Palmera Resort Ayvalik

... 305;t of land rıght next to the beach. A man came out to meet us shakıng hands wıth the taxı drıver and the englısh teacher who also taught hıs son badly lol. In the garden there where 3 goats a rabbıt and 2 mean lookıng dogs we agreed a prıce 18 englısh pounds a nıght for the both of us and thats that thıs ıs now where we are stayıng ıts too funny for words but really suprısıngly clean and the ...

I slept really well last night and didn't wake til 6am. This is normal as its light and the curtains are typically ineffective. its also a cool part of the day so no hardship. Todays plan is to observe the docks when the istanbul ferry would depart and see if it really does go from here. And to go to the beach, swim and read. This seems a fairly conservative place so it will be interesting to see how the do beach. I reckon that kids ...

... so tightly wedged. Two cars were loaded half on the loading ramp. This was then winched up until they were almost touching the car behind. Then lowered to give a bit of space. Some people stayed in their cars the whole voyage; as the deck was open you could run the engine and air-con but you'd miss out on some great views. As the ferry had one ramp at the back all the vehicles had to reverse on to it. Tricky if your driving an artic from a quayside. However we were only ten ...

Basically just knackered but not sleepy. Maybe my system isn't used to the different food yet. So puzzled over the ferry services but got a departure time out of tourist information and a boat name. Then I did a a bit more research on the net and considered going to the next Island to Marmara as there's more accommodation and its more holiday orientated. However actual information is rather scarce;maybe I wasn't using the right words but its ...

... I needed to go to find a decent hostel. Looking lost immediately after gettiong off of my bus, 2 locals came to help me. They pointed me in the right direction where I would find a few hostels. I walked for about 20 minutes and needed to ask other locals to help out once I found myself in a maze of narrow streets. A few phone calls were made by the friendly locals. I went to a few places but they were all full. I eventually found a great place (very Turkish atmosphere with ...

... disturbance, that I kept running all night. It wasn't so hot an humid as to be necessary, actually, but it did help. I went out for a fish dinner. There are a lot of restaurants rimming the quay. And, there were boats coming in with party harties making a lot of noise. I went down a back street and into an isolated fish restaurant, just hoping it would be ok. I was the only patron. To start with. The guy had to start up the grill. And, I don't even think it was the main cook ...

... through the tourist trap of the Grand Bazaar into a street where the locals do their shopping. We were the only tourists in the street - which was handy as it meant if I got lost I just had to look out for the tall blonde! Scarily the only thing that seemed to be for sale in the area was luggage - and guns. And we're not talking hunting rifles, but pistols and machine guns too. We finished the day in a bar, which was built under a bridge ...

We waved fair well to Mr and Mrs Fatih and headed down to Troy. It has always been a fascination for Julie and I about the myth/legend of the Trojan war and so we were full of expectation as we prepared for our arrival. As has been the case on our trip we encountered the usual headaches of public transport - just missing the hourly bus, waiting wandering the streets aimlessly until the cramped, rickety old minibus was about to depart ...

... off and heading back to the bus. As we speed east, back to the sea, we detour through a traditional Turkish village. Our guide motions for the bus to slow near the center of the village, and he instructs us to look at a nearby chimney, on top of which is a glass bottle. He explains that it is an old Turkish custom for a father to place a glass bottle on the family's chimney when one of his daughters is eligible for marriage. When a suitor is interested, he proposes by ...

So We have made it!! Firstly We must say thanks to all the great people on our tour. Everybody was great and even though some nerves were scratched by the end it was all and all a great group - The tour would not have been the same without you all (If you bother to read this groupies!) We will miss the music on the truck, the cards, the shared snacks, the laughter, the circle of death, the singing ...