A journey is best measured in friends, rather than miles..." ~ Tim Cahill SHE SAID... This wasn't just any old weekend. It was my birthday weekend and a milestone birthday at that. We live in Tasmania but I'm from Melbourne, and we visit my family and friends often (but they would probably say not often enough). We also have a few Melbourne based clients, so we are well drilled in the drive to the airport and making the one hour flight over. The regularity of this is evidenced by the fact that the security staff at Hobart Airport know our faces. I have always LOVED my birthdays, and as a child I remember being excited for weeks in advance. Nothing’s really changed as I've got older, except maybe that I don’t have a month long countdown ... read more

HE SAID... Turkey was a fantastic travel destination for us both, and I loved the experiences and adventures we shared. When I reflect on those experiences, there are a few things that immediately come to mind. Turkish People The Turkish people were so incredibly friendly. In many countries (especially in rural areas), tourism provides a source of income to people who otherwise would have no real means of independence. However, when unchecked tourism spreads, operators are often forced to become more and more competitive, and this inevitably leads to the desperate selling of wares and services. We were once followed by a woman in Vietnam for more than four hours as she tried to sell us handmade wooden flutes that we simply didn’t want. We were certainly touted in Turkey, but the operators were jovial and ... read more

HE SAID... We woke at 4am and organised ourselves for the 5.15am shuttle bus to Ataturk Airport for our flight to London. We were a little tentative, as we didn’t know if we’d be able to take the oud onboard as carry-on luggage. Luckily, there was no problem taking it on – the hostess even placed in the front locker to protect it. Apart from an incredibly annoying group of old Turkish passengers, the flight was smooth and uneventful. I even managed to get myself through Ataturk Airport without collapsing. We arrived at Heathrow around 11am. Romy (Ren’s sister) was waiting for us, and when we eventually found the bus terminal we headed straight to West Harrow. Romy had prepared a few hot snacks, and after a much needed shower we lunched on a delicious creamy ... read more

HE SAID... We jumped into a minibus at 1pm for the three hour trip from Konya to Cappadocia. We lunched at Sultanhani Caravanserai (a medieval resting place for Silk Road travellers) at 2pm. The landscape was now flat and arid. Mountains were still ever-present on the horizon, but they no longer dominated it. We were travelling on a plateau. We dropped into Pigeon Valley at 4.30pm for a fantastic view of this spectacular landscape before continuing our journey to Goreme. We arrived at our hotel (Elysee Pension) in a rainstorm at 5pm and stayed in the minibus until the rain passed. We jumped out, checked into our rooms and then headed out on an orientation walk of the village. After walking for about half an hour, we arrived at a house carved out of rock where ... read more

HE SAID... We woke at 6am, organised our packs and headed over for breakfast. We mirrored our choice from the previous morning (fruit, yoghurt and honey and a mushroom omelette) and it was fantastic. We checked out of the hotel at 8am, took a minibus from Kayakoy to Fethiye and then transferred to a larger public bus to Kas. It was a very scenic trip along the Mediterranean coastline. We arrived in Kas at 11.30am. We walked down to the seafront, dropped our packs at the boat and headed into the small coastal village for lunch. We shared a mixed meze plate with fresh bread, which was incredibly good. We then browsed the local craft shops. Ren picked up a beautiful necklace and pendant (to replace the one that had broken earlier in the trip) and ... read more