One cheap pair of shoes, one beer, one wine....oh yeah, and one lounge singer!

It is hard to believe that our trip is now over and we are saying our farewells to each other as I head off to Italy (lucky me!) and Errin goes back to Canada and that evil four-letter word.  In some ways it feels like we have been away for a very long time, but in other ways it has gone by so quickly now that we are at the end. 

Egypt seems like months ago.  Our first step into the Middle East and we were hit by all kinds of cultural differences – the sheer volume of people; the rural feel of the big cities (where else would you see a herd of goats being steered down a busy street in the heart of Cairo?); the garbage; the crazy drivers; the apparent lack of pride in how their country/ cities are viewed by visitors; the hassling (usually hissing) of the peddlers; the friendliness of the people…so many things to remember.  The ancient monuments are mind blowing and that is probably the lasting memory for us when we think of Egypt.

Jordan was quite a contrast and we could see and feel it immediately.  We did not spend nearly as much time as we should have in this lovely country, but what we saw we loved.  Petra was incredible and we highly recommend a visit to the area, and give it more time than we did!  There is so much to see in this small, peaceful part of the world.  Floating in the Dead Sea was also a highlight and being embraced by our guide Mohammad’s family was icing on the cake!

And then there is Turkey.  We did not have the same experience with the organization of our tour here, although our guides were excellent.  However, Turkey is a beautiful country and quite different from the desert landscape of the others.  Rolling hills, green fields, lots of trees, mountains and interesting coastlines made it a feast for the eyes.  We also found it much cleaner, less hustle and bustle and the people were very friendly.  We did not get hassled the same way at the bazaars as we did in Egypt, which was a relief.  Istanbul was one of our favourite big cities – quite beautiful actually and one you could see yourself living in……if one could afford it!

Everywhere we went the food was delicious and it just indicates how we are deprived of really good fresh fruit and vegetables at home.  The wine is not so good and the beer was like water, says Errin.  Nice and cold on a hot day, and there were plenty of them!  We saw so much, learned a ton and have probably forgotten about 90% of it, but it was quite the education.  The order in which we did this was perfect but it was exhausting at times since we ended up with quite a few early rises and that did take a bit of a toll on us.  The R&R breaks we had in Sharm (Egypt) and Kusadasi (Turkey) were much needed and our bods needed it!

We are now sitting at the bar in our last hotel listening to the Turkish guitar playing lounge singer reminiscing after eating a delicious meal at one of the many local restaurants serving really, really fresh fish.  Errin is so not a fish eater so it was comical when asking for a chicken breast.  The miming is left to your imagination….but it didn’t come as a 36C!  Staffing at these restaurants is quite different from home – we counted at least 9 hovering in our vicinity, which makes you a wee bit uncomfortable at times. 

It is currently 8.00pm and we are planning on trying to go to bed for 9.00pm since we have a wake up call for 2.00am.  Once again, why would we end our trip with anything easier?

We hope you all enjoyed reading our blog as much as we enjoyed telling you our stories.  Needless to say we have a  “few” photos for your viewing pleasure.  Should take at least a couple of evenings to go through…….

Until our next Great Big Adventure…….when someone turns the big 5-0.  Who on earth could that be?????

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly.....

We arrived rather late, or early depending on how you look at it, so we were not in the best mood to find out that the tour company had not left any information for us about the pick-up time.  It was 1.30am but this did not stop Errin from getting the hotel to call our Turkish contact in Istanbul!  Poor man was awakened out of his slumber but he was very gracious and called us back immediately with the information.  We have not been nearly as impressed with the organization of our tour in Turkey, perhaps because it was flawless in Egypt and Jordan.  Our tour guides have been great and Turkey is a beautiful country that definitely warrants a return trip. 

After a great four hours sleep, we were met by our tour guide, Nuri, and headed off to Ephesus one of the best-preserved Roman cities in the world.  It is so easy to imagine what it would have looked like in the day and it is always so exciting to walk down the main street and think about all of the people who lived there thousands of years ago.  The library facade is stunning as is the Great Theatre which boasted a seating capacity of 25, 000 people.   

There is also an example of one of the early secret signs on the street – a heart with an arrow through it, a left foot and a woman’s face.  This is to indicate the location of the local brothel on the left side of the street!!!  They believe that they have only managed to excavate 20% of this harbour city that now sits 5 miles away from the coast thanks to the ever-changing geography of the area.  Unfortunately it is very expensive to do this and that is why there are so many ruins that are relatively untouched in all of the places we have visited.

Selcuk was next and we got to see the Basilica of St John which is his original burial site.  From there we could see the Temple of Artemis that is no longer as impressive as it used to be since there is only one pillar left standing after an earthquake destroyed what was once one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.  We also popped in to the local mosque that is one of the earliest in Turkey as noted by its very simple yet pleasing style.  Lunch then a visit to the Virgin Mary’s house.

This is believed to be the place where she lived her final years with St John, whom Jesus entrusted his mother to.  The original foundations are intact but the rest was rebuilt when it became a church centuries later.  You cannot ignore the incredible feeling of peace and serenity that enwraps you as soon as you walk in the door.  It was hard to put words to it and is probably something that each person could describe in a different way.  The grounds are beautifully landscaped and are so quiet and calming.  Sunday mass is still celebrated there in an outdoor area just next to the house.

Regardless of how holy a place may be or feel, there are always the tourist traps – the stalls with lots of trinkets and things related to Mary, not very nice but a fact of life.  One of the things that gave us a good laugh was buying stamps for sending to Canada - they were Olympic stamps with the Vancouver 2010 emblem on them! 

At this point our previous day and lack of sleep caught up to us and we decided to give the carpet store, the leather factory and other things offered a miss and headed back to our lovely 5 star hotel.  There was a bit of negotiating to be done as we decided that we wanted to change our next day’s tour to Pamukkale instead of Pergamum, as Nuri said it was worth the visit.  Errin had to do a bit of sweet-talking to our Turkish rep in Istanbul but she has a gift and they switched it for us at no charge!

Refreshed from a great sleep we headed out for the 3 hour drive to Pamukkale.  It wasn’t as bad as it sounds as we got to see the countryside and found it looks very like Italy in places.  Lots of greenery, trees and mountains.  We checked out the Roman ruins first and then made our way to the Pools of Cleopatra where it is believed that she bathed there……naturally Errin had to do the same.  The pillars have all collapsed and some of them are still in the pool, which gives it a cool look.  After that we were left to our own devices and headed to the natural springs.  These have to be seen to be believed – cascading white travertines that have been formed due to the high calcium content of the water.  They were used by the Roman’s for healing purposes so it is kind of ironic that this ancient city also boasts one of the largest cemeteries!  We got a good kick out watching the antics of the bikini and speedo wearing Euros posing in the travertines and thought we’d give it a go – so not ready for the cover of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition!!  A couple of good naps on the way back and we were back at our hotel for our last night before we had to move to another one for our 3 days of R&R (cost related we think……).

Bliss – a sleep in, no tour, just doing whatever we wanted!  We switched our hotels and suddenly realized that we have become 5 Star Snobs!!  This hotel is not nearly as nice and is much further out from the centre of town.  It is also brimming over with kids…..and all kinds of interesting looking people.  We are totally fascinated with Mr Hercules.  Not sure what his nationality is as we have not heard him speak, but boy oh boy, does he fancy himself!  Errin just had to take a photo of him in his little purple skirt – what you can’t see is the PINK thong that he shows off on the beach.  Ugh.

And then we went out.  This was actually our first real night out the entire trip and also our first hangovers!  We met up with Nuri and after a couple of drinks we went for some dinner at a restaurant he likes that is quite authentic.  A few more drinks at another bar and it was off to Bar Street……and the Authentic Irish Pub.  That was our downfall.  The time of our departure is a bit hazy but we think we got back to the hotel around 5.00am.  Needless to say, today has been a slow one spent on the beach doing nothing except vowing to never drink again.  Funnily enough, Errin is currently drinking a beer as I type, how soon they forget. But we had a fun time and ended our time in the Middle East with a bang!

Tomorrow is our last day here in Kusadasi and we plan on spending it doing some last minute shopping (as if we need anything else!) and lying on the beach laughing at Herc in his pink thong.  

Up, up and away!

Amazingly enough we managed to get up at 4.45 am for the balloon ride.  Errin has been on one before but this was my first time and it was well worth the early rise and a great way to start the day.  Our pilot was very skilled as he maneuvered the balloon down into the canyons but then rising up and clearing the sides making it feel like you could reach out and touch the side of the cliffs, but you really couldn’t.  The views were spectacular and Errin did a quick count of the number of balloons in the air – she got at least 45.  With 20 people per basket at 150 euros a pop it is a license to print money!  We were with a bunch of French and they did not stop talking – they nattered incessantly the entire time and we were at a loss as to what they could possibly be saying every second of the trip!  Our landing was well executed even though we had a few potential tips but the ground crew kept us upright.  Those guys worked hard as they pulled and pushed the basket on to the truck bed as we floated for just a bit longer to allow this to happen.  The wind direction and strength was determined…by tossing dirt into the air and the truck pulled the flatbed to a point that allowed the balloon to collapse safely.  We climbed out and were treated to champagne with cherry juice (interesting combination) and cake before we were driven back to our hotel for a much needed breakfast. 

The rest of the day was spent checking out different fairy chimney places and we had lunch in one, which was fun, and the food was delicious.  We had a couple of hikes throughout the day so we didn’t feel too sloth like.  We also visited one of the underground cities in the area used when the people had to hide from the enemy – those folks were much shorter than us as we had to squat quite a few times especially through the connecting tunnels.  Very cool.

Airport security in this region defies explanation.  Once again we had to put all of our things through the x-ray as we entered the airport.  Errin was asked to open her bag and the guy kept pointing to a part of her bag, but they wouldn’t touch it themselves.  She pulled the thing apart and showed them all areas they pointed to even though we were both baffled as to what was of such interest in her check-in baggage.  It seems that her shampoo and conditioner bottles were the items of interest…..pretty lame so we think they were just bored.  We walked the 80m to the check-in desk and I had to ask if some of the stuff in my carry on was okay (you never know over here what is okay or not….but most of it is not acceptable in North America).  I had to get it weighed and it was not acceptable so I had to decant to my backpack…..and the guy was happy.  So, where is the logic?  I was still carrying on the same amount of stuff.  Crazy.

Then we sit and wait a bit for the time to go through yet another security check about 30m away…..what on earth could we have picked up in that time?  So we go through thinking that this is a breeze.  Not so much.  Poor Errin was asked to open her bag as they saw something they thought was odd (remember, the dangerous looking shampoo and conditioner bottled were already en route to the airplane).  What could it be this time?  A couple of mosaic tiles she bought in Egypt which have been through so many security checks by this point that they must surely glow in the dark, but to these Turks they were items of interest.  I have a theory.  I think Errin was the item of interest and it was their way of keeping her engaged for a bit longer!

To Izmir……

Turkish Delight - not just a candy!

Staying up all night is such fun when it is spent at an airport and on a plane, then what seemed like forever in the passport line (after spending $60 for a visa!) and then when we finally got our bags and passed through the doors to find out that there was no one from the travel agency we were assigned, well, let’s just say we were not very happy by this time – two tired and cranky girls!  Thankfully one of the reps from another company obviously saw the signs of distress and asked who we were looking for.  He called the company and got someone to come out and get us, the poor man didn’t know what he was getting himself in to with this assignment!  However, he handled us very well and got us to the hotel in the old part of Istanbul – the scene of the next problem.  We had our room but the hotel needed to change it on us later that day because it was a room for three….not impressed by that either especially since this room had a balcony!  In true style we decided to enjoy the balcony after our shower by enjoying a glass of the NZ wine at 8.30 am!!  Well, doesn’t staying up all night mean you can drink at anytime of the day??  We thought so.

Istanbul is a magnificent city and we were totally impressed by it.  After our breakfast on the rooftop restaurant (magic!) we went for a walk around the area to get our bearings and ended up at the Grand Bazaar.  It has over 4,000 shops in it but the nice thing is you are not pestered every step of the way.  Our afternoon trip was to the Spice Market and then a cruise on the Bosphorus.  It was a great way to see the city and we were amazed at the number of mosques, palaces, ruins and expensive houses.  Some of the houses along the waterfront fetch up to $60 million and they are not that fancy!  Because we crave exercise as often as possible (okay, let’s be honest…we NEED the exercise) we walked back rather than taking the coach and that is when we found The Pub.  The North Shield to be precise, and it was one of those pubs you feel completely at home in…..and naturally we made friends fast with the bar tender and manager.  We chatted with an American who was there for a few days mixing business with pleasure and came up with this brilliant idea that we would come back to watch the Canucks game at midnight because we had only been up for 38 hours by this time….. tired = dumb decision making!  Needless to say, we didn’t make it as I was sleeping the sleep of the dead by 8.00 pm and Errin was not that far behind me.  Sorry Steve!

After a brilliant and refreshing sleep we joined a group of 4 others and had a tour of old Istanbul with our terrific guide, and it was all within walking distance of our hotel.  We saw the Blue Mosque, the Ayasofya, the hippodrome and the Topkapi Palace. plus visited a carpet shop - Errin resisted the temptation to buy but managed to lounge on her favourite rug!  Istanbul has had such an illustrious history it was fascinating especially how it linked to our new-found Egyptian and Jordanian knowledge.  We were dropped off at the Taksim Square in the new part of Istanbul and checked out the shops as we made our way back to our hotel on foot.  Somehow (ha ha) we ended up at The North Shield and decided to stop in for a drink or two – well, it was a long walk!  We chatted with a few of the patrons and met a group of Italians who were on a break from work in Kazakhstan, who invited us to join them the next day, so we accepted.

We had a free day which meant we did not have to get up at the crack of dawn, so we didn’t.  Most enjoyable.  We took the tram over to the other side and walked to an area that had caught our eye on the cruise, Ortakoy.  We walked past some pretty impressive buildings, former palaces that are now hotels or part of the university or museums.  We wandered around, had lunch and then headed back to meet the boys.

It turned out they wanted to do a cruise on the Bosphorus and we ended up on this cute little boat that had bean bag seats up top – now that’s the way to do a cruise!  It was a most relaxing 1½ hours sitting in the sun chatting with our new friends.  The rest of the evening was spent wandering part of the old city and we ended up at a place the boys had been the previous night and thought it was good.  Sitting on the colourful cushions wrapped in a blanket and watching the world go by, it was a delightful way to end the day, so much so that we were out longer than intended as we had another early flight to catch – Kayseri in the heart of Cappadocia.

The Istanbul airport is crazy!!  Despite the fact that we were there at 6.00 am, there was a queue to get into the actual building – the reason?  To go through security.  We knew that we were now facing an airline that actually followed the rules and true enough, the guy called us on the weight of our luggage.  He could not speak English, and our Turkish is a bit rusty so he actually gave up trying to explain to us that we were 14.4 kgs overweight.  Smiling and gesturing we did not understand worked….this time, but we could be in trouble for the rest of our Turkey flights.

The view of the region from the airplane was a surprise – green fields and snow capped mountains.  We had a moment of panic thinking that we were not adequately dressed for the area, but it turned out to be a glorious day in the low 30’s.  No hanging about for us, straight into the tour.  We were joined by three couples all of whom were Australian and we had a great day.  Our guide was a bit on the dry side and I have to confess that I have pretty much reached my limit in terms of history lessons and Errin is not far behind me on that one.  We saw a bunch of different things related to the caves that the people used to live in and the alleged footprints of Jesus in one of the churches they made – that’s a bit of a stretch, but oh well.  The area is famous for its Fairy Chimneys, formed due to the wind, rain and snow but it is said that these structures are the chimneys of the fairy houses that lie below!!  The area is also famous for its ceramic pottery and we went to one of the places the pottery is made – the highlight was getting a crack at it!  It didn’t turn out too badly but I doubt they will be selling it anytime soon (it has probably already been made into something else!).  We watched a plate being made and then one of the wine jugs that at synonymous with the area.  It was a treat to watch them create in front of our eyes….I’m sure everyone felt the same about my effort…….

After a few stunning panoramic views we were dropped off at our 5 star hotel.  The room is wonderful, complete with balcony, so we are happy little campers.  Another early rise in the morning, but it is well worth it as we are embarking on a hot air balloon ride over the region.  

Farewell to Jordan - short but sweet

A cloudy and cool morning greeted us, the first one in our trip which isn’t bad since it is 18 days since we left Vancouver.  Our first port of call was Wadi Rum, the desert valley of the moon where Lawrence of Arabia was filmed, and where the great man himself had a cave.  It is also where Errin believes that the lunar landing took place, but we didn’t find the exact area……she is quite the conspiracy theorist!  We didn’t spend as long as we would have liked in Wadi Rum but we had a tight schedule and at least we got a glimpse of its beauty.  Our jeep, despite its appearance (held together mostly by duct tape!!) did not get stuck and got us there and back in one piece.  A brief stop in Aqaba, a very busy port that is right next to Israel and is on track to become the 2^nd largest city in Jordan.  We picked up some freshly made delicacies for lunch and then drove back toward the Dead Sea for our nature reserve adventure at the Wadi Mujib Nature Reserve.  This is reportedly the Jordanian equivalent to the Grand Canyon, a claim we are unable to substantiate since it was closed!!!!  Apparently there was something up with the dam and we could not go, which was a big disappointment but what can you do?  Something to come back for, I guess……like we need an excuse.

Off to the hot springs at Ma’in which are located more than 200m below sea level.  It is not like anything we are used to – a huge waterfall of hot water cascades down pummeling you as you stand underneath with occasional splashes of cooler water that is rather refreshing.  And you are sharing this giant bath/ shower with a large number of people. Since modesty is what this country is all about, Errin and I wore tops and shorts over our swim suits, but most of the Jordanian ladies were wearing their traditional garb and that must have weighed a ton when wet!  It was very relaxing and a good way to end our trip into Jordan.

Since the Turkish Airline flight to Istanbul departs at the unearthly hour of 3.30am, our wonderful guide invited us back to his home for dinner so we were treated to a traditional Jordanian meal prepared by his lovely wife, Ruba.  We played with their two rambunctious boys, Zaid (5) and Qais (2), who are an absolute delight but exhausting!!  Our meal was called moqloba, a chicken dish with rice, cauliflower and other interesting ingredients.  Delicious!!  Stuffed and happy, Mohammad drove is to the airport and we said our goodbyes to a new friend.  This trip has been truly enriched by all the fantastic people we have met – we are very lucky girls!