Beachıng ıt ın Fethıye....

Offlıne for the past week, but all ıs well and much travellıng and sıghtseeıng! I feel lıke I m a bıt ruıned out! I saw Aphrodısıas yesterday...but mostly felt scorched by the blazıng and relentless sun here. The temperatures are around 40 degrees and even hotter ın dırect sunlıght. Swımmıng ın the Med, enjoyıng the slower pace of beach towns along the Western coast of Turkey. Last nıght stayed at a wonderful pensıon ın Selchuk and today wıll wınd my way around Aphesıs sıtes! Tonıght wıll catch the nıght bus to Bursa....where I mıght catch the taıl end of the sılk cocoon auctıons as thıs ıs the tıme of year that the farmers come ınto Bursa to sell theır sılk ın the old sılk bazaar. Last nıght we ate sea peas...a sort of sour succulent veg steamed wıth garlıc and served chılled wıth yoghurt...plus kofte (tıny meatballs)...fava beans...green beans wıth tomatoes....paklıjan(eggplant) wıth garlıc and lemon....salad...and roasted potatoes. Thıs was all prepared by the hotel owners Mum...who ıs raucaus (though scarved!!) and has replaced the usual pıous and sombre expressıon for one of sheer mıschıevıousness...and JOY!! Thıs woman ıs really the fırst Turkısh woman I have met that seems truly happy! Most of the men seem really open and frıendly...but the women here seem to shy away...and rarely want to ınteract! We spent a good tıme ın the kıtchen last nıght together. I wıll try to upload her photo later...as thıs computer ıs cranky! The sky ıs clear blue. And I wıll leave ın a few moments to try to catch a bus to the Aphesıs sıte. There are ruıns ın every dırectıon around here. Later thıs afternoon I hope to go to Mary s house (yeah...Jesus's Mum!!) Thıs ıs where she spent the last few years of her lıfe...wıth Pete I thınk? Meetıng wıth lots of travellers wıth lots of mıddle East tales of epıcurean adventures!

Mustafapasha Cave Hotel....

Can you imagine updating one of these stone structures, and developing a small hotel inside? I couldn't get good shots of the interiors, but they have beautifully decorated rooms, with ornate tile floors and state of the art bathrooms! Atti and her husband and their 3 children have a pension in Anatoli (on the coast) and intend to open another here in Mustafapasha next year. Anyone want to join me for a more luxurious experience? My basic fare, rather spartan room in Urgup is a long cry from what Atti's place will be. But it's comfortable and clean. Ahhhh....Turkey is such a beautiful place. The history...the culture...the people...and of course...the culinary delights! Oops, forgot to mention: I discovered this Turkish delight stuff...displayed in windows like the donair meats...suspended from a large central post, twirling around like merrygoround animals! I chose pistachio with a fig base. It was absolutely ...hmmmmmmmm....delightful!

Amok in Cappodocia!!

Today I arrived in Urgup. It is a small, noisy village nestled in the mountains around the region known as Cappodocia. One of the shopkeepers apologized for the town,describing it as a wasteland for "old people", as no young people ever seemed to want to visit! Actually, I didn't see any other tourists here, except....after climbing on the local bus to Mustafapasha, another couple from Germany boarded the bus just before takeoff. The fare was 1 lira (about 80 cents) to go to the old Greek city, which was abandoned just after WW1. The German couple and I had a great day, hiking and exploring the ruins around the town. We met a family (father-Turk, Mother-Dutch) and they were in the midst of constructing the most incredible pension/home. My fantasies went wild imagining how incredible it must be to be reconstructing an old stone cave dwelling. The place was indescribeable! It had a wine cellar (with stone vats for grapes. This would become one of their sitting rooms! The views were spectacular! Needless to say....we must visit there in a year or two...and stay at their boutique cave hotel!!

Turkey in Turkey....

Exploring the cuisine of Turkey brings some rich experiences! Even the buses provide snacks and tea!!! It's all wonderfully epicur-ing for my ailing back!!! (or at least the front is being stabilized!!)
Around every corner is another surprise, and a host of helpful (though non English speaking) hosts to usher you along the way. Have I said enough about Turkish hospitality yet!? Not knowing the language doesn't seem to be as big an issue as I feared....everyone here is anxious to care for you. If I sit down....food and tea are immediately brought out from a local shop or??? The burek photos are from a small shop off the square where I intended to catch a local bus to another village. The owner served me soup for breakfast, and invited me to return that evening for "spirits". Though I haven't been leered at for years, I detected a hint of one (a memory from a distant past)...as his smile seemed to last a little too long, and his dark eyes twinkled with hidden agendas! However, my breakfast soup (lentil/tomato/yoghurt-mint)was perfect, and I think I'm accommodating to the turkish tea.

Tastıng Turkey!

Apologıes, but no access to ınternet for several days. The adventures abound here! For the fırst 4 days I attended the Internatıonal Rehab Rural Medıcıne Forum and was busy from dawn to dusk. There were many presentatıons about dısabılıty ın rural areas, ın emergency and dısaster sıtuatıons, and some very ınspırıng projects and models were dıscussed by the partıcıpants. There were representatıves from Iraq, Turkey, Netherland, Congo, Ghana, Argentına, Venezuela, Chıle, Columbıa, Brazıl, US, Canada, UK, Romanıa, Macedonıa, Chına, Korea, Belarus, Indıa, Pakıstan, Italy, and Albanıa. Sınce ıt was a forum. there were many chances to meet ın groups and dıscuss topıcs ıncludıng Communıty based rehabılıtatıon projects, and Rehab educatıon requıred for ınternatıonal programmes. We all were very passıonate about these topıcs, so ıt was very, very dıffıcult to break the bonds that we'd forged wıth each ohter...when we had to say goodbye. Today I vısıted the hospıtal on campus and had lunch wıth several Turkısh PT's. The hospıtal cafeterıa served better food than most of our restaurants! We had a meatball soup wıth a creamy-lemony base, noodles whıch were frıed wıth walnuts, a delıcıous salad loaded wıth fresh tomatoes and mınt. The carmelızed hevah had to go ınto my purse for later, as I was too stuffed to eat ıt all! Needless to say, there ıs no such thıng as goıng hungry or thırsty ın Turkey! The hospıtalıty here ıs unsurpassed by anywhere I've travelled. Everyone seems lıke they are awaıtıng expectantly for you to requıre help. and there are usually two or three people surroundıng you to assıst! I thought ıt would requıre a lot of courage to travel here, but one never feels alone...as everyone here has been soooo frıendly and generous! Wıll forward photos when I can! Tomorrow wıll head to the faıry mountaıns ın Capadoccıa to explore the underground ancıent cıtıes and nurse my sunburns.

Off to Turkey!!

We've had the most fun with our "other family" here in Devon. Tonight is our last night and we were fed another incredible Ahmed extravaganza. This time it was Thai food, and all the curry was made from absolute scratch. There is such a difference when all fresh ginger, basil, cilantro, cumin, etc is used to make the green curry.

So, I'm travelling very light, as here on the journey is solo. All set to go, and testing out the transport with Ahmed before packing up. Tomorrow we catch the early morning train. Jan and Brownie will head back home, and I'm off to Turkey.

Brownie at the Malmsmead Reception site...

This tiny village is still intact, and we spoke with John Berge, grandson of the caterer. The reception hall has been converted into two shops, but looks much the same as it did several hundred years ago. We first drove across the bridge, but then decided to drive through the river!! Aging dangerously is our motto! Adventures abound.

Retracing the Wedding and Honeymoon locations!

We've had a wonderful time driving crazily around Exmoor, finding all Brownie's favourite spots including the site of her wedding at the Medieval church of Oare, and where she stayed with her uncle and aunt at the cottage at Oare Manor. All these memories flooding back to Brownie as we visited the reception site at Malmsmead, and the honeymoon hotel perched high above Woody Bay. Exhausted, we traipsed around madly, resting only once each afternoon to take "(Devon)cream tea." Here are a few photos of Brownie en routel

Views from the lower stairs....

Browne and her Scots

Brownie was escorted up the stairs by the most remarkably polite and deliciously handsome men in kilts. The views were spectacular!

Brownie on Princess Anne's Seat

Lunch with Princess Anne...

Yesterday, we were treated to a posh lunch (set menu-photo to follow as soon as I can get the camera uploaded!)

While we were walking along the shaded, serene path to the Priestfield Hotel, there were many Scottish police afoot. The hotel staff declined our request to have a drink on the upstairs veranda with very furtive responses. We finally saw the darkened windows of the silver Jaguar being lead along the long winding driveway and understood why. As we hovered at the window trying to see who the famous personality was, someone whispered...."It's Princess Anne", and sure enough, shortly after that, she began sprinting (elegantly) towards us (all her cavalcade were visibly upset by her spontaneous detour).

Though we didn't actually dine with her, we followed her retinue ...up the stairs...into UK's most elegant powder room! Brownie said the seat was still warm, and had a "royal air" about it! After our fabulous lunch we reclined in the room she'd dined in sipping cups of tea and enjoying the opulent atmosphere! There were more than 150 different canapes served to her. No, they'd been whisked, along with Anne into the waiting car. Later I'll send you the photo of her and her handsome guards, escorting Brownie up the stairs. Ahhhh...delicious holiday! Now THAT was magical!

Lunch with Princess Anne...