Adventures around the Globe

It was sad standing in the grounds of Anzac Cove, Gallipoli. It was emphasised by many Turkish that it was a war for nothing and the great respect between the ANZAC and Turkish soldiers. We also visited Lone Pine Australian Memorial and Chunuk Bair New Zealand Memorial and Johnston's Jolly.

The next day was spent in Troy. It really was not too exciting. The Trojan horse on display was newly made and was less exciting than the straw one displayed in the town centre of Canakkale (used in the movie with Brad Pitt). The rest of the day (9hrs) was spent on 3 public buses to reach Kusadasi. We should have been visiting Pergamum but due to the fault of our travel agency, we arrived after the site was closed.

Kusadasi, one of Turkey’s principle holiday resorts was filled with wealthy Turkish and some foreigners. It is not a major highlight as resort towns are really not my thing. Si and I tried so hard to find a place where locals ate. Our tour guide for Ephesus told us that the locals ate where the tourist ate. That could not be the truth as we manage to find a place selling my favourite pide and Icli Kofte called Sekum Restaurant. Kusadasi was our base to see Ephesus and Pammukale.

I think I just had enough of ruins, which is what Ephesus is. It was however nice to see Temple of Artemis (Diana), the site of one of the seven wonders of the ancient world – although ruined by arson and plunder, it is still an interesting site.

The White Travertine of Pammukale is amazing, slightly smaller than I imagined but just as beautiful as the pictures I have seen.

Six hours bus ride later, we are now in Fethiye - ready for our cruise down the Mediterranean coast. We visit Butterfly Valley - Blue Lagoon Oludeniz - St. Nicholas Island - Firnaz Bay / Kalkan - Hidayet Bay - Yacht Harbor Kas - Sicak Bay / Aperlai - Sunken City Kekova - Simena Castle - Pirates Cave - Gokkaya Bay - Camlik Bay - Harbor Andriake / Bus Transfer to Demre - St. Nicholas Church - Rock Tombs Myra.

Thanks to our incompetent travel agent, we are missing Olympos to see the tree houses so that we can board our ferry to Rhodes, Greece from Marmaris (another holiday resort town in Turkey). Besides the travel agent, everyone in Turkey is so generous and genuinely willing to help and chat. I will definitely come back to Turkey some day.