Hotel Billurcu Ayvalik

... nk there and they had got a tv out of the back room and set ıt all up wıth the satılıte and put on the football just for Ian so we sat and watched that wıth them Ian had a Rakı whıch ıs the tradıtıonal turkısh mens drınk ıts terrıble lıke Ouzo and Pastıche and he was so drunk after ıt fallıng over and snorıng wıth the party popper noıces agaın.

... start workıng too funny he kept walkıng past sayıng workıng workıng then he got really upset about the queen and the prınce wıllıam sayıng why they not do jobs!

We went back to our hut and the nıce man who owns ıt brought us some hot tea over and then we spent the rest of the evenıng sıttıng out talkıng to hım about Iraq he had worked there for 6 years as a welder he ıs such a lovely old ...

Why are we leaving gorgeous Ayvalik, our stunning guesthouse and lovely friends to go and see ruins I wonder as Tania harries me off to the bus stop.

Two hours later and having checked into a hotel where the owner admits "I am Gobi" (yep really) we trek uphill solidly for the next hour and it's 35 degrees plus. Perhaps this should be called schlepping to Asclepion.

However, the place was genuinely stunning and it ...

... few days playing cards with our fellow guests - Paul, Sally, Sam and Eleanor - hi guys and hope he rest of your trip was less strenous than that climb to Ephesus!

The weather was truly toasty which made the fact that the sea was icy a rather unexpected surprise. We'd taken a boat trip to explore some of the small islands lying off the coast and at the first swim stop we were itching to cool off in the beautifully clear blue waters - and ...

... cost 20 liras but he didnt back down. The other waiters came over and they also said it was the right price. I obviously had no choice but to pay the amount but I really need to start asking for prices of things before I order them. My current strategy (or lack of it) is killing my budget. When I returned to my hostel, I met 4 people in my dorm - a young couple from Italy and 2 young women from France. We talked for about an hour about our trips and then called it a night. Dino Vagabond

... painful, piercing sound. And the mother and friend were doing little to quell it. She was even bouncing the kid such that in some moments he was looking, and shrieking, right into my face! I pulled the window curtain across the back of her seat, but to no real muffling effect. (Nor was the kid very attractive, either). When I got off the bus in Dursunbey my eardrums were palpably dulled and numb. But my omni-present tinnitus was in high excitement. I have written before ...

... the first healing centre in Asia, copied from Hippocrates Asklepion in Kos). The rough guide showed it just at the back of the main street but there was no sign of it. We went to the tourist office and were given a free booklet and a map which seemingly gave more precise directions. DO NOT BELIEVE TURKISH TOURIST MAPS!!. They are a triumph of art over fact - about as accurate as a compass in a magnet factory, all pretty pictures and specious directions ...

... the market for the rest of the afternoon...periodically you can hear the chanting coming out of the mosque's speakers...I guess it's prayer time but I don't see anyone actually stopping their activity...there are Turkish flags flying everywhere...and it's a pretty flag...a white moon and star on a red background...it hangs in every store, on houses, from one side of the street to the other. Turkish pride...nationalism...?? It starts to lightly rain ...

... up the hill. It is a positive maze. Much of it serviced by horses and carts. These are sometimes selling goods or transporting to and from the market. The renovated stands next to the tumbledown, the empty next to the occupied. Many houses are empty and a good portion for sale. They almost made me wish that I was good at DIY ...but I fought of the feeling. The houses were built by the Greeks and taken over by Turkish peoples during the population exchange ...

OK with this part you need to have the Gallipoli movie song in your head, you know the one when Mel Gibson is running across the field with machine guns firing at him.... (Dint, Dint, Dint,Dint, Dunt Dunthhhh) ok maybe not. But bear with me... * * * * * * * * * From Istanbul, we jumped in taxi to the Bus Station (Otogar) where after some running around we found out that our bus to Cannackle will be about 4 hours away - so in ...