MagicMuppetMan

The Stats * Total distance travelled: 42,190 km (+/- 250 km) * Days away: 33 * Total flying time: 57 hours * Total travel time on the water: (Ferries) 16 hours * Total flights: 10 * Total Ferries: 3 * Total airline meals: 12 Total travel time (including customs / airport layovers): 98 hours (4.08 days!) * Countries visited: 5 * Cities/Places visited: 14 * Hotels/Villas: 9 ... read more

Istanbul - arrival Istanbul...was Constantinople and perhaps they should have kept it that way?...Why Constantinople got the works is nobodies business but the Turks! (who knows the song? sing it with me?) Our introduction to Istanbul was far from 'ideal'. I believe I could have lapped the airport (walking) before our bags appeared - harsh you say - Wait...! I understand Turkey is a part of the "Middle East" and protects it's borders appropriately but what the... (3 checks for a domestic flight!?) It continues...transfer bloke is not there.... (not paid yet - so be it!) so we acquire a 'transfer' via several hotels to our destination...Sultanahmet. The dude got lost on the odd occasion dropping our 'European' friends off and finally us! We enter Sultanahmet, the cobbled streets and scent of "Istanbul" beckons, regardless of ... read more

Kas days 2-3 So Kas is full of cats and dogs (not dissimilar to Santorini - as mentioned) if If could feed them all I would! They are not aggressive or in bad condition, some are pets and some are strays all living a combined existence in the town square, restaurants and bars. They are playful and affectionate and lets be honest in some cases hungry...The Schmackos are a hit for all creatures 'great and small'so much so that we have bought some more! We have been enjoying our Villa and pool with visits into town for supplies and some social interaction. Kas is a small town and we find ourselves now waving hello and talking to the people in bars, restaurants and shops... The Turkish customs and hospitality are lovely. It is not unusual ... read more

Kaş - Day 1 (proper) Well, finally the day has come - we get to check into the villa which our whole trip has been worked around - it did not disappoint! A very nice place to just sit back and relax...We have done some serious walking around our previous destinations and this was to be a bit of 'nothing' for once. We have noticed we are able to scale and even climb up some pretty steep ascents, being stairs or otherwise without 'too' much hassle now - regardless, the gut remains (I blame the beer and the food but we are on holidays!) but the legs are certainly 'better' off for the adventure. We did a bit of shopping to stock up before we dropped off 'The Beast' as this would be our last opportunity ... read more

Türkiye Farewell Greece, hello Turkey! Again, we find ourselves on a boat, this time from Rhodes to Fethiye, Turkey... However this time the ride was not so smooth, as a result the trip was much longer than it should have been and quite rough, there were quite a few people not looking too good! Fethiye is a pretty seaside town which is very seasoned to tourists, it even has it's own Gran Bazaar. Unfortunately we saw a little more of Fethiye than was planned due to our first holiday hiccup, the boat we were booked on the next day was not going until the following day so we found ourselves doing the journey on road in a tiny little hire car, nicknamed 'the beast', following 'Silverman' on his vespa! (see photos...) We now find ourselves in ... read more