Inflight info

You know those info screens they show you on the inflight video monitors that show where you are on a map, how far it is to your destination, the airspeed and temperature, etc.? Well, this is the first trip where I've seen them throw this one in to the mix.

Fwd: Istanbul!

Here's the view from my pansion - not bad for $50 USD a night!  Only drawback is the 5 AM call to prayer....

Not sure what order they will show up - but the one with 6 minarets is the Blue Mosque, the other is the Hagia Sophia, and the third is the Bosphorus Strait. 

Sailing the Mediterranean

Following the biking trip, I tagged along with 6 of the British Columbians for a 4 day, 3 night cruise on a 38 meter sailboat called a "gulet" (pronounced goo-let; rhymes with Phuket).  We started in Fethiye and disembarked in Demre, and were then tranported by dolmus (van) to Olympos.  Here are some picture of the ship.

From the bow

Captain Dawn (wo)manning the helm.  The "other" captain is keeping watch from nearby.

I now understand where the term "barefoot cruise" comes from.  Shoes are generally discouraged on the deck and  not allowed down below.  I can live with that.

The ship was only 12 years old and was quite well decked out.  Much to our pleasure and surprise, each cabin had a private bathroom that resembled what you'd expect to find in a decent hotel.  No pump toilets or tiny showers!

For the first three days we shared the boat with 6 Aussies and a woman from Mumbai.  They were a friendly and fun crowd, so once they left we had to expend some energy to fill the void.

The whole gang enjoying dinner in the dining area toward the stern of the boat.

The weather was great - breezy and comfortable, warm in the sun.  We spent a good part of the days motoring from one spot to another, anchoring at meal time and for the night. We also got in the water to swim, snorkel and kayak. One day we stopped for some beach time and to hike up a canyon.  Another day we stopped for a brief visit in a seaside village that was built in and amongst some ruins.  Actually, there seemed to be ruins just about everywhere along the coast.

Bob in Butterfly Canyon

Simena

Sunken city

What wasn't provided on board was often available from entrepreneurs who plied the coastal waters.

Anyone want ice cream?

I do! I do!

And, from what we understand, the captain obliged our requests to do what seldom happens on a gulet cruise - we actually sailed for a couple hours!

OMG!  We're sailing!

Sadly, the "sailing" excursion came to an end and I had to bid adieu to my new BFFs from BC.  Being that they were all a bit older than me (58 - 66ish?) and retired I think of them as role models for what I want to be doing and how I want to be doing it when I am fortunate enough to join their ranks.

And now it's on to new adventures for the last week of my trip.  Check back soon!

Turkish Delights

Some of you may have heard of "Turkish Delight" but not be aware that there are two different kinds.  One kind is sold everywhere, especially in airports.

The other "Turkish Delight" is a nickname for the lovely chip seal that exists in poor condition on many of the roads throughout Turkey.  Not sure if it is a commonly known nickname or one that is only used by bicyclists.  I'd guess the latter.  Now I know why almost everyone else on the bike trip chose to ride a mountain bike with fat tires and front suspension. This shot shows some of the relatively good pavement.  Fortunately I wore padded shorts so things didn't get out of control.

Of course, being a native east coaster, it is my duty to inject something snarky like that.  But the bike trip truly was a delight.  Great weather, fantastic guides, a great group of British Columbians to share the ride with, excellent accommodations and - my only complaint - too much wonderful food.  But whose fault is that?

We wrapped up our trip in Akyaka - a very quaint small city on the Aegean that, since the 80's, has required all new building to adhere to a certain type of architecture that evolved here in the mid 20th century.

We visited the weekly market and partook of the fruits of the sea.  The huge artichokes sold for about 80 cents - how does that compare to New Seasons?

We took a day trip where we road some wonderful country roads, checked out the thermal mud baths and took a boat trip to the beach.

Three of our guides - Ken, John and Firat (plus a profile of Audrey).

Along the way we got a good view of the Lycian tombs of the 4th Century B.C. rich and famous.  They are incredible.

I've been wanting to visit Turkey for about 25 years - ever since my younger sister came back from her travels there and raved about the place.  It is still a place to rave about and I hope to be back soon.  Many thanks to my hosts (Danelle, John, Lima, Ken and Firat) to making my first two weeks in Turkey a wonderful and memorable experience.  Should anyone reading this blog be interested - check out tourtk.com 

And now it's on to other Turkish adventures!

From Sea to Turquoise Sea

It would have been easy to stay in Bodrum for a bit longer.  Lovely small city on the coast.  Fascinating castle that housed the underwater archaeological museum. Lots of finds from shipwecks, including one dating back to the 4th century B.C.!  Good restaurants, even places to get "real" coffee – Turkish coffee sounds good until you try it.  I’m sorry, but I prefer the grounds to be filtered out of my coffee J 

The next two days involved sizable hills on rough pavement but the destinations proved to be worth the effort. We started Saturday morning with a two hour ferry ride across the bay to the Dacta peninsula, where our bike route took us from the Aegean to the Mediterranean. We lunched in Old Dacta – a tiny village that had been quite run down but has experienced a rebirth due to the efforts of some architects and artisans who have made it their home. 

In Old Dacta we enjoyed a typical "family style" lunch of eggplant salad, broad beans in yogurt sauce, a salad made with mushrooms and fresh (i.e., not dried into nuts) almonds, and baked eggplant stuffed with meat.  And bread, of course.  Always bread and plenty of it at every meal.

We spent Saturday night in cottages near the (rock) beach in Palamut - our first night on the Mediterranean. 

Sunday was our toughest riding day.  Sixty miles and several challenging climbs.  We passed old windmills at one spot along the way.  They must have picked the right spot because just behind them (not pictured) were modern windmills that have been erected in the past few years.

A typical rest stop and other scenes from along the way.

At one of the summits we reached that day you could see both the Aegean and the Mediterranean in the same view.  It’s not all that visible in this picture because the wind was calm and the ocean humidity created a haze.  We took a group shot to memorialize this "peak" moment.  From left to right, in front: our Turkish guide Firat, Dawn the Invincible, me; in rear: Bob, Mary, Nancy, our guides John and Danelle, Audrey, Marilyn, Jenny and Louise.  Everyone except me and Firat is from British Columbia.  Not pictured are Lima and Ken, our other guides who spend half the year in BC and half the year in Turkey doing sailing charters on their 50' sailboat.  

It was still a ways to our destination in Selimiye but there was nothing to complain about once we arrived. [No, there's nothing wrong with my feet - it's just the tan lines from my biking sandals.]

We stayed two nights in this small village that seems to draw a bit of tourist business during the high season, based upon the types of shops and restaurants it offered. We could have done a bike ride on this layover day but decided to go shopping instead, and spend time swimming and chilling on the dock.

Friday Surprises!

It was only a short ride into Bodrum on Friday.  We could have done a longer route but we wanted to arrive early enough to see the start of the 5^th day of the Presidential Cycling Tour of Turkey.

Just a lucky coincidence that we were coming in to town when this week-long event was passing through.  Not as big as the Tour de France but a there were a few big names in the bunch (Renshaw, Vinokourov, McEwen).

Cycling isn’t as popular in Turkey as it is in Europe so we were able to get up close and personal.  I hung out with Vino’s bike while he and the other riders took care of last minute business before the start. 

 Surprise #2 - after lunch, we were entertained for about an hour by the dress rehearsal for tomorrow’s air show.  Truly awesome.  I was taking these movies while standing on one of the towers of a 14^th century castle built by the Knights of St. John.  Typical mix of the modern and the ancient that you seem to see everywhere you look in Turkey.

Old Rocks and Big Hills

Wednesday’s 51-mile ride included visits to several archeological sites, including the Temple of Apollo and a large relief of Medusa:

The Miletus amphitheater:

The Temple of Athena at Priene.  

And for all my forester friends - a Turkish clearcut:

We often see shepherds tending their flocks of goats and sheep along the way.  But we weren't expecting this.

George Clooney is vacationing in Turkey but got tired of the paparazzi so he went undercover as a shepherd.

We spent the night in the British resort town of Didim and drank extra strong gin and tonics.  And beer.  And wine.  And a good time was had by all.  Apparently I was too “busy” to snap any photos.

Thursday was our first (but not last) hill climbing day. 

We all thought the graffiti was brilliant. [The original sign doesn't include the bicycle or the extra zero.]

Took a break in the small mountain town of Kizliki at the top of the first and toughest climb.  Joined the local men who seem to always be on break whenever we pass a tea house.

This is our support vehicle “Maggie” barely making the turn in Kazliki. She’s a retired “dolmus” which translates to “stuffed.”  Dolmuses are the privately-owned transit vehicles that you see everywhere.  They will stop anywhere to pick you up or drop you off.  I expect to become very familiar with them toward the end of my trip when I’m travelling on my own along the south coast.

After Kizliki it was down and then up and down again before stopping for lunch at the fish restaurant in the harbor town of Iassos. Of course, getting out of town meant riding up and down yet another hill before reaching our destination of Guvercilnik. We stayed at a small hotel on the bay and relaxed with a cold beverage before dinner.