mr-mrs_pickles's TravelStream™ — Recent TravelPod.com entries

mr-mrs_pickles's TravelStream™ — Recent TravelPod.com entries TravelStream™ news feed for member mr-mrs_pickles on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/mr-mrs_pickles en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Sun, 17 Aug 2008 13:11:06 -0400 http://www.travelpod.com First Class - All the Way — Luxor, Egypt http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mr-mrs_pickles/2/1218815280/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mr-mrs_pickles/2/1218815280/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mr-mrs_pickles/2/1218815280/tpod.html Sun, 17 Aug 2008 13:11:06 -0400 Off again to see the world

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Luxor, Egypt

After our full day of viewing the pyramids, we were now heading off to Luxor to see some of the tombs and famous temples of Egypt.  Our tour that we had booked included all of the transportation, and to get to Luxor, we were on a night train - first class, no doubt. We were taken to the train station by one of the tour employees.  It was nice to not have to search for things ourselves for a change.  We were led to the dingy train station where he continued to stop and ask various people questions, gesturing in different directions and pointing at the tickets - which looked very much like drink tickets you would get in Canada.  (Our fingers were crossed).He stopped at a small cafe/restaurant/truckstop - a bunch of metal tables on concrete next to the trains basically.  He then told us he didn't know where the train was - or which one we were on.  Things were not looking good.  It was becoming apparent that as he asked more questions, if the person he was asking realized we were with him, they were less than willing to help out.  He told us to rest at the tables and he left looking for some more answers.  When he returned, he happened to mention that this place had the best mango juice.  He had said something about this on the walk to the station, so we figured, the least we could do is buy him a juice - hopefully we get on a train to Luxor that night.  Trevor headed to the counter and purchased two thick mango juice treats to slurp on - one for us and one for our helper of no answers.   The mango juice is made from real mangos so it is very very thick - like a milkshake really.  It also has the pulpy-type strings of the fruit in it that can not really be blended up - all of it is nice and cold and ours was really delicious.Trevor saw OURs getting made - so we are not too concerned about our drink, but he also saw another customer's getting made and here is some first class service for you.The 'gentleman' pouring the drink (and we use the word gentleman loosely), poured it too quickly from the pictcher and into the tall narrow glass.  It was overflowing with thick, orange mango bits.  To rectify this little mishap, he did not reach for a cloth, nor did he grab a new glass - he did not even just whipe this one off with his fingers.  No.  This 'gentleman' bent down and put his lips in an 'O' shape over the center of the glass and slurped the excess mango juice.  This would be similar to us slurping up foam when you pour a pop too quickly and need to prevent it from overflowing.  As he pulled away, a pulpy-type string of mango was still dangling from his lips - to Trevor's horror, this orange mass then fell back into the glass.  The worker took a spoon and scooped it out of the glass before turning around and serving it to the customer behind him.  First class service!  We waited a little while more and the tour employee then started leading us around the train station again.  He asked a few more questions and eventually we were down some stairs and around a corner to another section of the station.  There was not a single other tourist to be seen.  I asked him about this and he said that we were going on an Egyptian train, not a tourist train.  This did not sound good.  We would be on the train for a minimum of the quoted 9 hours - we were hoping to have somewhat of a normal place to sit and hopefully sleep.  We were becoming more and more doubtful as we sat there that this would possibly be an enjoyable trip, however, there is always that small glimmer of hope.  That hope was somewhat obliterated when the train pulled up and our guy pointed and said, "This one".The old, dusty machine pulled up and reminded us of some very old grain elevators.  This was our first class ticket to Luxor.    We looked at the guy who brought us here and gave him a disbelieving look.  He said, "No Problem!  No Problem!" And ushered us closer to a doorway, searching our little ticket stubs for the correct car number.  We did end up in a section that had lots of leg room and the rubber-esque seats were not horrible, but we were still mildly concerned about how everything went down.  We weren't sure that we were overly welcome on this non-tourist train - since no one wanted to help our guy out in showing him the proper one to get on, and we weren't totally sure about our little 'drink tickets' that had our apparent seat numbers on them and had something in Arabic written on the back in black pen.  The seats he showed us to were not side by side, but one infront of the other - both aisle seats.  He told us to just sit side by side and tell whoever comes along to take the seat behind us.  Yes.  No Problem.We speak no Arabic.They speak no English.We don't seem to be overly welcome.And WE'RE making demands.This sounds like a simple thing for us 'whiteys' to do.   First class indeed.  Again we crossed our fingers and sat down, silently hoping for no problems to arise.  Not too long later, a large Egyptian man with a brown robe (Trevor says, 'dress') came on and looked at his ticket and looked at our seats.  Looked at his ticket, looked at our seats.  Looked at his ticket, looked at our seats.  He began speaking gruffly, and we knew he was telling us we were in his seat.  Trevor was trying to explain that we were hoping to sit together.  The scowl on his face did not look promising.  He began gestering angrily and speaking more quickly, voice rising.  I was ready to move, when two men around us were able to translate for us.  They were both very friendly and explained that he wanted his seat.  Trevor explained that we hoped to sit together.  They told us that this man also wanted to sit next to HIS wife, who would be across the aisle from him.  Luckily for us, the gentleman sitting in the other row we had one of our seats booked in, was willing to trade, so we were still able to sit next to each other, and the rough, gruff, rather angry man no longer glared at us.  Crisis averted.  Throughout the train ride, there were various stops, and at each one, someone came on to sell something - cigarettes, newspapers, things that we had no idea what they were for and so on.  These guys (and sometimes children) would come on, walk up and down the aisels shouting the same thing over and over again.  Annoying as heck.  The train was well-equipped with A/C which was a great surprise, although it was so well-equipped that we ended up too cold to sleep.  We pulled out the one set of warm clothes that we had and slipped into them.  I had on some yellow workout pants and a sweater, and Trevor cozied up with one of our sheets.  We were getting settled rather nicely actually and were ready to welcome some sleep.At some point in the 9 hour train ride, you would expect to probably come across the need to head to the bathroom.  I avoided this for as long as I possibly could - but unless I wanted to sit in it, I had to head to the bathroom.  This was undoubtedly the most horrible facility I have ever had the displeasure to be in.   There was holding of breath.  There was attempts to cover my mouth and nose with my shirt. There was inevitable gagging.  The floor was wet and dark - who knows what all was in that liquid.  The smell can not be described.  Multiply the worst smelling outhouse with the worst smelling garbage dump by 10 and you MIGHT be able to come close to the stench that I endured for 30 seconds or so.   I attempted to keep the hem of my pants out of the mysterious, dark and disgusting liquid on the floor - however the gagging and astronomical effort not to touch ANYTHING in the small cubicle, took priority and I noticed that an inch of the yellow fabric on my right pant leg had touched the floor.  A came crashing out of the room gasping for fresh air and heading to our seats again half wishing I had just peed my pants instead.  9 hours turned into 10.10 hours turned into 11.11 hours turned into 12.12 hours turned into 13.We were 4 hours late arriving in Luxor.  We had been told that we would be met by someone from the tour company who would then take us to our hotel.  Here's hoping.  We grabbed our bags - both the large packs, and the small day packs - and headed for the exit of the train, leaving behind a mysterious yellow pair of workout pants pushed underneath a seat on the floor.   We got off the train and did a few spins, looking for a driver that might be waiting for us.  Nothing.We walked down one end of the train walkway - searching for someone that might help.Nothing.We walked back down the other end of the train walkway, hoping a driver would be there.Nothing.Hmmmmm.  Not looking good, until we followed a crowd of locals down the stairs and headed through a tunnel and then back up and out of the station to the street.  Here we were bombarded with taxi drivers and others wanting to take us to hotels.  We weren't sure what to do next, as we had no idea what our supposed 'pick-up' person looked like.  A moment or so later, a guy with a piece of cardboard with the word "PIKKER" written on it, came up to us.  He explained he was from our tour company and was sent to pick us up.  He appologized for not getting us right from the train, but he had fallen asleep in the car as our travels were delayed for so long. Phew.  We made it.  In the end, our first class trip to Luxor actually got us to Luxor.  (Perhaps THAT is the first-class part). We checked into our hotel, quickly got ourselves sorted and were taken to Karnak and Luxor temples that afternoon.  These were temples that were just off the Nile River and had some of the largest statues/temples in all of Egypt.  We had a fantastic guide this time who told us loads of information and included some funny stories as well.  It was a scorching hot 42 degrees, but we enjoyed visiting these locations.  We will let the pictures show you the rest.  Hugs and Love,Dana and Trevor
]]> Pyramids — Giza, Egypt http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mr-mrs_pickles/2/1218638460/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mr-mrs_pickles/2/1218638460/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mr-mrs_pickles/2/1218638460/tpod.html Thu, 14 Aug 2008 12:13:50 -0400 Off again to see the world

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Giza, Egypt

Today, we were off to see the pyramids.  We had a private driver and guide and were heading to three different locations.  1)  Saqqara - to see the Memphis Pyramids2)  Giza - to see the Great Pyramids3)  Giza again - to see the SphinxOur day began 9:00am with the personal driver picking us up from our hotel room.  We headed to the car and drove to Giza to pick up our guide.  She was very nice, wore the head scarf and 'regular' clothes and spoke very good English.Our first stop was Saqqara, which had the pyramids in Memphis - the old city, it used to be the capital.  There were there pyramids that we looked at.  The largest pyramid was still in good condition, the second pyramid was beginning to fall apart, and the third pyramid was basically looking like a pile of sand.  We were told that this was because the first pyramid was built for a strong King and he demanded that it be built properly.  The second pyramid was built for a not-so-strong King, so the workers did not use the best materials all the time, but mixed stones with some sand.  The third pyramid was built for a weak King, and the workers did a very bad job.  We think that this is more just a story told and made up by tour guides.  (Not that we have any background in Egyptian history).  It just didn't seem quite right - perhaps the representation is fine, but we think there must be some other explanation.  We were given our information and then told to have some free time to take photos.  We were able to wander right up to the pyramids and amongst the ruins of Memphis.  There were many local Egyptian men trying to 'help' tourists take their pictures, or preying on a large group of middle-aged Oriental women, trying to get them to pay for pictures with camels.  One poor lady was even heaved ONTO a camel (ignoring her plea's not to).  She was plopped on the camel, got a picture and then asked to get off - but he began leading the camel away from her group.  Many more shouts came about and soon enough the lady was hauled off again.  As this group tried to get away and back down the only path available, the man quickly stepped infront of them blocking their way and requesting money.  They ended up paying and we were quite glad that we weren't newbies at this. We got our pictures of the camels when we wanted to and we had the firm, "No Thank-You" down to an artform, so that the Egyptian Money Grabbers didn't really bother us a whole lot.  Although there were the exceptions and some were far more persistant than others.  We did manage to stay polite the entire time though.Back in the car with our driver and guide, and had been quite pleased with both of them so far.  As we drove away from the Memphis pyramid, our guide turned and told us that included in our package was possible tours and demonstrations at a Carpet School, an Egyptian Paper-Making Factory, and a Lotus Factory.  Great.  We politely declined the Carpet School and, to be polite, said we could go to the Paper Factory but we didn't want to buy anything.  She said, "You don't HAVE to buy."Great.At the paper factory we got a brief explanation and demonstration of how they made the paper from a plant or reed and also told us some of the depictions on the paintings that were in the building.  The whole explanation and demonstration took about 20-30 minutes and was really quite interesting.  Then we were given small cards and pens. We were told to walk around the factory and write down any numbers of any of the paintings that we might be interested in.  Great.  We weren't interested in any of them, but we put in a good effort (we thought) and looked around the building in full.  Enjoying the free Pepsi's given to us upon arrival.  Eventually, when we thought we'd put in enough time, we gave the cards back and thanked her for the demonstration and were on our way again.  The demonstration, the Pepsi, the A/C and the break from the sun were well worth the half hour of our time. Back in the car again and noon was fast approaching.  Our guide asked if we would like lunch now or later.  Being as we didn't have breakfast, lunch now was looking good.  We drove for a bit and then pulled over and were led into a building by our guide.  As we went up the stairs a large 'banquet-type' hall was before us, and the room was completed empty.  We knew this was another stop on the list of 'buisiness associates' for this type of tour.  We gave eachother a raised-eyebrow look and sat down.  Our guide told us that it was open buffet and the cost was $15 US each.  We know that in Canada this is not a big deal - but in Egypt, this is more than a daily budget.  This was ridiculous.  It was more than we each paid for a hotel room.  We had eaten meals (with enough food to be plenty full) for about $2 Canadian.  Refusing to allow them to take advantage of yet another tourist, and due to our complete stubborness, we explained that we would rather not eat than pay this amount when we knew the prices were hugely inflated.  We had also only brought with us the approximate amount of money to cover the entrance fees into the various sites we would be seeing.  The waiter/owner quickly dropped his price to $10, which is still stupidly high, and by now we were simply too ticked off that we were getting the run around and we stood up, as our guide asked us if we had VISA.  (That might have been straw that broke the camel's back).  We shook our heads and began to walk out.  Our guide was slow to follow and seemed to be a little upset that we were not interested in the carpet, or the paper or the overpriced meal that her counterparts and her have been making money on - probably quite regularly.  We returned to the car and the driver was waiting inside a small stone room just off the side-walk.  They traded some dialogue in Arabic (we can only imagine) and the guide said, let's take a break here for a moment.  We sat down in the shade and they presented us with a special deal.  There was another man in this stone room and we were told that since our next stop was the Giza Pyramids, we could pay to ride his camels there.  If we paid him the 50 egyptian pounds each for the entrance fee, he would take us around on his camels for no further charge.Question:How do you spell dodgy?  Answer:E-G-Y-P-T.We politely refused only to be hassled further by this man.  Our guide continued to explain that this would be the same price - but we would get camels as well!  When we inquired about purchasing the tickets, she told us we would give HIM the money and he would get the tickets.  "No one can come to Egypt and not ride a camel!"  We can. This just did not seem like a good situation, and to be right on the heels of the whole restaurant con, we were none to eager to be pulled into another Egyptian scheme.  We continued to politely decline, and we were soon told it was our choice.  We hoped that this would not effect the rest of our 'guided' tour, but we were prepared to be somewhat on our own as far as that goes.  The ride to the Giza pyramids was silent except for the constant discussion between the guide and the driver - all in Arabic of course.  It turns out though, that our guide continued to tell us about the pyramids and the history, although she told us we had a maximum of 20 minutes at these, the most famous of the pyramids.  We nodded and headed off, only to discover that this was NOT a long time, and since we skipped lunch - we should have PLENTY of time here.  We headed back to the car after 20 minutes of walking around the great pyramid and asked for more time stating that we came to Egypt to see these.  Expecting the worst, we were pleasantly surprised when she smiled and said, "Of course!"  (We are so confused.  Lost in translation maybe?)  None-the less, we were very happy that things were still going rather well despite us probably being 'difficult' customers.The Great Pyramid was quite large.  We had a tough time getting a picture of it in one frame, and had to be quite far away.  For an additional charge, you can go into the pyramid, and since we were there - we couldn't really NOT go in!  Once inside, stairs led us up a very steep stairway in which we had to duck or hunch over to climb.  It was quite the ascent and at the top was an open room with a stone tomb in it.  Not much there, but very cool to see the inside of a pyramid.  A few more pictures, and plenty more refusals of 'picture-taking services' and we were back at the car again and greeted with a smile.  (Phew).Our final itme for the day was the Sphinx.    They were going to simply drive by it and have us take pictures out the window (boy do you have to be one your toes here!) but we, very sweetly requested that we stop to allow even 10 minutes to take some photos.  The guide said they would wait for us across the street at the KFC.  Yes, there is a KFC across the street from the Sphinx in Egypt.  You look to your left, you see the Sphinx, you look to your right, you see Colonel Saunders.  Bazaar.Before we headed back to the hotel, our guide askd if we would be interested in stopping at the Lotus store.  Holding back groans, we politely declined again, but asked her if SHE would like to go.  She smiled and said no.  We thought that was kinda funny.  Giggle-worthy even.In the end, we had a day filled with great sites and good stories. Our whirlwind continues as we head to Luxor tonight on a night train.  This could be interesting.Hugs and Love,Dana and Trevor
]]> We're Going to Egypt! — Cairo, Egypt http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mr-mrs_pickles/2/1218545580/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mr-mrs_pickles/2/1218545580/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mr-mrs_pickles/2/1218545580/tpod.html Thu, 14 Aug 2008 09:29:30 -0400 Off again to see the world

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Cairo, Egypt

We are on the last leg of our trip and are exctied to report that we are in Egypt!Our flight was good and we arrived in Egypt to a bright and hot day.  We were greeted outside the airport by a large hoard of taxi drivers, but we knew that we could catch a bus that would take us to downtown Cairo for FAR less money - and we wouldn't have to worry about getting scammed by one of the drivers.  We have heard from many people on our travels that Egypt can wear you down as the men there are either constantly ogling female travellers, or they are trying to make money off of you - or both.  One family we met in Athens told us to be sure not to pay anybody anything until what you wanted has been finished.  For example, they went for a camel ride and the Egyptian man would not let the daughter off the camel until they paid more money.  We gritted our teeth and prepared for battle.  We have been to places like this before and were sure we could handle it.  After avoiding the taxi drivers and politely declining approaching local men offering their 'help' , we found ourselves waiting for over half an hour outside the airport for a bus to terminal 1 to take us to a bus that would head downtown.  An airport busdriver saw me scanning approaching buses for their numbers.  He called me over to his window and tried his best to explain that we needed to catch "Bus 1" from just across the street.  Eventually we figured this out with a bit of help from another man.  So far they had been quite friendly, with many "Welcome To Egypt's" and friendly smiles.  We finally hopped on Terminal Bus #1 and were heading in the right direction.  It didn't take us long to find the proper bus to downtown and again we were off, holding our huge packs on our laps so we didn't have to pay any extra for the seats they were sitting on originally.  Keep in mind it was 1.50 Egyptian Pounds - which is equivalent to about $0.30.  (Smack in the forehead here).  There was an English-speaking genleman in the front of the bus that took us off and offered his assistance, and offereing to hail us a cab, ensuring us that he would get us a good price and stating that we would end up in the right place.  We were still very wary of taking any assistance from anyone and preferred to find our own way.  He did point us in the direction that we needed to go and we found ourselves walking a few blocks in the scorching heat - getting stares and ogles the whole way.  Much too long later, we ended up finding a place and were able to bring the price down from 80 Egyptain Pounds each, to 50 Egyptian Pounds each.  (From $16 each to $10).  We enjoyed the workers at the reception who were more than happy to show us pictures from around Egypt and chat here and there.  They were all smiles and were fun to be around.  We were very happy to finally be settled.  That night, we took to the streets of Cairo and checked out some of the vendors selling various knick-knacks and began getting used to (if possible)  the odours and noise that filled the steets.  Before we headed to our room for the night, we managed to book ourselves a tour that included the Pyramids at Saqqara and Giza.  We also had included in the tour, a visit to the Sphinx, and then a trip down to Luxor for one night to see the sights there before heading to Hurghada for two nights (a small town along the Red Sea) and finally back to Cairo again.  It was going to be a whirlwind - but we were out of time! Bring on the pyramids!Hugs and Love,Dana and Trevor 
]]> More Metal than Marble — Athens, Attica, Greece http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mr-mrs_pickles/2/1218372660/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mr-mrs_pickles/2/1218372660/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mr-mrs_pickles/2/1218372660/tpod.html Mon, 11 Aug 2008 10:13:01 -0400 Off again to see the world

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Athens, Attica, Greece

We made it to Athens on a night ferry.  As we neared the land, the sun was rising and the city lights still glittered on the horizon. We hopped off the ferry with our heavy packs once again and followed a crowd of people - hopefully to the metro.  We weren't interested in the extra 3-KM 'exercise' we had in Iraklio on Crete.  There was no difficulty in finding the metro this time and soon enough, we found ourselves in downtown Athens looking for a hostel to stay in.  The area that we were looking was called Plaka.  It was a busy area with sidestreets and buildings not on any of the maps we had - perhaps the exercise is not going to be an option.  After only a couple wrong turns and then a couple quick fixes, we found our way to the area we had somewhat researched.  After asking for prices a few different places, we finally came across an old Hotel whose manager, Mario, was a friendly guy who seemed to be quite honest.  All of the places we had looked at so far were asking between 70 and 160 Euros for a night.  Even the hostel that was supposedly the best budget option was 25 Euro per person just to sleep in a ten-bedroom dorm.  OUCH.  Mario told us he could give us a private double room for 50 Euro - and then he smiled and winked at us and said he would give it to us for 40 Euro.  He shook his head and complained about the outrageous prices some of the others were charging and he mentioned the hostel that we had already looked at and quoted the same price we had been told.  We were free to look at the room, but with the price being so low, we weren't going to be too picky.  We ended up staying at Mario's hotel, although it was rather run-down and a little bit dingy and dark - oh well, we would only be sleeping there, and we liked Mario who said he would keep some of our food items in his fridge for us.We quickly got our things settled in the room and grabbed our camera and a day pack and headed for the Acropolis.  It was very close to where we were staying which was nice because the day was very hot.  We haven't seen a drop of rain since we left Alberta.  Only sun and heat.  The Acropolis is set on the highest hill in Athens.  We can see it from our hotel and probably from just about anywhere in the city.  We paid our entrance fee and began our walk upwards, wondering through some of the smaller ruins along the way.  We passed an old theatre, archways, and some nearly unrecognizable ruins scattered on the ground.  In some areas, they had statues and pillars placed under a canopy with a worker somewhat guarding them.  Everyone was free to come and see them and take photos but no one was allowed to touch them.  All of these items had dates and descriptions written on  plaque at the bottom of them.  Some went back all the way to 235 BC.  We continued our way up eager to see the Parthenon.  When we turned a corner and looked up, stairs led us farther upwards towards tall pillars that we would then walk through.  All, or most of the walkways we marked and nearly 100% of the ruins were roped off - nobody was allowed to walk amongst them or through them.  This was very different for us as we have been used to walking right in the ruins and being able to investigate what they have to offer from very close up.  Perhaps the barriers were due to the construction and restoration going on at this time.  The Parthenon was covered in scaffolding and it was difficult to see through the metal and get a really good vision of the beauty of the ancient temple.  We tried to get pictures on the other side of the Parthenon, but it was not possible to fully omit the workers and the scaffolding.  We are so pleased that we were able to go though, and it often came to our minds that Cor was here many years ago and had probably walked in the same areas we were walking right now.  We wonder what it looked like then?  Probably less construction for sure. We headed back to the hotel and ended up sleeping for a couple of hours.  The little bit we managed to sleep on the ferry was not holding us over.  When we woke up, we headed out once again and hoped to see a few more of the sites that were not directly in the area of the Acropolis.  We were lucky enough to come across the Changing of the Guards at the parliament buildings.  It was quite the thing to see.  They wore uniforms that were a tan/khaki color and had on bright red hats.  They also wore white tights that ended with dark shoes topped off with giant brown pom-poms.  During their 'change' they did somewhat of a demonstration of the Land of the Silly Walkers walking with one leg stretched straight out and parallel to the ground before it took it's next step.  We took some pictures and also some video for you to check out.We took some time and walked through the Gardens behind parliament as well.  They had small stone pools of fish and one full of turtles as well.  The rest was more of a nice walk in the shade.  As we continued on we came acoss an old Olympic Stadium.  It was very big and no matter what angle we tried, we couldn't fit it all in a camer shot.  As we were heading back to find a place for supper, we stumbled upon some more ruins that we weren't even looking for.  'The Temple of Zeus the Olympian' was nice because it wasn't as crowded as the Acropolis and there was no work being done on it either.  Enough walking for one day.  We grabbed some food and relaxed for the rest of the evening.  The following day we woke at 10:30am.  A new record on our travels!  Apparently the 2 hour snooze the afternoon before had not rectified the lack of sleep on the many ferries we had taken recently.  We headed to the Ancient Agora and the Roman Agora.  There was also a museum along the agora that we were able to check out.  All of this was located below the Acropolis.When we returned to our hotel, Mario was watching the Olympics on his little TV in the tiny reception area.  We ended up sitting on the stairs and watching with him for awhile.  He would explain what the announcers were saying and we enjoyed watching some of the events.  Athens was great to see, and we are so glad that we were able to visit.  We have a flight to Cairo in the mornign and must be up by 4:30am to catch a bus to the airport.  We are super excited for Egypt tomorrow!  Bring on the PYRAMIDS!Hugs and Love,Dana and Trevor
]]> Sensational, Stunning Santorini — Perissa, Cyclades, Greece http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mr-mrs_pickles/2/1218014100/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mr-mrs_pickles/2/1218014100/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mr-mrs_pickles/2/1218014100/tpod.html Sat, 09 Aug 2008 07:10:29 -0400 Off again to see the world

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Perissa, Cyclades, Greece

What a sight!We arrived to Santorini by ferry, an hour and a half late.  This is completely standard we are told and find oursleves wondering why they don't just change the time schedule to match the actual departure and arrival times.  I suppose that would simply make the ferry arrive even later.  When we got off the ferry, we each had our heavy, full packs on, as well as our day packs and also a bag or two of groceries and snacks gathered throughout our time on Crete.  Immediately we, along with other travellors were bomboarded by hoards of local hotel owners vying for customers.  They were holding signs with the names of their hotels and were hollering out the location and special qualities each had to offer.  We didn't have a sniff as to where we were going or staying and apparently this was blatantly obvious as we were soon surrounded by about 6 or 7 sign waving, quick talking owners.  There was a Clueless Tourist Parade here and we were at the front waving the batons.One owner was especially pushy as he relentlessly thrust his hotel pamphlet in our faces and jabbed at the pictures with a sticky finger attached to a dirty hand clutching an icecream.  The slurping of the dairy treat right next to our ears, the continual badgering and the ever-nearing danger of being smucked with melting icecream made our minds up that we would rather do any of the following than stay at his particular hotel:     1)  Carve our eye out with a spoon.     2)  Give an elephant a rectal exam.     3)  Lick a cactus.     4)  Pee on an electrical fence     5)  Poop out hot ashes.I think you get the point.  We eventually got away from the cramped crowd and were trying to gather our thoughts when we were approached by a single local man, fairly small and wearing a straw-like cowboy hat.  He had a sort of twinkle in his eye when he smiled that reminded us of friendly Turkey.  He was very kind and soft-spoken and ended up winning us over and we got a free ride to his hotel in the town of Perissa.  It was a nice little hotel and we were pleased to have a TV with 1 or 2 English channels as well as a fridge.  The swimming pool was huge and clean and we were just under a 10 minute walk away from the beach.  Perfect. We settled in, bought some groceries for our fridge and took off to the beach.The beach we went to was very nice.  It was a black sand beach.  It wasn't acutally sand, but very very small rocks that nearly felt like sand.  The only drawback was that in the 40+ weather, the sand was pretty much scorching and nearly impossible to cross in bare feet.  It was a mad dash to the water to avoid scorching the soles of our feet.  The water was very nice as well.  Clear and cool and just right. Once we had enough of the beach, we took a bus to Fira.  Santorini has an unusal bussing system.  No matter where you are on the island and no matter where you want to go, if you are taking the bus, you must first head to Fira and then get a bus to the location you want to go.  It would be like thinking of Red Deer College, Parkland Mall and Bower Mall as three different towns on the island.  If you were staying at RDC (Perissa) and wanted to go to Bower Mall (Kamari), you would first have to take a bus to Parkland Mall (Fira) and then catch another one back to Bower Mall.  Fira is the capital city of Santorini and has some amazing sites along the cliffsides as you walk along the caldera.  Santorini is so spectacularly beautiful that it really leaves you speechless.  The caldera is a vast wall of multi-coloured cliffs that is truly awesome.  It is a really stupendous landscape.  The white buildings, churches and restaurants that line the cliffsides shine brightly in the sun and they at night they create a frozen cascade of lights. We walked around Fira and took in the amazing sites.  We also walked to Firastefani about 1.5km north for even more sites overlooking the sea and the beautiful island. That night we decided to head up to Oia to watch the sunset. We took a bus (to Fira first) and then hopped on another one North to Oia.  Oia was just as spectacular as Fira.  It was so devastated by an earthquake in 1956, that it became somewhat of a ghost town.  You can't tell that anymore, as it has many restuarants and shops to wander amongst.  It is built on volcanic rock and get s more sunset time than Fira.  We ended  enjoying an incredible supper on a rooftop restaurant with a great view of the sunset.   We did not stay for the entire sunset as we wanted to get a spot right along the cliffsides to watch the sun disappear.  Oia is made up of narrow walkways and these were completely packed and crowed with hundreds of people searching out a perfect spot to watch the orange sky.  Luckily for us, we had scoped the whole area out earlier, and had a location in mind already just off the main path to ensure our pictures did not have strangers heads in them.  We squished and shimmied our way down the paths and walkways and found our spot down some stairs and around a small curving corner.  There were only a handful of others there when we arrived and we got front row viewing.  We will leave the rest to the pictures.  The sunset ended with applause.  The following day, we headed to Kamari.  It was a more relaxing day as we had walked so much the day before.  This was a resort town with a beach that was not nearly as nice as ours, but it did have an Open Air Theatre.   This was great.  We headed to the theatre at 9:00pm and were sitting watching a New Release by 9:30.  The theatre was surrounded by thick trees.  There was a screen at the front and people sat on chairs much like a 'directors' chair from hollywood.  There was a bar at the back that sold drinks and snacks - including *popcorn!*  The only ceiling over our heads was a dark sky with the stars sparkling above us.  We loved Santorini and will leave you with the rest of the pictures to show you what it was like.    Hugs and Love,Dana and Trevor
]]> Crete -- A Little Diddy — Crete, Greece http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mr-mrs_pickles/2/1218013680/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mr-mrs_pickles/2/1218013680/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mr-mrs_pickles/2/1218013680/tpod.html Thu, 07 Aug 2008 07:57:10 -0400 Off again to see the world

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Crete, Greece

We are in Crete and loving it!!  It has been so wonderful in Greece so far that we thought we should add some creativity to this entry.  We have written about our time in Crete to the tune of "The Boxer" by Simon and Garfunkel.  Upon reading it afterwards - we realize that it will be difficult to capture the tune, unless you are quite familiar with the song - it might be worth it to play the song along with it...let us know what you think!             The Travellors     We are just two travellors      and our story's often told,    On a website you can find it    and then read about our fumbles and our successes.    We're now in Crete!    Still we're tired, 14 hours,    On a hard, cold ferry seat.       yawwwwwwwwwwn.    When we left the port and fainlly,    we were oh so full of joy,    In Iraklio - we made it,    But we couldn't find the bus station to Hania.    Heavy Load!    Seeking out simple directions    to the bus we'd hoped to go,    Looking for someone to help ease all of our woe.    Ta Te Tired! * With our packs we were so tired,    Ta Te Tired! * 3 kilometers we walked,    Ta Te Ta Ta Tired.      Then we took the bus to Hania    and went looking through the town,    Where we saw a lighthouse,    Shining brightly in the night; a scenic waterfront.    We do declare!    There were times when we were so content,    We thought of living there.    La la la la la la la la la la la.    Ta Te Town! * How we loved that Hania town,    Ta Te Town! * Such a charming little town,    Ta Te Ta Ta Town.             (musical interlude)    Now we're laying out our trekking clothes     and heading for the Gorge.  Samaria Gorge.    Where the rocky, winding pathways are leading us.          Bleeding Toes.  Aching Bones.      In the clearing stands out Trevor     in the Gorge in all its fame,    And our picture's the reminder     of every step we laid that day that     hurt us till we cried out,     in our pleasure and our pain,      "We have finished!  We have finished!"    But the aching still remains.  Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, ow.For those of you who don't know the song, here's the Cole's Notes version:We arrived in Crete after a 14 hour ferry ride.  that began at 1:00am.  We tried to sleep on the floor between rows of seats but the naps were few and far between. When we did arrive in Iraklio, we were happy to be off the ferry, however due to a confusing map in our guide book, Trevor, our fearless navigator, took a left and 1500m uphill, rather than a right and 50m across the street.  We finally found a helpful restaurant owner who told us we were no longer on the map and we needed to go back to the port and cross the street.  Skill-testing question:What is 1500m uphill + 1500m downhill + 50m across the street?  Answer:Too far to walk with your packs on.And for all you Smart Alec's out there; the 1500m UPHILL does not cancel out the 1500m DOWNHILL.So we walked 3050m with our heavy packs on our backs and although it wasn't uphill both ways - not a single step was easy. Trevor insists this was a well-though out excursion and that he knew where we were the entire time.  He claims it was much needed exercise after the 14 hour ferry ride.  My knee disagrees.  We did make it back to the port and found the bus station (across the street) and managed to just catch a bus to Hania that was already running and ready to leave.  Hania was one of our favorite little towns so far.  We stayed in the old Venetian town which had walkable streets, an old tiny port completely surrounded with restaurants and a pretty white lighthouse highlighing everything. After sunset, all of the restuarants sparkled along the walkways creating a glowing semi-circle around the water.  The lighthouse shone with a golden light around the quaint area.The main reason we went to Hania was to trek down the famous Samaria Gorge.  This is the largest Gorge in all of Europe.  It is a 1 hour bus ride to the top and a 5 - 6 hour trek to the bottom.  The trek was 17 km long and the pathways were very rocky.  The first few steps showed us a spectacular view.  The mountaintop was  vision draped in a gentle dusting of morning sun.  The beginning few kilometers were a steady downhill - winding trek over loose rocks.  There were many slips, near stumbles and stubbed toes along the way.  Within the first half hour, we could feel our quads and glutes burning.  There were picnic tables along the way to provide a spot for a break as well as fresh water coming out of the springs to refill our waterbottles. Once we were closer to the bottom, we walked along a small stream and gawked at the towering cliffsides on either side of us.  The most famous part of the gorge, the Iron Gates, provided an impressive sight with a narrow section 3 meters wide and a sheer vertical rock face stretching up 300m to our left and right.  Trevor stood at this point, 11km into our trek and held his arms out to the side.  His 2m wing span left less than a meter gap on either side.  As we continued on not yet knowing or feeling the lactic acid building in our muscles, we soon came across some ruins, old churches and settlements from centuries ago.  We were nearing the 5 hour mark on our rocky journey and it was now just afternoon.  We were whiping sweat from our brows and feeling the heat but we were glad that our trek continued to be a slight decent and we did not envy those who we were passing who were only just beginning their venture from the bottom of the gorge UP.  Reicpe for Heat Stroke:1)  Enter the gorge at the bottom.2)  Be sure to begin at the hottest part of the day.3)  Mix 1000's of rocks, with a few 100 stones and set aside for later.4)  Add a pinch of *spring water, a spoonful of *head protection, a dollop of *sunscreen.5)  Take the rocks and stones and toss them up a steep incline up to 500m.6)  Crush stones coursely with your feet as you walk for 17000m.  7)  Now simply bake in the sun at 40-45 degrees celsius for 5 or 6 hours.8)  Remove from the gorge with oven mitts and a stetcher.For faster results, leave out the items marked with a *.  Poor saps, they don't know what's coming. 
]]> Our Big Fat Greek Bus Ride — Rhodes, Dodecanese, Greece http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mr-mrs_pickles/2/1217240880/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mr-mrs_pickles/2/1217240880/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mr-mrs_pickles/2/1217240880/tpod.html Fri, 01 Aug 2008 13:44:47 -0400 Off again to see the world

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Rhodes, Dodecanese, Greece

We are in Greece!!!We arrived on the island of Rhodes at 10:30am and immeditely began our search for a hostel.  With our huge packs on and the narrow winding streets PACKED with tourists - it was little tricky.  What made it even more tricky was that all of the streets were very windy, narrow and very uneven cobblestone.  It was like a labrynth of mysterious passageways twisting and turning between tall stone buildings.  What you think is a back street (path) into no where was a main street that you needed to take to find hostels, restuarants and shops.  We did eventually find a place to stay with a friendly lady named 'Poppy' running it.  She spoke pretty good English and always had a smile offering maps to us and suggesting places for us to go and see.  We really enjoyed staying in Old Rhodes Town.  It is where the Knights Templar stayed back in the day.  During the medievil times, the Knights of St. John lived on the Avenue of the Knights.  The knights were divided into seven languages.  There were different avenues and areas that were home to various knights depending on where they were from.   It was really cool to wander through the grounds and see cannons and cannon balls as well as the rooms in which they stayed.  We strolled through huge doorways, and arched walkways as we checked out the various areas of the Old Town.  We could really feel the history and the ambiance surrounding the area.  Even aside from the historical information and sites, it is quite charming here.  We have thoroughly enjoy the food.  Our first meal was their form of fast food - Gyros and Fries.  These were delicious, soft, warm pitas filled with your choice of meat, veggies and it is then slathered with a tastey sauce.  Mmmmmmm,  Mmmmmmmm, Good!  I think we had one for lunch every day!  Even better than Pita Pit!More of the charm came from the people and the sounds here.  It is just like in the movies...There are women chatting back and forth through second story windows across a narrow cobblestone pathway as they hang their laundry out to dry with an accordian player playing somewhere in the not too far distance.  Men are sitting on verandas or just off the cobblestone street talking, smoking a pipe or enjoying a quiet relaxed sit-down.  Restaurants and cafes are found all along certain streets with tables and chairs often spilling almost onto the cobblestones, the tables covered with simple cloths and olive oil and vinegar on each almost as a center piece.  It doesn't matter where you go, where you stop or where you wander...that soft music is playing in the background daring you not to smile as you make your way down the uneven, simple streets.  It is amazing. When we were certain we had seen much of the Old Town Rhodes, we decided to check the Acropolis of Rhodes.  It was the site of the ancient Hellenistic City.  There was a 2nd century AD stadium that once hosted the Olympic games and at the top of the hill there was the Temple of Pythian Apollo.  We were able to go right onto the track below the stadium.  Very cool. Once we had seen the sites in and around the area we were staying, we decided to hit up the highly recommended beach of Lindos.  Before we left for Lindos, we booked a ferry to our next island - Crete.  Until then, we were excited to swim in the Mediterranean again and check out another part of Rhodes Island by bus.  This was a 45 minute bus ride, but was worth it.  As we pulled up to the area, you couldn't help but be breathtaken by the white 17th century houses built up along the cliff side only to be topped off by an old stone castle.  These white buildings have been bought by foreign celebrities and have been renovated.  In the past, St. Paul landed here on route to Rome.  The beach was great as well.  We were dropped off at the top main street, where we took a smaller shuttle bus down towards the beach area.  Here, there were donkeys and their owners waiting to take you up towards the castle and through the winding streets and white buildings for a small price.  We were far too excited to jump in the water and be cooled off.   The sand was the velvety kind.  The water was the crystal kind.  The girls were the topless kind.  Sorry Mike, no pictures.  (You probably wouldn't have wanted to see these ones anyways).  We spent nearly 4 hours at this beach before we headed back up to the donkey area to inquire about a bus back.  (Something, in hind-sight, we should have inquired about before).  There was only one bus left heading back to Rhodes, which we had to be on to catch our ferry to Crete by midnight.  Thank goodness there was one left!!!  The girl giving us the information kind of smiled as she told us about this final bus.  We weren't sure why until we had made our way all the way up to the main road to wait for the hour or so for it to arrive.  We started to get a general idea of her little smirk, when every 5 minutes or so more people came trudging up the hill to join us at the bus stop.  Before any bus came anywhere near the road, both sides were plastered full of tourists and locals waiting to get on the bus.  We were a little worried.  There were no pre-paid tickets for this one, and we HAD to get back that night to ensure we would make it to our ferry in time.  Fingers crossed.  We found out which side of the road to wait on - just before the bus arrived, so luckily we were with that half of the crowd.  When the bus pulled up, the front door as well as the door three quarters of the way to the back opened to let current passengers off.  I scuttled to the back door (following a few other travellers) and hopped on, not realizing that just behind me the doors shut quickly.  Apparently, the doors literally hit her in the shoulders as it was closing, and she stepped back.  Her 3 year-old daughter had gotten on just before her mother had attempted to, and was now somewhat stranded on the bus with her entire family waiting outside the front door where everyone had to pay.  Trevor had seen it all happen, but I was oblivious as I was on a mission to get us seats.  I quickly sat down and saved two seats so we would not have to stand for the entire 45 minute ride back into Rhodes.  I watched outside the door as the huge crowd began to get a bit smaller, and the bus continued to become more and more packed.  Meanwhile, Trevor was jockying for position in line, taking up any extra inch that was given to him.  It was almost as strategic as one would be in a mosh pit - making sure your position is always better than the people around you.  His senses were peaked and when he felt a tap on his shoulder, his head snapped back to see what the person could possibly want - he wasn't about to give up his spot.  It ends up it was the 3-year old's father asking Trevor to help him get the drivers attention so that the daughter could get off the bus.  Trevor waved and said he would try, and within a minute - the crisis was averted.  Daughter and family reunited!  Meanwhile, inside, the seats were filling up rapidly, and I was apologizing to others when they asked to sit in the seat that my waterbottle was so comfortably taking up.  Straining my neck to see the front of the bus, it appeared that Trevor had finally made it to the front of the line and was stepping on the bus.  With a quick glance to the back, it was easy to tell that the bus was full and there were no seats left for even the people who were ahead of Trevor.  Yikes.  By the time we pulled outta there, the coach-style bus which sat close to 60 people, had every seat taken, and the aisl completely jam-packed with people standing shoulder to shoulder.  We counted over 20 standers, and multiple sitters with people on their laps.  Not only were we this jam-packed full, but the driver would pull over along the way if there was anyone waiting at a stop.  The looks on their faces were priceless as we pulled up and the doors opened with people nearly busting out of them.  One stop he made to pick up two local women and three or four children was a long one.  We can not understand the Greek language, but the tones of the ladies voices and the looks on their faces definitely told us that they were LESS than impressed when they tried to get on the bus.  There was a bit of shouting, some pushing, probably some cursing as well.  When there didn't seem to be a solution in sight, the bus driver simply turned off the engine and sat there looking out his window, waiting for the problem to work itself out.  Eventually, the ladies found a place to stand and worked their way to a point of - less than happy, but more than furious and the engine started up again, and we were on our way.If the bus would have had elastic bands around it, we would have been stretching them to their limits and people would have seen a fat, warped and bulging bus flying down the road.  You could tell the driver was getting a bit frustrated (or perhaps he just couldn't see) when people were still trying to get off the bus or reach for their bags and he would begin pulling away, only to hear the shouts and hollars from multiple voices from the back.  At one stop, a family made their way off the bus and as they were getting their stroller from the underneath storage area, the driver began pulling away.  It was quite a kerfuffle when he started banging on the outside of the bus and everyone inside was shouting for the driver to stop.  Regardless of the packed ride, most people were in good spirits and even the driver had some smiles left in him.  We felt sorry for the guy as he couldn't see anything around him being as the aisle was completely packed and there were also people standing next to him, up against the windshield and down the stairs to the door.   It really was a Big Fat Greek Bus Ride. Hugs and Love,Dana and Trevor
]]> A Little TV Didn't Hurt Nobody! — Marmaris, Turkish Aegean Coast, Turkey http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mr-mrs_pickles/2/1217154780/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mr-mrs_pickles/2/1217154780/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mr-mrs_pickles/2/1217154780/tpod.html Fri, 01 Aug 2008 07:12:57 -0400 Off again to see the world

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Marmaris, Turkish Aegean Coast, Turkey

Our pitstop before cruising over to the Greek Islands was the party town of Marmaris. We hadn't heard a whole lot of good about Marmaris and were planning on simply getting there and getting out.  We found a hostel that we liked - this included a good sized pool to dip into and cool off when we needed.  Once again, the people working there were very friendly - although there was very little English spoken.We were shown to our room and the first thing we both noticed was an odd smell.  Not a pleasant smell - but not exactly unbearable either.  It was familiar to both of us, but we just couldn't put our finger on it.  Although the room was a bit cramped, and the lighting was fairly dim, there was a small TV attached to a metal rod sticking out the side of the wall infront of the bed.  It was precariously balancing there so that if you wanted to watch anything your neck would be somewhat tilted to the left - kind of in a pose from the Will Ferrel Saturday Night Live skit "Night at the Roxbury".  Upon turning the TV on and flicking a couple of times through some static and some loud Turkish channels - we found one or two channels in English, including an MTV Video channel.                                            Sold!We do not want anyone to get the false impression that we are TV junkies.  We do have certain shows that we enjoy watching - but we are not the kind that MUST see something every night of the week or we will die.  However, having been away from home - and to be quite honest - away from almost any ENGLISH anywhere, including the other tourists we've encountered - just hearing someone else speaking the language we understand was great we didn't care if it was Saturday morning cartoons or the latest on the stock market.  We had it all planned out to sit and watch some TV with a bag of chips and a drink in our room - no longer caring about the dim lighting or the unusual - but familiar smell.  (What is that???)After getting stuff organized in our room, we wandered towards the harbour in search of an information booth and the possibility of booking a ferry to Rhodes Island for the next day.  Marmaris is a busy place full of shops and icecream vendors and restaurants and loads of boats and companies offering day tours to other locations.  The gentleman at the information center was great.  We could get a ferry to Rhodes the next afternoon (the morning one was fully booked already) or we could wait the extra day and take the morning ferry then.  WELL!  With some English speaking television back in our room - we didn't mind just vegging for an extra day.  There also seemed to be plenty for us to check out around the harbour, and even more down some busy streets, so we booked the ferry for the following day.  Upon returning to our room, we walked in again stood there trying to figure out the smell.  We did realize that it was coming from the bathroom - but it wasn't the usual 'bad plumbing' or stale kind of smell that you can come across.  Regardless of what it was, we kept the door closed and opened windows to the room to air everything out.  We enjoyed a little TV, before heading for a dip in the pool.  From what we read in the guide book, this place was supposed to be somewhat of a dud - more of a place you want to be only to get to your next destination.  We decided to check it out for ourselves our first night.  We headed out on the town, joining masses of people who were flooding the walkways searching perfect souvenirs, gifts and of course food and drink.  This street had the business of the Las Vegas strip without the huge hotels and flashing lights.  There were pubs, restaurants and bars all mixed in with the 100's of shops that filled the busy street.  This would be a GREAT place to go with a few more people - we can definitely see some good times and serious partying happening here.  We checked things out until late in the evening and headed back for our second night in our hostel.  Our room was aired out very nicely now, however going to the bathroom had become a battle only for those who could hold their breath for certain durations over a minute - or however long it takes you in there.  What IS that smell???  Nothing has died - if that is what you're thinking. It isn't rotting food either - it was just a stinging, powerful smell.  Like a strong cleaner or asbestos and paint mixed together or something.  We think we narrowed it down.  Trevor came out of the bathroom with the "Aha!" look on his face.  Urinal Pucks.  Definitley urinal pucks.  There was no urinal IN the bathroom, but the smell of them was definitely there.  Upon closer inspection, we saw three small, white, circular 'pucks' in the sink.  Could these little 'Certs of the Sink' be the stench culprits?  We thought so, but that shall remain a mystery, as we were not inspecting it any further.  With the great restaurants and pubs alining the streets, a pool there for whenever we wanted it, and the TV available for movies, and sitcoms that we knew - we quite enjoyed our stay in Marmaris. We are still very excited to be moving along though.Greece, here we come!!!Hugs and Love,Dana and Trevor
]]> It's 'Efes' For Our Anniversary! — Selcuk, Izmir, Turkey http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mr-mrs_pickles/2/1216990800/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mr-mrs_pickles/2/1216990800/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mr-mrs_pickles/2/1216990800/tpod.html Fri, 25 Jul 2008 10:49:43 -0400 Off again to see the world

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Selcuk, Izmir, Turkey

Well, you can't say that we didn't have a fantastic 4-year anniversary, when we spent it in Turkey wandering through one of their most famous sites of ruins; Efes.  Although, I do think that Trevor got away with one here.  It was his year to plan what we would do for our anniversary.  How do you top Turkey?  I guess I have it tough for planning next year.  Maybe West Ed?  Let's compare the two shall we?1)  -Efes Ruins are a 3 hour bus ride away from where we stayed the night before.-West Edmonton mall is a measly hour and a half.One point West Ed.West Ed. - 1 PointEfes Ruins - 02)  -To get to the Efes Ruins, you must flag down a bus which you share with locals and you must cram in just to fit in the small seats.-To get to West Ed., you can take your own wonderful and roomy transportation - free to come and go as you please!!!  (And in full control of the A/C)One point West Ed.West Ed. - 2 pointsEfes Ruins - 03)  - To get to Efes, the bus will cost you about $2.00- To get to West Ed. the gas will cost you about $50.00One point Efes:West Ed. - 2 pointsEfes Ruins - 1 point4)  -West Ed. has so much to offer, including a waterpark, an amuzement park, shopping, dolphin shows, submarine rides, a movie theatre...the list is endless!- Efes Ruins has none of this but a theatre  -  from 2000 years ago. OK, we'll call that one a draw:West Ed. - 3 pointsEfes Ruins - 2 points5)-At West Ed. you can see Japanese Tourists checking things out and chattering away as they flash their cameras. -At Efes, you can sit at the top of the stone theatre and hear a Japanese tourist belt out an Italian opera from the stage below.  Perfect acoustics - not bad voice either.  One point Efes:West Ed. - 3 pointsEfes Ruins - 3 pointsSo as you can see, through simple analysis of both scenerios, there is no clear-cut winner here.  A trip to West Ed. for our 5th year anniversary should be more than adequate. As mentioned in the analysis above, it was a 3 hour bus ride from Pamukkale to Selcuk, where the ruins of Efes are located.  We spent a relaxed afternoon when we arrived, having a scrumpcious supper (and a beer of course) and we even lucked out and had some popcorn at the pub we were at.  (Did the owner KNOW it was our anniversary!!!)  After our time at the pub, we made our way around the cobblestone side-streets and came upon a street market set up in a large open area.  We took our time searching through their many tables full of jewellery, clothes and other knick-knacks.  We both went away with some new fashions that we grabbed for $2.00 a piece.  It was a free-for-all and at times, you needed to have your elbows out and a wide, strong stance to maintain a low center of gravity to avoid being knocked over.  It was kind of like shopping Christmas Eve at West Ed.  (Good thing that is not our anniversary!).We prepared for a much busier day of walking through the ruins the next morning, and after another Turkish breakfast of tomatoes, cheese, watermelon, olives, bread, cucumbers and hard boiled eggs (always included in pansiyon prices) we have now cut down our choices to boiled eggs, bread and watermelon.  21 days of this same food and we solemnly swear never to eat another hard boiled egg again.  This must be how contestants from the show Survivor feel about rice. It was a longer than anticipated walk to Efes, and we decided even before we got there that we would definitely pay the 2 Lira to catch a dolmus back again.  It didn't help that there were two signs pointing in different directions to get to Efes.  One (3km) pointed across the street from where we were - so we crossed the street and were ready to head in that direction.  Once we got across the street, a second sign directed traffic in another direction.  Hmmmm.  Flip a coin.  We chose the second one.  Wrong decision - we tacked on 20 minutes more of walking in the heat.  Life lesson:  Always go with your first choice.We did, in fact, make it to Efes without a problem.  We quickly paid the admission fee and maneuvered ourselves around and past tourist groups. Amongst the ruins, we visited a large theatre (mentioned in the previous analysis), St. Mary's Chruch, a large courtyard, a library, some marble statues and walkways, and more ruins as well.  It is pretty amazing that this has all lasted for over 2000 years.  Some of it dates from 2nd century BC.  At one point it was the capital city of Asia Minor.We spent almost three hours exploring and as amazing as it was, it is tough to compare these to the incredible structures of Ankor in Cambodia.  We are planning on heading to Marmaris next, where we will catch a ferry to Rhodes - our first Greek Island!   Bring on the beaches!Hugs and Love,Dana and Trevor
]]> Pamukkale - Pretty...Pristine...Perfect — Pamukkale, Denizli, Turkey http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mr-mrs_pickles/2/1216886760/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mr-mrs_pickles/2/1216886760/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mr-mrs_pickles/2/1216886760/tpod.html Fri, 25 Jul 2008 09:20:59 -0400 Off again to see the world

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Pamukkale, Denizli, Turkey

This was incredible...On our way to Pamukkale, we met a kind English couple on our bus ride to Pamukkale, Bea and John.  Bea was actually Turkish and had a hotel booked for them already.  Offered for us to share their free ride to the hotel which sounded just like the one we had so enjoyed in Fethiye.  We thanked them with a smile and discussed a few of the sights that we might go to see when we arrived.  Although they were likely going to be talking in some extra sights and ruins all around the general area, we were leaning a bit more towards just doing the main Pamukkale tavertines as we would be seeing many more ruins in Efes and Athens as well.  The mountain-like hill that is covered in white calcium build-up has the appearance of an icy ski-hill.  It was a very hot day though - and no snow anywhere.  We began our walk up the site and found it pleasantly grippy the whole way even thought the ground was covered with trickling water from the overflowing pools.  It was great to be able to walk in the pools - some people were even swimming and wading in them.  We took our time as we wandered up and took many pictures along the way.  Once we were at the top, we could see ruins in the background.  This used to be an anceint city where many people lived, but due to frequent earthquakes, the citizens upped and moved.  The large tourist boom of the 80s and 90s all but destroyed many of the natural pools here.  This is why there are a few man-made ones lining the walk on the way up.  There are still some beautiful natural pools as well - although not all of them have the water in them anymore, and there are also some areas that tourists can no longer go - although they are not fenced off, rather there are signs stating where you can and can not go and there are officials standing at key locations with a whistle and, like a lifeguard, they will blow their whistle if you venture into an off-limits area.  For some tourists, this appeared to be little more than a small annoyance as they would continue wandering as they pleased - taking pictures and ignoring the whistle blasts.  A few (actually most) would even stop, turn to look at the official, and then continue on their merry way wrecking more of the site with every step - and ruining chances for the rest of us to get pictures without them in it.  We followed a somewhat rickety wooden boardwalk around the back of the site which led to some beautiful natural pools sparkling in the sun.  Here's a question:How long does it take an overweight Asian in a pink golf shirt to put on his shoes?(Go ahead.  Yell our your answer.  Compare it with loved ones.  We will tell you at the bottom of this entry).As we came around a corner of the boardwalk, a large area with some beautifully tiered natural pools - still filled with water opened up before us.  Unfortunately, a group of about 20 people were frollicking in them.  (Mr. McPink-erson Golf Shirt included).  We were waiting for this group to vacate the area and were feeling horribly embarrassed on behalf of all tourists when the official had blasted his whistle for about the 100th time and was now violently waving them in and out of the 'no-zone' area.  They continued to take their sweet time, and others even jumped in to join them.  One French family in particular were really rude.  The parents were encouraging their kids to go into the pools so they could get a picture of them there.  The brother and sister did not appear overly pleased - although they seemed to get over this fairly quickly as they too ignored the official desperately trying to empty this natural area.  The father walked out onto the pools with his camera - looked at the official - told his kids where to stand - and continued talking pictures - absolutely no regard and no respect for the authority put in place to help protect this area.  (Quick side-note:  The Asian in the pink golf shirt is still bent over (in this pool) tying shoes.  Those who guessed 10 minutes - you better guess again).  There was a small group of people next to us on the boardwalk with English accents who we couldn't help but overhear complaining about the people in the pools.  We smiled at them and agreed.  They became so frustrated with the French family in particular that one of them -  an older gentleman, walked out into the pools as well and stood directly - we mean directly - like inches away from the father's camera.  When the father would turn to take another picture - the Engish guy would move and step infront of him.  This was somewhat encouraged by the laughing coming from our direction.  When the English man returned, he said, "Well, the French guy got some very nice pictures of my hat".  Finally, the French family began walking out of the pools and back towards the boardwalk.  This was immediately followed by some cheers and clapping from the English group.  (We like these folks!)(Quick side-note #2:  Mr. McPinkerson Golf Shirt is still tying his shoes and his back must be killing him from being bent over so long.  Would it be too difficult to pick up the shoes and carry them to the walkway?  Thus getting out of the area - which, in turn, would stop the whistle blowing and also would allow the rest of us a picture without a man in a pink shirt in it???  Is this too much to ask???  Seriously!)We wandered up a small hill past a tree to get a better view of the pools - hoping that by the time we were there, the McPink shirt would be gone.  Not gone yet.  Still bent there.  (Perhaps he is a fountain we did not know about?)  No!!!  It moves!  It moves!  It's ALIVE!!!  The Asian man stood up straight and began walking towards the boardwalk.  More cheers and clapping from the English group - and NOW we can all take pictures.  Yeesh! For those of you keeping track - it was nearly 30 minutes that he was tying his shoes.  Any winners?Anyone?Did you know that was even possible????There is probably a special school that teaches shoe tying and all kinds of tying for that matter....Stay tuned for more about the ruins later.Hugs and Love,Dana and TrevorOK we're back!  Where were we???  ......the ruins at Pamukkale...We spent a good hour and a half putzing through the ruins in addition to wandering through the tavertine pools. The ruins were good to see as well - although we were far more blown away by the white covered slopes and pools that led us up to the ruins.  The real beautiful part was that the sun was setting as we were walking through them.  There were various tombs, a full cemetary, pillars and archways that led into the ancient city and a theatre/stadium once again.  We did not come across any more shoe-tying-impaired-tourists, so we were quite pleased with our stroll for the evening. (Mr. Pinkerson Golf Shirt must have had to begin his 17 hour descent back down again).We caýght the full sunset and were able to actually watch the sun sink down behind a mountainous landscape - it is odd how you can do that in some places.  A matter of 5 minutes and the full blazing circle was completely gone!  We began making our way back towards the white sparking pools, preparing for our own tread back down white, rocky surface.  This was quite spectacular as well since there were a few lights along certain pathways, and some of the natural pools almost seemed to glow blue in the moonlight.  We took our time heading back down, pausing to look in all directions before completely leaving this place.When we arrived at the bottom, we realized that we were both quite hungry - hadn't eaten since breakfast!  A restaurant right at the bottom was very alluring, and the menu as well as the prices were well suited to us.  So there we sat, with a view of the shining, sparking, calcium covered slopes above us, as we ate a delicious meal (and had a beer of course), before resting up for our trip to Efes.  Hugs and Love, Dana and Trevor
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