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Anthony and Katey CurnowAnthony and Katey Curnow
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traveled in 11 countries Read more Ravenswood, Australia
  • TravelerA&K Adventure 2019
    Day 62

    D62 Turkey - Adiyaman to Istanbul

    September 4, 2019 in Turkey ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

    A Snapshot of Our Day

    Photo 1 - We took the tram and the funicular to Taxim Square for dinner, we were in the mood for some street food that wasn’t a kebab or lentil soup!

    Photo 2 - Mete said to brace ourselves as this strip was busier than Times Square! Not sure about that but it sure was bloody busy - we even said if people got lost we should just make a bee line for the hotel at 9.30pm for rooftop drinks.

    Photo 3 - Mete had prepped us for the Istanbul-style “wet burger”, which was essentially a beef patty inside a soft burger bun and steamed, so when served it’s still really juicy inside. I wasn’t entirely convinced.

    Photo 4 - But I saw the queue and got sucked in by FOMO! It was pretty delicious , a bit weird, but I figured we wouldn’t get it at home. Washed down with a limonata it was a great start to the night! The vegetarians didn’t agree.

    Photo 5 - 10 steps away from the burger stall and we’re already drawn towards more food. There are so many pick and choose joints around, you’d never get tired of food in Istanbul!

    Photo 6 - Baklava. Dessert is not dessert if it isn’t wrapped in pastry, doused in sugar and sprinkled with nuts.

    Photo 7 - Doner kebabs have been a staple right throughout our trip. It’s a mix of beef and lamb, and makes a relatively “light lunch”.

    Photo 8 - That is 100% butter and my arteries hurt just looking at it.

    Photo 9 - Galata Tower, which we will hopefully try to climb tomorrow.

    Photo 10 - The Golden Horn at night is pretty spectacular, especially with all the huge mosques lit up so beautifully.    Read more

  • TravelerA&K Adventure 2019
    Day 61

    D61 Turkey - Kahta Homestay to Mt Nemrut

    September 3, 2019 in Turkey ⋅ ☀️ 33 °C

    A Snapshot of Our Day

    Photo 1 - All but two of us opted to sleep outside overnight as it was way too stuffy inside the house. It was the windiest night I’ve ever experienced in the outdoors, and that combined with the unmilked cow mooing and local cats fighting made for a not so successful night of sleeping. But as soon as the sun started to rise, the wind stopped and we could enjoy an hour of calmness.

    Photo 2 - A perfect Turkish breakfast, balanced out with chips of course! It was SO GOOD!

    Photo 3 - Everything on the breakfast table was grown and prepared on this land, down to the homemade cheese and grape molasses (Ant could have drunk cupfuls if there was enough!). The kids kept themselves busy with filling up everyone’s tea glasses and running around laughing at themselves!

    Photo 4 - The small village of Kahta from the rooftop.

    Photo 5 - Ahbrahim and his beautiful family (the eldest boy was probably already out working in the fields already!) were so good to us, and even with communication barriers we felt right at home with them. Mete told us that the family knew the owner of the transportation company that Intrepid uses for their tours, and had been hosting tour groups for the last 2 years.

    Photo 6 - Hiking up to the peak of Mount Nemrut, which stands at 2132m above sea level.

    Photo 7 - Loving any chance to sit in the shade in this intense midday heat!

    Photo 8 - He’s on top of the world!

    Photo 9 - Mete, Brent, Terry, Ant and I enjoying some wine and chats while we wait for the sun to set on the west side of Mount Nemrut.

    Photo 10 - Another day, and another beautiful Turkish sun has set on us. We were all a bit sad tonight as tomorrow we’ll be flying back to Istanbul and will be losing a couple of people from the group earlier than expected!    Read more

  • TravelerA&K Adventure 2019
    Day 60

    D60 Turkey - Darende to Kahta Homestay

    September 2, 2019 in Turkey ⋅ ☀️ 32 °C

    A Snapshot of Our Day

    Photo 1 - On the drive from Darende to Kahta we saw dozens of tobacco fields, and many locals gathering their harvest. This region is well known for tobacco and for dried apricots, which cost next to nothing!

    Photo 2 - I am loving the change in scenery; it’s very dry and today as we lowered in altitude it’s getting much hotter again, but I find the passing fields mesmerising. It reminds me of a Jinja Safari album cover, so naturally that’s who I chose as a driving soundtrack.

    Photo 3 - It’s was Brent’s birthday today so at lunch Mete “surprised” him with a HUGE chocolate cake! Almost as good as a mud cake from Woolies! It had caramelised chestnuts throughout it and it didn’t last long between 11 of us!

    Photo 4 - Mete had told us that the family that will host us tonight for the homestay are considerably poor, and are almost 100% living off their own land. We bought them a few practical gifts before we arrived, like washing powder, school supplies etc, as they are providing us with dinner, breakfast and beds to sleep in. Their house is a large two storey building, very basic in design with minimal furniture and lighting, with the kitchen doubling up as a laundry. Out the front of the large upstairs deck they have small capsicums, chillies and hollowed eggplants sun drying for use throughout the year.

    Photo 5 - Plan A was to walk into the small nearby village and then to visit the family’s fruit fields. But we spent so long chatting, drinking tea and playing cards that we lost track of time! Plan B meant everyone being loaded into the family’s tractor, which was much more fun! Bumpy, but fun.

    Photo 6 - The gang admiring the grapes; the two youngest boys were constantly running around looking for grapes to feed us with.

    Photo 7 - Perfect organically grown grapes, warmed by the sun and devoured in seconds. We were all at capacity by the time we left, and that was before we got to the fig trees! The family don’t make wine, instead they produce grape molasses which they sell locally.

    Photo 8 - I was too full but Ant really enjoyed his fresh fig, probably too much.

    Photo 9 - Our host mother prepared for us a generous meal of lentil soup, vegetable stew, chicken with rice (we noticed a couple of chickens missing) and freshly cooked gozleme. We were given ayran to drink (yoghurt water with a pinch of salt) which acts as a probiotic and is perfect at settling a travellers stomach. The 4 younger kids rushed around to set the table which hardly took them any time; with they are clearly well trained and very used to visitors now!

    Video 1 - The youngest child, and only daughter, Fathima is 8 years old and didn’t take too long to warm up to the crowd. It started with card games earlier today and then graduated to pure hilarity and nonsense tonight. She really loved Ant and he had a great time teasing her and also helping her with her limited English. She was like a little parrot and picked things up very easily - everyone got an “I loooove yoooou!” before we went to sleep.    Read more

  • TravelerA&K Adventure 2019
    Day 59

    D59 Turkey - Cappadocia to Darende

    September 1, 2019 in Turkey ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C

    A Snapshot of Our Day

    Photo 1 - I got up at 6am to see this hot air ballon phenomenon; it’s hard to imagine that they do this pretty much daily!

    Photo 2 - On the road again....our driver Mehmet picked us up from Konya and will be with us until our final day. He’s a much calmer driver than some we’ve had, has the shiniest black shoes you’ve ever seen, and him and Mete don’t stop chatting as we go from location to location. He’s like the newly appointed grandfather of the tour and we love him!

    Photo 3 - As the landscape has changed drastically in the last couple of days from lush green fields to dry and barren hills, we were really confused to find ourselves at Gokpinar Golu Dogal Yasam Park, a picture perfect lake in the middle of nowhere. The park complex was really busy with locals setting up their family picnic areas, and with a clear and freakishly blue lake to paddle in nearby we could see why it was a hot spot!

    Photo 4 - No one was swimming in the lake but there were a few locals hiring paddle boats to improve their afternoon in the sun.

    Photo 5 - Lots of room to have a picnic with the family! We were really gutted as lunch today had been an unromantic pitstop at another petrol station, and the thought of setting ourselves up here with snacks would have been perfect. It’s hard not to be jealous of people when the smell of grilling meats and vegetables is wafting everywhere!

    Photo 6 - After the Lake we stopped at Gurpinar Selalesi; a small flowing waterfall, which was quite sweet and very popular again with picnic goers and photo takers!

    Photo 7 - This restaurant was about 50m downstream from the waterfall and diners were tucking into beautiful fresh fish and other delicious looking dishes. Up in the car park there were shops selling dried apricots and a local chewing gum, which didn’t sound incredibly appetising. I’m good with my PK, thank you!

    Photo 8 - I can’t remember what was so funny, but it may have been to do with some of the poses people were pulling with the waterfall in the background.

    Photo 9 - Darende is really just a stop over town, and there is nothing to see except the small park that we visited for dinner. There was a brand new mosque built above the river and a few small restaurants lined the banks. Unfortunately we were all pretty unimpressed with dinner that night, as there were few options available and the service was really slack. At least the relaxed setting and company made up for it!

    Photo 10 - Is it bad that this was one of the coolest things about this town? Well that and the hamam in our hotel...    Read more

  • TravelerA&K Adventure 2019
    Day 58

    D58 Turkey - Cappadocia

    August 31, 2019 in Turkey ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    A Snapshot of Our Day

    Photo 1 - Hands down one of the biggest highlights so far; this view made the 4.30am wake up worth it. Flying with 150 other hot air balloons is definitely a once in a lifetime experience, and the sun kissed views caused the group to be a lot quieter than usual. Our pilot Samir was hilarious, and had dubbed his balloon ‘The Titanic’. He chose to drop this fun fact on us after he tactically flew us past a huge rock, which ironically resembled an iceberg. The celebratory cake and champagne handed out on landing helped with settling any residual nerves!

    Photo 2 - You’re welcome guys.

    Photo 3 - Just your local pooch getting his morning yoga session in; downward dog anyone?

    Photo 4 - Another glimpse of the Fairy Chimneys; not getting too many inappropriate comments from people yet, but there is still time.

    Photo 5 - A birds eye view of Göreme, the town that we are staying in while in Cappadocia.

    Photo 6 - We visited Derinkuru Underground City which is another World Heritage site. It was amazing to follow the arrows down through the maze of tunnels and now empty rooms, which went on for 5 levels! This city was built with one purpose - to provide emergency shelter for the local people when it was required. Good thing it wasn’t a permanent solution as it was incredibly humid and pourous down there!

    Photo 7 - We then spent some time wandering through the local market, which sold everything from large plastic tubs, taps and gas stoves to spices, mountains or fresh fruit and vegetables, and baked goods. It was clearly a much poorer area; all the items we looked at were dirt cheap, and the stares we got from the locals suggested that they didn’t expect us to be there!

    Photo 8 - I was in absolute heaven and it’s a miracle that we only left carrying some peaches and apples.

    Photo 9 - We finally paid a visit to the Fairy Chimney Open Air Museum and had a great time walking in and around these incredible formations.

    Video 1 - Unfortunately, Anthony was too unwell to join the rest of the group this evening as we went to a Turkish Celebration evening at a local function centre. Our guide Mete had told us about the variety of dances we may see; all from different regions of Turkey including where he was born. So while we enjoyed a feast of unlimited mezze dishes and drinks, we also enjoyed the display of Turkish cultural history. We all ended up on the dance floor at one stage or another, which made it one of the best nights out so far!    Read more

  • TravelerA&K Adventure 2019
    Day 57

    D57 Turkey - Konya to Cappadocia

    August 30, 2019 in Turkey ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    A Snapshot of Our Day

    Photo 1 - We stopped briefly for a loo stop on our way to Cappadocia and apparently it is Independence Day! We witnessed part of a formal ceremony (we didn’t understand a word but they were all very enthusiastic presenters!) and then possibly the most underwhelming marching ceremony ever. Mete said that it’s only because the police were asked to march...and in comparison to the army soldiers they’re a bit clueless. While we waited for the others to finish drinking tea we made valuable use of our time by chasing another puppy around.

    Photo 2 - Mums, we thought you would appreciate this shot; bearing in mind your appreciation for all things blue tinted glass!

    Photo 3 - Our first glimpse of the “Fairy Chimneys” of Cappadocia! I can’t wait to see them up close!

    Photo 4 - 2 minutes into our valley walk and we were already harvesting the fresh fruit; we saw pear, fig and apple trees as well as low lying grape vines and tomato crops. The pears were just ripe and we had to pull ourselves away before we gave ourselves stomach aches.

    Photo 5 - Brent thought it necessary to climb up a steep hill and explore a hole in the rock. He may have cursed once or twice on descent.

    Photo 6 - A few members of the group exploring one of many valleys in the area, which was amazingly fertile. Some of the land is privately owned by locals so occasionally we would walk past someone selling orange juice from a small shack. While we walked a 5km loop the other guys decided they wanted to enjoy the valley on horse back!

    Photo 7 - One of several old churches that were created inside the volcanic deposits. The inner layers of rock are apparently very soft in comparison to the harder exterior, so it was very easy for people to carve them out and create rooms to reside, or in this case worship in.

    Photo 8 - We were able to have a brief walking tour of the Turasan Winery, and were invited to sample 3 of their wines; a rose, a white and a red. Most of us purchased a bottle afterwards as we were gearing up for wine and cheese night at sunset! I purchased one of their dry white wines (a variety called Emir) which went down very well with the crew.

    Photo 9 - Mete had been to the local supermarket to buy bread, breadsticks, cake, chips and nuts, a variety of cheeses and some cured meat. He very kindly arranged it all on plastic plates and we all poured the wine and dug in; Mete had prime position for dinner and didn’t move an inch the whole time we were up the mountain! Genius.

    Photo 10 - It was such a majestic way to see the Rose Valley, and so it was no wonder that we saw not one, but two bridal parties having their sunset photos taken.    Read more

  • TravelerA&K Adventure 2019
    Day 56

    D56 Turkey - Antalya to Konya

    August 29, 2019 in Turkey ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C

    A Snapshot of Our Day

    Photo 1 - Anthony was clearly heartbroken at the fact that we were leaving our last sea side town.

    Photo 2 - Welcome to Konya! We were told that it wasn’t an overly touristy city and that now we were heading towards the east, the locals were a lot more conservative. Our first impressions are that all good; it’s really clean and tidy, with lots of open public spaces including the main plaza with a huge mosque and park.

    Photo 3 - The entrance to the main mosque and Dervish museum. The top of the main entrance has a chain hanging across so when you enter you are forced to bow your head; a small nod in respect to God.

    Photo 4 - Despite being squished like sardines by a swelling number of Asian tour groups, we were able to admire the beautiful interior of yet another mosque. There are 7 principles of Mevlana, one of the reasons for the mosque generating interest:
    1. In generosity and helping others, be like a river.
    2. In compassion and grace, be like the sun.
    3. In concealing others’ faults, be like the night.
    4. In angry and fury, be like the dead.
    5. In modesty and humility, be like the earth.
    6. In tolerance, be like the sea.
    7. Either exist as you are, or be as you look.

    Photo 5 - A member of the Dervish sect that had the role of getting the milk, bread and Mars Bars from the shops.

    Photo 6 - A scene set out of how the Dervish men would have sat around to eat a meal. They had a particular way of sitting while they ate, with one knee underneath them and the other propped up; the theory being that the gently pressure on the stomach would prevent any potential gluttonous thoughts. Not convinced this would be an effective portion control method for me!

    Photo 7 - The beautiful back streets of Konya led us to many a clothing, jewellery and knick knacks store.

    Photo 8 - The show of the Whirling Dervishes is now free every Thursday evening and was entrancing; the meditative and controlled spinning is an act to help these men feel closer to God. I’m still amazing that no one was sick after you to 8 minutes of spinning around and around!

    Video 1 - Amazing.    Read more

  • TravelerA&K Adventure 2019
    Day 55

    D55 Turkey - Antalya

    August 28, 2019 in Turkey ⋅ ☀️ 36 °C

    A Snapshot of Our Day

    Photo 1 - The Aspendos Theatre, another Roman wonder that dates back to 155BC. Every September the theatre is used for several operatic performances and we were gutted to discover that we were a few short days of seeing a performance of ‘Carmen’! The complex was in the midst of being set up and so our friend Gina gave us a performance of her own, being a professional singer and music teacher.

    Photo 2 - As it was already 36C by 10am we weren’t super enthused at the prospect of walking up a hill to see a “spectacular” view of the theatre, but it was worth it in the end.

    Photo 3 - They are incredibly worn down now but these are wall decorations date back 700 years.

    Photo 4 - We stopped for a mid morning snack at a tiny roadside cafe where we enjoyed watching the older lady prepare and cook for us some fresh gozleme. Easily the best gozleme we’ve had so far, and was made even better by glasses of freshly squeezed orange juice.

    Photo 5 - For lunch we went to a restaurant that only served two things - meatballs and a local bean salad. Naturally we ordered both to share; the rich salad comprised of white beans, red capsicum, tahini, olive and sesame oils and was garnished with chopped boiled egg. Served with fresh bread and salad it was surprisingly delicious, but I highly doubt it will get the same reaction back in North Melbourne!

    Photo 6 - ‘Hadrian’s Gate’; one of several ancient gates that take you from standing in the new to the old town of Antalya.

    Photo 7 - All of the Turkish sweets. It’s a miracle that you don’t see dentists on every corner.

    Photo 8 - Anthony spotted a shop in the old town that were clearly making the statement that gourds are too good to be eaten. Why eat a vegetable when it could be transformed into a lamp?

    Photo 9 - Token souvenir bookmarks are in abundance and we love it!

    Photo 10 - A funky sign painted onto an electrical pole, just in case you needed reminding of where you were.    Read more

  • TravelerA&K Adventure 2019
    Day 54

    D54 Turkey - Kas to Antalya

    August 27, 2019 in Turkey ⋅ ⛅ 29 °C

    A Snapshot of Our Day

    Photo 1 - The best part about sleeping on the deck of a boat is your body waking up to natural light. Most of us were up enjoying the first signs of sunlight just before 6am, and some took full advantage by having a pre-breakfast swim in the cool water.

    Photo 2 - Dozens of green houses (currently unused) in a nearby valley, which will primarily be used for tomato production in the cooler seasons.

    Photo 3 - On our way to Antalya we stopped to visit the protected ruins of the church of Saint Nicholas. Our guide Mete had told us that this is a common visiting spot for Russian and German tourists and sure enough, shortly after we arrived we were surrounded by tourists who had clearly made a bee line to see St. Nicholas’ grave. I tried to keep clear of the swelling crowds and found myself admiring the worn paintings on the interior walls and domes of the chapel.

    Photo 4 - More paintings worn down over time.

    Photo 5 - Apparently you can buy anything at gift shops; “authentic hand painted” mugs, fridge magnets...and live cats. Do you have room for another one Es and Beth?

    Photo 6 - The Myra Rock Graves, 4/5th century architecture, representative of the Lycian classical period. These rock facades were built to almost imitate wooden carvings, and they were really haunting to look at. The graves are all blocked off so we were unable to go up too close but we were told that there are noticeable differences and characteristics that would help a visitor to gain information about the social status of the owner.
    A good tip for us to distinguish between Lycian and Roman architecture was that the Romans would build up from the ground and create free standing works; the Lycians would take to using the environment and building into and on the current landscapes.

    Photo 7 - There were many stairways and passageways that led us up and around to different parts of the acropolis. There was a large theatre complex that we had fun exploring and posing in. Of course.

    Photo 8 - The sea side town of Antalya is the location of Turkey’s largest international sea resort which, combined with many other attractions, makes it very popular with tourists. We arrived mid afternoon and the majority of us made a bee line towards a local Haman (Turkish bath) where we were separated according to gender and pampered for 2 hours, for a mere 50AUD. This included a sauna session, a full body scrub (I’m surprised I have any skin left!), a foam wash and rinse, relaxation time with free apple tea and an olive oil massage to finish. Us girls had a bonus and very spontaneous dance session with one of the employees while we were drinking our tea, which we loved!
    We all left in a daze and took our time wandering back to the Old Town where our hotel is located.

    Photo 9 - Ant and I have decided to sell in the Subaru for some newer hot wheels.

    Photo 10 - Majority of dogs and cats who are not owned by residents in Turkey are vaccinated by the Government, but it is the local community that continues to keep them in good health. We walked past a cat park and there were 20 or so little cat houses set up with volunteers giving out information and taking donations for the future care of this city’s cat population. My wall against cats is slowly crumbling down...    Read more

  • TravelerA&K Adventure 2019
    Day 53

    D53 Turkey - Fethiye to Kas

    August 26, 2019 in Turkey ⋅ 🌙 26 °C

    A Snapshot of Our Day

    Photo 1 - We stopped in the picturesque seaside village of Kas (pronounced Kash), for only 2 hours! We both instantly fell in love with the towns’ lack of tourists, the amount of coffee shops, and the beautiful cobble stone streets that paved their way to dozens of shops and other monuments. Mete promised us “the best” calamari of the tour here (of course to be accompanied by an Efes beer), and ‘Smileys Restaurant’ certainly delivered. Anthony, despite his initial enthusiasm, struggled to finish his generous portion of deep fried goodness, while I drowned my sickly sorrows in lentil soup. Again.

    Photo 2 - Livestock and a tree from the bus. Story of our lives right now!

    Photo 3 - We briefly stopped for a dip at Kaputas Beach, which did include a somewhat steep climb down and up. But if it was 30-plus degrees outside and you saw this view, could you resist temptation?

    Photo 4 - Exploring the charming village of Kas. We were devastated that we only had limited time to explore, but were productive with our time and it’s definitely now on the “To return ASAP” list!

    Photo 5 - The happy crew; eagerly tucking into a seafood feast, and trying hard not to piff bread rolls at the annoying girl behind the lens telling them to “Smile!”.

    Photo 6 - We came across the cutest little bookshop in Kas, and to our surprise the owner spoke brilliant English. As we purchased our items she persuaded us to buy an additional notebook that had their late leader Atatürk splashed across the front cover. She spoke with such pride and passion about this “country’s father” and the role he had in advocating for female rights, so we could hardly refuse!

    Photo 7 - Our neighbours at the first swimming stop on our overnight cruise along the Turquoise coast near Üçağız. We had barely lowered the anchor before everybody had grabbed goggles, flippers and swimming noodles and jumped into the clear, cooling water for some fun!

    Photo 8 - Although it is illegal to swim in this protected area, we were able to enjoy the ancient sunken cities of nearby Kekova Island from the comfort of our boat.

    Photo 9 - Enjoying a glass of chai in between swims.

    Photo 10 - The Captain’s wife and our now adopted mother, Saboe, prepared for us one of the tastiest dinners yet on the tour. Mete had built up our expectations but even so she exceeded them, and did so from a kitchen no more than 1.5m square, and with no oven. Meanwhile, Captain Mehmet cranked up the tiny BBQ at the back of the boat and grilled up some chicken tenderloins, evoking smells that quickly drew the last few swimmers out of the water!    Read more

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