To Constaninople

Took 12 hours on the bus from Capadoccia to Istanbul/ Constantinople. apart from a few refresher stops, we made a point of stopping at Ankara, the capital to see Attaturks Mausoleum. Garman, our Guide asked for our respect.

Attaturk is the founding father of modern day Turkey as a secular democratic state in 1923, following defeat in WW1, the disintegration of the Ottoman Empire and a revolution to overturn the occupation of Turkey which had been carved up between allied forces.

There were many radical changes including a change in alphabet to Latin, a massive education program and the introduction of sir names. A distinct alignment with Europe while forging a national identity and giving a voice to women and minorities.

Turkey stayed neutral throughout the WWII. However I have heard some horror stories about Turkey and wanted to ask about freedom of the media and treatment of dissidents as hallmarks of democracy.

It's a funny country and I'm trying to make head and tail of an incredibly complex history. The Turks are so Central Asian. They have had tribes come and conquer, or take refuge. and other tribes have left and dispersed. Like the Parachinari refugees who stayed with me were from a Turkish Tribal group who had settled in that area some time ago.

Then there was this huge dominion of the Ottoman Empire for 600 years, over Greece, Yugoslavia, Bulgaria, Syria, Iran, Iraq, the Stans, North Africa. They seemed to have ruled without regard to anyone and amassed great wealth, some of which we have experienced today in Istanbul.

We booked into our Hotel, then 12 from  the bus crew head out to near the Galagas Bridge to celebrate our last night together.

To Capadoccia

We find ourselves tonight in a Prince of Persia complex in Capadoccia. Our room is carved out like a cave with an uneven floor that goes uphill to a tiny door into an old fashioned bathroom.

To go to the restaurant it was up steps and along Islamic arched verandahs and around corners and downsteps, past the pool to yet another exquisite buffet meal of Turkish food.

Tomorrow morning I must wake at 5am for a balloon flight that leaves at 5.30am before the sunrise. This has been something I've longed for my whole life. This kind of flight, but over the fairy chimneys of Capadoccia is something else.

Today we have been in a bus for the best part of 12 hours with a few toilet stops on the way and 2 very other special places.

The first was in Konya, the last stop on the Silk Road and the serchook capital. Mevelana del Aladdin I Rumi came here at the age of 12 in the 12th Century,a poet, a philosopher, who denounced material goods, in favour of the Love of God and Respect for All Living Creatures. It's where the swirling dervishes derive from.

Like all good prophets like Jesus, St Francis of Assissi and Rumi who live humble lives and refuse wealth, the followers tend to lavish wealth on idolising them, rather than follow in the footsteps of their teachings.

Same thing happened here with one of the first mosques built after Rumis death. The place had been turned into a museum, housing original hand inscribed and illuminated Korans, even a bit of the prophet Muhammeds beard and many artefacts of the derwishes.

The other special place we stopped was a caravansai.  All along the silk  route there were 100s of these enormous enclosures where traders and merchants could rest a night or three with their camels.

Inside were rooms, verandahs, trading halls and a mosque. Oh so beautiful in proportion and symmetry and detail, you could just imagine how it was 700 years ago

Cappadocia

Imagine taking off in a hot air balloon as the sun was beginning to rise over the Fairy Chimneys of Cappadocia, Turkey.

This was something I could only ever dream of, but today I did it.

We arrived in the dark, passing massive balloons being laid out and being blown up in the fields around Goreme, and between the fairy stacks. Loads of them. As the sky lightened a little we watched the luminescence of rising balloons across the valley and in the sky.

Soon it was our turn. There were 20 of us altogether 5 in each of 4 compartments in the basket. Vu was our pilot in the middle.

We floated around the valley close to the strange rock formations and after a while we rose up to see the sun rise over the old volcano.  it was breathtaking - a whole sky full of hot air balloons, as well as down below in the valleys, the red and pink valleys. It was just extraordinary. We climbed over 6000 feet.

After an hour Vu started searching for a landing place but a breeze had come up apparently and he couldn't land where he hoped to. So we were up an extra 25 minutes and he came down in a place where the ground crew could catch the rope and pull us down to land squarely on the trailer, and save us from hitting Powerlines.

We drove around on the trailer still in the basket with the balloon fully inflated. Eventually we climbed out, and the crew set up a champagne and cherry juice breakfast. They decorated the basket with leaves and Roses. Some of them deflated and packed away the balloon. While I watched they called me closer, then lifted me up and threw me onto the packed balloon.

Back at the Prince of Persia Hotel we had to knock back breakfast quickly in time for the days tours.

First was an underground city for early Christians escaping from marauding Romans and other groups. In the middle of the day we visited the Fairy Chimneys and went into the home of someone who'd lived there for4 generations. Later in the day we also visited a Byzantine Monastery which was also underground. It was the place if Saint Basil, with early frescoes from 8th and 9th centuries, and plaster frescoes from later on 11th and 12th centuries. The Sercuk sultan protected the Christians and they honoured him in a fresco.

We also visited a jewellery, precious stores shop, with demonstrations of Torquoise  originating from Turkey) and sultanite, a crystal that changes in colour, depending on the light.

We visited a pottery shop and saw a demonstration of pottery making that dates back to the Hittites who were in the area for up to 3000 years bc, and revered nature.

I'm so buggered I've got to sleep

Kusadasi and Ephesus

I don't know if I had an exam if I'd get of this right, but today was one big history lesson in the flesh ( or stone).

We left the port city of Kusadasi for Ephesus after a yummy breakfast,  trying to make it there before more rainfall.

Now let's see - this was the land of the Amazons and then the Persian Empire took over and then they were beaten by Alexander the Great and it became a Greek Empire and called Anatolia,  soon to be overruled by the Roman Empire who called it Asia Minor. After initial persecution of Christians gave way to acceptance under ? ?  There are 7 of the 12 Apostles who are marked by major sites in Turkey, including St John. And then the Turks arrived from Asia and the Stans in the 1100s. The Ottomans were one of those tribes who dominated

So Ephesus was discovered under the dirt in 1903 and while excavations continue, only 15% has been uncovered. The period of this majestic city is around 300BC to 300AD.

It was a society with a structure. At the top of the hill was Government who worked out taxes and trade. There was local government who dealt with sewerage, hospitals etc.

There was like half amphitheatres with ingresses called vomitatarians, so that people could leave after The News or a Gladiator Fight.

There were communal toilets with underground drainage systems. There were communal baths where diplomacy took place, and a 4 sectioned area for steam and heat at different temperatures, regulated by the spacing of columns under the marble floors.

We saw places where the elite lived in beauty and luxury.

We saw the market places.

And the statues to the Goddess Artemis, Goddess of Fertility and Agriculture. We saw Nike, Hercules and others, who later transferred to be Roman Gods.

The ruins were impressive but the scale was grander, with evidence of multi-storey temples and massive statues that stood high on the hill and out over the harbour.

After a few hours in Ephesus we headed to Sirence, a hill town that specialises in fruit wines. We drank some mulberry juice and explored the town along up and down streets with craftshops on the side.

The hills, mountains and valleys are so abundant with olives, walnuts, mandarins, quinces, mulberries - you name it! The land of plenty and the best food.

On the way back to the Hotel we stop at a weaving co-op where they make Turkish Carpets. We saw how the silk is made. From Silk Cocoons in hot water to the gathering of the threads, to the loom, to the art, to a demonstration, to some raki (Annise) to the Sales. I would have liked to have purchased something and supported the co-op but just couldn't.

Big day - so tired. Almost out of battery.

Chesaycueredam,  thankyou

Goodnight

Samos

Samos is a large Island that is very close to Turkey. It is so much more green that the barren Mykonos and Santorini.

Our room at Hotel Samos looked over the harbour. Anneli and I wandered along the harbour and the market street.  The buildings were yellowy with green shutters and red tiled rooves - so Italian!

It was raining.

We met Miro at the bus stop before heading over the mountain to Pythagorio, the home of Pythagoras and home to Cleopatra and Anthony for 3 years.

We explored an early Christian Church and an earlier temple before taking shelter in a restaurant along a pretty harbour of fishing boats.

I hadn't realised that the rain was coming into the restaurant and my bags on thE floor were becoming a sponge. Everything was saturated, including my passport. Eek.

We raced for the bus back. My leg was killing me.

We said goodbye to Effie, our dear guide for a week, then caught a small ferry to Kusadasi in Turkey.

Here we are in the Marina Hotel. Today we are going to Ephesus

Mykonos to Samos

A lazy morning  in Mykonos, washing clothes and letting the warm breeze dry things off on the balcony, while Anneli explores the town.

At noon we set out for paradise! The way to paradise may have been better than the destination. Curling around the little cobbled and white little laneways to find the bus station was a little magic.

Then the bus took us over dry boulder fields, probably basalt, and down into paradise. And what a descent it was too. Derelict beach resorts, hogging the beach. Rusted piles of old Beach chairs. A dusty car park. Anneli took a photo of the pile of moet bottles.

One wonders what Super Paradise was like.

At 9.30pm we caught the ferry to Samos arriving at 3.30am. The docks were lined with sleeping refugees.

Mykonos

My impression of Mykonos had been coloured for me before I got here. It was the party Island. It was busy, touristy, expensive. It would be the place where I could hide away in my hotel room, put my legs up and relax.

And that is exactly what I'm doing now, while I wait for the washing to dry.

But by golly it's pleasant from here in our bungalow looking out over the harbour. Like all places we've stayed at or eaten in that have been referred by Effie. They are quiet, quality and slightly rustic, run by friendly people. This is no different.
(see Facebook pikkies of mosaic floor, and leather apilque art.)

Last night Anneli and I took the Seabus out to the old port. Here was the classic Mykonos landscape of tiny streets, cobbled with white plaster around the stones. The streets twist and turn between courtyards and red domed churches. Originally the meandering narrow streets were designed to confuse the pirates who used to loot the island.

On our way we bumped into fellow traveller Miro (Slovakian via Toronto) and he joined us for a meal at Nikos Taverna.  We shared a bottle of Assyrtiko wine and I had octopus pasta. We had a good laugh about Anneli going into the wrong bungalow startling a sleeping man.

After dinner we wandered around the streets and came across a linen shop with lovely shirts. The seller came out and said 'pure linen, fixed prices' then continue to offload about his terrible day with greedy insulting Americans.

we missed the sunset but caught the twilight. The Venetian Quarter was a pretty area where house verandahs leant over the sea, in pretty colours. It was packed with people, wine bars and restaurants close to the edge of crystal clear waters.

This took us to the windmills. So beautiful. We  took some fantastic photos which are up on Facebook.
Just so full of atmosphere.

We took the Seabus back home. But Outside Mathews Taverna we met Effie, who was dressed up and ready to take Miro out. He tried to wriggle out of it but was unsuccessful.

Resting up this morning while Anneli has gone shopping on the town.

We don't sleep tonight. We take a night-boat to Samos. We arrive at our hotel at 3am.

Samos we will see Refugees. Red Cross has set up there and apparently it's quite well organised. But Effie warned us it is confronting and 17 people died in the crossing 2 days ago. Mostly women and children.

Confronting is an interesting word. Because its where we meet, carrying the baggage of our opportunities. Perhaps once those middle class Syrians would have enjoyed the spoils of life, much the same way as we do as tourists. But here they are risking life and limb fleeing something unimaginable to us, going to anywhere that will offer safe harbour.

Our life on the sleek tailor made thread of the tourist route, all in our bubbles of life, having 'been there, done that' but so untouched by the realities of lives in the places we travel through, but all the same offering tokens to their economy and ecological messes from our demands on resources.