A great breakfast and in the light of day still a great setting. The sky is blue and yet again we are lucky as it only stopped raining two days ago. After catching up on a few housekeeping duties it was time to head for the beach. The walk down was fairy tale pretty. Set inside a deep shaded valley that runs directly to the sea you pass by the ruins of the old Lycian city. As you reach the beach you can spot fortresses along the cliff tops that were built in the middle ages by the Venetians, Genoese and Rhodeans.
The long pebble be
ach is situated on a curved bay and you can get some shelter from the sun by sitting at the base of the limestone cliffs. The water was warm and I can imagine that it would be a top place in the heat of summer. Tony and I are maintaining peak fitness by swimming a few hundred metres. The difficult part is when you exit the water because the bank is steep and made of pebbles. Tony looked like he had been washed ashore after he took an eternity to get out.The others decided to head back to the tree houses while I went exploring the ruins. I felt like a modern day Indiana Jones as the ruins appear undiscovered among wild grapevines, bay trees, wild figs and pine trees. I followed the right side of a stream listening to the birds and fogs without anybody in sight. There was an old Roman theatre, baths, necropolis and tombs. After all this effort a rest was in order so back to the others I trudged.
After dinner tonight we embarked on a tour to Chimaera which is also known as the Burning Rock. It is basically a cluster of flames that blaze spontaneously from crevices on the rocky slopes of Mt Olympos. The site is the stuff of legends and it is not difficult to see why.
Ancient peoples attributed these extraordinary flames to the breath of a monster – part lion, part goat and part dragon. The tour did not get off to a good start as when we arrived our driver gave us a torch that emitted a beam no greater than a firefly and pointed us to a path and said only one kilometre. He omitted to mention that the route was steep, uneven and rocky.
When we finally reached the site there were about 20 flames burning from various areas. The gas just seeps out of the earth and bursts into flame upon contact with the air. We loitered in this ethereal place for about ten minutes before starting the treacherous descent.
By now our torches were hardly casting any light and we were lucky that the moon was full to help guide us down. Unfortunately, the path was so bad that Alice fell twice and bruised herself badly. The only saving grace that no body parts were sprained or broken. I hope she does not go to the doctor as I might be charged with wife bashing. Tony and Julie fared little better, in the fading light of their torch they missed the path and ended up going through the bush to get down. Overall it is an impressive site best done at night but you need to be prepared for the trip. A little more information prior to departing would have helped.
Monday 25th October – Antalya
Our stay at www.bayrams.com was great and all of us would have no trouble chilling out here for a few more days. A lazy morning of packing our bags and we will be off on another couple of buses to Antalya where we will stay in the old area of Kaleici which is a virtually vehicle free district.
The bus trip from Olympos to Antalya takes about one hour and travels over mountain ranges as well as hugging the coastline.
After being deposited at the Otogar (bus terminal) we jumped into a taxi for the last leg of the trip. The driver must have thought he was competing in the world rally as he ducked and weaved his way through the traffic. In no time flat we arrived at the Kaleici Lodge Hotel which is a converted Ottoman House. This is probably the best accommodation that we have stayed in so far in Turkey. One drawback is that we are about 50 metres from the local mosque which could have implications when the call to prayer is blasted out from the loudspeakers attached atop the minaret.
Alice and Julie have decided to check out the local bazaar in search of long lost treasures, handbags and shoes. Tony and I thought we would accompany them for a change. We lasted all of 15 minutes as by that time they had only traversed 20 metres of shop front.
Leaving them to their own devices we went exploring the labyrinth of the old town. You can easily get lost as you walk down and around the narrow cobblestone streets which are bordered by many fine Ottoman houses. We ended up down at the old harbour where local boys were diving off the rocks and the tourists sporting the latest swimming wear lounged on sun beds at the small beach. Dodging a few touts who tried to persuade us to take a last minute cruise on the bay at a very special price we escaped to the serenity of a harbour bar and downed a couple of Efes beers.
The girls returned and regaled us with the wonders that they had seen and the courage they displayed when passing up the trinkets that had been paraded before them. They did weaken slightly and managed to relieve some store owners of their wares. The store owners in Antalya they encountered are more aggressive than anywhere else so far in Turkey. It is difficult to even leave a shop once you have entered and some are quite rude if you don't buy. They must get a lot of German and Dutch tourists as the first greeting is always in those languages. This may or may not explain the aggressive selling tactics.
After dark we went for a walk along the waterfront and had dinner at an inexpensive restaurant overlooking the water. The food was not exceptional but the service and the view were excellent. Our waiter managed to tempt us with a glass of Raki, the traditional spirit of Turkey. It has a aniseed taste reminiscent of Ouzo but slightly better. It is best drunk when mixed with water which gives it a cloudy alkaseltzer appearance. I'm still under the weather so Alice my loving wife has taken me home to nurse me. Tony and Julie the party animals stopped at a local bar and listened to a local singer playing great songs until 1.00am.
Tuesday 26th October – Noisy Mosque
Six a clock already, I was just in the middle of a dream, I was kissing Valentino .....is all I could get to in this old Bangles classic when the loudspeakers of the nearby mosque started the morning prayer. Our sleep was shattered by 100 decibels of prayer that continued for what seemed forever but in reality was about five minutes. We did manage a little more sleep before going down for breakfast in the shaded garden area of the hotel.
The girls wanted to take Tony and I shopping for male fashion garments so we relented and joined the madding crowd. They settled on a store that had all the big names proudly displayed on dummies, not Tony and David.
I have to admit that they have good taste as we looked like fashion models decked out in the latest numbers from Ralph Lauren, Tommy Hilfiger (or is that half finger) and Armani. After being relieved of a substantial sum of Turkish Lira we headed for the harbour looking for respite in a bottle of Efes.
We all needed a rest before dinner except Julie who continued to seek out the bargains. Over dinner we started chatting to a Norwegian who casually remarked that on Wednesday there was a market which is frequented by the locals. This immediately piqued the girls interest and before long they had cajoled our waiter into writing down the directions and what stop they would need on the tram.
Wednesday 27th October – Market Day
Another blast from the minaret speakers brought us straight out of our slumber. Fortified by a hardy breakfast we made our way to the tramway and purchased our tickets for the trip.
It wasn't hard to determine which direction to walk as there was a throng of people with all manner of baskets heading towards a large covered building. The ground floor was for fruit and veges and they were doing a roaring trade. The pumpkins were so large that Alice had to take a photo.
The next floor reminded me of a scene from a movie where all the stock brokers are in a frenzy on the stock market floor buying and selling the latest dot com stock. This really got the girls juices flowing and they leaped into the fray in search of bargains.
Tony and I soon lost them among the seething wave of humanity that was surging through the aisles. We soldiered on, inspecting a few items and left the arena after being battered by strollers and elbowed by bargain hungry Turkish matriarchs. Luckily we had prearranged a meeting point and time so we adjourned to this haven to lick our wounds and take solace in a cup of tea.
Dead on time the girls triumphantly appeared weighed down with all manner of apparel. There was so much booty that they quickly decided that Julie needed to buy another suitcase. I looked after the goods as they went back in for another round of shopping. They emerged with the said suitcase plus a few, just in case, extra items.
When we returned to Kaleici I decided to try another Turkish bath and massage in an effort to shake off some of the lethargy I was feeling as a result of the cold.
I settled on a 700 year old hamam which offered the works for only 35TL. I entered the sacred domain of men where no women are allowed (a bit like the Tattersals club) and was amazed by all the white marble. I sat down on the marble seat, my modesty protected by a skimpy Turkish towel and started ladling myself like an old pro from the marble basin at my side. It was soon my turn and I was summoned to lie down on the marble bench where I took all they could give like a man.
After being washed , scrubbed, peeled and shampooed I made my way to the massage room. I can tell you that there is nothing exciting about being massaged and oiled by a balding, middle aged Turkish man who is clothed in only a towel and plastic sandals. The massage however was excellent and we worked out a few knots from my shoulders.
Emerging from the hamam feeling clean and relaxed the first person I saw was Julie with Tony in tow. She was on her way to another store to finalise her Antalya purchases which by now as you have read is substantial. Alice is not to far behind.
After the excitement of today we are resting up and enjoying a few wines before we catch a taxi to the Otogar. Once there we will board a 10.00pm overnight bus (10 hours) for the town of Goreme in the area of Cappadocia. I doubt that the trip will be like Paul Kelly's song – from St Kilda to Kings Cross spent 10 hours on a Greyhound bus. Time will tell and the result will be promulgated in tomorrow's edition.
Thursday 28th October – Fairy Chimneys
Alice who moonlights as a pharmacist was able to purchase some sleeping tablets to assist us on our journey north. After dropping one pill each we could not even stifle a yawn so another one made the journey into our bloodstream. This had the desired effect and we managed a few hours sleep. When I say we this does not include Julie who can sleep anywhere.
She managed six hours sleep and would have gotten eight if the bus had not stopped for rest breaks. Overall the journey was not too strenuous given the horrendous stories that we have heard. The roads were in good condition, the driver excellent and the bus slightly more comfortable than economy class on Emirates.
The bus pulled over a hill just before 7.00am and there below us was the village of Goreme set amid cones and pinnacles of volcanic tuff.
After being dropped at the bus station we hired a taxi to take us to our hotel (www.kelebekhotel.com) which was a mere five minutes away. The challenge was getting all of our luggage into the taxi which we managed by placing bags on our laps. The taxi driver quipped “are you sure there are only four passengers”. Given that it was only 7.30 we knew our rooms would not be ready however the management kindly stored our bags and let us sit and have
breakfast on the terrace.While we were sitting there Alice counted 36 balloons that had launched for their early morning flights. It was quite spectacular and looked like the mountains were giving birth to all these balloons. By 11.00 am we had been allocated our rooms with Tony and Julie upgraded for one night to the presidential suite. You could probably play a game of cricket in there but Julie had her mind set on running a bath and drowning herself in a sea of bubbly foam. I would hazard a guess that Tony will be in a loin cloth feeding her grapes.
Our room (No. 17 can be viewed on the website) is a cave room with plenty of space and a huge patio which overlooks the village. The one thing that is missing, as it has been at every other hotel in Turkey, is a bar fridge to keep our beer cold.
Everyone is still a little tired from the bus trip so it is a little shut eye before we venture out for an afternoon walk.
Feeling refreshed we walked downtown for a late light lunch and to check out tour prices. At the bus terminal we were approached by a Turkish tour operator whom Tony had befriended when we arrived this morning. After some wheeling and dealing with this Arthur Daley of Turkey we had booked a hot air balloon flight for an unbelievably low price of 100 Euro and an all day tour for 70TL. This was about 55 Euro cheaper than the price quoted by our hotel. All Arthur had to do was deliver and as we had paid only a deposit we were not too concerned.
A little light rain cut short our exploration but we did manage to find a market that sold beer and carried a range of the local drop. Early to bed as we have a 5.00am wake up call.
Friday 29th October – Up, Up and Away
At 3.00am there had been a big thunderstorm followed by torrential rain so we were not sure if there would be any flights. We are all awake and standing at the front of the Kelebek Hotel with the other faithful who have booked flights with other companies. I'm not sure if the local dogs are devout Muslims because when the 5.45 call to prayer commenced they all began to howl as if there lives were in danger.
One by one the other balloon riders were picked up by various operators until only we were left standing on the pavement in the early morning light. When we had all just about given up hope Turkish Arthur pulled up in his mini van.
A short drive downtown and he pulled up outside a building and disappeared inside for what seemed an eternity. Our doubts were beginning to grow like a Kimberley king tide but he emerged with another tourist in tow. Turned out he had fallen back to sleep and they were trying to wake him. After introductions it turned out that John was an Aussie (all was forgiven) from Shorncliffe in Brisbane.
Another bumpy short ride through a few fields and we were at our launch site. It did not take us long to figure out that Turkish Arthur had changed companies and we were now flying with www.ezairballoons.com
This turned out to be in our favour as there were only nine passengers which included Turkish Arthur and his wife. These guys were really professional and despite being the last people to be picked up we were the second balloon airborne.
Our pilot soon had us drifting slowly above the fairy chimneys at a height where you could almost reach down and touch them. The wind took us over the Rose and Pigeon valleys and close to the towns of Uchisar and Urgup. The fields were laid out like a well organised patchwork quilt. Just on an hour the pilot landed us gently on the trailer in a perfect landing. I immediately dashed for the sanctuary of an olive tree before I could enjoy the celebratory glass of champagne.
Back at the hotel we dashed down a quick breakfast before heading off on the full day Green Tour which set us back 70TL.
Our first stop was a photo opportunity which gave us a wonderful panorama of the Goreme valley. Our guide told us that approximately 400 Christian churches have been discovered in the area as the landscape allowed them to hide and escape persecution from the Romans.
Back into the mini bus for a thirty minute drive to the underground city of Derinkuyu. During the 6th and 7th centuries the Persian an Arabic armies set off to vanquish the Christians, beacons were lit and the warning could travel from Jerusalem to Constantinople in hours. When the warning reached Cappadocia, the Byzantine Christians would escape into secret tunnels leading to vast underground cities.
Some 10000 people lived in Derinkuyu spending months at a time down there. This city had seven levels and we went down about 65 metres to about the fifth level. The narrow walkways lead you into the depths of the earth, through stables with handles used to tether animals, churches with altars, walls with air circulation holes and blackened kitchens with ovens.
A change of pace for our next activity as we are going for a four kilometre hike in the Ihlara Valley which is southeast of Aksaray. We are only walking a small section of this 13 km valley which scythes its way through stubby fields. Descending 360 knee jarring steps down from the tourist facility we bottomed out next to a captivating little church with great frescoes.
The valley was a favourite retreat for Byzantine monks who cut churches into the base of the towering cliffs. We followed the river which snakes between piles of boulders and a sea of greenery of Pistachio and Poplar trees which rang with birdsong. All too soon our walk ended but we were still able to admire the scenery as we lunched at the Belisirma restaurant perched on the bank of the river.
A short drive brought us to the Selime monastery which is an astonishing rock-cut structure incorporating a vast kitchen, church with a gallery and a chapel. The church had beautifully carved columns and vaults. Tony and I gave a stirring rendition of Amazing Grace which the other tourists stopped to listen to. Alice said the acoustics were so good that even I sounded credible. The fairy chimneys opposite the monastery were apparently used in one of the star wars movies.
A drive of 80km brought us to our penultimate stop which was a view of Pigeon Valley. It was named this because until recently the villagers used to keep pigeons in small caves. The droppings were used for fertilizer and as a base for the artwork used in the many churches.
The last stop was the normal trap for tourists and this time it was an Onyx factory where jewelry was manufactured. You don't have to guess who the last person out was? With a major storm brewing we headed back into town. On arrival in Goreme we were greeted with a blackout and teeming rain. I volunteered to purchase some liquid refreshments and then trudged uphill to the hotel. After a hot shower, wine, beer and a light meal it was off to bed for a well deserved rest.
Saturday 30th October – Open Air Museum
Another overcast day and as Tony who is never right has predicted rain we will venture forth to the world heritage listed Goreme Open Air Museum. The museum is an essential stop on any Cappadocian itinerary and deserves a long visit.
This site is a cluster of rock-cut churches, chapels and monasteries. As it is a Turkish long weekend there are hundreds of visitors all vying to enter the small churches, blocking the light and taking flash pictures. You follow a cobbled path which leads to all the churches. It pays to invest another 5TL for the audio tour to gain a better understanding of all the frescoes that are displayed within the churches.
Some of the churches we visited included St Basil, Apple, Chapel of St Barbara, Snake and Sandal. There is also a large refectory with a long dining table with rock-cut benches and holes for candles. The most famous church is the stunning fresco filled Dark Church.
It costs extra to enter and this is due to a costly renovation and an attempt to keep numbers down which in the lo
ng run will preserve the frescoes. When you exit the museum you can visit the Tokali Kilise (Buckle Church) which is about 50 metres down the hill. This is one of Goreme's biggest and finest churches with an underground chapel and fabulous frescoes painted in a narrative style which portray the life of Christ.We had a short rest in the afternoon before heading off for an early evening cultural event called the Whirling Dervishes. The dance took place in a cavern and follows a mystical form of Islam. The performance represents a union with God and is like a rebirthing to reach a higher level with God.
For us the performance was interesting but a little boring. Afterwards we adjourned to a local restaurant where we indulged in a local dish called Cappadocian clay pot kebab. A casserole of various ingredients is sealed in a clay pot and then baked in the oven. The waiter breaks the seal and sometimes the pot at your table. The food was absolutely fabulous.
Sunday 31st October – Cooking and Walking
Alice and Julie have headed off for a spot of Turkish cooking at a local lady's house. The first thing they noticed was how spotless the kitchen and house were. They learned how to prepare and cook lentil soup, dolmade, stuffed capsicum and a desert called "aside". After cooking the meals they both had the pleasure of eating their creations. The verdict was a definite thumbs up.
Tony and I decided that we needed a no cost option that helped remove the ever growing calories we have been accumulating around our girth as a result of the Efes beer. We ended up walking the Love, Zemi, Red and Rose valleys.
The first valley entered was the Love Valley and it was not long before we stood erect on the summit of a small hill. Surrounding us were stacks of fairy chimneys up to 40 metres in height with conical shapes and are topped by caps of harder rock resting on pillars of softer rock. Depending on your perspective they either look like over sized mushrooms or giant phalluses, hence the name Love Valley.Zemi valley was adjacent so we followed the gravel road which is popular with quad bikes past several farms. There were a number of flat grassy locations that would have made good camping spots. We called it quits when the track became to wet and boggy and returned back to the main road.
After a refreshing cup of apple tea we made tracks for the Red and Rose valleys. One track led us up a narrow winding gorge where hardly any sunlight penetrated. We scrambled up a couple of vertical rock faces using the hand holds that had been gouged into the rock. We turned back when the going became too tough even for a couple of old Inala boys.
Over in the next valley there were sections fenced off where farmers were growing a range of vegetables including a small plot of Marijuana plants. We had visions of the old movie Midnight Express which was set in a Turkish prison so we left the area and headed back into town for lunch. Our estimate was that we had accomplished about 10 km of walking.
Just as we were about to start eating the girls sauntered by armed with cash for another assault on the shops. They are in good spirits as they have found a shop with fixed prices that is substantially cheaper than all the others. Tony and I said that we would purchase a few drinks and that they could join us on our patio after shopping. A relaxing time was had by all but as the sun disappeared we adjourned inside to escape the cold.
Our last Cappadocia evening was spent at a restaurant called Fat Boys. The owners are a Turkish husband and Australian wife who met here while she was pack packing in the 90's. Tony and I opted for a home made meat pie with chips which we drowned in tomato sauce. A hamburger with chips for Alice and nachos for Julie rounded off a typical Aussie pub lunch. We all must be missing home - the meals were delicious.
Monday 1st November – Back to Istanbul
Woke early this morning to another beautiful day. Outside our window the sky is alive with colorful balloons hovering over the ridges and fairy chimneys in the valley. One was so close I could nearly reach out and shake hands with the passengers. After breakfast I had a chat with a blind American. I knew he was blind because he asked Tony if he was my son. Now I have to listen to Tony calling me "Dad" and him on our last trip being recognised as a Vietnam veteran. What a way to finish your last morning in Cappadocia!
Our 10.00 pickup for the airport has arrived and we are really sad to be leaving this enchanting place. As we pulled out of Goreme we could see in the distance a single snow capped mountain towering above all the others. It reminded us of pictures that we had seen of Mt Fuji in Japan.
The flight on Turkish Airlines went smoothly and they did not question the over weight luggage that Julie and Tony were trying to smuggle on board. We picked up our luggage and were soon on our prearranged pickup to the Ararat Hotel.
We were all looking forward to staying here as the location is across the road from the Blue Mosque and we were paying top Euro for the privilege.
It never pays to have high expectations as only one of our rooms was available and the manager tried to pass it off. All that was available was a small standard room which Tony aptly described as being like the “Big Tiger” gaol cells in Vietnam or smaller than Chopper Reid's gaol cell. It was a huge letdown which prompted them to look for another hotel. Alice and I were also disappointed as the room although clean is tired and rundown. To put it simply we are all slightly pissed and after even a quick look around, there are plenty of better establishments with spare rooms at this time of year for the same money.
After we stowed our luggage it was time to hit a bar to drown our sorrows. The Efes and wine was flowing freely so we thought it was prudent to have something to eat. Tony struck up a conversation,as he always does, with a couple of Swiss matrons and soon had them laughing with tales of William Tell and his arch enemy Gessler.
The waiter in an effort to keep us there gave everyone except Alice (bad seating position) a five minute massage. It worked as we ended up with a bill of 190TL. Back at the hotel I was awoken from my deep sleep by the sound of drums. I eventually worked out that there had been a performance at the bazaar across the road which luckily finished at 11.00pm.
Tuesday 2nd November – The Bosphorus
After a really good night's sleep I hit the shower hoping that it would be at least lukewarm. In fact it was scalding but the only problem was that I could not keep the knob up that diverts the water from the tap to the shower. I looked a little ridiculous soaping myself up with one hand and holding a little knob in the other.
We had a nice breakfast on the terrace overlooking the sea and the bottomless cups of tea and coffee went down well. A giant seagull who looked like it was on steroids watched us silently hoping we would drop some scraps for it. The internet is handy as I found out the winner of the Melbourne Cup was Americain who is a northern hemisphere horse. One of my regular TransLink complainants an elderly spinster named Rita Malone predicted that a horse from the north would win.
Tony and Julie moved their bags to the new hotel which is significantly better. As a group we decided to head down to the Marmara Sea and take a stroll along the boardwalk as far as the Galata Bridge which crosses the Golden Horn.
Along the way we could see the remnants of the old city wall which is in tact for quite a distance. Out on the water there was a pod of dolphins which were close to shore chasing what appeared to be a school of bait fish. Old gnarled Turkish fishermen lined the bank spinning for fish. One fellow was particularly good as he caught a couple of garfish in short time. A large fishing trawler heading for home steamed past and was being trailed by hundreds of squawking seagulls.
On arrival at the quay we were quickly accosted by a salesman offering a two hour Bosphorus cruise for 20TL. As this was something we wanted to do he had an easy sale.
Our boat departed from the Golden Horn. Tony and I could not help but think of the iconic Brisbane hairdresser, Raymond who invented the hairstyle which will never come back the Merino Horn.
The boat followed the European shoreline and we cruised at a leisurely pace past old palaces, mosques, naval submarines and a flotilla of watercraft. Along the shore there were hordes of fishermen trying their luck in the briny and people sitting in restaurants enjoying the view.
Our boat turned around at the second bridge called the Faith Sultan Mehmet. Just before the bridge the majestic structure of Rumeli Hisari (Fortress of Europe) looms over a small village. It was built in a mere four months during 1452 by Rumeli for Mehmet the Conquerer for his planned siege of Constantinople. The location is the narrowest point of the Bosphorus. Clever fellows!
We followed the Aisan shoreline back to the Golden Horn and passed a number of well preserved, frilly Ottoman-era wooden houses. These were summer houses built by the aristocracy in the 17th,18th and 19th centuries. A great little cruise which could be enhanced by having a hop on and hop off function so you could admire some of the sites at closer quarters.
As this holiday inevitably centres around our gastronomical delights I take great pleasure in telling you about an Istanbul institution – The Fish Sandwich. When we exited our cruise boat we happened upon a boat moored to the shore that had a smoky cooker fired up and loaded with fish fillets. The quick cooked fish is crammed into a quarter loaf of fresh bread and served with lettuce and onion. It set us back a mere 4TL and even I, who does not usually eat fish, declared it delicious.
As we came closer to the Galata Bridge there were loads of fish sandwich sellers. After crossing the bridge we came across a fish market selling live fish and I did notice some salmon going for 10TL a kilo. There were also a number of basic seafood restaurants doing a brisk trade and we may venture back here another day.
Public transport was looking good for our return back to Sultanahmet so we boarded a public tram that soon had us back in familiar surroundings. The girls checked out a leather shop whilst Tony and I whiled away our time street watching and sipping on a very expensive beer. The girls came out empty handed which was a pleasant surprise. We had a quick look in one of the sections of he Blue Mosque before heading back to the hotel.
We met up with Tony and Julie for dinner just after 7.00pm. Once again we ran the gauntlet of head waiters who all but drag you into their restaurants. Tony is always very polite as he explains that we are just looking and may come back later, not! The rest of us just tend to ignore the banter, in a polite way, by walking straight past.
Ended up settling on a place that offered a large beer, doner kebab, chips, rice and salad for 15TL. The girls managed to swap the beer for wine and the waiter was great saying no problem. A lot cheaper than last night with a bill of only 86TL. No nightcaps tonight as we are all a little tired after all that walking today.
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