Allstar Aksan Hotel Izmir

... time in towns, I guess. Normally we just cycling through there's no time to look or wrap a parcel to send home.

But the regular cay was not the only type I was able to sample. Upon learning that I was feeling ill, the man at the hotel showed great concern and insisted on making me a special tea. Brian watched as he rummaged around with dried herbs (mostly sage) and created a special concoction for me. Nice enough to drink, but ...

... riot police were near us. (Really, riot police were there, with helmets, batons and big shields. I didn't think our reputation was all that bad!) The Turkish crowd seemed filled with a lot of young lads, female footballers and fans. They penned us in very quickly, with a group of what sounded and looked like big supporters of the game behind us, and a group of young lads who wanted to talk to us and share their sunflower seeds with us - they were very giggly throughout the first half. It ...

... contention for the Quietest Airport in the World award. All the shops were shut and there was scarcely a soul about. Our plane was delayed for over an hour. After completing a few laps of closed duty free we headed to our gate. Gates 1 - 19 in Stanstead are possibly the best example of why it should be awarded as the quietest airport in the world - the 2 (very small) coffee shops were closed, the 2 lounges were closed, and there were only 2 planes waiting to board ...

I felt asleep before 630 last evening, and got up at 5 this morning. What a sound sleep! And an amazing new noon arose outside my window. The prayer sound made the context really turkish.

Our lunch was at a resort with a lake. There were no other customers but us, the participants at the conference. It cost 20 lira, so maybe too expensive for local people.

Dinner was lighter, but i still couldn't finish it.

... of hours steaming between islands; anchoring in bays and swimming / exiting the boat in various fashions. Its great and it really keeps you cool. Lunch was a good attempt with fish given the mass catering requirements. The day progressed in the same fashion with the excellent scenery as a backdrop. I also got to know the reps a bit better and they were the extroverts you'd expect. They were interested to hear about the trip too. The ...

... into their daily lives was fascinating and refreshingly far removed from any tourist path. Elmar enjoyed the hour long walk as much as we did. On arrival at the top we discovered women weaving carpets and boys playing football in amongst the castle ruins. The view of Izmir was fantastic and the sun rays piercing through the clouds onto the glistening ocean provided a perfect backdrop. Thanks for having us Elmar, we think you're great!

... swarmed around me as I tucked into my evening meal so at 8pm I escaped behind the safety of a flysheet. more to follow... --------------------------------------- --------------------- --------------------------------- I'm now in Gökova near Marmaris trying to decide whether to cycle south-west to Marmaris and Datça and take a boat trip to Bodrum. It's a bit of a detour and judging by the camp site here and at Oludeniz it will be very busy, noisy and relatively expensive. I'd ...

... some apple tea on sofas outside while we watched some puppies playing in the neighboring orchard. It was one of the best, most relaxing dining experiences we have had on the trip. Once we crossed through an olive grove to reach Selcuk again, we decided to go to the local museum. It has a wonderful collection of sculpture and artifacts from Ephesus, and it was well designed for ...

... enormous ancient site... and the white cliffs of Pamukkale... a geological feature formed by mineral springs spouting out of the top of the hills. Here, Tim and Jeremy paddled in the luke-warm spring water. The oracle at Claros rounded off the cultural side of the trip - a really nice little ancient site, full of interesting bits which we could explore alone to our heart's content. I was not allowed to visit 'Mary's house' ... where the Virgin ...

Our cruise stopped off in Turkey for a day. We toured a bazar/casbah and drank some tea.
I remember on our land approach, being surprised at how deep green colour the hills were, popluated with so many trees. The city buildings were a beautiful cream white colour - sublime beauty.