Hotel Ottoman Palace Antakya

... n a quıet street somewhere. I was pretty ırrıtated that my hotel whıch I had already prepaıd ın Istanbul was sıtuated ın Harbıye. Its 9km north of Antakya and not lıke what the agenty promısed, cıty centre. In fact I wasnt even sure ıf ıt was ın Harbıye as the address ıs not on google map. But the name 'Defne Prenses Hotel' was a hınt as ıt ıs a loosely turk&#305 ...

... and finding my next contract, mostly because if I can quickly find a short term contract I can lock in a short trip next year, returning to Oz for a friends wedding.<br><br>Actually, if it worked out that I only had a short term contract and was going to be searching again early next year then I think I will look at organising some hiking in Borneo / Laos / Thailand on my return trip from Australia. I can still dream on, right?<br><br>

... said 8. Were we ever surprised. It was an enjoyable ride through the hilly country side heading out of Antakya, we really climbed high over these mountains, and then down to the Mediterranean Sea with palm trees on our left side and on the right side were snow capped mountains. Soon it was dark and we could feel we would climb over another set of mountains and brake going down into the city lights below. Quite a nice highway, 6 lanes, lots of transport truck ...

... jerry cans with diesel and storing it under the bus by the drivers seat. Then another one goes over and fills up a 5 litre plastic jug with gas and is bringing it onto the bus. Len tells him not to bring it on, to get it off. He looks at us and says 'no problem'. He won't listen to us, puts it into plastic bags and stores it in the washroom. I am upset, but nothing can be done. Thought about getting off in the middle of no where, but what ...

... puma tatoo on his left arm symbolises a buddhist god; in Qatar, this guy lived with buddhists for one year; he says that Qatar is the best place to live; no tax on anything, tolerance and a decent infrastructure; now, he works for his father; his passion to explore new parts of the world made me feel that I was not alone. Worship at the Orthodox Church is carried out in Arabic. Had great Kebabs at Salah Usta. Could easily rival Imam Cagdas ...

... filled buns and tea. Our third lift, after fifteen minutes of bemused looks from an elderly man and a number of random children, came in the form of a lovely young Turkish girl called Fatush, who spoke good English and drove a smart 4x4. En route she whisked us off to her family bakery, where she laid on a table of pide (Turkish pizza) and drinks. Having eaten all we could and been presented with a doggy bag for later, she drove us on to ...

... salted yoghurt. It takes some getting used to. (In my first experience with ayran it was overly salted, and I nearly spit it out. Since, all others have seemed tolerably mild). For desert there was a small fruit plate.<br><br>I finished the day by taking a dolmu&#351; to the coastal town of Samanda&#287; (remember the g is silent [It always make me think, Wasn't there a musical duo named Sam and Dave?]). As mentioned above, except for the surrounding geography, that trip consisted ...

... couldn't or didn't want to answer. It was just obtrusive, not really a guy trying to make polite conversation. This wasn't another Mustafa.<br><br>I responded politely, but as curtly as I could manage. At one point I believe he wanted me to compare wallet contents with him. Whoah! I think his message was he was a poor guy, I was retired (therefore rich), and, I think, I should give him some money. Finally, though, he wandered off. (Then I began to worry about him shadowing me at the bus ...

... as the Aramaic form of Allah, or God. Contrary to many Western beliefs, Allah and God are the same in meaning. Even pre-Allah idols were called allah, just like gods were gods before God. The singing was of two parts, with men and women droning on octaves and another group singing the verses. At the same time, the priest chanted psalms. At the same time as the church cave, the Romans were firmly established in Antioch, called Antakya. A large number of well ...

... I didn't take any photos unfortunately as I really didn't want the kids pestering me for money, which seems to happen as soon as they see me with my camera. For a very late lunch I went to a small hommus saloon which only sold hommus - so I thought to myself it must have been good hommus if he could make a living on selling hommus alone. It was absolutely delicious and filled me up for the small fee of 2.50 - bargain! <br> <br>For dinner that night I probably had ...