Coninuing my update from yesterday

Sept. 14 Another beautiful day in Paradise. A bit after 8 AM & I have showered, done my laundry, packed and moved my pack under the stairs. Internet, coffee, people watching, maybe minor shopping for the coast activities? Shared my breakfast table with Spanish woman who I saw doing yoga before breakfast. We talked of the economic crisis and there was defnitely no meeting of the minds, She saw it as lies of the banks, government and the capitalist system. People should consume less and stuff for people of Spain should be made in Spain.
My trip is changing every day & it feels good. I understand I can take a day ferry from Gethiye to Rhodes and that sounds like fun and then maybe the boat trip from Fethiye to Olympos. I am fighting my urge to consume. Lots of cool stuff here that I don't need. Travelling alone means (1) being lonely sometimes (2) making new friends (3) no one to compromise with when making or changing plans. Liesbeth talked about meeting a German girl who had been travelling for a year or so and seemed lost. She called he girls mother who hadn't heard from her in two months & then helped her on a plane home.
I sit in a sidewalk cafe and a large tour bus goes by with tourists looking at the street scene which includes me and I feel slightly superior as I am out & experiencing & not viewing from a hermetically sealed and air conditioned bus. I make my own arrangements rather than have someone make them for me. A trivial distinction which merits little feeling of superiority. I have a small amount more contact with Turkish people but usually cafe owners, hostel keepers etc. People I meet at hostels sometimes distinguish travellers from tourists & they usually use it to distinguish themselves as travellers from tourists who ride the tour buses and stay in hotels. I'm not sure that the difference would mean much to the turks except that tourists likely leave moe money behind, Tonight I take the night bus to Fethiye which I organized mysefl so maybe I am a traveller but ina larger sense I am a tourist which is not a bad thing as we all, each in our own way, travel to experience other countries. Each of us is a tourist in our own way.

Sept. 15 - Overnight bus & I am in Fethiye. Tiring but Turkish buses and rest stops much better than Canadian. Wifi & multi channels for entertainment screen on back of each seat. I'm in Ferah Pension which doesnt seem all that welcoming. Hostel keeper says he will set up my cruise for best deal. Dont trust him and end up doing it myself for less money. I am relaxing but the hostel doesn't feel as good as the last & I am really feeling the heat. After a couple of hours wandering round town in the afternoon my shirt is soaked. I have a great idea. I will take the boat cruise to Rhodes and visit Greece for the day but can't cause of the ferry schedule which conflicts with the boat cruise to Olympos.
I am sitting here having a yummy chicken casserole with a local yogurt drink (good) and then a bottle of coke (5 oz = 148 mls). I'm on one side of a broad way paved with paving stones. On the other side are many gullets and other boats offering a variety of cruises. In the cafe is a large screen tv showing a soccer game between, I thnk, 2 Turkish teams. It all seems so normal til I remember that I am on the Med. coast of Turkey - not normal for me but it is for the moment.

Sept. 16 - On one day boat tour and enjoying myself. Relaxing, watchign others swim, chatting, wandering around small islands taking pics.

Met the kiwis from the pension again, John & Lorraine. they are also thinking of doing the Lycian Way but like me consider it too hot. Talking to John & Lorraine who have done lots of travelling and thinking of various possibilities. The water here is a beautiful colour - indigo blue ? Met a young guy on the boat who is British & training to fly typhoon jets for the Brit Air Force. Good dinner s/John & Lorraine and lots of travel stories. and so to bed.

Sept. 17 Wandering around doing errands and checking out the town. Do some checking at internet cafe about possible travel options. Fly to Northern Cyprus and walk to Southern Cyprus and ferry to greek islands from there maybe.

Sept. 18 - Breakfast, checkout and p/u by tour group at 10AM. still thinking about what to do after this cruise. last night walked to town w/John & Lorraine for dinner. Ate at a restuarant that Lorraine wanted to return to for their great bacon. Went there & had a fine meal incuding wonderful homemade lemonade. Our host was an English woman who had visited several times & then moved down and started her own restuarant. Said goodbye to John & Lorraine. Didn't say goodbye to silent young Japanese roomate. Not unhappy to be sharing a room for only one night with him. Silent and uncommunicative. Closed winder and door at night.
I'm on the boat in the afternoon. Been for a swim a couple of times. Not my element. Watched amateur cluiff diving. People from our boat swam over to another boat to use their watrslide. Hugo & Vanessa from Montreal gone paragliding & I've told the captain I am interested in parasailing.

Our boat looks like the picture above except that our boat is a bit older and not so shiny.

We anchor at an anchorage where other similar boats anchor. There is an island there connected with St. Nicholas and I and others go exploring but before we do a small boat pulls up next to us and a turkish guy encourages us to buy crepes that his mother is making right there. They aren't too expensive and he is a great salesman so I try one and enjoy it. Wonder if the woman really is his mom?

Most of us went out for a walk on the small island that evidently St. Nicholas lived on before he moved to the North Pole. Lots of interesting ruins and beautiful views.

Sept. 19 - Slept on deck last night. I think everyone did. Got up at 5 AM for toilet and we started moving shortly after. Didn't sleep well  after cause of lots of boat motion and noise of boat diesel. Got an anti-seasick pill from Captain a couple of hours later and that helped. Motored about 5 hours. Went into Kas after lunch. Unremarkable town. After Kas we motor 20 minutes & anchor. People swim & tread water & watch each other dive. There is a magnificent yacht nearby. I & Jon try to guess its value. Ilios (captain) doesn't know the cost but says it costs $500,000 a week to rent!

We all had cabins to sleep in but I think we all slept on deck.


Sept 20- early AM - Lots of talk last night around table after dinner about music and motorbikes neither of which I care about so I went to bed early. Think I have parasailing today. Should be fun.

Sept 21 8 AM and I have been up a couple of hours enjoying Turquoise Coast AM. Cruised over a sunken city yesterday. ho hum. Walked up a Byzantine and earlier castle then wandered around some lycian tombs.

Castle at the top of the hill and one of many Lycian tombs below.

And below, in the castle grounds are Jon and Derya from Toronto. Very nice and too hard working people. Derya is originally from Istanbul and they were going on to Istanbul after the end of the cruise.



After the castle I was wnadering around the nearby Lycian tombs looking around & I met and was chatting with a young Brit of Pakistan background. He said there was a death parasailing in the area in the last day or so. May explain why the captain said nothing of my parasailing that was to happen. We motored on and anchored and after dinner a small boat came by and asked us if we wanted to go to the bar. We looked around and saw only a abandoned stone ruin visible but most us said why not and motored off up a small channel to find a bar with a dj at the head of the channel. I gather the bar was quite busy earlier in the season but there weren't many people there so most of us had a drink and stayed a while and left.

Sept. 21 - Found my pension in Antalya. Took the dolmus (minibus) from Olympos & the city bus to the old city where I wandered around lost with a packonmy back. After getting driections from several people and with a great deal of luck I found my Pension. Spend some time on internet making further travel arrangments. Met an older Brit at pension. Very talkative. met another Brit who talked about his trip for 10-15 minutes before introducing his younger, attractive and silent companiion. he gave her name and noted she was a Tatar girl from the Caucasus. 

Sept. 22 - more figuring out further travel arrangments.

Random - turks have told me that learning to speak japanese isnt too difficult for them as its grammatical structure is very similar to turkish & is believed by them to be related.

Last night I got tired of reading at my table and I know that there were carpet covered pallets outside my room where I could lounge and read. There was a young German couple there who didnt mind my presence so I joined them  & we got into an involved, profound & sophomoric discussion of life. I changed the topic by asking them why so many young people in Europe smoke. Tim suggested cultural influences. I was skeptical. When you travel alone you can not be shy or you will miss the enjoyable casual encounter & the travel friendships which can be quite enjoyable. Woke up early this AM and was down in the courtyard reading while everyone else was sleeping until the morning guy opened up.

SHIT - my flight is screwed up! Ileave earlier than I wanted.

Sept. 22 PM - So life got complicated and then simple again sort of. I used an online service to book flights and that was a big mistake. My plans have changed and I am now flying to Slovenia and then making it up from there for a while. I went to the airport early in Antalya so I could do soem stuff with Turkish Air and I had several hours to kill before flying to Istanbul and then on to Ljubljana in Slovenia. I decided I had stuff I didn't need so I went to the INFO desk and gave them two books and a beach towel which I had bought for the cruise (washed) which they said they would deal with. Suspect that wasn't the kind of request they usually deal with. Fun.

After midnight in airport and I am tired. I could sleep on one of the benches  but I don't want to take a chance of missing my flight. Security guy zipping around airport on a Segway. I'd like to try one sometime. Bought a can of Cappy cherry juice which I like. It is vastly overpriced as is everything in the airport.

Get to Ljubljana and clear customs w/no fuss & shuttle takes me to hostel which used to be a military prison.

Hostel is red building to the left.

Figure out where I will go next which is Trieste (Italy) and a short train ride. Decide to go to pizza place for dinner and I only get lost once and have a good walk and a VERY fine pizza (Pizza Foculus). Wander home and early to bed. I'm tired. One of my roomates more beat - overnight train from Belgrad.

Sept 24 - went for a walk before the free walking tour. Found the market, a great cybver cafe & bought some used books. Walking tour was fine. downloaded info on Trieste & Zagreb. Bought bus ticket for Trieste & a new travel alarm. Went on internet at hostel & "f"d up. Couldn't log out of Gmail. Eventually hostel staff fixed it. Yay! dinner is all you can eat BBQ - hmm

sept 25 - laundry done. good. So I think trieste by bus and Zagreb and then Zagreb-Belgrad- Sofia by train. I think I will like train travel. Last night the travellers entering our hostel seemed stranger than nornmal. Somewhat scruffy US servicemen, guys dressin bright yellow jumpsuits, some out of shape martial artists and what was apparently the members of a Guns n Roses tribute bandin full costume! This AM while my laundry was drying I asked one of the G & R guys if it was a tribute band. No. It seems all of the strange people checking in last night were in the Ramshackle Rally. they bought cheap cars in Britain (200 pounds) & drove a course all over Europe ending in Muich for Oktoberfest. Sounds like great fun.

Talking to reception and I am going to leaveflip-flops & bathing suit here.
Quiet overcast morning waiting for the Belgian sisters I share the small dorm room to be finished with the bathroom. Shave shower and chatted with the sisters. I told them I was setting alarm and getting up early next morning. No problem as they use ear plugs.
Very good day wandering around. used internet at info centre. walked up to the castle. There were some pics from the Museum of Contemporary History at the castle that I liked so I walked over to the museum. They had a compuer exhibit but I've lived thru the history of computers & exhibit of sports history ho hum but their history of Slovenia included WWII and the period after when the communists were consolidating power, There was a guy there who expanded on and explained the exhibits. Very powerful. Forcible relocation by occupying powers, conscription of Slovenes into German army, show trials, mass graves. Cdns paid a heavy price in WWII but we never had war in Canada. So lucky.

THe Free Walk Tour guide said yesterday that as Slovenia had no great hero they respect writers, architects etc who produce work that binds them together.

River that runs through the old part of Ljubljana

Public art of which there is lots. You will see many many locks on the side of the bridge in the background. Couples in love place a lock on the bridge and throw the key in the river as a symbol of their love. Saw the same thing in Paris.

Ljublljana is not all old and picturesque but I did like the red building. 

Art outside a basement skateboard shop

I think I am the only person in this well populated hostel who is reading a book or at least an old fashioned paper book. I don't know what is happening but there is one room being cleared for a jam night & there are two other events going on - student events. I hang quietly outside the door with a glass of wine & see people, not travellers, arriving and a flock of young people on similar blue bikes gather and then cycle off into the dusk.

Sept. 26 - had a good time last night bsing with Lucy (who turns out to be a psychiatrist) and her sister Catherine who is completing a course in hotel management. I slid out of my room at 5:30 AM, took my bedding to the front desk and checked out. (IF I ever go back to Ljubljana I will definitely stay at the Hostel Celica again!) I put my pack on my back and walked through the waking streets to the bus station. Got a croissant and an espresso and will watch people until my bus leaves.

In Trieste - got map of town, found out where to take the bus to my hostel, bought bus ticket to Zagreb, stashed pack. Now hanging out in central square watching people & guessing nationalities of tour groups. Italians really do double air kiss!

Parking in Trieste

So I am in trieste & I am at my hostel and it is much different than Ljubljana. Out of town several k and I must take the bus to it. Can't chek in til 15:30 and must be in by midnight and out by 10 the next morning.  Clean & quiet but with few facilities. No internet computer. There is a restuarant that offers a fixed price dinner & a coffee machine but thats it. Very little on what to do in area - tour a castle which is a rich mansion from the 1800s no thanks. So I will try the fixed price dinner and I have bought a ticket to get back into town in the morning. I will find an internet cafe to reserve at the Chillout Hostel in Zagreb & check into whats to do in Trieste. Get a good nights sleep andmake the best of trieste. (met a couple of Austrain students going to Slovenia tomorow and they are going to take the postcards I put Slovenian stamps on to mail there)

Sept. 27 - Thinking this AM that I have taken many pics but not captured one distinct memory except in my head and that is the call to prayer I heard througout Turkey. Shared dinner with English guy going to Port Said to do some unspecified work on the Egyptian transport system. He was a rail enthusiast and doesn't fly. He was waiting for a freighter to come in that he was going on as a passenger to Port Said. He had travelled all around the world as a passenger on freighters.

Other distinct non-visual memories
   Turkey - Aryan the somewhat salty yogurt drink
               Cappy cherry drink
   Ljubljana - the different & great Foculus pizza
   Turkish brekkie
   Gelato in Trieste
    Smoking the hookah in Istanbul

Sept 28 - into town this AM. Had a good time yesterday evening. Had dinner again w/Luke the English rail planner/enthusiast. Spent time w/the large kiwi family enjoyably, talking and then, after dinner, watching two episodes of the Mentalist with the kids. I'm definiely staying in this town one day, at least, too long. Hostel is clean and quiet and beautifully sited but has few facilities and not very friendly or helpful.

Trieste's Grand Canal

My hostel is on the right

Cruise liner docked in Trieste to unload tons of passengers into buses.

When I go to town I like to walk around but there are no public toilets except the bus & train stations (squat not pedestal) & the explanatory texts at the museums are in italian ONLY. Frustrating. Trieste does not have the charm of Ljubljana.
I've checked out of the hostel and am killing time in Trieste til my bus leaves for Zagreb.

Sept 30 and I'm in Zagreb and liking it. Got off the bus around 10PM, found a place to buy my tram ticket  & a friendly Croat helped me with the tram including where to get off. Found the Chillout Hostel easily. Got on internet with a glass of wine. Woman after said it wasn't good wine & she was likely right but she was French. Today I got some Kuna & browsed a street antique and collectibles fair - lots of interesting things including a switchblade but I bought nothing. Went to the rail station but took a wrong turn and went way out of my way. Fine day & no problem. Got oriented & on the way to the RR station saw a parade of traditionally dressed people. Bought train ticket to Sofia which includes a stopover in Belgrad. Went to the Museum of Broken Relationships. Wow. Located Museum of Croatian History for tomorow. Very helpful guy at the hostel helped me locate other places I want to go for tomorow.

I dont really know why they were doing this but it was interesting.

This was a very strange looking dog so I took a picture of it. I was told that it was a French bulldog.

More Croatians in old costume. Interesting.

Various stuff above I saw wandering around Zagreb.

Oct. 1 - A  good day. I found a supply of used English books. Went to the Museum of Croatian History that had a good exhibit on the "Homeland War" which was the period 1990 - 1995 when Yugoslavia was breaking up and the various parts of the former Yugoslavia were becoming independent. From the point of view of the people running the museum the violence that occurred was because of the Serbian governments desire for a "Greater Serbia" which meant control of at least large parts of Croatia. this led to violence and war crimes.

((I found out since by more reading that the history of this part of the world is more,much more, complicated than I knew or understood. There is violence that goes back generations and, if the Serbians did not want Serbians in Croat controlled areas they had historic reasons for this. Nothing justifies war crimes the situation and history of the area is much much more complicated than I understood or understand now.))

I found out where I could find the International herald Tribune and where I could get an inexpensive sports bag to carry gifts home but rather than buy the sports bag I mailed them. early morning I went for a walk down Ilica street in the opposite direction than I usually take and passed the store selling Bugatti housewares. The Bugattie housewares were so cool and Italian designed looking that I really liked them but I never went into the store. Definitely not needed.

Ilica Street in Zagreb

Tram on Ilica street. I got used to walking this street to the main square and various attractions frommy hostel.

Oct 3 - woke up with a sore throat. Waled up old tower for great view of town & bought some Strepcil at pharmacy at same location of pharmacy in 1335. Looking forward to the next 10 days and to going home. Couldn't/wouldn't do six months like the Aussie kids. Many of the travellers I meet at hostels are Aussie or from New Zealand and they all seem to be travelling for six months minimum and many for a year or so. I don't know who they leave behind to run the country?

Sept. 4 - so I checked out of the Chillout Hostel

Me with Moira (left) and Lily (right) two of the several people who run the Chillout Hostel in Zagreb with good humour and efficiency!

So I checked out of the hostel, put my pack on & hustled down to the train station cause when I checked my ticket I found out it was for the say before! I would have to get a new ticket and write off the first. I bought a new ticket & then, cause it looked different than the first I brought out the first & found out it hadn't expired when it wasnt used. The ticket agent did a refund. He's the only agent dealing with international trains & I get the impression he gets quite frustated.  The train proceded at moderate speeds with several stops thru rural Croatia and rural Serbia to Belgrad. had my passport and ticket checked about 3 times. Got in to Belgrad & a nice young Finnish woman, Emma, who is studying in Zagreb as an exchange student studying Balkan languages & history helped me get my pack stashed at a left luggage place & walked me up to the main pedestrian street in Belgrad. I wandered around through the crowds and to a fine park and then back for some dinner (souvlaki). Took some pics & got back to the train station in lots of time although, as usual, I did get lost.

Some breakdancing street  performers in Belgrad looking to make a bit of money. They had a good crowd and were doing some fairly impressive moves

Sunset over the Danube in Belgrad. 

Well thats it for this installment. Next and last is Sofia, Paris, London and home. The next installment I relate what happened when the armed men stopped the train before it got to Sofia! Stay tuned.



Nov. 11 - I believe blogs are usually done while one is away or doing something but that is not what I am doing. For lots of reasons I kept a daily journal but have left the blog til now for my trip this Fall. I travelled to England, Turkey, Slovenia, Italy, Croatia, Serbia, Bulgaria and France but not a lot of time in each country. I was in Turkey 3 weeks and took a train through Serbia stopping in Belgrad for about 4 1/2 hours. The trip didn't go as planned and that was fine.

So it started Sat. Sept 1 when I drove to Calgary and left my car securely stored in Cathleen's garage (thank you Cathleen) and took a cab to the Caglary airport and a plane from there to London Gatwick airport. I arrived the day after I left early in the morning and after clearing customs I took the bus into London cause I was flying out of London Luton early the next morning. I wandered aroung London for a while and checked out the scene in Traflagar Square. The Paralympics were on and there was a simulcast of the events on a giant screen in Trafalgar Square. I had a cheap ticket to a play that night (7 pounds) but decided I was too tired to enjoy it so after dinner I rescued my pack from the Left Luggage at Victoria Station and took a bussout to Luton airport.  I flew at something like 6 Am so my plan was just to sleep for a few hours at the airport and it worked out great. I thought I might have to sleep on the floor but Starbucks had some very nice chairs and I had a good nights sleep which takes me to Sept 3 when I flew early in the morning to Istanbul.

sept 3 - got to Istanbul a bit tired and as usual a bit disoriented and took a bus to Taksom square and from there a thieving taxi driver ripped me off taking me to near my hostel. It is my fate to be ripped off by taxi drivers. Not all for sure but the crooked ones must see me coming.

Found my hostel, the Sultan Hostel,

which was in a great location and well run and a fine place to base myself from. This is the view down the street my hostel was on looking towards the Topkapi Palace and I was within five minutes walking distance of the Blue Mosque, the Haya Sofia, the Hippodrome etc. and my hostel had a good restuarant and served a fine free turkish brekkie. All very good but going on the internet sucked. I didn't have an internet device with me and I was using the hostel's computer and having not unusual problems getting of my email account etc. Frustrating. But overall I was happy, exploring and relaxing.

Sept 4 - I had decided that I would take a tour. Istanbul Walks wasn't very expensive and it seemed good money to spend my money so that I could have a better understanding of what I was seeing. The tour company said to meet at the Spice Market but did appreciate prioer contact. I couldn't contact them through my gmail (why they didn't accept my answer to the security question "What was your mother's maiden name?" I have no idea) so I contacted Istanbul Walks through Facebook which kind of amused them.

I was quite happy with the tour as there weren't many of us. We walked through the Spice Market which was relatively new ( 4-500 years old) and did a tour of a mosque and then took a ferry on the Bosphorus. We went down the European side almost to the Black Sea crossed to Asia, walked up to a old fort, had lunch and came back the Asian side. (top picture above is on the European side of the Bosphorus and the bottom picture is on the Asian side of the Bosphorus.)

On the tour I met Mike and Natalie from Illinois (Natalie originally from N. Ireland) and we get along and decide to do another tour the next day together.
get back to hostel and talk to Eekhail who runs the restaurant I think and spent 12 years in New Jersey and I chat with my roomates in the 6 bed dorm. A young Japanese woman in Istanbul to study mosque art, a German couple ane a brother & sister from Australia. She has just spent 6 months in Japan and he has a degree in meteorology and will be doing graduate studies at Cambridge.

Sept 5 - today I do the Classic & Highlight Tour with Istanbul Walks   (Haya Sofia below)

and Mike and Natalie. Maybe dervishes tommorow evening? Last night impromtu chat in the restuarant w/ table of Quebecois, brother & sister from Australia and a young German strarting a one year travel. Late in the afternoon I am resting against an old tree in the 3rd Courtyard of the Topkapi Palace Our group has spit up and I got tired of looking at amazing treasures. Mike & natalie are in line to see a roomful of holy relics ie the staff of Moses, the jacket of Mohammed etc. Nassa and Assma (a honeymooning couple from Libya [see picture below w/apprentice guide in black shirt]) 

We had an interesting discussion with Nassa and Assma (not much Assma) and our guide about wedding and marriage customs. Nassa and Assma are from a conservative tribe in Libya and had a 7 day wedding (and are happy with the Libyan revolution).

11 PM - had a good day touring major sites. Mike & Natalie left tour before Grand Bazaar (4,000 shops). I did a bit of the Grand Bazaar and met them at their hotel after getting lost looking for it. I get lost a lot and now believe it is a good way of exploring a new city. Had some wine with them at their hotel and then went to try a meatball place they had read about. Not so good. Walked back to my hostel to share a hookah (apple flavoured tobacco) and in the square in front of the Haya Sofia there was a full choir entertaining turks and tourists alike. They were singing The Lion Sleeps Tonight and I asked and found out they were from The Polish Maritime University. I bought a CD. Came back and shared a hookah.

 I really should use more sunscreen!
new room mates - a young couple from Slovenia.

Sept. 6 - Bought some presents and met Mike & Natalie at the mosaic museum. Lunch & walk along the sea wll and over the Galata Bridge crossing the Golden Horn.Took the underground funicular and went up to the Galata Tower. Great views.

We walked back along the underside of the Galata bridge which is lined with restaurants and stopped for a fine fish dinner followed by some "rikshi" which is a VERY strong turkish liquor. I grabbed Mike's daypack when we were leaving which he didn't notice so he tried to grab the identical pack which wasn't his from someone else! Tram back to Blue Mosque and goodbye to Mike and Natalie but we will meet again in Cappadocia. Home, chat w/Slovenian couple and to bed.

Sept. 7 went on tour of Archeology Museum. Amazing and Overwhelming. Coffee at hostel then assemble stuff to mail home. tommorow early flight to Cappadocia. As I am having coffee in front of the hostel someone walks by dragging one of those hard suitcases with small wheels which makes an annoying noice over cobblestones. Found the post office and then was told I would have to go get box for stuff. She gave me directions (3oo m Mohammed box near big pharmacy) and I found the box place after about 40 minutes. It was about 100 metres away. On the way back I was in the Blue Mosque square and there were about 3 flocks of tourists each with their guide leading and carrying high some colourful item for their flock to home in on. Istanbul Walks go no matter how many peole show up and today it was only me so I had a private guide.

This evening one of the young guys who works at the hostel asked me how he would could spend a year in Canada. I gave him some info about the work and visit program. Last night when I came in I was told we have a Aussie couple in our room for a few nights. They were asleep when I left in the morning. When I came home they were gone and we have 2 mexican women w/us who I haven't met yet. This is Friday night and I have been here since Monday AM and I'm feeling like a long term resident.

Sept. 8 Up early. Some sightseeing, some relax & some get ready for next stop. Sitting outside waiting for breakfast to be ready. See an oriental woman in nice & short dress struggling down street w/large suitcase on small wheels.

Random

the infamous real prison featured in Midnight Express has now been changed and renovated & is a Four Seasons Hotel

Wandered through the Gold area of the Grand Bazaar

I have seen dolphins in the Bosphorus

Lots of cats in this city but I haven't seen any fat cats

Found laundry & seems OK. four hour service. Went to the Museum of Islamic Arts. Interesting and Beautiful but my understanding is shallow.

Sept. 9 - staff awake & working. Guests still in bed. I'm sitting out front thinking of my planned trek. started to eat street food yesterday. Took my clothes to the laundry & chatted w/woman who is from Macedonia and is running the laundry. She works 7 days a week and has for a long time. Eekhail who runs the hostel restaurant says he works 6 days a week and he is busy when he works.

How many times have I been hit up by a carpet salesman? a dozen? Keep sense of humour! "You walk like someone who wants to buy a carpet!" Have excuse ready. "My friends are waiting for me and I am late!" Avoid "Can I ask you a question? What country are you from?" works to start the conversation which leads to the carpet store.

I pick up my laundry later and pack and leave early tommorow. I am ready to move on.

Sept. 10 tired and bored and waiting to board in airport lounge. Got up at 5 AM for airport shuttle. Long involved discussion last night w/young Swede about reality, magic and love. lots of talk w/questionable substance.

Sept 10  - Got up early and took shuttle to airport. Boring wait in airport as usual. Got to kayseri and found no shuttle booked for me. Log expensive taxi ride. Driver drank Red Bull and bought me a water. Got to Goreme and the Kose Pension and realized I must stay longer than planned. Goreme is a tourist trap and I kind of like it.Met a couple of yanks and a young Belgium woman who doesn't like being a financial consultant but does like to travel.

My dorm room is cool.

Liesbeth from Belgium.

Mike & Natalie invited me to their cave hotel. Goreme is part of Cappadocia which is well know because people have been making homes and churches etc by hollowing out the sandstone formations for hundreds or thousands of years and some of the sandstone formations and quite beautiful and unusual.

Mike and Natalie's cave hotel (in an old cave) is in Urgup which is about 10 k away. I decide to go early as this may be the only time I get to see Urgup. I missed the minibus with the next one more than an hour and a half away so I decided to hitchhike. Several offers but they weren't going to Urgup. Small delivery vehicle picked me up. he spoke almost no English and I spoke almost no Turkish. He had a stop in another town and then we went to Urgup where he dropped me off. Much fun and great trip. Wandered around Urgup. Not very exciting. Goreme is no more exciting but I like it better.

I walked around looking for their hotel in the likely place and somehow I ended up with a Persian man who offered to show me where it was. After two hours we had wandered around Urgup and he had introduced me to several of his friends and brought me to his home where he gave me tea and talked of how he would like his son to go to Canada and maybe I could help I reminded him I had to meet my friends at their hotel and he stirred himself and helped me find the hotel. Pleasant dinner with Mike and Natalie & we made plans for next two days. Natalie doing haman but Mike not interested. I've done one already. Got up at 7 AM to use the toilet and saw many hot air balloons rising in the early morning. Very cool.

Sept 12 AM yesterday had  lazy day morning and went for a hike in the afternoon with Mike. Natalie had planned to go to a haman but decided a rest day worked better for her. Had a turkish pizza which offers good taste and good value too. Then we went to see the Whirling Dervishes at a local cultural centre. Not just dancing a cermony involving singing, dancing and music. Must read up on Sufism. Beautiful and interesting but what was happening.

Today a rour with Mike & natalie and their guide. Early breakfast & eavesdropping on conversation at next table. Two ordinary looking young British women, twins, who turn out to be scuba instructors and are talking with their tablemate about diving with sharks in South Africa.  Now it is night and I have had a good day and my plans are changing. Still leaving for Fethiye on overnight bus but now I am thinking of a gullet trip Fethiye to Olympos. As I get closer to putting pack on my back and trudging uphill I find other very attractive things to do. Explored various parts of Cappadocia toeday. Underground city housed 10,000 hiding people in time of attack. 9 layers down & increasingly small passages. I got down to 3rd level & came right back up. Great dinner with Mike & Natalie and they leave tommorow to Istanbul and home (Illinois).

Above pic is Mike & Natalie on the Galata tower in Istanbul

Mike & Natalie gone. Liesbeth. I'm gone tommorow. I've had enough cave houses, churches hotels etc. I talked to our guide yesterday. He said tourism took off in Cappadocia around 1980. At college/university he studied tour guiding which included languages, history and archeology. Locally you can now get similar training in Cappadocia as well as training in balloon piloting. We asked Fatiy how people felt about tourism and he said hey liked it as it brought money into the area. When we touring around we saw a town that probably was what the area was like before the tourism boom - dusty, tired and broke.Too early for dinner so I am just hanging around the centre square when a boxy older car pulls in. Very crowded with young people. It appears that 4 young Turkish guys have given 3 young Japanese girls a ride. All smiles and picture taking and then each group goes its own way.  I am ready to leave Cappadocia and wonder about things and places to come. Will I be the youngest on a party boat? Bulgaria whch Liesbeth didn't like because of the corruption. The lycian way with no set accommodations. Paris? Everyone says Paris is beautiful but the people of Paris are not very friendly. I'm not worried and I am sure all will work out. 

August 18 _ So I am off again in a couple of weeks- London>Turkey (a bit more than a month)>Bulgaria>Paris and back to London for a day and home. I am very much looking forward to it and will be updating this blog as before BUT it will be intermittent as I am going to depend on internet cafes and they are fewer than before. Also I am not taking an internet device or smart phone. I'm too old school and will only be taking a camera. One device to look after and keep charged and thats fine. In the middle of the trip is a three week period I will be hiking along the Meditearaen Coast of Turkey in a beautiful and rural area so my opportunities to go on the internet will be limited.

That's fine. I will probably do as before and update my journal (by that I mean write in a notebook - nothing electronic) every evening to help me rememeber so many of the details that I would otherwise forget and then when I find an internet cafe and am inclined to spend some time there I will update this blog with pictures added when I get home. I enjoy doing the blog but it definitely takes second place to being and seeing where I am and meeting new people.

If anyone is curious I will be in London a day and then off to Istanbul for a week or so then to the Cappadocia area of Turkey for two and a half days and then I take an overnight bus (supposed to be a different and interesting experience in Turkey) to the coast where I walk for about three weeks and then fly to Sofia, Bulgaria where I will be for about two days and then to Paris to stay with a friend, Jean-Baptiste, from when I did a camino in Spain. Several days in paris and then the eurostar high speed train under the channel with an afternoon and evening in London and home the next day.

and so it goes 

So it is 2011. Work has been slow so I have no travel planned. The weather has been poor and I am doing some work on my house. Its kind of a bland year. I am going down to the coast and will see family and friends and I look forward to that. I am also going to volunteer at the Vancouver International Fringe Festival and meet some new people and see a lot of theatre and that will be a lot of fun. But still no excitement and not much challenge. a bland year.

So when a new company started offering skydiving in Golden I knew this was what I needed.

Like lots of people I'd thought that I should go skydiving sometime but that time had never happened. Obviously my time had arrived.

I chose to do a tandem skydive. This means being attached to an instructor. I did this as it was cheaper as they didn't have to train me and when you do a tandem jump the plane goes much higher and you free fall for several thousand feet before the chute opens and that seemed like it would be an interesting part of the experience. Also I considered safety and I thought that the company has the most incentive to consider and protect my safety when I am attached to an instructor. All this and it is cheaper too! what's not to like?

So I showed up and got prepared and in the plane which then climbed to 12,000 feet (about 3,650 metres) so we were looking down in the local mountains and then instructor attached us together and I put my feet and legs outside of the plane and we left it. Woooooh!

We fell for about 45 seconds and I understand we reached speeds of about 175 kph. It wasn't exactly fun but more like an intense experience to be processed afterwards. Then the cute opened and we drifted down for a few minutes before landing in an open field next to the runway.

It was a very interesting experience. I am glad that I did it but don't think I will do it again. Once was enough for me. I didn't find it scary which I think was because the company (Extreme Yeti) was relaxed and professional and I asked enough questions to satisfy myself they were being careful nd professional. I should note I was a bit nervous/scared as the airplane was reaching the altitude where I was going to leave it but I dealt with that by focussing on the procedure and what I had to do.

So it did add some excitement to the summer but I defintely need to make some intersting travel plans for next year

John