Going from perfect weather in Kabak to cold and rainy Istanbul was not enjoyable! It felt like I had been transported back to winter in Melbourne or London. But it was great to meet up with Pippa an we spent 24 hours in Istanbul taking in some of the sights and catching up over yummy meals, and then headed to Gallipoli to visit the battlefields at ANZAC cove. As we only had 1 week in Turkey together, we sought out a place we could go to relax and give us the opportunity to catch some sunshine, but wasn't going to be too far to travel to. Located on the Aegean Coast, Bozcaada Island (pronounced Boz-jaada) sounded like the perfect place to unwind, with beautiful beaches, good food and wine. We arrived at the bus station in ... read more

Along a twisting road dug into a lush, pine forest mountain, I took a bus from Fetiye to this supposed remote beach village that has remained relatively undeveloped. There was a definite change in the air as we passed the over touristy, package holiday destination of Oludeniz, with its countless shops and restaurants geared to tourists who want to eat traditional English breakfast and Yorkshire pudding. I could smell the subtle scent of pine as the breeze breathed its way through the bus, and I took in the breathtaking views of the Mediterranean and its translucent turquoise waters from above. I had read about a few places to stay that all sounded great with their spring fed pools and cute treehouses overlooking the sea. But after having met two friendly women on the bus (Ida from ... read more

When I initially did some research on Turkey and learned about places I wanted to visit, Gaziantep (Antep) was at the top of my list. Well off the tourist trail, and paradise if you have a sweet tooth. It has been dubbed the baklava capital of the world, perhaps because it has over 180 pastry shops dotted around the city that produce tonnes of baklava, which is then sent throughout the country - even to the President! I just had to see what all the fuss was about! So as part of my plan I wanted to meet a local who knew where to get the best baklava, kebaps and other culinary delights that this city had to offer. That's when Onal, a fellow Couchsurfer, came into the picture. When I read that eating was one ... read more

Sometimes it's better not to have a plan when you're travelling. That way you don't get stuck somewhere that you don't want to (except for a bus station) and you can make little detours to find a gem of a place as Hasankeyf turned out to be! After talking to the Kurdish guy in Diyarbakir he convinced us that it was a must see place so off we went. Driving to Hasankeyf took us through dry arid land that wasn't overly scenic so I wasn't convinced that this place was going to be particularly beautiful given the rest of the landscape I've seen so far has been. Once we arrived though we were captivated by the gorgeous village situated on the Tigris River. The massive pylons which are the remains of the old bridge reminded me ... read more

In an instant, we have escaped the throngs of tourists in Cappadocia and headed East in search of the 'real' Turkey. Only a couple hundred of km away you can really feel the difference in terms of the people and the culture. Life is a lot more traditional here than in cities in the West. You see more women in headscarves, and the pace of modern life is far from evident here. A lot of people talk about how it's dangerous to travel to Eastern Turkey and unsafe particularly for solo women travellers, so this only made me want to explore the region more! haha. In previous years during the Kurdish rebellion I probably would have thought twice, but in recent years all the turmoil has abated and the area has been opened up to foreigners ... read more