Atinc Kusadasi

Funny how perspectives are different. The LP guide says that Selcuk is not a 'tourist' town despite the ruins of Ephesus and that some travelers may be disappointed. To me, it was very touristy!

Here carpet salesmen (the first we've seen) woo you with cay, backgammon and pleasant conversation while trying to get you to buy a carpet.

Men in the street tell you stories of their archaeological career and try to sell you ancient ...

... on me! (More Turkish security). What a score! So, I hope that really was the Italian president, because it was very exciting!
After that, we were entertained by costumed re-enactors playing dancing girls, emperors, tradesmen and gladiators. Cheesy but appreciated. When we left the park, we walked through a gauntlet of trades people in a bazaar. I had great fun bargaining for Turkish Delight, Apple Tea, and saffron.
As usual, a few guests were late back to ...

... 15C and looking west we could see the Greek island of Samos which I had visited in 1984.

2. The temple at Didyma was built in the 7th century BC to honour the god of prophecy and oracles (Apollo). The shrine was one of the leading oracles of the Greek world and people travelled hundreds of miles to have their fortunes told. Sandra felt sorry for them believing these ancient folks had been the ...

... two-lane country road with orange groves on either side quickly turned narrow and curvy as it begun ascending the mountain. I elected not to think about how this was the third time I had
ever driven a moped. After the exhilarating ride up I arrived at the small town and parked my bike. The town was packed with tourists and dotted with stores that sold wine, soaps, olive oils, etc.
Sirince had an old name that translated to "ugly ...

... and hopefully he will now be equipped to get out of Kusadasi without hitting his mirror on anything. When we came home we had a nice chat with our Australian host about living in Turkey and had dinner at a nice little kebab place owned by a Turkish/English couple (who helped to teach us some basic Turkish!). After a nice stroll along the Aegean we headed back to Anzac Golden Bed for some rest. We woke up Tuesday looking forward to our much needed day of rest ...

... first and second century AD. The importance of the city as a commercial centre declined as the harbour slowly filled with silt from the river despite repeated dredges during the city's history. Today, what used to be the harbor is 5 kilometers inland. The loss of its harbor caused Ephesus to lose its access to the Aegean Sea, which was important for trade. People started leaving the lowland of the city for the surrounding hills. The ruins of the temples were used as building blocks for ...

... and had a bit of a look around. No luck. Jillian had been looking for a head scarf since seeing all the options in Egypt and again in Turkey. She found a stall to buy one and spent the rest of the day happily experimenting with how to wear it. In the early afternoon we caught a dolmush (mini bus) up to a small Greek village named Sirence (Pr. Syringe-ay). It was a sunny Saturday afternoon and this was the most tourists we ...

... is on the edge of the Aegean Sea. Though our room doesn't have 'the view' other rooms do have a view of the harbor. The dining room is set up to handle hundreds of diners. Long tables were set up and each group has its place to sit and eat dinner. I rather miss the small dining room of our hotel in Istanbul. This is the meal where I try long peppers that had been slightly sautéed. One bite of the green one and that is that - a very spicy pepper.

... with thanks to Pat Benetar for those words of wisdom). So you see I have fond memories of Selcuk and was looking forward to getting back there with Kat. Oh how it has changed. Selcuk these days is a real shithole (pardoning my terrible french accent). For some reason everywhere you go in Selcuk they seem keen to scream, 'G'day aussie, you wanna buy a carpet'. Jesus H Christ, it got on my tits after the first 5 minutes and we had to spend 2 ...

... how creative man has been for thousands of years. The ruins were quite impressive, and Ephesus is worth a visit if one is in Turkey. Our main complaint was that it was 95+ degrees in the shade. The sunlight made us feel in danger of spontaneously combusting, and we felt like moles as we darted from one shaded area to the next. From various shaded areas we would sporadically peek our heads out, trying to figure out which crumbled pieces of marble the audio guide was referring to. Not an ...