Turkey - 9 August to 7 September 2008

Introduction

Merhaba from one of the world's most interesting countries packed with ancient history, great beaches and the friendliest cultures who take joy in simple things like friendship, music and the tastiest of foods. Sharing their joy was compelling and the highlight of our month in this fascinating, huge country.

History

Once inhabited by the Hittites, an early Anatolian civilisation around 2000BC, the Greco-Roman period left its mark in the mass of ruins scattered all over the landscape. The Turks first arrived from central Asia in 300AD and a second wave in the 11 th century until the Ottoman Empire grew from 1450, and was led by Sultan Meimet II (the conqueror) which moulded the country into what we see today. But no person is more revered than Mustafa, known as Ataturk, the father of modern Turkey who founded the Turkish republic after the country was divided after the loss of WWI. Every town has a few of his busts, every local restaurant his picture and every bank note has his profile.

Our Experience

The Bulgarian-Turkish border at Derekoy took about 3 hours and we were given a month to stay. With Dan still with us, we bush-camped the first evening outside Kirklareli in a logging area with Dan in his sleeping bag right on top of Tipperdee's roof! That was until the rain came pouring down at about 4am and he had to jump in next to Gary with Jo-Anne moving up to join the kids – all this probably happened in about 30 seconds! Continuing east the next day via Saray, we first stopped at Istanbul 's airport for the free internet and maps before searching for a camp ground in hectic Istanbul . Our spirits eventually guided us to a car park in Sultanahmet, the heart of old Istanbul with views of the Blue Mosque on one side and the Bosphorus Strait on the other. This is what makes travelling worthwhile!! With Dan off to a hostel, we settled in for 4 days with no facilities other than what the vehicles afforded us.

Known as Constantinople after the Roman conquest of the Byzantium state in the 3 rd century, this city is captivating. Besides marvelling at the Byzantine architecture and the Ottoman opulence of the 15 th and 16 th centuries when the Turks renamed it Istanbul , the energy was palpable! Shops, food and friendly people everywhere amongst buzzing traffic! Our first duty was to obtain an Iranian visa which amazingly was issued the next day instead of the usual 10 day waiting period. With that sorted, we hit the Grand Bazaar, a labyrinthine medieval covered market with 4500 shops crammed with punters. First GR1 dug into delicious Turkish cuisine – meze, kebabs and kofte with melt in the mouth bread – and the setting was incredible, overlooking the market from the eating terrace. Then the centuries old game of bargaining had GR1 and GR3 blow their budgets! Offers of apple tea and their amazing friendly nature soon had us feeling happy handing over our money! The colour, atmosphere and an array of goodies had us captivated. GR3 had a different experience with Zack and Troy being a hand full and needing to be reminded time and time again that the market was not a playground and that they should try to settle down, but with all the activity around, they could not expect them to control their little bodies - it was just too difficult! That evening we met up with Dan again and enjoyed some delicious local dishes and it was then decided that Dan and Dean would venture into the ‘new' Istanbul the following morning to purchase a guitar for Dean who has been eager to purchase a guitar since their arrival in Ireland .

The next 3 days was a constant battle to stay focused on the sights. GR1 managed to take a 4hr ferry ride up the Bosphorus to the Black Sea at Anadolu Kavagi. This was a great way to soak up the views of the city and a tasty seafood lunch at this small fishing village while Dean and Dan went off to purchase the guitar and another visit to the Grand Bazaar and the rest of the old town. They also found a friendly barber that gave both Zack and Troy their desperately needed hair-cuts, resembling two ‘ready-for-our-first-day-at-school' little boys.

Eventually on our final day we visited the Blue Mosque of Sultan Ahmet I built in 1603, and the Aya Sofia. Emperor Justinain ordered its construction in 532 AD and it was Christendom's largest place worship until converted into a mosque by the Ottomans in 1453 and since 1930 it's been a museum. Both these amazing structures have interior paintings and mosaics to complement their exterior presence. GR1 also revisited the sprawling Topkapi Palace , the lavish seat of the Sultans from 1462 – a massive group of courtyards, houses, libraries, kitchens, council chambers and of course the 400 room Harem (really the Sultans family quarters). There are also numerous exhibits of priceless porcelain, imperial treasure, Islamic relics and even St John the Baptist's forearm and skull! On GR3's experience, Zack and Troy had managed to befriend a local family and before long, they partook in some Orca Pipe smoking, with their eldest son. This was their first experience and surprisingly, they not only managed to inhale, but seemed to really enjoy it as well - Do We Need to Worry????

To round off the city we all visited a Hamam (Turkish Bath) where we were exfoliated, washed, slapped, stretched and victims of a very ‘hard' soap massage which had our backs cracking – quite an experience, especially for the kids! On our final evening we were amazed at the life of Istanbul 's newer quarter of Beyoglu where we walked from Taksim square down the pedestrian shopping street to Tunel and our ultra modern tram home from Karakoy.

On the 14 th August we were ushered out of the parking area by 8am as the city was being shut down for a visit from the Iranian president, so before we could have breakfast or say farewell to Dan, we were driving back west via Tekirdag and traditional mountain villages along the beautiful coast of the sea of Marmara to Gallipoli, where Ataturk made his mark defending Turkey against the Allies (not us!) in WWI. We have to thank Dan for his great companionship, passionate travel adventures and the lessons on photography and of course for Dean's guitar lessons. It was an absolute joy spending these few days with you – hope to see you in Colorado !

Leaving European Asia at Eceabat, we took a ferry to Canakkale and a drive south to Troy , camping at Mocamp. The next morning we learnt that Homer's great saga of the Trojan War, written in the 8 th century BC, actually was set in Troy 6. There were 9 successive cities built over the preceding ones from 5000BC (Bronze age) with the epic city of Troy dating back about 1300BC, but the building lines are a little blurred due to time and the excavation style when Truva (Troy) was rediscovered in the 19 th century. We had decided to call Troy by his second name Jude, but he opted for the name Achilles (we couldn't call Troy , “ Troy ” in “ Troy ”). By the afternoon we were on the road again, heading south to our bush camping spot right at the Aegean Sea's edge near a small village of Denizkoy . We spent the evening experimenting with camera shutter speeds, taking some interesting photos – thanks to Dan's photography 101. With the temperatures well into the 30's, we decided on driving through the big city of Izmir on our way to Selcuk, a historical centre with the Basilica of St John which is built over the apostles tomb and the ruins of the Temple of Artemis, once one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. The heat persuaded us to head to the seaside resort town of Kusadasi that was jam packed with tourists, shops, bars and restaurants. After driving through the maze of one ways and narrow streets we stumbled upon a campsite in the middle of the town (with a pool!!) where we just parked for the next 2 days – mingling with the local Turks and learning that Europe's portable braais are no replacement for the South African wood fire braai! There we befriended a Turkish family who were hellbent on having their kids learn English. To our kids he said, ‘You! speak english!' and to his kids he said, ‘You! learn english', it was very amusing to us!

Early the morning of the 18th August we eventually headed back to Selcuk to tackle the famous ruins of Ephesus . This city first flourished as a centre for worship of the Anatolian goddess, but the Roman period left its mark with structures such as the immense Great Theatre that could hold 25000 people, the Temple of Hadrian and a marble way that led to the monumental library of Celsus – quite amazing! But the heat was relentless and as we decided on calling it a day, we again ran into Dan, who accompanied us with his Canadian friend to the house of Mother Mary. Up in the surrounding mountains around Selcuk, this was apparently Our Lady's last home, discovered in the 19 th century after visions of a Bavarian soothsayer. Unfortunately tourism and masses of people have eroded the sense of spirituality that existed here years ago. After a Turkish lunch with Dan, we parted ways once more, this time properly, with us going inland to Pamukkale. We spent the night at a cute campsite (with pool) just below the beckoning site of the cotton castle. Our evening was complete with a glorious swim and local cuisine. Up early before the unbearable heat, GR1 were off to enjoy the day. This cotton-castle is a natural wonder of brilliant white calcium carbonate ridges and turquoise pools formed by thermal spring water cascading over a plateau. A great place to cover oneself in mud and soak in the mineral pools with views to die for plus the ancient ruins of Hierapolis staring down upon us.

Before leaving Pamukkale we had to squeeze in a final swim at the campsite and we were soon on our way back west to the coast and a 2 day bush camp in a hotel's parking lot at Bodrum. GR1 spent the next day touring the peninsular stopping for a swim and the amazing Turkish cuisine at the many coves and fishing villages along the way, while GR3 opted for a day boat trip of the Bodrum bay. This now hard core resort town still retained its charm in the winding streets of the old town and bazaar area but with a pumping waterfront packed with yachts and charter boats encircling the 15 th century castle of St Peter .

The next week was for Turkey 's jaw dropping mountains, bays and beaches of its Mediterranean coast. This started off with Marmaris but it was just too hot and touristy so we drove around looking for a campsite, ending up on the opposite side of the bay at the waters edge with views of Marmaris. What good fortune as we really got to experience Turkish culture and their hospitable manner. Before long we were the camp's centre of attraction (being the only tourists) and were invited to a typical dinner by Mustafa who was holidaying with his family from Istanbul . At supper, we met a French cyclist Vincent, who spent the last three months cycling from Paris . As it turned out, he could play the guitar and helped Dean tune his instrument and taught him some chords. Jade was even propositioned for marriage by another family – but the language barrier was a bit of a damper although their friendly nature more than compensated when the kids joined the family for a typical Turkish breakfast.

But onwards the next day and we headed for Fethiye via the dramatic scenic coastline and straight for Oludeniz. Sugar Beach camping recommended by Mustafa, along the 30 degree lagoon was our base for the next 3 nights. We were at one of the most photographed beaches of the world with a tongue of white sandy beach surrounded by turquoise water that led to the lagoon and was encircled by the Babadag Mountains . This was the place for a reprieve from the hectic sight-seeing, to swim and chill in a laid back yet idyllic setting with brightly coloured cushioned decks and a beach bar!! The first night GR1 joined in the action of a beach braai featuring break dancers, a Michael Jackson impersonator and an awesome fire show. Of course this led to some bare foot dancing in the sand with a South African family (Brian and Penny) who were living in England for a few years. The next day both GR1 and GR3 enjoyed a full day boat tour visiting Camel Beach , St Nicholas Island, a cold water spring in the ocean and other bays in Oludeniz. Every hour we would stop, jump into the inviting waters and snorkel, with Dane, Jade and even Troy jumping off the second deck of the boat!!! For the first time in a while we really felt as if we were on holiday – all of this, including lunch for about $20 per person (children free)! Our final day at the blue lagoon was for chilling on the beach and exploring the markets at night.

The next 2 weeks were to explore south and eastern Turkey as we headed towards Iran . After the glorious days in the sun at Oludeniz, we passed through the cutest of rural villages to Saklikent Canyon which was formed by the erosion from icy rivers flowing down the mountains. After paying the nominal entrance fee we entered the gorge and soon realised that we needed to cross an icy cold, rather strong, hip high river. Zack and Troy needed to be carried, but fortunately there were some locals eager to be of assistance - we found out later that their kindness was at a cost!! This narrow 300m gorge has beautiful natural rock formations and great suspended cushioned eating areas over the flowing river – a perfect shaded spot for Gozleme (meat/cheese filled pancake like roti) and some chai after hiking 3km of its 18km length. Zack on the other hand was not happy to turn back and after GR3's explanations for not continuing failed to settle him down, they had to revert to stronger measures. This left Troy crying out loud – ‘We could not leave his brother in the gorge'! Finally, we arrived back at the vans and enjoyed a watermelon that Dane had found!

By late afternoon we did the 100km coastal drive to Kas, our stopover for 2 nights. This charming town with Lycian Sarcophagi dotted about the streets has old winding streets carved into the mountain lined with restaurants, graced with views of the Mediterranean and a picturesque waterfront. We spent the first night bush camping along the developing new harbour. Here some of us enjoyed outside showers from the vans bathroom windows, but the pleasure of having a clean body was short lived, within a few moments, it once again felt as if we had never had those cold showers – another long, hot night lay ahead for us.

The next morning GR1 explored the coast in a glass bottomed boat with frequent swimming and snorkelling stops as we headed out to Kekova Island and quaint Kalekoy for a BBQ chicken lunch. Along the way amazing views of islands, Lycian ruins of Sarcophagi and a sunken city destroyed by an earthquake around 2000BC had us entertained. That evening we spent the night near the waterfront a few meters from the old town and a perfect spot to wonder the town by night to enjoy its ambience and Turkish ravioli and spaghetti. GR3 opted to spend the day and night at ADA Camping, a picturesque white stoned cove with rather cold water where they spent the day lazing on the beach, surfing the net and getting up to date with some diary entries.

We met the following morning and continued to Olympos, once a port city dating back to the 2 nd century BC. Still fantastically wild with abandoned ruins peeking out from rock outcrops, river banks and forests copses. The main attraction though was the gorgeous beach. After lunch in our vans, we spent a rather interesting afternoon on the pebbled beach. A local hit Jade on the head for accidentally splashing water in his daughter's face and what followed was a heated discussion between the child's father and Jo-Anne. After a period of ‘cooling down' though, he returned to apologise for hitting Jade and for his behaviour. Renown for its backpacker laid back style and tree houses, it was the perfect place to walk along the dirt road admiring the restaurants with their cushioned decks and to taste a hubbly-bubbly after a delicious Turkish buffet meal. After GR3's supper they decided to share a beer with Vincent and a couple from Istanbul . The boys started behaving badly again and they decided it was time for bed. After spending the night in the sights parking area encircled by the towering mountains Gary and Dane climbed the cliffs to the Genovese castle ruins the next morning before we continued east to Antalya .

With temperatures in the late 30's and near 100% humidity, the sights of Kaleici ( Old Town ) were tough to manage. After a typical Turkish lunch we zapped through to glimpse the Roman Harbour , truncated minaret and the monumental Hadrian's Gate built for the Emperor's visit in 130AD. With sweat pouring we decided to find a beach and continued east camping 50km from Alanya. In our desperation to park near the sea, GR1 tested the sand and got stuck requiring GR3 to pull Tipperdee out! With all the drama we felt as if we were being slow-cooked despite the sunset.

The next days drive was along southern Turkey 's rugged and dramatic coastline with the vans in either 2 nd or 3 rd gear as we climbed and descended passes through mountains until we found the homely Dragon Motel and Campsite in Anamur. We set up camp in between shady trees a few meters from the Med at the foot of the 4 th century Mamure Castle revelling in its warm waters and appreciative of the necessary facilities and especially the delicious Turkish breakfast of locally grown tomatoes, cucumbers, olives, honey, bread, cheeses, omelettes and grandma's ‘to die for' peach jam.

Unfortunately we had about 40% of Turkey to cover so on the 30 th August we continued to Mersin along more hectic and scenic roads, sampling fresh Turkish Delight from local shops along the way. We were surprised at the amount of hotels and apartment blocks dotting the coastline between banana plantations and massive vegetable tunnels where the steep pine covered mountains allowed. We spent the night in the parking area of the waterfront promenade after gorging ourselves with our ‘favourite fast food' – fresh bread and a whole grilled chicken. Our night in Mersin must have been our hottest and most humid, we were drenched in perspiration for the entire evening and breathed a sigh of relief when we finally set off the following morning, now heading north and away from the coast, north via Nigde to the Cappadocia region with its surreal scenery. Again Turkish hospitality greeted us on asking directions from a guy at a tyre repair shop in tiny Golcuk. Despite the language barrier we were welcomed with repeated offerings of ‘chai'. If we could speak Turkish we would never have been allowed to leave! Eventually we departed via Guzelyurt to Ihlara and the famous rock dwellings appeared as local folk rode donkeys through the streets, bemused by the campers. The Ihlara valley was a favourite retreat for Byzantine Monks and the walk through the green narrow gorge along a stream revealed their painted churches carved from the soft volcanic rock. On a tip from a Ukrainian couple we headed towards Derinkuyu to Lake Nar with its green water set in a volcanic crater – our home for the night.

The fascinating underground city of Derinkuyu was our first stop the next morning. Initially excavated by the Hittites 2000BC, the Byzantines extended the extensive underground network of accommodation areas, kitchens, stables with ventilation shafts around 500AD into the soft tufa up to 15 levels. These connected with other underground cities kilometres away and were used mainly as a refuge to escape invaders, often accommodating 3000 people! After a ‘Gozleme' lunch we continued north via the pigeon valley and Uchisar with its rock citadel to Goreme, the heart of the cave dwellers. This lunar like landscape was formed by centuries of wind erosion of layers of thick volcanic tufa into eerie shapes, called ‘Fairy Chimneys' into which 8th century Christians carved churches and their homes. A drive through these formations at Zelve, the Devrent Valley and Urgup, a town with a mix of these old dwellings and modern buildings, eventually ended at the UNESCO Goreme Open Air Museum . This area had the finest collection of rock-hewn cave churches decorated by colourful frescos. Splendid Kaya Camping with views of the valley especially at sunrise when dozens of hot air balloons take to the skies was our overnight spot.

The 2 nd of September was the restart of schooling for Jade and Dane after a 4 week summer break before the major haul east via Kayseri and semi-desert landscape to our wild camping spot in the mountains at 1800m, about 50km from Malatya. Near the town of Darenda , GR1 had another cracked rim, this time his right front leaving us with two spares between the two vehicles

The 140km to Mt. Nemrut was one of the highlights – through jagged mountains with awesome vistas and the vehicles in 2 nd or 3 rd gear low range as we climbed to 2100m. We decided to wild camp at the summit to savour the 360 degree views and visit the Commagene King's memorial sanctuary at sunset and sunrise. King Antiochus somehow had gigantic statues of gods (Zeus, Appollo, Artemes) with himself erected here in 40BC – but mainly the 2m heads remain after an earthquake – unbelievable! Early the next morning after our last photo snaps, we had to descend the 80km to Malatya which took 2 ½ hours then east in what was upper Mesopotamia, between the Euphrates and Tigris rivers. After a brief pit stop near the massive black basalt 3 rd century AD castle walls in Diyarbakir , we continued to our wild camping spot near a restaurant serving gorgeous food, 20km from Bitlis in the midst of scores of noisy trucks. 500km had taken us 11 hours of solid driving with only a lunch stop – no wonder we're losing weight again!

An early start from a rather disturbed night saw us at Lake Van within an hour and a drive to the top of Mt. Nemrut (a different Mt. Nemrut !) an active volcano at 3000m, whose eruption dammed up the outflow of Lake Van. After descending into the crater we spent 2hrs driving to the cold and hot water lakes and enjoyed cup of chai from a solitary man who set up a basic shop here! Skirting around the southern side of Lake Van we continued via Tatvan to our campsite opposite Akdamar Island . GR1 did a boat trip to the island to visit the 10 th century church of the Holy Cross with amazing Armenian relief carvings on the exterior walls while GR3 decided on a leisurely lunch instead.

The 6 th September we visited Van, once the site of the capital of the Urartians (Ararat in the Bible) which flourished from the 13 th – 7 th century BC. The entire old city was destroyed in WWI except for the Rock of Van Citadel, a fortification with several cuniform inscriptions dating to 800BC. The hike to the top was worth it for the views of the city and its ruins which lead to the open plains and Lake Van . Thereafter the 2hour drive to Dogubayazit was stunning with all the hues of brown, jagged mountains with mud and stone dwellings appearing around corners and sheep being herded across the roads. As we arrived in the dusty frontier town at sunset, Mt. Ararat appeared with its snow-capped peak at 5000m – but no trace of Noah's Ark ! Noah and his flock are said to have landed on Mt Ararat and Zack's only comment was, “With all the animals on Noah's Ark , where is the Game Park , and what happened to all the animals?”

We met up with a German couple Chris and Julia whom we had met in Budapest and Goreme at Lalezar Camping, our base for 2 nights. GR1 savoured their last traditional Turkish supper at the campsite and it was here that Jo-Anne's worst fears were confirmed with regards to the dress code in Iran - not only should a scarf be worn but a 'Bone' must be worn underneath the scarf, completely covering the hairline!! We Our last day in Turkey was for washing, preparing for our next country and a sunset viewing of Ishak Pasa Sarayi, a 17 th century Kurdish 366 room fortress-like palace that once had central heating, sewerage systems and running water! The views across the plains to Mt. Ararat were spectacular. On the 8 th September we will do the last 35km to the Iranian border and say a sad farewell and ‘Tesekkurler' (thank you in Turkish) and spas (thank you in Kurdish) to one of our favourite countries! The mix of history, sights, nature and a wonderful culture serving tasty food was an absolute joy. What made Turkey special is that this diversity is packed into tight spaces with abrupt changes in scenery and maybe this is why the Turkish landscape is sometimes described as a “symphony of sounds, smells and people in the most unlikely combinations of appearance and action”.

After a visit to Turkey , could Iran be more special? But, judging from the positive reviews of so many travellers, we were in for an interesting three weeks. Our only concerns - an expired Carnet de Passage, visas for Pakistan and India and dress-codes for all especially during the month of Ramadan.

Hosca kalin!

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