30th April 2010 - 19th May 2010 - Turkey

What do you want for dinner? Kebab?

So we’ve been in Turkey for just under 3 weeks now and are about to fly to Amsterdam tomorrow morning. Turkey really has felt like a transitional country due to the fact that the food and people would appear to be Asian, but the scenery, lifestyle and cost is much more European! This cross continental mix really adds to the charm of Turkey which is already filled to the brim with attractions such as beautiful Mediterranean beaches, magnificent ruins and architecture and an ancient and modern history that would rival that of any other country in the world. (I have clearly been reading the Lonely Planet a lot, as that spiel sounded like something from a guide book.)

Since writing that first paragraph we are now in Bruge having been to Amsterdam and Gent… I guess I just got lazy… anywhoo back to Turkey…

There’s no real need to go into too much detail about our trip through Turkey, mainly because it all went so smoothly and if you want to read anything historical about the place just use google or visit your local library.

Olympos (not Olympus)

Backgammon - what we did in Turkey

We’ll give a brief run down of our itinerary though. We started in Antalya on the south coast of Turkey on the Mediterranean and made our way along the coast stopping off at various towns along the way. Generally we just spent our time swimming in the sea, drinking tea, eating kebabs, playing backgammon, and eating more kebabs. Olympos was a stand out for me, as it was just a place to not do much at all except relax and swim, however I believe the place would be a nightmare in the summer when hoards and hoards of British pack backers swamp the place. All we had to deal with was the remnants of a large New Zealand Anzac day tour for one night.

Sheena (and sunburnt Brits) on a boat

to Kekova Island

Kekova Island

The Gozleme Boat!

So other than the Mediterranean (where I jumped off lots of boats), we also visited ancient Epheseus with it’s amazing ruins and undertook the mandatory solemn pilgrimage to Gallipoli, (we skipped Troy as from all accounts there is nothing there!).

Sunset in Selcuk - Notice the stone temple above

Sheena's head? That's the last remaining column from

the Artemis Temple, one of the original 7 Wonders of the world.

Epheseus

Anzac Cove, Gallipoli

We stayed in the trendy new area of Istanbul, Beyoglu, rather than the old town where all the sights and the majority of accommodation are. This was not only due to the dirt cheap yet fantastic new hostel we found but also because we were nearer all the night life and restaurants. This worked well for us as we thoroughly explored many restaurants and cafes at night having spent the day a short tram ride away visiting all of Istanbul’s fantastic historic sights such as the Blue Mosque and the amazing Aya Sofia with it‘s stunning mosaics.

Sheena's Baklava photo, Istanbul - possibly the best

photo taken on our trip!

Blue Mosque, Istanbul

Mosaics in the Aya Sofia, Istanbul

The Aya Sofia, Istanbul

So we finished our Asian portion of the trip in Istanbul where the prices are very European. We would definitely like to go back to Turkey as we feel there’s more exploring to be done, especially in the eastern portion of the country where the scenery and outdoor activities are meant to be awesome. We also have a bit of regret having not made the effort to go to Cappadoccia or Gaziantep (180 baklava shops in one town!). Oh well, we can’t do everything…

So now we’re in Europe where we feel like big dags wearing our rumpled clothes with holes in them… Time for a beer.

Cya!

The Blue Mosque as seen from

the Bosphorus

15th April 2010 - 30th April 2010 - Bahrain, Jordan and Syria

The land of meat

Arriving in Bahrain, Sheena really didn’t know what to expect, and I kind of expected a little Dubai. A little Dubai is pretty much it, and although Bahrain doesn’t have a plethora of tourist sights, we still very much enjoyed our stay. This was because we stayed with Sheena’s masi (aunt) and uncle. Deepa masi and Tony uncle spoiled us with food and drove us around over the few days we were there (even chucking a sickie to get some time off work) taking us to the F1 track, and all the way over the causeway to the Saudi Arabia border.

One of the interesting things about Bahrain is the influx of Saudis that flood there over their weekend (Thursday and Friday) so as they can do all the things they’re not allowed to do back in their home country. Masses of men come in their fancy cars, drive really fast, drink lots of booze, and womanise, and it’s for this reason that the Saudis don’t seem to be looked fondly upon. Standing at a viewing tower at the border looking into Saudi Arabia, Sheena and I had the heebie jeebies and it made us so glad we don’t live in a country where such strict and to be honest ridiculous rules apply with horrendous punishments to those who “break” the law. Saudi Arabia will not be on our list of countries to visit anytime soon.

Deepa Masi & Tony Uncle on

the Saudi Arabian border

On the contrary, Jordan is a country that everyone should have on their “must visit” lists. Those who do make it over to Amman, Petra and around will be continuously having the same conversation that goes something like this.

Random Jordanian man: “Where you from?”

Uneasy tourist overly scared of being in a Muslim country: “Australia”

Random Jordanian man: “WELCOME TO JORDAN!”

Then again, if you happen to stay at the Abbasi Palace in Amman, where the owner Nijma treats you like her long lost child she hasn’t seen in 20 years, you will definitely get used to Jordanian hospitality very quickly.

Drenched by the waterfalls in Wadi Mujib

Simon's bowl cut and the obligatory float in the Dead Sea

We visited some fantastic sights in Jordan, such as Wadi Mujib, a fantastic “valley” (really actually a crack in two big rocks) filled with a flowing river and waterfalls and we had the obligatory float in the Dead Sea. Petra of course was well worth the 2 days of exploration, with the sheer size and magnificence of the Treasury being something to behold. Our only problem with Jordan was the transport (or lack there of) and taxi drivers demanding ridiculous amounts a problem found in Syria too. Our only other commentary on Jordan is that we both found it slightly more conservative religious wise than what we expected, and I also found it a little less developed than what I envisaged.

On the contrary, Syria was a lot more developed and lot less conservative (in most parts) than what we expected. With Jordan to the south and Turkey to the north, Syria on initial glance sits somewhere between the two, culturally and development wise.

The Treasury - This is where we totally kicked

some Nazi ass, fought a crusade knight but eventually

lost the Holy Grail when we tried to take it over the sacred seal.

Shame really.

Sheena looking out over the ruins at Petra

Arriving in Syria relatively late, we were just glad to arrive at all, not knowing whether immigration was going to let us in. We had read many stories and heard conflicting information. In the end we got through with relatively little problems, although at a price… We heard so much about the unbelievable hospitality of the Syrian people, however it took us a fair while to experience, with a lot of people treating us with nothing more than indifference with a little bit of hostility (taxi drivers!!!). However upon leaving Damascus, we came across some extraordinarily warm and helpful people whom proved the stories correct.

As one of the oldest if not the oldest continuously inhabited city in the world with fantastic architecture, old streets, and a bustling souq, Damascus and it’s cosmopolitan inhabitants made for a fascinating stay. We stayed in a converted old house with a beautiful courtyard and spent our days wondering the old city eating sweets and occasionally sitting down for a Turkish coffee and a puff on a nargila (shisha). The streets are filled with young girls wearing designer clothes and tight fitting tops walking next to older more conservative Muslims who don’t seem to mind, and amongst everyone are hoards of Iranian pilgrims in very conservative attire who make a pilgrimage to Damascus to visit the mosques where shrines to a specific relative of Mohammad are. We witnessed the power of religion observing the Iranian women uncontrollably weeping around the shrines and kissing everything from the floor to the door handles. We don’t understand that level of devotion, however for them it is obviously an extremely powerful influence in their lives.

Turkish coffee, nargileh, the sounds of prayer

- pretty much sums it up

Fresh strawberry juice on every corner. Yum!

More sweets in damascus.

Famous Bakdash ice-cream

Sheena in her new hoodie

The souq in Damascus

Pretty photo overlooking the Umayyad

Mosque - Damascus

We also visited many ruins in Syria such as Palmyra and Apemea, along with a fantastic castle, Crac de Chavilliers. I won’t go into details because now we’re in Turkey and there a many more Roman ruins to come.

So now we’re in Turkey having withstood an epic 21 hour bus journey from Aleppo (another really old city similar to Damascus) to Antalya, and we’re ready to relax in what could be described as a much easier environment. We have eaten tonnes of tasty food (mainly meat) in the Middle East and drunk plenty of coffee, now it’s time for some Mediterranean beach side relaxation!

Bye!

Ruins at Palmyra

More ruins at Apamea. Pretty wildflowers.

Stuff of Disney dreams. The Crac Des Chevaliers castle.