Blogs from Koycegiz, Aegean, Turkey, Middle East

Feeling like I had done everything I wanted to do in Fethiye - apart from taking a four-day sailing trip back along the coast to Marmaris, which I had already decided I could no longer afford - I returned my scooter on monday morning (28th May) and took a typically slow but scenic bus ride through the Akdaglar mountains to Pamukkale - the site of the world-famous travertines. For those that are unfamiliar with Pamukkale, the travertines are basically a series of terraced pools high up on a hillside that have formed over millenia from the calcium deposits left behind by spring water that gushes out from the top of the hill and then cascades down the slope, smoothing over the travertines as it does so; while simultaneously they are being bleached an almost-perfect white by ... read more

We woke up early so we could get to our next destination, Koycegiz, early since we had a day cruise booked to a beach island. It was only about an hour and a half drive to there, so we all were excited not to spend too much time on the bus for once! We got to the hotel, hopped out of the bus, and walked over to the boat and hopped on. The boat was a nice size with lots of seats and tables, and there weren’t too many people on the boat which was nice! We set sail immediately after boarding and all of us settled in. As we were driving along the views of the mountains were just incredible and the water was so blue! Fatih sat down next to me and started reading ... read more

Hi, Sorry for the radio silence, I am alive and kicking in Turkey! Following an exciting and communist collector item fuelled trip to Sofia (and a trip to the beautiful mosiac filled Rila Monastary), I got the remainder of the Orient Express to Istanbul. Apparently there was drama at the Turkish border at 3am, and lots of American tourists complaining that the border guard had taken their passports and *shock horror* they were out of sight (in the polis station). I missed the whole thing by sleeping with earplugs, waking up with 10 mins to train departure time, sauntering out and getting my visa and stamp while the Americans were running around the platform like headless chickens. They were all traumatised. Poor things. So, the heat of Turkey! Delicious delicious Turkey. Home to Baklava, Turkish delight ... read more