP!
The girls finally returned from their expedition at around 6.30pm. Julie was clutching a new leather Jimmy Choo handbag and there were even presents for Tony and David. We decided to stay in and partake of the house barbecue dinner which incidentally was delicious.
After dinner there was a hive of activity with the owners gift wrapping heaps of shirts. The girls had also noticed them doing this the night we arrived. It looked like they were running a clothing export business after dark. Alice and Julie could not contain themselves and needed to know what was going on. They pulled over a staff member who explained that the owner and his Belgian girlfriend of 10 years were getting married and these were presents for the 1000 guests that would be attending the upcoming nuptials. The wedding will go for three days and they can accomplish this without the help of a wedding planner. Good luck to them.
Most of you would know that between us we have six unmarried daughters. Alice and Julie thought that our young Turkish barman and jack of all trades, Caesar, might be a good catch for one of these girls. The only photograph available was one of Telissa which impressed him no end. We assured him that all the girls were “beauties” and worth at least forty camels.
Friday 15th October – 12 Island Tour and Scuba Diving
No need to play the Carpenters “Rainy Days and Mondays” as we have woken up to some blue skies which will hopefully last. We even managed to have a hot shower before heading down to breakfast.
I caught the local mini bus down to the wharf and joined Mermaid Diving for the day. The cost was 80 TL including lunch and all gear. The boat was nice and big with plenty of room for sunbathing as well as gearing up. Our first dive was called Three Tunnels and involved swimming through some narrow caves and rock fissures. The visibility was good and there was a reasonable variety of Mediterranean reef fish.
We did not have our second dive until about 3.30pm which meant that it was a little colder. This dive was not as good as the first as there was not much to see as we swam about 200 metres along a rock wall. The most prolific sea creature I saw was a Fire Worm which looks remarkably like a centipede and will give you a nasty sting if touched. The boat pulled into the quay at 5.30pm and I headed home for a beer.
The 12 Island tourists reported back at 6.00pm and advised that they had perfect weather and a brilliant day. The following is an extract from Alice's diary and verbatim I will quote it: “left the harbour with gray skies ahead but we are hopeful and it paid off. Only a few drops fell and it seemed that we were chasing the clouds away, motoring into sunshine and watching the scenery as we went. First swim stop we all dived in for a refreshing swim as we were told by the barman/crew member that no swim, no lunch.
Then it was off to a lunch location. We were given a lunch ticket depending on what we chose fish or chicken. Tony took his ticket for a swim (he is such a blond) so it was lost somewhere in the Mediterranean. He was told (jokingly) that this was a big problem - no ticket, no lunch.
Stop three was another swim at Flat Island in the idyllic waters. Stop four another swim and meet the locals on Red Island which is also known as Rabbit Island. No prizes for guessing who the locals were. They were well trained too as they came down to greet the boats. A very relaxing day.”
This evening we traipsed off to dinner with a Canadian couple, Paul and Cindy, to try out a cheap feed on a boat that is moored at the waterfront. The setting was basic but very relaxing which was right up my alley.
They have been raving about the fried Anchovies so we ordered three plates of the little suckers. Now they were not the Coles supermarket style, full of salt and only suitable for a caesar salad or pizza, they were crispy and quite edible. Tony however left a plate full of tails.
The fish and chips that followed were a bit ordinary but the beers were cheap. We finished off with a drink at a nightclub where they were playing a good mix of music. Sitting next to us was a mother, daughter combination that Julie thought were on the game.
The younger one had a fake tan, boob job, hair in a blond ballroom style, bleached white teeth, white mini dress and white accessories. To put it simply she was a fake but Mum was an even bigger fake, a cougar on the make, mutton dressed up as lamb.
Saturday 16th October – Thunder in the Sky
Woke this morning to the sound of thunder and dark forbidding skies. At breakfast the heavens opened up and the rain pelted down. Around 10.00am the weather cleared so we decided to try and find the Fethyie Museum.
After a few wrong turns and wandering around several back streets dodging puddles and barking dogs we found the museum. Three Turkish Lira gained us entry into this small but well laid out museum. There are some good archaeological exhibits from the Lycians who dwelled in this area from about 1000 BC to 300 BC when Alexander The Great conquered them. There was also a collection of artifacts from the Hellenistic and Roman periods.
We then proceeded uphill to try and find the Lycian Tombs. It did not take long before we came across these old tombs that had been carved into the limestone rock. They must have been prominent men as the view was stupendous. The carving was reminiscent of Petra but obviously not of the same scale. I paid 8TL for the privilege while the others paid 4TL for a freshly squeezed orange juice.
On the way down for lunch we passed some very interesting buildings which still had quarters for the family goat. It was so interesting that Julie received a hit in the head from an apple which was thrown over the balcony of a house by an old woman. You could see on her face that she was mortified for not seeing Julie but the language barrier prevented her from apologizing.
We were once again in the main shopping area where Alice and Julie tried the patience of many store owners who endeavoured to tempt them with their wares. After one too many shops Tony and I headed for a bar to have yet another Efes as well as to escape the drizzle that had started up again. It took a couple of minutes to find one that was not full of Turkish men smoking cigarettes and playing backgammon. Eventually, the girls rejoined us and much to our surprise they had not bought too many items.
Julie decided to browse the shops like an internet surfer hooked on Google for a little longer while we headed back to our hotel. We had not gone 100 metres when Tony decided that he needed to pee. There was no man at the WC so he went and relieved himself of a few Efes, On the way out he did the right thing and waited for the man to pay his dues. He handed over 10TL and only received 5TL in change. I could not believe that he had paid the price of nearly two beers for a pee. As Julie says “ no matter what you never get change from the WC. The moral of the story is always carry lose change when you are caught short in Turkey and don't stress when you know that you've been had.
Finished off the day with Tony playing guitar, telling jokes and enjoying another barbecue dinner. Life is good.
Sunday 17th October – Free Falling
Just cannot pick the weather as today the sun is out again and we have beautiful blue skies. The four of us have decided to try a spot of paragliding, you know just run and jump off a cliff. We headed for the small town of Oludeniz which is about 16km southeast of Fethiye.
Our first sight of the beach as we were driving down the mountain reminded of us of paradise. The sheltered crystal blue lagoon is beside a lush national park, a long spit of sandy beach, and Baba Dag (Mt Baba) cas
ting it's shadow across the sea. It is hard to describe the colour of the water but it is like a crystal blue most likely caused by the brilliant white stones that lie beneath the surface. The water is so salty that it was almost impossible to sink. The area is also called the dead sea.We all had enjoyable swims and relaxed on the 17 TL beach chairs which did include an umbrella. We have been entertained all day to the sounds of dance music and the air fest. Some of the novice paragliders have nearly taken out a few pedestrians on the boardwalk while others have crashed into ice cream concessions. The professionals have been performing some amazing stunts such as 25 continuous somersaults. We even had a Birdman who did a base jump from an ultra light and then sped across the sky like superman at 200kmph in his wing suit before opening his parachute just above the beach.
At 4.00pm we headed up to the Gravity Paragliding school for our taste of tandem flying. It wasn't long before we were sitting in the back of a four wheel drive tearing up the slopes of Baba Dag (1960 metres). We traveled for just over 30 minutes through a beautiful national park with ancient pine trees covered in lichen. I think we were more terrified of falling off the mountain and tumbling down that rocky scree face than the impending jump.
Tony was the first brave soul to take a leap of faith and was quickly followed by Julie. Just picture Tony, his knees knocking as he takes a few fateful steps before jumping off a ridge 6000 feet up and then comfortably seated, gracefully drifting over the velvety indigo of the sea and feeling the caress of the breeze on his face while the sun beats down on his wispy blond locks. Julie thought it was a great experience as she reckoned that the G forces removed a few wrinkles.
After I landed we waited patiently, patiently, patiently for Alice to drop out of the sky. I kept looking up hoping that the next parachute would be hers. A little while later the sun had set but it was still light enough to see. I started humming the old Smokie song “Where the Heck is Alice”. I told Julie and Tony to go and have a look at their video of the flight.
It was then that they were informed that Alice's flight was canceled due to a lack of wind and clouds at the jump off point. The other issue was that there were a number of novice paragliders as Oludeniz was hosting an international air fest. Better safe than sorry.
I must admit that I was a little anxious and only relaxed when I saw her smiling face. The team apologized for the delay and gave Alice a free T shirt and us a discount on our photos. They then drove us into Fethiye and recommended that we eat at a local restaurant which supposedly served good food and only had Turkish customers.
The guys also ate there and we are not sure whether they received a kickback or not. Anyway the food was good and reasonably priced. We picked up a mini bus at the front of the restaurant which dropped us at our front door at 10.00pm. It's off to bed because we are all knackered.
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