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.

Cappadocia

WOW! What an experience it was to do a Hot Air Balloon ride over the fairy chimneys. Unfortunately we were picked up late and did not get to see our balloon inflate. We were told which was our balloon and we climbed into the basket and then waited for the OK to fly. Once that was given we were off. Such an amazing feeling...it was like floating, you couldn't feel the balloon moving but you could see that we were. It was just like you hear in the movies up, up and away! floating up and around the fairy chimneys and the many other balloons (around 60 were flying this day.) Our guide was able to give us a running commentary of all the places we could see below us. We went up 1500 ft and it hardly felt like we did but the view down was incredible. When it was time to come down my stomach was telling me it was certainly past time to do that. The landing was interesting as we were going to land in one area but we drifted too far and there were power lines so we went up higher and over and then tried again but the same thing happened. Finally we landed amongst the houses and power lines safely. The landing crew were wonderful and ensured we were safe all the time. It took two attempts to ensure the basket was on the ground and then they cleverly maneuvered the basket and balloon onto the trailer and finally we were allowed to climb out. I never even gave motion sickness a thought but it certainly made me queasy and I was glad to have my feet finally on the ground and toast the trip with a glass or two of bubbly.

The neighbouring balloon being inflated.

Evidence that I actually did do the flight.

Looking back to where we had come from.

Balloons everywhere and no crashing into each other. Balloons higher have the right of way.
The fairy chimneys took on a totally new look from the air. They are incredible structures of nature.

Looking down on the many balloons of all colours.
Finally down and enjoying the glass of bubbly and accepting the certificate. I would not have done this if Wayne was not with me - thanks Wayne for your support I really did enjoy this adventure into the air.
After the balloon ride we went on a tour around the chimneys at ground level. They are huge and magnificent.

The holes in this rock are houses. They don't live in them now but did until the 1960's when the government subsidised them into other housing.
Just shows how small and insignificant we are in the grand scale of things.

a few bugs from Turkey

I am always fascinated by the colours and the arrangements of these colours on the insects and bugs in the many countries we have visited.

Around Istanbul and Gallipoli

We finally arrived in turkey after a long trip...with a 7 hour stopover in Colombo. I thought we had booked into a lounge to wait the hours but they wouldn't let us into it as we had to exit the airport to utilise it....a waste of money but never mind Coffee Bean had comfy chairs for a snooze.

We were met at the Airport by Jasminne Tour Company and taken to our hotel. It was a lovely boutique style hotel right in the middle of the old area (Sultanmahmet). Breakfast the next morning was yummy fresh bread, delicious cheese and some hot food too along with fresh juice, coffee and tea.

We were met and taken to meet up with the rest of the people touring for the day. First stop was the Spice Market. This was such a cool place, colours, smells, to entice everyone to buy. Never again will Cadbury's Turkish Delight be so yummy!

This is an array of Turkish Delight, made with honey not sugar, so tasty we had to buy some.
Olives....we had never seen so many different types, colours, shapes and sizes. Think Wayne thought he was in heaven.
We had heard and seen pictures of the coloured spices but were not prepared for how vibrant they actually looked.
This delicious cheese is actually wrapped in goats skin.
After this we toured around some of the older buildings. above is the Clock Tower leading into the DOLMABAHÇE PALACE, where the last Sultan lived. In here we found a bed for Logan. It slept the Sultan's brother who was a mere 2.6 metres tall. (Tried to get a photo, Logan, but couldn't fit it into the photo.)
We also visited the Hagia Sophia, which was originally a christian church but was later converted to a mosque and is now a museum. The mosaics were fascinating and incredible. As was the ceiling below.
Below is the entrance from within the courtyard of the Blue Mosque. Inside the mosaics are all blue - hence the name - it was so beautiful and serene inside. even with all the people touring.

One of our tours was down to Gallipoli. This was such a moving day. I never realised just what these people went through, both the Anzacs and the Turks. the museum really brought home the toughness of the situation when we saw there clothes, bones and even bullets etc.
This is a monument at the museum overlooking a beach.
We went down onto Anzac cove, the beach you can just see in the background. It is hard to imagine how these guys tried to climb up this steep embankment. We visited Chunuk Bair where the Turks and the Anzacs were fighting less than 8 meters apart. trenches were still visible and this made it seem even more real.
The next day was a free one so we went walkabout. Visiting many of the places/streets/buildings close to where we were staying. We found ourselves down by the Bosphorus Strait and crossed the bridge trying to get to the tower that looked a long way away. It was a steep climb up some stairs to finally reach the tower and then inside and up a lift to get the view. Once again it was incredulous. 360 views and we could pick out some landmarks from our tours the days before.
Looking up the tower was originally built in 1348 and was the high point of the city walls. Until the 1960's it was a fire lookout but is now a viewing platform for the amazing views.
One thing you have to try in Istanbul is a fish sandwich. Wayne bought one from the market and enjoyed it. I was not use to the local food and didn't attempt one. Intending to go back and have one but never did.
After the long walk it was back to a little place near our hotel for a lovely long cool drink and and early night as we had an early start the next day to Kayseri.

But one couldn't leave Istanbul without having a Turkish coffee and baklava. The coffee was good but I had an apple tea...this was my find for our holiday. It is so yummy and refreshing that we had to buy some to bring back.

Great Race 2010

Once again it was time for MAE Great Race around Singapore.

Carolyn, Bradley, Ruth, Wayne and Anna (friend of Carolyn) were our team for the day. We started at East Coast Park where we had to build a sandcastle and then pick up our next set of clues.
The Masterpiece!
While taking a photo at the local skate park, some locals asked if they could have their photo taken withus...
On a mushroom, taking a creative photo.
How many people can you get onto a footprint? We had two goes and managed to get 10!
It was a fun day of exploring and seeing some different parts of Singapore, ending up at Winebos for the prize-giving.

Reflections in Chinese Garden

After much deliberation on what to do today we caught the MRT to Chinese Gardens. It is a stunning place to walk around with many places to practice with my camera. I have put a few of the reflections I found into the slide show. While there we had to shelter from a terrific thunderstorm. It appeared to be happening right over us. Lightning strikes were happening gefore the last one had finished and thunder was continuously rolling and clapping.

Opening of Arts Festival - A Fire Garden

Bradley suggested we go down to see a fire display near the Asian Civilisation Museum on Sat night after work. We usually shy away from doing do much on a Sat night as we are up early for work the next morning but we were pleased we made the effort. Compagnie Carabosse are France's leading alchemists, they had set the area alight with many different displays of fire. It was impressive to say the least. Below are a series of pictures from the nights walk.

There were static displays as well as many moving ones. We were so impressed that we went back on the Sunday night for the show, only to be thwarted by rain. We visited the Asian Civilisation Museum for a wander till the rain stopped. Finally we went back outside and saw they had it many of the fire containers but not the moving one. It was a bit of a let down but still an enjoyable evening.