Our Turkey Odyssey

Kusadasi 

Calypso enjoys her first ferry journey of the trip, leaving Eceabat and heading to Kusadasi. 

Another waterfront town, but much bigger and more bustling than Eceabat, Kusadasi is a great place to watch (and hear!) large cruise liners go in and out of port. It was also our base to visit the ruined city, Epheseus.  This is the best-restored ancient Greco – Roman ruins in Turkey with an estimated 82% left to be excavated!

Calypso on board her first ferry, from Eceabat to Cannakale

Goodbye Eceabat

Bruce & Dave on the ferry

Seaside lunch stop

Bruce & Teresa at Ephesus

A tiny Keith demonstrates the grand size of the theatre

Daniel, Jason & Steve

Amongst the ruins

The library

Hard at work, Kusadasi

Kusadasi in the sunshine

Kusadasi camp dinner

Pamukkale

We were lucky to arrive nice and early in Pamukkale, it was a sunny day and the group thoroughly enjoyed swimming in the calcium terraces. Some of the more adventurous boys enjoyed putting on facemasks.

That evening we enjoyed our first group Raki, also known as Lions Milk when water is added.  

The following morning was an early start for some as the call to prayer acted as an alarm clock and Nico and Mark started the Calypso running team.

In order to get a different view of the travertines, Bruce, Nico, Daniel, Steve and Jason went paragliding.  Daniel was even given the opportunity to steer the canopy by his obviously crazy pilot.

The majority of the group enjoyed a delicious home cooked meal at the Ozturk Hotel, while others went in search of cheap kebabs. 

Lorri, Steve, Jordan and Jason take the photo opportunity

Lunch is ready!

Lunch stop enroute to Pamukkale, with the white travertines in the distance

Hieropolis

Mark at Hieropolis

Panoramic view, Hieropolis

Dave & Alicia

Louise

Tina

Hieropolis tombstone

Bruce, Luke, Mark, Louise, Tina, Keith, Wayne

Lorri at the theatre

Dave & Alicia

Luke posing

Cal & Lorri

Lorri

Daniel and Stephen mudbathing

Jordan

Keith & Bruce wading

Pamukkale terraces

Stephen and Jason

Stephen and Daniel

Stephen

Tina and Teresa pleased with their purchases

Tina having a lesson in headscarf application

Teresa, Alicia, Tina and Lorri wearing their new headscarves

Latrines

Group dinner in Pamukkale

Mikkel loves the raki!

Jason, Teresa and Daniel after raki...

David & Luke

Louise & Teresa after raki...

Cal & Lorri

This is so meta, a photo of a photo of a photo of Mark

Bruce taking off

Byeeeeee

Paragliding Dan

Flying Jason

Paragliders

View of Pamukkale from the paragliders

David, Steve and Jason with their paragliding instructors

From Pamukkale we head out for the group’s first ever bush camp!   Driving off road we dip down and tuck ourselves in to an abandoned quarry surrounded by agricultural farmland. Ball games, cards and a round of Carcassonne is played while we enjoy the sunset and wait for dinner!

First bushcamp

From our bush camp we have a short drive to Goreme, in the Cappadocia region.  The most popular activity to do here is a sunrise balloon ride floating high and low above the fairy chimneys; it really is the best way to see this stunning and bizarre landscape.

The gang also get a tour of the nearby underground city and witness some impressive pottery throwing.

Clay pot meal

Mikkel - that's not a knife!

Bruce scared before the flight

Ballooners

David, Alicia & Dan at Pigeon Valley

Jason, Mark & Steve

Mark

Wayne

Tina

Daniel

Happy Daniel

Jordan and Jason

Lunch stop at Goreme valley

Keith in the underground city

Wayne in the underground city

Daniel learning how to do pottery

Plates at the pottery workshop

Baggy pants party!

Our next bush camp is slightly different from the first; it is the group’s first experience of camping at high altitude with us finding a great spot with a ready-made fire pit at around 2200m.  Cook group prepares an amazing supper cooking large hunks of “cow back” right over the fire. 

Nico and Daniel cooking meat on the fire

Dave & Keith enjoying the fire and meat smells

Mikkel making his famous sauce

Sunrise

We have a stunning drive towards Sumela where the group can hike uphill to the amazing feat of construction, Sumela Monastery.

Driving to Sumela

Frescoes in Sumela

From here we have our very first border crossing, leaving Turkey and entering Georgia, where we have lots of eating, drinking and hiking to look forward to!