Blogs from Central Anatolia, Turkey, Middle East - page 6

On the bus to Ankara 5pm August 17 2017 Lie back and think of England! I thought that might help and it just brought an awkward smile to my face as the middle age man's soapy hands got all close to my exposed goolies. Jane was not there to help being in the Ladies Hamam next door. I was getting a massage and wash from a friendly Turk called Abdul in nothing but my birthday suit. We had decided to have a Turkish bath as we had enjoyed the one in Fethiye some years ago and this one at Safranbolu was recommended. It's main draw back is that it was empty at 9.30am on a Sunday. One gets the impression a visit to the Hamam should be a social occasion which makes it difficult when your ... read more

Konya, Turkey August 4th 2014 “Either seem as you are or be as you seem” Hazrat Mevlana Mohammed Jalal al-Din (Rumi) Unlike most of my travel in Turkey to date, coming to Konya was a premeditated plan. I had an appointment with the Mevlivi (aka the 'Whirling Dervishes' which is a western appellation). There was something drawing me to this place, one of the longest continually habitated cities in the world, and perhaps the 'holiest' place in Turkey. My first and lasting impression of Konya was that it is a city that knows itself and its place in the world. A prosperous centre, it has a proud and long history, and of course at its heart is the heritage and ever-presence of Mevlana (Rumi). A dervish is actually a Muslim sufi ascetic, often travelling around the ... read more

Goreme, Kapadokya, Turkey June 8th 2014 “Up in the atmosphere, up where the air is clear....” Mary Poppins “The mother of excess is not joy but joylessness” Frederich Nietzsche Kapadokya is now one of the 'musts' on the very well worn tourist route of Turkey. It is indeed a magic place born of fairytales and sci-fi scenarios. The pointed rocks themselves are known as 'fairy chimneys' and they are in abundance in the Goreme National Park. Thankfully UNESCO has done some work here to preserve them and put a stop on further transformation of them into luxury but funky cave hotels. There are enough of those already. Unfortunately nothing was done to limit the other rampant development of hotels in the valley, which now form eyesores that obcsure the natural and historic landscape. But all is ... read more

Die drei Tage waren Sch.......... Tage. Und was ich an ihnen so mag- sie waren konsequent. Immer Sch..-Tage. Hab jetzt nicht direkt Lust alles nochmal auf Deutsch zu schreiben, daher hier ein englischer Text. Turkey, small road up into the mountains: Bend 90° left hand, road wet, gravel (slippery??), me in 3rd gear, bike skidded, black hole inmy memory. When I resurfaced: bike on right side, snuggled up against stone, me on back next to bike, no longer on it. After a while (non idea how long) car came, nice driver stopped instead of crashing into us. both - Paul and self back in u pright position. Wanted to take me to hospital/doctor to have me checked. I refused. What I really would have loved was Van, Vanman, Vanman's tea and a couple of enncouraging noises ... read more

Ich hatte mich für einen "Sunrise balloon flight" gemeldet, stand um 4.00 auf, der Bus holte uns 6 Leute um 4.15 ab. Fahrt in den nächsten Ort, das Wichtigste: 165.- € zahlen. Dann warten, Tee trinken. Klo gehen, warten, Kekse essen. Irgendwann wurden wir wieder in Busse gescheucht und zum Startplatz gefahren. Dort war schon alles vorbereitet, die Ballone waren schon halb gefüllt und stiegen bald hoch. Das ist ja immer sehr aufregend anzuschauen. Diesmal war es besonders, weil es riesige Ballone waren, der Korb fasste 20 Passagiere. Start, der Ballon flog nicht nur hinauf, sondern einmal auch in eines der tief eingeschnittenen Täler hinunter. Die Landung war spektakulär: der Ballon Pilot Mustafa landete den Korb genau auf dem Anhänger. Diese Körbe sind nämlich sehr schwer und hätten sonst irgendwie auf den Anhänger gehoben werden müssen. ... read more