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2012 Turkish Delights
  • The World on Two Wheels

2012 Turkish Delights

In September I took a group of 19 Ghostriders to complete a three week trip around Turkey. The trip was to combine cycling, challenging trekking and lots of active sightseeing. Read more
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  • Trip start
    September 8, 2012
    The World on Two Wheels2012 Turkish DelightsThe World on Two Wheels

    Goodbye Melbourne, Hello Istanbul

    September 8, 2012 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 9 °C

    Two o'clock in the morning is certainly an early start to a long trip, but that was when our group of 19 was gathered at the departure gate for our flight to Dubai. Our final destination was Istanbul, but that was still a long, long way away.

    Because of the mysteries of time zones, although we would be in transit for almost 24 hours, somehow we were due to touchdown in Istanbul about 6 pm the same afternoon.

    I had been planning this trip for almost 2 years, and it is always a fantastic feeling of anticipation, knowing that all those plans are finally about to start coming to fruition.    Read more

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    The Long Flight Over

    September 8, 2012 in Turkey ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C

    After arrival at Istanbul, we were whisked by minibus to our hotel in the Sultanahmet district of Istanbul. This is a superb location, with views over the Blue Mosque and down to the Bosporus Strait.

    We had a little time to explore our new surroundings, before heading of to bed for a well deserved rest.    Read more

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    Free Day in Istanbul

    September 9, 2012 in Turkey ⋅ 🌙 22 °C

    Today was our chance to explore some parts of Istanbul, within walking distance of our hotel. The most unexpected of these was the huge underground water cistern. We were certainly not expecting to find a huge underground water cistern, built more like a cathedral than a water tank.

    This was actually one of several such cisterns which were designed to store water for the inhabitants of Constantinople.

    Fifty-two stone steps descend into the entrance of the cistern. The cistern is surrounded by a firebrick wall with a thickness of 4 metres (13 ft) and coated with a waterproofing mortar. The Basilica Cistern's water came from the Eğrikapı Water Distribution Center in the Belgrade Forest, which lie 19 kilometres (12 mi) north of the city. It traveled through the 971-metre-long (3,186 ft) Valens (Bozdoğan) Aqueduct, and the 115-metre-long (377 ft) Mağlova Aqueduct, which was built by the Emperor Justinian.[1]

    The weight of the cistern lies on the columns by means of the cross-shaped vaults and round arches of its roof.

    The Basilica Cistern has undergone several restorations since its foundation. The first of the repairs were carried out twice during the Ottoman State in the 18th century during the reign of Ahmed III in 1723 by the architect Muhammad Agha of Kayseri. The second major repair was completed during the 19th century during the reign of Sultan Abdulhamid II (1876–1909). Cracks to masonry and damaged columns were repaired in 1968, with additional restoration in 1985 by the Istanbul Metropolitan Museum. During the 1985 restoration, 50,000 tons of mud were removed from the cisterns, and platforms built throughout to replace the boats once used to tour the cistern.

    The cistern was opened to the public in its current condition on 9 September 1987. In May 1994, the cistern underwent additional cleaning.

    Tomorrow we catch a short domestic flight to Nevsehire.    Read more

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    Drive to Ihlara

    September 11, 2012 in Turkey ⋅ 18 °C

    The highlight of today was an extended walk down the magical Ihlara Valley. With its incredible protected microclimate and the towering rock walls pockmarked with carved dwelling places, there is little wonder why this location is often thought to be the location of the Garden of Eden.

    We enjoyed lunch in the middle of the valley at a riverside restaurant and then carried on hiking in the valley to Selime Monastery.    Read more

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    Goreme, Cappadocia

    September 12, 2012 in Turkey ⋅ 21 °C

    Today our journey took us to Goreme. The Göreme National Park was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1985. This is a fascinating area of flute chimneys and stunning rock formations. Christianity was the prevailing religion in the region, which is evident from many rock churches that can still be seen today.

    Goreme will be our home for the next three nights. Our hotel is literally built into a solid rock wall, with much of my room imbedded into the cliff. I had certainly never stayed anywhere like it.    Read more

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    Hot Air Balloon then an Underground City

    September 15, 2012 in Turkey ⋅ 🌙 21 °C

    What better way to see the incredible sights of Cappodocia, than from the gondola of a hot air balloon ? Although our guide did not want us to leave the ground, he eventually gave in when I demanded that he make it happen.

    We arose before dawn to join hundreds of other travellers, as they took an early morning flight over the region. It was an experience none of us will ever forget. Nothing can prepare you for the sight of hundreds of multi-coloured balloons filling the sky in all directions.

    Later in the day we visited the underground city of Derinkuyu. This was once the home to around 10,000 inhabitants. Their sprawling underground metropolis is spread out over a dozen or more levels. I did deduce that they must have been much shorter than us, as the constant bashing of my head on the low roof demonstrated.

    Unfortunately, by this time, our "guide" was in the midst of a full dummy spit (obviously still smarting from the fact that we did not heed his advice about the hot air ballooning) and refused to give us any information about the history of the place. Disappointing but true.

    Later in the day we drove to the foothills of the Taurus Mountains to begin our four day trek in the wilderness. We set off with the sun already low in the sky, but the guide would not tell us how far we would be walking. And so it went.

    On and one we walked in fading light. The pace started to take its toll on some of our participants, so much so that by the time we finally reached our campsite, about half the group decided that it was going to be just too difficult for them. It was not the way it was supposed to turn out, but there was little we could do about it.

    What followed over the next four days was some of the toughest trekking any of us had ever done. The combination of high altitude, steep and rough terrain, and extended trekking meant that, by the end of each day, we were completely stuffed.    Read more

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    Teke Kalesi Trek

    September 16, 2012 in Turkey ⋅ 16 °C

    After an early start, our diminished group starting walking into the wilderness of the Taurus Mountains. It did not take long for us to leave any trace of green far behind. In all directions we were surrounded by a barren, rocky landscape. There was no defined trail, so had to scramble over the loose stones any way we could. At all times there was a real danger of slipping and breaking an arm or leg.

    We walked for hours, always steadily gaining altitude. It really was heavy going and it was made worse by the fact that our guide would give us no meaningful information about how much further we would have to climb.

    "How much further will we be walking ?" I asked
    "Who can say ?", was his useless reply.

    I felt like giving him a shake, but since he was the only one who knew where we were going, I did not want to aggravate him any further.

    As we kept walking, the conditions started to take their toll. One of remaining trekkers doubled over and started vomiting from exhaustion. This was not really the outcome I had wanted. I asked again "How much further till we reach camp ?" The only response I got was to point towards the towering mountain that was still several hours away. I thought he was joking, but it turned out he wasn't.

    Our group struggled on till lake in the afternoon, before we finally saw the row of tents that marked our campsite. We staggered the final few hundred metres and collapsed in a collective heap.

    Although we had planned to continue the climb the following day, because we could get no proper information about how hard the next climb would be, we made the collective decision that, instead of climbing further, we would spend the time exploring the plateau where our camp was situated. It turned out to be a wise move.    Read more

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    Exploring High Camp

    September 17, 2012 in Turkey

    Since we had decided not to spend today climbing (aka suffering), we had the luxury of a late start to the day. We learned over breakfast that one of our trekkers had decided that the guide did not deserve a day of rest, so they insisted that they go to the top of Emler Peak with him. The rest of us were happy to have a much quieter day and wander the region around the high camp.

    After the strain of the past two days of climbing, I don't think that many of us would have been able to front up to yet another day of such effort.

    Late in the afternoon, the guide returned with Alan Barlin, after they had both reached the summit of Emler Peak. Alan seemed rightly pleased with his achievement.

    The next two days we would climb out of the mountains and back down into civilisation.    Read more

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    Celikbuyduran Pass & a Helicopter Rescue

    September 18, 2012 in Turkey

    In the morning we discovered that Dayle had fallen very ill during the night. In fact she was so ill that there was no way she would be able to complete the demanding climb back down out of the mountains. She would have to be evacuated.

    The guide climbed a nearby hill to get satellite phone reception and requested a helicopter evacuation. While this was happening a team of mules arrived to transport our gear back down the mountain.

    After the luggage was loaded, we started our day's trek and climb up to the Celikbuyduran Pass. From the Pass we started to descent down to the Sokulupinar Camp Side.

    A short while after starting our walk we could hear the helicopter approaching. It hovered and moved from one side of the plateau to the other. We wondered what was happening. It was only later we learnt that the first helicopter could not find a safe landing location and returned to base.

    Some time later a much larger military helicopter appeared to complete the evacuation. Dayle and her husband were quickly taken on board and the helicopter quickly left the region.

    By now our team was even more diminished. After crossing the Pass, we started the perilous descent on rough, loose stones. The incline was extreme and it would have been very easy to end up slipping down the mountainside.

    We continued the descent for another 5 hours until we reached the Sokulupinar Camp. A cup of Tea was awaiting our arrival. We spent the Night at the Sokulupinar Camp. It had been another exhaustive and eventful day.    Read more

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    Siyimalik Valley to Emil

    September 19, 2012 in Turkey ⋅ ⛅ 12 °C

    On our final day of the trek, after breakfast we started walking and left the Sokulupinar Camp and climbed up to the Sakartasi Pass (2.300m). From there we walked through the Eznevit Yaylasi until we reach a High Point with a beautiful panoramic view to the Siyirmalik Valley.

    At this amazingly place we took time to have a picnic lunch and to take some incredible photos of the Aladaglar Area. Afterwards we climbed down to
    the Siyirmalik Valeey and walked through its Forest until we reach the Emli Valley Camp.    Read more

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    Antalya

    September 20, 2012 in Turkey ⋅ 🌙 26 °C

    This morning we left the Emli Valley and the Aladaglar Area and drove for 5 hours to Konya. In Konya we had lunch and visited the Mevlana Museum. The Mevlana museum is the mausoleum of Jalal ad-Din Muhammad Rumi, a Sufi mystic also known as Mevlana or Rumi. It was also the dervish lodge of the Mevlevi order, better known as the whirling dervishes.

    The members of the Mevlevi order had a prolific impact throughout the Ottoman Empire in classical poetry, calligraphy, visual arts and music. Afterwards we continued driving until we arrived in Antalya.

    It is uncertain when the site of the current city was first inhabited. Attalos II, king of Pergamon, was believed to have founded the city around 150 BC, naming it Attalia and selecting it as a naval base for his powerful fleet. However, excavations in 2008 in the Dogu Garaji district of Antalya have uncovered remains dating to the 3rd century BC, suggesting that the city was founded earlier than previously supposed.

    Antalya became part of the Roman Republic in 133 BC when King Attalos III of Pergamum willed his kingdom to Rome at his death. The city grew and prospered during the Ancient Roman period. The city includes sites with traces of Lycian, Pamphylian, and Hellenistic -but mainly Roman, Byzantine, Seljuk and Ottoman- architecture and cultures.

    We spent the Night in the Old Part of Antalya at the Kaleici next to the Harbour.

    Here is my diary entry:
    Friday 8.30 am. Arrived in Antalya on the Mediterranean Coast late last night after our climb in the Taurus Mountains. It was certainly the toughest trek I have done (harder than any I have done in Nepal and tougher than the Inca Trail in Peru).

    We had up to 10.5 hrs of walking each day with huge altitude gains on unstable and exposed slopes. For some it was a little too tough, but I was amazed at the way the group worked together to assist those who were struggling. We even had our first helicopter evacuation when one of our group got sick and could not continue. The first rescue helicopter circled overhead but could not land because of the high altitude.

     It then took a call to get the Australian Embassy involved and a huge Turkish military helicopter and a full blown military operation to lift them out.

    Because we are relatively close to the unstable border with Syria the copter was very keen to load and take off without delay. Turkish fighter jets have been regularly flying overhead. A reminder that this is a very volatile part of the world.

     Now that they are well again, I am sure they will have a great tale to tell. When we finished the trek, everyone was thrilled with what they had achieved. That is the amazing thing about these sort of trips - ordinary people can do extraordinary things. I am sure that we all with come back with a revised idea of what we can achieve.

    Now we are in the easy and relaxing part of the trip. We are relaxing on the coast and will soon head off on a cruise to explore the nearby underwater city. We will be following the Mediterranean coast all the way back to Gallipoli and Istabul over the next 8 days. Along the way we will be visiting a number of famous historical sites.

    The group is fabulous, all getting along very well and having truckloads of laughs. We will all have so many stories to tell when we return to Australia. I can't post images yet but will set up an album later.    Read more

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    Kas, Turkey

    September 21, 2012 in Turkey

    For the next few days we were following the Mediterranean Coastline back to the west of Turkey. The Kekova area was an amazing place for the coastal scenery as well as the well preserved archaeological sites due to the fact they are not easily accessible. A pleasant excursion by boat was the best way to see the ruins on the northern coast of Kekova island, some of the old houses were completely submerged due to earthquakes during the Byzantine period. By boat, we go round the island, where we could see numerous remains down to 2 meters deep, in the bluish light on the seabed.

    We then walked up to the Simena castle, which rewarded us with a 360 degree view, including numerous rock tombs. Just to cap this great day off we
    took a stroll on the Tersane Island.

    Afterwards we drove to Kas and our Hotel for the night. The hotel was located with a superb seafront view out over the Mediterranean Sea. It was a magical end to a glorious day.    Read more

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    Fethiye and Xanthos

    September 22, 2012 in Turkey ⋅ 19 °C

    After Breakfast we drove along the coast to the ancient City of Xanthos. The site has been designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1988. Xanthos is mentioned by numerous ancient Greek and Roman writers.

    Strabo notes Xanthos as the largest city in Lycia. Both Herodotus and Appian described the conquest of the city by Harpagus on behalf of the Persian Empire, in approximately 540 BC. The prosperity of Lycia during the Persian occupation is demonstrated by the extensive architectural achievements in Xanthos, particularly the many tombs, culminating in the Nereid Monument.

    After visiting Xanthos we continued to the Saklikent Canyon (Hidden City).
    Saklikent Canyon is the second largest canyon in Europe. The Canyon is 300 meters deep and 18 km long, resulting from the abrasion of the rocks by flowing waters over thousands of years. As the level of water rises during winter months, visitors can enter the canyon only in the summer. 4km of the canyon are walk able after April, when most of the snow in the Taurus Mountains has melted and passed through on its way to the Mediterranean Sea.

    We spent the night in Fethiye.    Read more

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    White Cliffs of Pamukkale

    September 23, 2012 in Turkey ⋅ 23 °C

    Modern Fethiye is located on the site of the ancient city of Telmessos and was the most important city of Lycia, with a recorded history starting in the 5th century BC. Fethiye is one of Turkey’s well-known tourist centres and is especially popular during the summer.

    Today we drove to Pamukkale. The name Pamukkale means “cotton castle”, is one of the most remarkable natural sites with its cotton white plateaus,
    pale blue waters topping of the shallow pools and gently cascading down the drape-like stalagmites onto the lower levels for over 300 feet. The city contains hot springs and travertine, terraces of carbonate minerals left by the flowing water.
    All agreed that this location was one of the most striking and unexpected highlights of the entire trip.

    We spent the night in Pamukkale    Read more

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    Ephesus and Selcuk

    September 24, 2012 in Turkey ⋅ 23 °C

    In the morning, just after breakfast, we drove to the ancient city of Ephesus. Ephesus was an ancient Greek city, and later a major Roman city, on the west coast of Asia Minor, near present day Selcuk. It was one of the twelve cities of the Ionian League during the Classical Greek era.

    In the Roman period, it was for many years the second largest city of the Roman Empire; ranking behind Rome, the empire’s capital. Ephesus had a population of more than 250,000 in the 1st century BC, which also made it the second largest city in the world.

     Ephesus contains the largest collection of Roman ruins in the eastern Mediterranean. Only an estimated 15% has been excavated. The ruins that are visible give some idea of the city’s original splendour, and the names associated with the ruins are evocative of its former life.

    After visiting Ephesus we continued to Selcuk to our hotel.    Read more

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    Canakkale and Ancient Troy

    September 25, 2012 in Turkey

    The day started with a 6 hour drive. On the way we stopped at the the ruins of ancient Troy. It is best known for being the focus of the Trojan War described in the Greek Epic Cycle and especially in the Iliad, one of the two epic poems attributed to Homer.

     In 1865, English archaeologist Frank Calvert excavated trial trenches in a field he had bought from a local farmer at Hisarlik, and in 1868 Heinrich Schliemann,
    a wealthy German businessman and archaeologist, also began excavating in the area after a chance meeting with Calvert in Canakkale. Troy was added to the UNESCO World Heritage list in 1998.

    Afterwards we continued to Canakkale where we spent the night    Read more

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    Gallipoli and Anzac Cove

    September 26, 2012 in Turkey ⋅ 22 °C

    This morning we took the ferry across to Kilitbahir and visited Gallipoli and walk through the national park housing many relics of the naval and land battles that took place in 1915 during World War One.

    Amongst other places, we visited Anzac Cove, the site of the first ANZAC landing and Lone Pine, the largest graveyard-cum-memorial to those buried unmarked or at sea. This is a very important and touching place for many Australians and we took the time to conduct our own memorial service by the beach at Anzac Cove.

    This place had special significance for Bob Andrews, whose own father had fought here in WW1. My grandfather also served here in 1915, before being injured and evacuated to Egypt. There he played a part in forming the bicycle battalion, where he served a second in command for the rest of the war.

    Afterwards we continued to Istanbul. We spent the night in the Old Part of Istanbul, known as Sultanahmet.

    Our Turkish Adventure is rapidly drawing to a close. Tomorrow we will have our final free day in Istanbul, before the group breaks up to continue their individual ways.    Read more

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    Last Full Day in Istanbul

    September 27, 2012 in Turkey ⋅ 24 °C

    Today we visited the Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque, both very close to our Group Hotel and only a 10min walk away.
    The Hagia Sophia is a former Orthodox patriarchal basilica, later a mosque, and now a museum. From the date of its dedication in 360 until 1453, it served as the cathedral of Constantinople, except between 1204 and 1261, when it was converted to a Roman Catholic cathedral under the Latin Patriarch of Constantinople of the Western Crusader established Latin Empire. The building was a mosque from 29 May 1453 until 1931, when it was secularized.

    It was opened as a museum on 1 February 1935. The Blue Mosque (Sultan Ahmed Mosque) was built between 1609 and 1616, during the rule of Ahmed I.. The design of the Sultan Ahmed Mosque is the culmination of two centuries of
    both Ottoman mosque and Byzantine church development. It incorporates some Byzantine elements of the neighbouring Hagia Sophia with traditional Islamic architecture and is considered to be the last great mosque of the classical period. The architect synthesized the ideas of his master Sinan, aiming for overwhelming size, majesty and splendour.

    We spent the rest of the afternoon exploring the area of Sultanahmet.    Read more

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    Goodbye to Turkey

    September 28, 2012 in Turkey ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

    Today marked the final day of our Turkish Adventure. I can honestly say that the trip had widely exceeded our expectations. The incredible combination of history, stunning landscapes and incredibly friendly locals, make travel here really special.

    This trip has so many highlights that I could never list them all, but here are a few that really stand out - the underground cistern in Istanbul, the fairy chimneys of Cappadocia, the early morning balloon flight, the underground city of Derinkuyu, the Mediterranean coast, the impressive Roman ruins at Ephesus and of course the sacred ground at Gallipoli.

    Although our Turkish Adventure finished today, for 8 of our group, we still have another adventure coming up. This afternoon we will be flying to Athens to begin an 8 day trip around Greece. While we were in Turkey, we were repeatedly warned of how unfriendly the Greeks are. I guess we will find out if this is true.

    In order to get to the airport I ordered three taxis to pick us up from the hotel. I did not realise the the drivers must have had some sort of a bet as to which of them would get to the airport first. Over the next 30 minutes I think I had several near death experiences as our three taxis raced at high speed through the streets of Istanbul, swerving in and out of the other vehicles on the road. I cannot remember which taxi arrived first, I was just relieved when we all still alive at the end. It was a memorable finish to an exceptional trip.

    You can now continue to follow this trip by opening the 2012 Greece and Europe trip.    Read more

    Trip end
    September 28, 2012
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