A couple of turkeys in Turkey

Montenegro. October 26

Even with the threat of missiles whistling overhead we had the most incredible experiences in Turkey and before that, Greece. Being of the Midnight Express generation, we’d never quite shaken off those traumatic images and that horrific 70s movie. Surprise surprise, things have changed somewhat in 40 years! The place is incredibly sophisticated, Turkish people go out of their way to help visitors and work hard to get the message out there that they’re open for business. After the Istanbul terrorist attacks a few years ago the cruise ships and tourists in general stopped coming and their economy has been hit hard.

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A few of our new friends

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Until a couple of months ago, we hadn’t heard of Cappadocia. Talking to people along the way we decided it was a must-see and jumped on a flight from Bodrum. Are we ever pleased we did! It was like a visit to another planet with the most bizarre landscapes, ancient pre-Christ underground cities, caves, caves and more caves. 

We did a hot air balloon in the early morning, humming ‘Up, up and away…’ What a spectacular way to start the day and a real highlight of our trip. As the sun came up we watched lifeless shells transformed into the roaring spheres we were about to entrust ourselves to. Another breathtaking and a wonderful memory for the rest home. 

(I’ve discovered the slideshow gadget so click through the gallery below)

We now have the cave thing well and truly out of our systems. Cappadocia has to be the cave capital of the world. We stayed in a cave hotel. We ate in cave restaurants. The shops and wine bars are in caves. All amazingly sculpted but dimly lit and challenging for the sight-impaired once the novelty wears off! After all these centuries, the limestone is still malting pebbles, so housekeepers really have their work cut out for them. 

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ISTANBUL STOLE OUR HEARTS

What a breathtaking place and probably our favourite city so far. Its slick street culture is as rich as the ancient Ottoman and Crusader culture. We loved the food, colours, light, smells and the silhouettes of hundreds of minarets and mosques. All so exciting and visual. We never got tired of the haunting call to prayer five times a day. Well almost never…

Our hotel in Karakoy was sandwiched between a mosque and a late night cocktail bar. The last of the revellers would call it a night around 4 then the pre-dawn call to prayer would boom out around 5. Talk about a contrast. Earplugs did double duty for a few nights! 

One of our most memorable experiences was a visit to a hamam in a 15th century mosque. We weren’t sure what to expect, but experienced a full-on Turkish bath, where men and women have separate sessions. After being doused in warmish water, you lie out on a hot marble stone for a bit, then are scrubbed and bathed by an attendant, in an ancient ritualistic way. More than a little weird to start with, but we shed a good few layers of skin and will never die wondering. Rog enjoyed having all his bits bathed and we both felt rejuvenated afterwards.

A few observations from the last month or so:

• Nobody ever went broke printing the flags of Greece or Turkey.
• Or baking bread. The Gwynne bread moratorium is back.
• Istanbul is the hair transplant capital of the world. True. We saw dozens of blokes – mostly Arabs –  proudly walking the streets with raw and bloody, freshly-transplanted scalps. Truly stomach-turning stuff. Those marketing-savvy hair clinics even had them wearing branded headbands for a bit of advertising (and presumably to catch the drips). 
• Ataturk lives on..and on. He has such god-like status and for good reason. We’ve learnt so much.
• I can now vouch for dentistry in Ireland, France and Turkey, having had a pesky gold crown re-fitted in all three places. All cheap and excellent. First stop in December is Mt Eden Dental.
• Sometimes it best to just eat up and shut up. The Greeks and Turks love to force feed you, with breakfast an especially complex event. Olives, feta, nuts, cold meats, pickles and breads. It’s more like a cocktail platter sans cocktails. What a waste! Then there’s the eggs. 

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Apart from dentists, Roger can also vouch for Greek doctors. With a persistent cold which turned out to be bronchitis, we visited a small hospital clinic on the Greek Island of Kos. The doctor spoke no English but managed to rustle up a nurse with passable translation skills.  So the consultation consisted of Roger, me, the doctor, the translator, and an ‘appointments manager’ all discussing his condition. Mid-way through an ancient, Greek grandma swaddled in black shuffled in and abused the doctor in angry Greek. Nobody batted an eyelid. Back to the consult. Oh and the doctor wanted to make sure we knew that Greeks are the best doctors in the world. (Been watching a bit too much Trump I suspect?) 

WE LOVE OUR PADDIES

After a couple of weeks on Greek islands we joined a boat charter out of Bodrum which took us to smaller, less accessible islands and also along the coast of Turkey.  Boat trips like this can be a lottery (as we discovered on the Geriatric Pearl last year). When sharing every meal and spending a week in a reasonably confined space, travelling companions can make or break it. Well we hit the jackpot! We were lucky enough to spend the week with two fabulous Irish couples who adopted Roger as one of their own. Nothing like a few Paddies to liven things up!  A brilliant young couple arrived from London at 10pm on the first night, to find the boat totally dark and silent. It wasn’t ’til next morning they discovered they were being held captive by a boatload of oldies. Too late to abandon ship! Turns out they were great sports and a heap of fun, as were our new German friends Sanya and Jens. Thanks to a few boisterous after dinner parties, we now have some great new friends and an international Spotify playlist featuring everything for German house music to Irish ballads, Swedish beats, INXS and Crowded House. 

We’d never fully understood the geography of the Turkish/Greek area but now know it’s possible to get from the coast of Turkey to any number of Greek islands in a small dinghy in a couple of hours.  Seas are dead calm, but fiercely patrolled by the coastguards. Still, some of the remote beaches are strewn with the lifejackets of refugees who have paid their €2000 and taken their chances. It really brought it home.

BREAKING HAIR NEWS

On a lighter note, we’re home in 7 weeks and there’s been a fair bit of interest in the hair situation since the last update. I was very comfortable with my silver mop until a Turkish stranger stopped us at the train station to tell us he thought we looked the same. In much the same way dogs and owners start to look alike I suspect. It was clear one of us needed to change so last night, with the help of my apprentice we took the plunge.  The moment of truth after 40 minutes of processing, and it was a relief to see we’d done a pretty fair job. All  in the dimness of a Montenegro hotel. 

This morning in the full light of day, all was revealed. Put it this way, if I was on a menu it’d read something like ‘rhubarb coulis meets Turkish Delight’! Shades of silver and more than a hint of pink. The receptionist at the hotel did a double take at the dramatic change and no doubt has me down as a middle-aged crim on the run. Ah well, plenty of time to grow it out. 

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 Next on the agenda, the matching wardrobe!

We’d never thought about Montenegro, (or as my brother says, we don’t say Negro any more so it’s Monte-Afro-American), yet here we are and completely gob-smacked by the incredible nature – massive mountains, oily seas, amazing food and friendly, funny people, much like Kiwis.

Roger’s really mastered this European roads having driven through the UK, Ireland, France, Portugal, Greece, Turkey and Montenegro, with Italy to come. Not so much as a curbed wheel. By the time we’re home though, handling an automatic, anything bigger than a Polo AND driving on the other side of the road could be a tough call. Anyone in the market for a Q5??

Speaking of home, our passports are getting pretty coloured in. We’ve got about seven weeks to go and have a trip to Italy and Morocco planned before heading to London for a few days with Ali and Guy. The bucket list has some big ticks and we still pinch ourselves most days. It really has been the most remarkable experience and this no-plan plan, while heart-stopping at times –  has worked out brilliantly. We’ve trusted the advice of friends back home and people along the way. We’ve learnt that when you bypass Google and just do some good old fashioned chatting, you generally can’t go wrong.
As the weather cools here we’re thinking of home more and more, Christmas with family, seeing you all, riding our bikes and catching a real fish at Opito. At some stage in the next month or so our temperatures will cross with NZ, and we’ll know it’s time to head home.

Love from the wanderers xx