birds and animals

While visiting Kuala Lumpur we went into the Bird park. I decided that this time I would concentrate on the birds eyes/faces for my photos. I was most pleasantly surprised on how much detail one could get when standing a distance away. I am so enjoying playing with the camera and experimenting to see what it and I are capable of. Please click on the video above to see the photos.

The video below is of some pictures from the Singapore Zoo, such a magical place to go where you feel as if you are amongst the wild animals. Enjoy!

Last photos of our Turkey Adventure

These are last photos for me to put up and they are not in any order but just some of my favourite photos that have not fitted into any of the the other areas.

The Princes Island is a ferry ride away, stopping at 3 other small islands on the way. When you arrive you are met by a queue of people lining up for a pony and trap. We didn't wait and decided to walk up the hill to the highest point for the views. in the photo above is a water boat and they are loading a horse up with the big bottles of water.
And here is one delivering the water.
Wayne is sitting back and enjoying the ride down the hill.
Wayne discovered this butterfly in the side of the road...and it posed for both of us to take its photo.
The view from the top of the hill looking back towards Istanbul.
The Old Railway station where the Orient Express stopped.
The Blue Mosque with its six minarets.
We bought a couple of plates at the Grand Bazaar...Wayne bargained hard and got two for less than the price of one.
Prayer time and they close their market shop, covering their goods with newspaper. we even saw one that just had broom handle across the doorway to show it was shut.

These are a couple of videos I have put together of some of my favourite photos. One is of people on on the streets of Istanbul. The other is from when we travelled by ferry to Princes Island where the only mode of transport is either shanks pony (walking), cycling or pony and trap. The only vehicles allowed are the emergency vehicles.

I hope you have enjoyed the photos as much as I enjoyed reliving our adventure. Our next adventure is to the South of Vietnam in September.

Pamakkule and Ephesus

After spending a lovely afternoon walking around Ugup town we caught the shuttle back to the airport for our flight to Kusadasi and were pleasantly surprised with this town. It is very similar to Mt Maunganui in that it has beaches and lots of hotels and shops (Wayne wouldn't give me time to go into the shops!)

The view from our room was absolutely lovely and was a great place to enjoy a bottle of wine and the atmosphere.
Higher up the hotel was the swimming pool and this view.
Even at night time the view was sensational. This is what we say when we went to bed but when we woke up there were 3 cruise ships docked.

The next morning it was up for breakfast and then to be met for a tour to Pamakkule (thermal area). It was long drive down (but not as long as to Gallipoli) and we were ready for a walkabout when we got there. In some ways we were disappointed as it was nowhere as beautiful and as extreme as Rotorua. It did have lovely terraces and it meant we could imagine what the Pink and White Terraces may have looked like.

It was quite beautiful but I was disappointed in the temperature of the water.

There were some ruins nearby that from the Ancient City of Hieropolis, dating back to the Roman times. Fascinating to see that some of the structures are still standing. Wayne is walking along an ancient road.

These are some column in a mosque we looked at while waiting for the rest of the tour party to arrive. It was so old and the local shops had all donated carpets for the floor.

We met up with the rest of the group and were amazed at the storks on the top of Artemis Temple. From here we could see two other temples but only visited Artemis Temple which has only one column left standing.
Back onto the bus, only to find that some guy was shifting our bags to take our seats...telling us he thought they were his nephews...but their bags looked totally different. It was a short bus ride to Ephesus which was one of the seven churches of Asia that are cited in the Book of Revelation. (That bit of information was straight from a book.) It was originally Greek (one of twelve cities during the classical Greek period) and later it was the second largest Roman city after Rome.
This one of the roads that everyone walked down. It was amazing to be able to imagine what it may have looked like in the old times.
Wayne is under a doorway. The intricate carving on these was incredible.
Above is the Greek Goddess Nike.
Wayne is sitting on a latrine and that is our lovely guide behind him. They had running water near their feet to wash their hands in afterwards and the 'business' was also washed away with running water. Quite sophisticated for their times.
This is what remains of the Library of Celsus. We used this to shelter in as the heavens opened in a rush and no one had umbrellas or coats from our group.
Our last important stop for the day was to visit the House of the Virgin Mary. It is said to be her final place of residence.