Our arrival back into Istanbul was not a particularly joyous one, mainly because it was bucketing down with rain, we were suffering from lack of sleep, and it happened to be the coldest weather I'd had on my trip except when I was at 3500m above sea level in Kyrgyzstan (but at least it was sunny then)! Plus, we were still trying to get over our midly traumatic experience with the boys. To top it all off, when we got to our hostel, the guy didn't even take pity on us even though we were saturated and we weren't able to [View Full Entry]

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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 [View Full Entry]

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As part of my trip to Turkey, I wanted to experience life on a farm, sampling the simple yet tasty Mediterranean cuisine that this region has to offer. What better way than to do it without having to pay a cent! Well, there is a catch. Through wwoof.org the deal is that you get free board in exchange for volunteer work, equating to about 5 hours a day. I know working on a farm is a hard slog, but for me it was something new, different and exciting so I wasn't sure it was really going to feel like "work". With [View Full Entry]

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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 ab [View Full Entry]

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As much as I'd loved travelling through Eastern Turkey, I was ready for a sea change, and looking forward to a few weeks of rest, relaxation and fun in the sun. But it meant having to say goodbye to Sandra and Xavi as they were heading back to Istanbul for a couple of more nights before having to return to Barcelona. No doubt my experiences would not have been as much fun if I had not met them, and I probably would have gotten myself into trouble somewhere along the line. My longest bus trip so far took me from Antep [View Full Entry]

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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 [View Full Entry]

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By the time we got to Mardin we were all feeling a little worse for wear. Both Sandra and Xavi picked up a tummy bug but somehow I managed to avoid it again. Mardin's range of cheap accom is thin on the ground, so their timing was fitting. They had no option but to stay in a nice hotel room with a very clean bathroom! We were also so exhausted given we'd been on the move everyday since we'd been in Turkey so they were happy to splash out. I think in 12 days we had endured at least a 3 [View Full Entry]

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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 [View Full Entry]

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I hadn't planned to visit the city of Diyarbakır but I'm glad that I did. Being the centre of Kurdish identity as it has the highest population of Kurds in the country, it felt like I was venturing into new territory. Even though you can't really tell if someone is Turkish or Kurdish the vibe in the air is definitely different. And they speak a different language. I'm now onto my 6th language in as many weeks and my brain is starting to slow down so I was happy enough just to learn how to say hello and thank you in [View Full Entry]

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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 [View Full Entry]

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