Blogs from Turkey, Middle East - page 365

Breakfast here in Pamukkale seems to be a big deal. We had a typical Turkish plate of cucumber, olives, Tomato, grape but all from the hostel garden. The grapes were picked from the vines right above our head. During breakfast we were joined by the owner who chatted to us whilst we ate. We found out that he had voluntarily joined the army and had served on the border with Iraq which is currently experiencing a lot of problems. You have to do military service here but you can choose to join as young as twelve (they don't fight, only join military school.) The army is vitality important here because it acts as a counter balance to the government which is currently slightly religious. Attaturk stated that religion and politics cannot be mixed and most Turkish ... read more

Let's begin wıth the positives. If someone had asked me, on leaving Europe, who were the most endearing people we have come across this year, it would be a close contest. The Argentinians came out of the blocks, the Greeks were competitive, Albanian police got a guernsey. The gold medalists for me were gererally the French, particularly while the women who work ın boulangeries maintain that almost ıntangible demeanour I found so engaging. Now, sorry France, it's time to stand aside and hand the yellow shirt over to the Turks. These people extend the welcome mat way above and beyond the call of duty. The food? An absolute treat - baclava desserts delivered on pushbike my personal favourite, gözleme - savoury turkısh pancake, a close second. The sights? Heading south from Selçuk, we first hit a ... read more

After a late night and a couple of bad nights sleep in a row I opted to stay in bed whilst Rob went to breakfast. I didn't sleep much but when Rob came back we took our time getting up and ready. Once up, we strolled down the road to see one of the seven ancient wonders of the world. Ok, well it used to be one of the wonders but now all that is left is a pillar and plenty of stones. Anyway we had a look and took the obligatory photos and then climbed up to the top of the site. As we were climbing up, Rob caught sight of a tortoise just walking up the hill to the top of the ruins. We followed it around for a while until it seemed panicked ... read more

We both woke and dressed for breakfast even though Turkish breakfasts seem to leave a lot to be desired. We were both pleasantly surprised with the feast that was laid out in front of us. We sat on the roof terrace with a view of the castle and ate breads, spreads, eggs and fruit. Jimmy the owner of the place told us that his dad could take us on a tour of the sights if we liked. We weren't planning to see Ephesus till tomorrow but this was a one day offer so we took it. Jimmy kept on talking about Visionary house which neither of us had a clue about and it took us a while to figure out that he said Virgin Mary's house. Anyway we paid 10ytl to get in the precinct which ... read more

I got in at 4.30pm and went straight to Bodrum Backpackers, where I met Ria (kiwi chick) and Pascal (from manly). We went out for dinner along the beach. A massive steak from 1st stop, $20 for a glass of wine, entrée and monster sizzling steak. An early night for me coz I’m planning a day of photography tomorrow. Tarik gave me some tips on where to go for photos, he’s a budding photographer too and works at the hostel. It’s a gorgeous day, the sun is out and reflecting on the turquoise water. The boats are all in the harbour with their flags flying and everyone is looking relaxed. I headed straight to the Castle of St Peter. Built in 1402, it’s so impressive and even has a museum of underwater archaeology within, housing finds ... read more