Istanbul

My last few days have been spent in the enchanting city of Istanbul - the city where Asia and Europe meet. I have heard so many travel writers claim that Istanbul is their favourite city and it is not hard to understand why. The city should be approached in terms of a small country, there are that many different areas and regions to explore. 4 days is no where near enough time to see even a small part of it. This stunning photo is of the Blue Mosque - such a magnificent building and the decor inside is breathtaking. The name comes from the delicate blue tiles that cover the inside walls. Opposite the Blue Mosque is the Aya Sophia - it was once a church, then a mosque - now it is a museum. The dome inside is the largest unsupported dome in the world. You stand underneath, looking up, wondering why it doesn't fall on your head. For many centuries Istanbul (nee Constantinople) was the centre of the Ottoman Empire. Apart from the Blue Mosque there are many more reminders of this once oppulent empire. The largest of these has to be Topkapi Palace. As well as the many rooms, including throne room, library, great halls, breakfasting pavillion, kitchens, circumcision room (yes you read correctly) and various living residences there is also a treasury and a harem. Harem actually means private and it was for all intents and purporses a closed city within the palace. The Sultan could ave up to 400 concubines in there with the 15 current favourites taking precedence. Their main goal was to produce a male heir to the Sultan. The mother of the Sultan was the most important woman. When a new Sultan was throned all his other half brothers of which there could be hundreds would be murdered. This was later abolished to the half brothers beeing locked up in a cage for their entire lives. Live at the palace was not fun! It was all in fighting and murder. Extremely few Sultans died of natural causes. The treasury is still home to some of Turkey's most precious treasures. Within I saw jewel encrusted pendants, bowls , plates, thrones, chainmail, arrow quivers. The famous Topkapi dagger is breathtaking as is the 86 carat diamond (the fifth largest in the world). This was originally found on a rubbish dump by a beggar and sold on for the princely sum of 3 spoons! The weirdest treasure is the arm of St John the Baptish encased is a gold glove and his skull encased in a solid gold skull case! You may remember I have seen other parts of John at the Ummayyad Mosque in Damascas.

No trip to Istanbul woud be complete without visiting the Grand Bazaar and the Spice Market. I've visited a number of bazaars now and to be truthful these are not a patch on the ones in Damascas. But you cannot come to Istanbul without visiting the Grand Bazaar. Even if I wanted to I could not buy a simgle item more. Tomorrow I start making my way through Eastern Europe and already I cannot pick up all my luggage. I wonder if tht has anything to do with the silk carpet, ceremics, perfume and art work I have already bought. One thing is for sure, I will be alot stronger by the time I get home. Istanbul has been a fantastic city and I will certainly be back here one day!

Anzac Day

The Gallipoli Penisular in Turkey was an extremely important battleground during the first world war. If the allies could gain control it would mean a supply route into Russia had been opened up. Unfortunately the narrowest point of the Dardanelle Straits is only a few Km wide and the Royal Navy could not make it through. They lost 4 battleships in the space of 5 minutes due to mines when they attempted to take it. So instead the allieds decided to send a land army to take it. British and Indian soliders were sent alongwith almost every Austrailian and New Zealand solider that had volunteered. They became known as Anzacs. (Austrailian and New Zealand Army Corp). They were different to the majority of soliders who went as they had all volunteered and had not been conscripted. They had also had very little training and had never fought before. The forces landed in April 1915 and came up against an extremely well trained Turkish army. For 9 months the allies dug in - the area around what is now known as Anzac Cove is very inhospitable, strong biting winds, no naturally growing food or water supplies amd open land - it was alos very steep. The Allies lost many thousands of soliders before being evacuated although the Turks lost alot more - around 250,000. What makes this battleground different to many others is the respect the Allies and the Turks had for one another. When the war was over Ataturk (the Turkish leader) made a speech directed at the mothers of the Anzacs

Those heroes that shed their blood
And lost their lives...
You are now lying in the soil of a friendly Country.
Therefore rest in peace.
There is no difference between the Johnnies
And the Mehmets to us where they lie side by side
Here in this country of ours...
You, the mothers,
Who sent their sons from far away countries
Wipe away your tears,
Your sons are now lying in our bosom
And are in peace
After having lost their lives on this land
They have become our sons as well

Today there is a very strong commaraderie between the Turks and the Anzacs and this is evident at the Anzac day Rememberance Services. On the morning of the 25th April, I joined 8000 others who had camped out at Anzac Cove to take part in the Dawn Service. After the service was completed a further 3 services took part at different cemetaries in the vaccinity. An Austrailian service, a Turkish Service and a New Zealand Service. At all three there were representatives of the three governments, all three national anthems were played at each service and were attended by the different nationalities. It was an incredibly moving experience and I am so pleased I was there. It was the complete respect and shared loss between the former enemies that made this service so much more moving - it seemed to honour the pointless loss of life more. I only wish all remembrance services could be like this.

Guess where I am?

This is the library at Ephesus, probably one of the best preserved Roman cities almost still standing. The site boasted two amphiteatres, public baths, public toilets, many temples and statues not to mention the obligatory brothel. In the last year a nobleman's house - well really a bishops house has been unearthed and the floors are still covered with fine mosaics and marble. It was stunning - Oh how the other half live. After leaving Ephesus and seeing the site where the Temple of Artemis once stood (one of the original ancient wonders of the world) - the temple is now just one column with a stork nesting atop it - I made my way to Troy. Troy is the city of Greek legend where the Greeks and the Spartans fought over Helen. The city of Troy really exsists and archeologists have discovered that the city was sacked and burnt to the ground at the same time that Homer indicated in the Illiad. At the site now it is possible to see 9 different levels - where the city has been rebuilt ontop of the previous city 9 times over. But the biggest attraction has to be the huge tacky wooden horse that the local government has built for the tourists. This really is it and yes I did climb inside it and yes it was alot of fun. You can't beat good solid tack! And as for the title question, both the incredibly preserved Roman city and the most famous city in Greek legend are on the Turkish coast. Turkey is urning out to be a remarkable country!.

Getting Hotter

As I moved form the region of Cappadocia towards Turky's coast, a miraculous thing happened. The snow stopped, the sun came out and it began to get warmer again. I stayed on the Mediterranean coast of Olympos. I actually stayed in a tree house which was rather cool - alas due to a fire last year the trees did not survive but the houses have been rebuilt on stilts. I was even able to sunbathe briefly on the pebble beach - after the blizzard it was great. In the evening I climbed a local hill to see the Chimera. According to Greek legend (thıs area used to be Greek) the monster Chimera was imprisioned in the mountaın. The chimera are actually flames that could be seen from sea originally and use to guide sailors. The flames were supposedly coming from the monsters mouth. They are also known as the eternal flames and are used to light the Olympic torch. It is fascinating to watch them - the flames just leap from the rocks. They do not need to be ignited. Even today scientists are not quite sure how or why they exsist but they are exceptionally good to toast marshmallows on. The flames gıve out heat but not smoke.The next day I treated myself to a traditional Hamman or Turkish bath. You lay on a heated central marble slab and begin to get hotter and hotter. You are then massaged and then scrubbed down with a loofah mit. The amount of dirt that was extracted from me was shocking. Thıs was followed by being covered ın warm soapy bubbles and massaged again. After an ice cold shower you are pronounced clean. As if I wasn't pampered enough I followed this up wıth a deep oıl massage. I was floating for the next two days. It was blıss.

All the good work was overıdden when I got to Pamakkue a couple of days later. Agaın these are natural rocks but they are brıght whıte. To stop dıscolouratıon you have to take off your shoes when climbing on them. Its not that easy on the feet.

So currently I am in Selçuk. I will be visiting Troy before going up to Gallipoli in time for the Dawn memorial service on Anzac Day. After the servıce I will be heading towards Istanbul and Europe agaın. My middle eastern adventure ıs almost over - looks lıke I wıll have to start shoppıng sooner rather than later - carpets anyone?

Cappadocia - home of the fairy chimneys

Crossıng Syrıa ınto Turkey, I headed for the regıon known as Cappadocıa. My first ımpressıons of Turkey were of how cold it was - then the weather turned bad. Whilst those in England were lapping up the sunshine I was experiencing freak blizzards. Great! İ haven't brought enough jumpers wıth me. The landscape around the area ıs known for its bizzare rock formations. These were caused millenia ago wıth volcanic erruptions. The wınd and rain erossion have the left the rocks ın odd shapes - some of them extremely phallic. After peering through the hail and snow at the formations I made my way to the more sheltered spot of the underground city. I have been fascinated by this place sınce I saw Dan Cruickshank do a tv programme about it a couple of years back. These hidden cities housed up to 50,000 people - all hiding out due to wars and religious persecution. The tunnels leadınd down the cıty got extremley tight and narrow and at one point I was crawlıng to get through. Not a good home for the claustrophobic. As the people couldn't go outsıde for at least 6 months at a time - ıf any body died they had to be sealed up ın gıant urns and stored ın the corner of the living room. Nice! After exploring Gorome's underground cıty I went back to the fairy chimneys and as the sun had come out, I could actually see them. St Simon is reputed to have lived ın one on the cave houses carved into the rocks. Accordıng to legend he was there 40 years only ever leavıng the house to get food. He certainly wasn't suffering from wonderlust. The whole landscape around here is just magical -the weather couldn't spoil it - in fact seeıng the snow laying on the 'fairy chimneys' made them seem even more magical. Whilst I was ın Gorome I was staying in the Flintstones Pension - which was a cave with a door attached to it. Fun but caves are not renoun for their warmth especially during blizzards. Do hope it warms up soon though as typing ıs very difficult without feeling ın your fingers!

Syria - Probably not what you are expecting

Not knowing what to expect I crossed Jordan into Syria (according to some an axis of evil) but what I found was an incredibly friendly country jammed packed full of ancient history. My first stop was the city of Damascus, reportedly the oldest continually inhabited city in the world. It was on the road to Damascus that Saul was converted to Paul and I visited the church that stands on the site of the baptism. I also visited the Ummyyad Mosque in the centre of the city. This place is huge and so ornately decorated. 3 out of the 4 walls of the courtyard are covered in a fine mosaic - it is so beautiful. The Mosque is also home to the tomb of Saladine and the tomb of John the Baptist (although it doesn't have his complete body) My knowledge of the Bible has certainly improved during this trip!
After Damascus I moved northwards to the town of Palmyra. This is one massive site of what looks like Roman ruins - only they are not Roman. When the Palmyrans built the city it was a vital trading city on the Silk Route - I saw the remains of the trading areas including the hitching posts to tie your camels up whilst you engage in a bit of haggling. I visited the temple of Baal (Dad, I'm sure you'll recognise the name) and the pits where animals were sacrificed to appease Baal. It was a fascinating site not least because I got to climb to the top of a funery tower (it even contained bones).
I was really looking forward to the next stop. The crusader castle Crac des Chevaliers, This was one of 7 in the vacinity but due to a restoration in the 1960's by the French - it is in a great condition. It has been labelled as one of the best examples of a castle in the world and it lives up to its reputation. You get to explore right into the heart of the castle and that includes the secret passageways leading through the moat, the tunnels that run underneath the kitchens and the maze of alleyways under the baths. Even saw the dungeons and the vats in which they kept the boiling oil in times of seige and attack. The castle came complete with its own round table. In short it was a proper castle - almost complete - not just a pile of foundation stones. It was great.
My final stop in Syria was the country's second largest city - Aleppo. As well as being a maze of Souks selling everything you could imagine under the sun including so many sweets and pastries, the city also has a citadel above it protecting it from any would be attackers. This country really does medeavial castles well. This citadel came complete with its own palace inside. It was stunning. For those of us for whom the souks and the many hours of haggling does not appeal, Syria is great because you can go climb and explore instead. Something for everyone. Have overdosed slightly on the hummous and baba ganooush (aubergine dip) you get out here so I am looking forward to pressing northwards into Turkey and perhaps some different food specialities. But for anyone who thinks Syria is not a holiday destination - get out here - its great.

Jordan -A wonder of the World?

After the longest ferry crossing known to man (the crossing took 4 hours but we were on board for over10 hours) I left Egypt and entered into Jordan. The first stop we made was at the Wadi Rum national reserve. This is a desert with incredibly large rocks within it. Due to the strong winds the wind erossion over a couple of million years has left the rocks with interesting shapes and features to them. Wadi Rum is a beautiful place and was also the home of T E Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia) for many years. It was from here he masterminded the unification of the Arab tribes and the subsequent defeat of the Ottomans during World War 1. This is the seven pillars of creation, the mountain that bears the same name as Lawrence's book. From the desolate landscape of wadi Rum wemoved northwards slightly to the town of Wadi Musa. Here I had my first Turkish Massage. This involves time in a steam roon followed by being vicsiously rubbed down by a large scrubbing brush. The amount of dirt that came out of me was worrying! But at least I had the jacuzzi and massage left to make me feel alot better about myself. At the outskirts of Wadi Musa is the centuries old city of Petra. This city was only rediscovered (ie by westerners) in the late 1960's. The city was built at the bottom of a gorge and the temples were literally sculptured into the rock face. They are truely stunning. You may recognise the Treasury from the Indiana Jones film. I had entered Petra at half 6 in the morning which meant for a couple of hours we had the place to ourselves before the tour groups arrived. Visiting all the sights of Petra involves alot of hiking - most of it up incredibly steep hills / cliffs. But the views are well worth it. By the time I descended from the Place of high Sacrifice it was 1pm and Petra was unfortunately sinking under the weight of all the tourists. I was so lucky to get to see the entire place without any crowds - it makes a place feel alot more special. As I was leaving a large group of people entered, chanting and waving banners. They were campaigning on behalf of Petra. Worldwide there is a competition going on at the moment to rename the 7 wonders ofthe world. Petra has made it onto the shortlist. The locals feel it deserves to renamed as a wonder of the world - and I must admit I agree with them. Petra is spectacular - makes the Pyramids look like a childs sculpture!
It was almost time to leave Jordan but on the way to Syria we passed the lowest point on Earth - 400 metres below sea level. The Dead Sea. So called because hardly anything can survive in the water as the salt content is almost 80%. The evaporation of the sea has led to this high salinity. The most famous side effect of this is the high buoyancy of the sea. It is nigh on impossible to drown in the Dead Sea - its impossible to stand up in it. the water just makes you float. The white lumps in the photo are giant salt crystals - you have to walk over these to get into the sea. Its certainly a novel experience and so much fun - the only drawback is that you cannot get water into your eyes or an open cut because by gum it stings. It was great fun though. My final final stop in Jordan was at Mount Nebo. This is where Moses looked out and saw the promised land. It is also where he is buried. I visited the church atop Mount Nebo and saw the promised land for myself. Coincidently it was Easter Sunday when I was on Mount Nebo so the visit had extra significance especially for the Christians within our travelling group. If Mount Sinai and now Mount Nebo was not enough my next stop will be the city of Damascas within Syria - a city brimming over with its biblical roots. I'm not sure what to expect at all from Syria but I'll soon find out...

Coral spotting again...

The resort of Dahab on the Red Sea peninsular is famous for the diving and snorkelling opportunities it has. Dahab is different from other dive sites as due to the geographical nature of the coral reef - the snorkelling is almost as good as the diving. I went snorkelling at the blue hole. It is the proximity of the coral to the surface that gives it the destinctive shape. As you would expect the coral was spectacular. I saw so many varieties of the most brightly coloured fish not to mention the wide variety and different coloured corals. The only problem for me was the temperature of the water. Even though I was in a wetsuit the water was still very cold. The second time I braved the water I could only last 40 mins before the shivering got a bit much. Apart from snorkelling the rest of my time in Dahab has been spent relaxing. It has been difficult sat about relaxing, reading, chatting, generally doing nothing. The sea food has been amazing too - as I say its a hard life! I will definately be coming back to Dahab - primarily to take advantage of the great diving opportunities but I will come back slightly later in the year - giving the water a chance to warm up slightly. I am leaving the coast now, crossing over the water to Jordan and the land of deserts.

Pilgimages

As promised by time in Luxor was spent visiting the temples of Luxor and Karnac. I decided not to go again to the Valley of the Kings as the tombs I would most like to visit are currently closed - anyway my memories are still very fresh of the tombs there. I used my extra time to visit the Sunshine Orphanage instead. This place was set up by an English lady a couple of decades ago and is currently home to over 70 children. They have recently moved the younger children into a purpose built centre full of everything the under 5 could possibly want - including a ball pool. Was tempted myself - I^ve never been in a ball pool. Its the kind of place you come away uplifted from.
From Luxor it was a 9 hour drive to our next location. This should not have been a problem but the bloody annoying Egyptian government will not let any tourist travel freely in mainland Egypt. Everyone has to travel in massive convoys that only leave once a day and at the most inappropriate times. There are checkpoints every few miles and you can not get pass them unless you are in a police convoy. The convoys were set up in 1997 after the tourist shootings and everyone is heartily sick of them - it also means you arrive at monuments alongwith every single other person who wants to visit them that day. Alas the convoys are funded in the majority by the equally annoying American government (their citizens must be safe at all times) so they will not dissappear anytime soon.
En route we passed the town of Suez - home of course to the suez canal. Unlike at Panama there is really very little to see here. In fact you cannot even see the water. It appears as if the ships are floating by on the sand. What was cool though was that we went under the canal. A bridge has not been built to cross the canel as that would get in the way of the ships. Instead you go under the canel in a huge tunnel - it was fun.
So it was half past 9 when we arrived at our destination and half ten by the time we had eaten. Normally these times would not be that bad - but we were going to climb a mountain - and now just to make it more fun , we would be doing it in darkness. The mountain in question is Mount Sinai - the place where Moses recieved the Ten Commandments. Never attempted a mountain climb in the dark but luckily for us, the moon was out so most ofthe 2285m were visible. The last bit was a particular steep part and it was here that the track changed into huge steps. Most people ^s legs were shaking as we reached the summit. At the top we hired mattresses from the bedouins and settled down for a couple of hours sleep. Yes there are people at the summit selling and renting out equipment. We were all settled down by 1am and in fact we were the first there. By 4am the place was heaving. Hundreds of people make the pilgrimage up the mountain in order to watch the sunrise. The singing and clapping started around half 4 dispelling any notion that sleep may be possible. Everyone fell silent though as the sun rose at aroud half past 5 - and for the first time, I got a glimpse of what the mountain and surrounding range looked like. We were treated to a stunning sunrise before the mad clambor down the mountain started. Trying to get hundreds of people down a narrow set of steps all at once is not easy and incredibly frustrating. But I made it - and a couple of hours later I was back at the base. Before leaving I went to visit St Katherines Monastry - this is a greek orthodox church but is also a place of pilgrimage as it is where the burning bush is situated. After 4000 years there is nothing left of the bush except some roots, but a new bush has been planted there and people offer up prayers to it. Again crowd control is a bit of an issue and I am so glad that I was here this friday - nstead of next friday - Good Friday.
We left the mountain ranges and continued driving through the Sinai penisular until we reached Dahab. This resort on the Red Sea is famous for the snorkelling and diving opportunities it has. I imagine I will be checking those out soon...