V-Day and D-Day

Should I start with the Valium or the Di@rrhea??

V-DAY
It looked so easy on paper - catch a 3 hour bus to Ankara, hang for a bit and then fly to Canakkale (Gallipoli). Full day of travel. Bus more like 4.5 as driver liked to stop for smoke and gossip breaks. After a quick bite and some amazing chocolate roulade we had only 1.5 hours left for sightseeing and no real plan or map we ignored the warnings and jumped in first cab off the rank. Our VERY reluctant young driver argued with the other cabbies but finally agreed.

As a revenge we careened like a Grand Prix lurching at break neck speeds (whilst texting and yelling into the phone) squealing tyres and breaking within a whisker and were deposited at a fish market inner city as the driver appeared 'confused' of our destination. (See video)

Gone was my Turkish princess ideals of trailing silks, perfumes and artefacts as we were engulfed in a cacophony of fish market day.

To me the Turkish definitely look Turkish but I didn't realise that we look so different as we were an object of amusement for the marketeers. We gave up trying to pantomime and ask for directions after being laughed out of a butcher and onto the sidewalk where they advanced for more Kraak sideshow. Who wants goats heads and entrails anyway ☹️ sounds gassy.

Out in the open air I knocked on the window of a full cab in panic but the next cab was empty and the very gentlemanly driving calmed us somewhat and mended our frayed tempers as we caught bus, plane and taxi to our accommodation at Canakkale/Gallipoli, which on arrival we mistook for Fortitude Valley on a Saturday night. The Valium-resistant doof doof stopped around 1am.

D-DAY
Poor Will woke with a fever 39.6 and stories of a difficult night of D.

We raced to the only pharmacy open on a Sunday and after the difficulty of both a language barrier and the opportunity to sell lots to tourists we emerged with what turned out to be poor substitutes for Imodium. We left for our Gallipoli tour leaving Bill with lots of water and Turkish TV remote.Les mer