Day 33 - Istanbul to Kayseri

The pace we established today was, as I was to find out later, the pace at which Ahmet operates and which prevailed for most of the rest of our tour. As intimated yesterday, we were up early to get to the airport, missing breakfast in the process. The Sales Manager and his wife mentioned yesterday, it turned out, were already in Kayseri having caught an earlier flight due to some mix-up in communications and ticketing as arranged by Ahmet - quite funny really as they had arrived in Kayseri expecting to find us there and then had to wait some hours for our arrival. Our Turkish Airlines Boeing 737 was piloted by a female Captain and I'm sad to say she bounced the aircraft upon landing - literally. This is not meant to be a reflection on female pilots but it of course drew some comment from the passengers, not all of it complimentary. Our day in Kayseri started by being driven in our Mercedes minibus, which was to be our mode of transport throughout the rest of the tour, to our hotel, the Hilton in Kayseri. After checking in to our spacious rooms we headed out for a day of sightseeing which included a visit to a former mental hospital, a mosque, a museum of sorts with a series of displays relating to life in Kayseri, the local bazaar where we tasted pastirma and sucuk for the first time and lastly on account of, I suppose anyway, our senior cop we had a visit to Police Headquarters to meet with the Acting Chief Commissioner of Police for the Kayseri region. This was somewhat interesting and set the stage for what was to become common on this tour - the exchange of gifts. We had come prepared having been forewarned at an information evening, and had a backpack full of stuffed koalas, kangaroos and assorted bits of Australiana sourced from Victoria Market in Melbourne. These gifts were to prove strange when compared to what we received in return throughout our journey and was the source of much laughter as we drove from city to city. We lunched at a restaurant that specialised in kofte and also enjoyed the local lentil soup. Lentil soup was to become a regular on our lunch menus throughout Turkey and the local variations all proved interesting and tasty. As part of the tour we were invited to have dinner with a great many "local families" along the way - all part of this intercultural dialogue. What I didn't realise until we set out was just how wealthy most, if not all, of these individuals are. Ahmet had us booked in with local businessmen and high ranking folk who all had in common that they were active supporters of the Gulen movement. This evening we experienced a fantastic dinner at the "summer house" of a gentleman and his family who own a number of chains of furniture stores throughout Turkey - on our journey I swear we saw at least one of each of his two major chains represented in each city we visited. The summer house would have put most house in Australia to shame. Despite such obvious wealth we were astonished at just how humble these people were and their genuine philanthropy that led to their establishing schools to promote Fethullah Gulen's ideas that education is the key to establishing harmonious relations between peoples and by providing such opportunities to those who can least afford it. It was a wonderful evening with plenty of interesting conversation and delicious food and drink. When it came time to leave the exchange of gifts took place and for our strange assortment of furry animals we each received a complete bedroom linen and doona set from one of their stores and valued at several hundred dollars - such an imbalance but then the joy of giving is not about the value. After what had been a very busy day we returned to the Hilton for a well earned rest.

Day 32 - Istanbul

We started today with possibly the best spread we have had for breakfast so far on our trip - Empress Theodora for a great breakfast folks :-) - sadly tomorrow's early start means we will miss out on brekkie :-(  Anyway, mindful of the next two weeks being an organised tour and wishing to minimise our luggage we resorted to collecting all we didn't think we'd need and filling one of our suitcases. This we then wheeled a few hundred meters up the hill to the Golden Horn hotel where we were booked to stay in two weeks time and stored it in their left luggage. The two week tour was one that we had joined as a result of meeting the Australian director of the Australian Intercultural Society at a friend's house for lunch one day. The aim of this organisation is to foster harmonious relations between differing cultures and the basis for this is derived from the teachings of Islamic scholar Fethullah Gulen. The remainder of the morning was taken up with shopping for clothes and walking long distances in pursuit of same. We had mixed success with Sue happily snaring several pairs of three quarter pants and some tops whereas I still haven't found a decent, well fitting pair of shorts. By now it was after lunch and we had arranged to meet our tour leader Ahmet at a local cafe, which we did and also downed a small meal. Also coming along shortly afterwards were other members of our party whom we were meeting for the first time in most cases. In total we came to 8 including Ahmet and this comprised three couples, a gentleman on his own and Ahmet. Over the course of the afternoon and later at dinner in a local kofte restaurant we introduced ourselves and got to know a little about each other. Among our company were a senior Victoria Police officer and his wife, a Sales Manager for a construction company and his wife (due to arrive tomorrow), a lawyer, Ahmet and of course Sue and myself. In the morning we are to fly to Kayseri in the center of Turkey to start the tour proper.

Day 31 - Foca to Istanbul

Left Foca this morning after Sue had an early morning swim in the pool. I guess we got away about 11 am thinking we would have plenty of time to catch our ferry from Bandirma at 6.30 pm. As a result we opted for what we figured would be the more scenic route along the coast for a large part of the trip. With the benefit of hindsight this may not have been a good idea but I'll get to that. The road turned out to be under repair for large stretches which slowed us down considerably and also the terrain was more mountainous than I'd anticipated. En route we stopped at a small roadside cafe that served a delicious meal of kofte for very little but unfortunately this took a while to prepare. The upshot of these delays meant that what started out as plenty of time had now diminished to a worrying "will we get there in time". In the end we arrived quite late and the car rental place clearly was wanting to close - this was after we had become a little lost in Bandirma and had resorted to phoning them in panic mode. Anyway all turned out well and we were dropped at the ferry terminal in time. An uneventful ferry journey to Yenikapi was then followed by possibly the maddest taxi ride from the terminal to our hotel in Sultanahmet - this guy knows how to drive and simply rocketed around the cobbled back streets with very little thought to pedestrians and other vehicles. Made it in one piece thankfully and checked in to the Empress Theodora once again. A quick bite to eat at a local doner place and off to bed.

Day 30 - Fethiye to Foca

We left Fethiye this morning after a leisurely breakfast and catching up with our reggae man from the night before. Our destination was Foca on the west coast a little ways north of Izmir. Skirting the large city of Izmir we thought might be daunting without a GPS unit but in the end it was surprisingly easy and the road to Foca well signposted all the way. We stopped at a small town called Cine for a delicious and inexpensive kofte lunch with the added bonus of having our car washed without having asked for it :-) Our hotel at Foca was the Hanedan resort and I'd booked a garden bungalow which initially seemed old and tired but in the end the extra space made it seem very attractive. After checking in we wandered down to the beach for a swim and stayed only for a short while - nowhere near as pleasant as the twelve islands cruise but refreshing nevertheless. After a quick shower it was off to Foca proper in our car. Foca proved to be a very pleasant seaside town with many restaurants and loads of tourists. We wandered around town for some time before settling on a restaurant to have dinner in as it was getting late. sadly due to a combination of misreading the menu and also a poor choice of mains we both ended up having a very disappointing experience with the restaurant manager even coming to our table at one stage to offer a discount. An Aussie couple at the next table also weren't overly impressed with their meal so I guess t wasn't just us. Anyway, a little more of a wander and I located a doner shop where I filled up on a doner in bread for a couple of lira - problem solved. Home and back to bed with a full stomach.

Day 29 - Fethiye

Today was a fairly laid back day just dealing with some of the necessities of life like clothing, dining and just relaxing. My shorts were in a very sad state so chore number one was to catch the shuttle bus to town and shop for a replacement pair. Needless to say, Sue also felt the need to invest in clothing so this became a joint effort. I eventually was persuaded to buy a pair of shorts one size too big as finding any shorts at all was proving very difficult - they look fine with a belt to stop them falling down :-) Then it was back to the hotel and next door to our now familiar restaurant for lunch - I had a hankering for fish and chips which Medo kindly supplied. The afternoon passed with an afternoon nap followed by a long walk down the promenade. Dinner, again at Medo's restaurant and then it was back to the hotel for what I had been waiting for - every Saturday night they have a reggae night in the upstairs bar. We spent a very pleasant couple of hours up there knocking back cocktails and listening to some unfamiliar but very pleasant vibes. I had a chat with the hotel owner and arranged to swap mp3s the following day to build up each others collection of new artists. And then to bed after quite a lazy day.

Day 28 - Fethiye

Up early today to catch a shuttle bus service into town to see if we could join a twelve islands cruise. Thanks to our hosts for giving us the heads up re the shuttle buses that run regularly - instead of struggling with the parking we get to travel into town for a mere 2 Turkish lira (about $1.00). Arriving at the wharf area it was clear that we had a great deal of choice as there were many boats lined up advertising essentially the same cruise. You might expect that we then compared prices and what the various tour operators had to offer but, no, in typical fashion we accepted a ride on the very first boat we encountered after the smooth talking crew member offered us a discount :-)  Turns out this was a good choice anyway as the boat was not at all crowded unlike most of the others that we saw that day. Our fellow passengers however were a motley crew - a very strange extended British family, an overweight woman who should never have been allowed to don a bikini and generally a bunch of the strangest fellow travelers one could imagine. We kept to ourselves except for chatting to a lovely young British couple. Anyway the cruise itself was a delight. We traveled from location to location and stopped four times for periods of up to an hour and were able to swim and explore the islands at each of our stops. Additionally a very tasty lunch was served along the way and the usual beverages were available as required. While sailing most folk spent some time sunning themselves on the sun lounges that were scattered over the deck. A very pleasant, excellent value day in the sun and water - and speaking of the water, I couldn't believe just how buoyant the sea was in this region. I can only imagine it must be very salty. The evening saw us eating dinner in our nearby restaurant again and again chatting with Medo our waiter, before heading home to bed.

Day 27 - Pamukkale to Fethiye

We had enjoyed our two nights in Pamukkale so it as with some sadness that we hit the road for Fethiye today. Pamukkale is definitely worth a return visit sometime. The journey to Fethiye was uneventful and relatively short and saw us arriving around lunchtime after driving through some very beautiful mountain ranges. After consulting our pre-downloaded map of Fethiye we finally found our hotel, Hotel Letoon. This was after first detouring to see Oludeniz which is a beachside township close to Fethiye and had been under consideration back in Australia as a place to find accommodation until we saw the prices and decided to give it a miss. Given the large number of tourists and the distinctly English flavour to it I don't think we missed anything - who wants to come to Turkey only to find themselves in an outpost of England anyway? As it was our hotel fitted that description exactly as did surrounding hostelries and eating establishments - quite a shock initially to encounter loads of overweight, aging and seemingly all smoking, English tourists - aaargh. In time we got used to it but the initial memory lingers. Our hotel turned out to be a simple affair comprising a collection of bungalows with a restaurant/bar complex at the front and a largish swimming pool. It's other main attraction was it's absolute waterfront location - walk out the front entrance and simply wander down the beachfront promenade. Nearby were quite a few restaurants and further towards town there were also small retail outlets. We decided to drive into town to scout out the surrounds so that tomorrow we might take a twelve islands cruise which are advertised everywhere here. When we hit town we simply kept going as the traffic was unbearable. I spotted a sign pointing to KayaKoy which I'd read about and so we headed for this abandoned former Greek village located some 8 kms from Fethiye. This was quite an eerie place, to walk through a village that would have been teeming with life in the early 20th century. The residents were repatriated to Greece in 1923 as a result of a population exchange between the Greek and Turkish governments. We left the ghost town after first enjoying cay at a small tea-house near the road and then headed back to our hotel deciding to simply try our luck as to the cruise tomorrow. Dinner was at a nearby restaurant, the hotel restaurant not seeming quite up to a decent evening meal. Our waiter, Medo, proved to be an entertaining chap who was working as a waiter while waiting a further 8 months for an entrance exam to a course come round again - he failed the first time apparently. Turned in after dinner in our somewhat simple accommodation without even a tv or bar fridge - not that it mattered as we were too tired to stay up anyways.

Day 26 - Pamukkale

As planned this was to be quite a busy day in Pamukkale and surrounding district. We got up early to have breakfast in time to take advantage of the hotel owner's shuttle bus service to the northern gate of the Pamukkale and Hierapolis complex. The rationale behind this was simple - from the northern gate it was all downhill whereas the nearer gate in town was completely the opposite. Entering through the northern gate takes you into the ruins of the ancient Greco-Roman city of Hierapolis built on the site of thermal spas in the 2nd century BC. Impressive structures amongst the ruins include the theatre, the temple of Apollo and the Roman baths - now a museum. The city sprawled across the hillside and a number of paths take you through the ruins down to the entrance to the travertine area, an enchanting wonderland of limestone formations and terraces formed by carbonate deposition over the centuries. Pamukkale means "cotton castle" in Turkish and it is a very apt name as that is exactly what it looks and feels like. The photos give some sense of what it is like but nothing beats the real thing. At the top of the travertine slope there is a complex with spa baths and swimming pools and many folk come here just to enjoy this area alone. One of the attractions is a series of glass enclosures with "Dr fish" swimming in them. For a small charge you get to sit there for 20 minutes while the small fish nibble at your dead skin on your feet and lower legs. Needless to say I had to have a go and I must admit to feeling like I had somewhat smoother skin at the end of it. From there we proceeded downhill and spent the next two hours or so wandering through the beautiful aqua coloured limestone pools and the strange snowlike landscape. From here we wandered back through town to our hotel for lunch. With half a day still to kill after eating lunch we did the maths and decided we had time to drive to the ancient city of Aphrodisias some 70 kms away and still get back in daylight. So off we set and we were very pleased to have done so as Aphrodisias proved to be a very well preserved site with a great many largely intact structures. An hour or so wandering around here included the Temple of Aphrodite, the Odeon or theater,  the monumental gateway, and a very well preserved stadium which had been used for athletic events. Dinner was again at the hotel after our return and then we turned in after a very busy day.

Day 25 - Selcuk to Pamukkale

Up early this morning in an attempt to beat the anticipated crowds at Ephesus which we sort of achieved. We managed to start at the bottom end at 9 am and commenced walking uphill without realising that most folk bus it to the top entrance and then walk downhill all the way - oh well, next time. Anyway it all seemed quiet enough until we ran into the first tour groups coming downhill about halfway up. It soon became very crowded which took the edge off things a little. Despite this it was an excellent site with the amphitheater and the library being my two highlights. Having walked all the way to the top we then walked back the way we had come to return to our car. A brief cameo performance by dancers and gladiators toward the bottom completed an entirely satisfactory visit. We then enjoyed a much less crowded visit to the Basilica of St John which had been closed to visitors at the time we visited it yesterday  It was fascinating to see where he had reputedly written the gospel. Then just down the hill to a small restaurant for lunch and a pleasant chat with an Aussie woman who had been in Turkey for some months. After lunch we set off on the relatively short drive to Pamukkale (still some hours) and drove through some beautiful countryside. Finding our hotel in Pamukkale proved easy enough and we settled in to a delightful boutique hotel, Melrose House, that had been recommended by a friend. While we still had daylight we wandered through the town to the base of the travertines and then back to the hotel for a quick swim in the hotel pool. Enjoyed dinner at the hotel before turning in.