Around and Around in Konya

It was early morning as we packed the family into our car for a long drive to Konya, home of the “Whirling Dervish”. What exactly is a Whirling Dervish you may ask? Well we were not to sure either since the only time we had heard this term before, was perhaps to describe Colleen selling realestate, or Natalie cooking for a dinner party, so we were a little curious to say the least.

Coincidentally, it seemed that we were arriving for the festival of Whirling Dervishes, so, based on our only frame of reference, we were assured of an impressive spectacle of Turkish men wielding pots, pans as they try to sell us carpets (we now realize that normally Turkish men only wield glasses of tea as they play cards, but they will always know someone that can do you a deal on a carpet).

Fortunately the Lonely Planet, our ever present companion and guide book, was able to shed some light on this unique religious group and we learned that the Dervish are a Muslim sect that whirl during worship to reach a trance like state.

After spending the morning learning more on this religious group, we assembled with the almost exclusively Turkish audience to take in the whirling. At the start of the ceremony, the Dervish solemnly stroll out in black cloaks and shed them (symbolising the shedding of earthly bonds) and begin to whirl around, and around, and around. With one hand facing up as they reach for heaven and one hand facing down as they hold onto their mortality, on they whirl …. for over an hour they twirl around and around. Putting themselves and the audience in a trance or to sleep. A very relaxing experience to say the least.


We have a much longer video, but I think you get the idea.

The whirling over, we decided to have an early dinner and some wine at our hotel, but having a wine or beer in Konya highlights this city's other reputation. No alcohol! It took some searching and questioning, but we eventually found a small place down a side street that would sell us the much frowned upon fluids. It felt like we were trying to score some hard drugs!

A family dinner of bread, chiselled pastrami (thanks Amir and Adrian for the hard work) and goat skin wrapped cheese finished a unique day.

Two more blogs until we reach Australia!

We hope everyone at home has a safe and happy Christmas. Our thoughts will be with you all.

Castles Of Cotton

Turkey has highest accident rate in all of Europe, not surprising when you have people like this on the road: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dpAaV5BqvTc . Fortunately we would be flying out of Istanbul, sparing us from the hazards of belly dancing cab drivers! The driving was inevitable though, and the next day we set out from Izmir with fear in our hearts. Fortunately our rental car had an Evil Eye built into its model logo, so we would be protected from dangers (at least the ones coming from behind!).
We arrived in Selcuk and navigated our way to our home for the next couple of nights. Considerably cheaper than Istanbul, we were able to find a room here for $20 a night- breakfast and shower included. Hot water? Well that was another story, but at least we got it working the second morning. At breakfast we were surprised to find a familiar face; Amir, an outgoing New Yorker who we had briefly met on a ferry ride in Istanbul, was also a guest at our hotel! Amir then introduced us to Adrian and Gabrielle, a couple from Malaysia that he had also met at the hotel. The five of us set out to see the nearby ruins of Ephesus. Yes, more Roman ruins!
That afternoon, we discovered Amir’s penchant for geo-caching, and found ourselves climbing the mountain behind Ephesus in search of a box that we would never find, but it was all worth it to take in the panoramic view of the valley. (Geo-caching is the activity of finding a hidden treasure using a GPS device, usually in picturesque or interesting locations).
Over breakfast the second morning it was decided that we would all travel to Pamukkale together, and thus our family was born (family for the next five days at least). Thanks to Amir’s GPS and four backseat drivers, we arrived in a tidy two hours and checked in to the Four Seasons Pamukkale. Luxury? I think not, check out the picture.

Pammukale translates literally into “cotton castle”. Calcium-rich hot springs have created the snowy white “castle” or travertines with their unique patterns of deposits. The rippled and cratered surface more resembled the set of a 60’s sci-fi flick than a castle.
Of course the Romans discovered this miracle of nature too, as evidenced by the nearby ruins of their “spa city”. After warming our toes we wandered the ruins, hoping to find the Plutonium, a spring dedicated to Pluto (God of the underworld) that gives off toxic vapours. Our explorations were terminated when the last sliver of daylight slipped away (and it started to get bloody cold!).

Back at the “One Season Hotel” (renamed by us due to its chilly rooms) we gathered in the common room hoping to glean some warmth, or at least to numb the chill with some wine. Adam and Amir both challenged our host to a couple games of backgammon. The wager… wine and beer of course! The well worn backgammon board foreshadowed our boys’ resounding defeat.

Fortunately, we all ended up sharing the winnings anyway.

Istanbul (not Constantinople)

We have a special treat for this entry. Our guest bloggers from Vancouver, Kelvin and Chris offered, (after some pressure) to craft this account of their visit with us.
_______________________________________________________

Baaaahh to Istanbul!

If you like eating lamb, this is paradise. Lamb kababs, lamb soup,

lamb in Boraks, lamb Baklavas (seriously), lamb everywhere. Non-lamb eaters resorted to vegetarian dishes such as chicken – yes, chicken is considered a vegetable in Turkey.

Welcome to the first (and probably only) guest installment of the Jen & Adam Adventures Blog! Most Excellent, dudes! Don't worry – everything we learned about writing, grammerization and blogging, we learned from Lisa (see previous blog entries).

So… We went to some touristy stuff. it was cool. Really, just look at the pictures. We'll try to just hit the most important stuff; namely drinking and nakedness (Kelvin refused to partake in the
nakedness because he wasn't allowed to join Jen in the ladies section of the Hamam… and because he wanted to "stay dirty", so Adam and Chris relayed the censored version of their experience).

The bath experience was remarkable. But, we have to say, there was much more nudity over in the women's side. Anyway, picture a large, ex- Eastern Bloc Olympic wrestling team member pummeling you and then scratching you with 50grit sandpaper. It's kind of like that,
but with more soap bubbles. This is all capped off by the complimentary underwear, which is fortunate since we would have had to change ours after that experience (if we had any on in the first place).

Drinking the local Effes beer became the regular pastime, with the occasional glass of wine. Definitely no hard stuff, which is taxed heavily as we found out after happening upon a locals' bar out of the tourist district. (It's easy to spot when you leave the tourist districts; the piles of burning garbage and crumbling buildings are a dead giveaway) Jen was a hit at the bar, being the only woman there. Actually, the only woman to be seen within a 5 block radius.

Istanbul is a fascinating city even without the booze and baths. Folks are generally very friendly and helpful, and while they'll drive a hard bargain, upsell, or overprice merchandise, there's no cheating.

And then there's all the amazing history of a city situated with one side in Europe and the other in Asia. The regular melody of the call to prayer blaring through loudspeakers all over the city, and the domes of the mosques perched on the many hills of the city are sounds and sights that will not be forgotten.

This was certainly a memorable trip; Istanbul is a city full of character and life! We had an amazing time and we're so glad to have been able to share a week with Adam and Jen in their trek (almost) around the world! We thank you… "from the Hut!".

_______________________________________________________________

Thanks for the blog Kelvin and Chris. But a few pictures need some explaination.

• (1) Yes that is Kelvin sticking his finger into a hole in the Mosque. It has the reputation of curing you of your ailments if it was moist.
  
  
• (2) This is Chris at the Grand Bazzar trying out his new Hockey Helmut


• (3) The boys behind bars.


• (4) One of the largest and perhaps most beautiful Mosque's in the world, Sultan Ahmet Mosque
  
  
• (5) Fish for sale along the bridge. (Who knows what chemicals they contain from the water)
  
  
• (6) Chris buying spices and Turkish Delight at the Spice Bazzar
  
  
• (7) Spices at the Spice Bazzar
  
  
• (8) Team sporting the latest "Evil Eye" glasses. Used to keep away evil thoughts.

A little monkey business in Gibralter

Heading down the coast to Mallaga would bring us within striking distance of Gibralter. Having heard so much about the infamous rock, we couldn’t resist a visit. A couple of hours and we were crossing the border into a tiny piece of British territory. Marks and Spencer, fish and chips, and Pounds rather than Euros… all we were missing was the queen.

We took the cable car to the top of the rock to admire the views and hoping to catch a glimpse of the Barbary Macaques that live on the rock. It turns out these tail-less monkeys are not so elusive after all. In fact we had a couple of “close” encounters with them. One ended up with me dragging a particularly large male down the street as he tried to pry open my handbag. He managed to get in before I could break away. Fortunately he was more interested in my apple than my credit cards! In Adam’s case it was the pen that was clipped on his bag. He eventually got it back but not before the monkey scratched his bum with it.

There was one guy that we had pegged as a prime target from the moment he stepped off the gondola. His backpack was unzipped, plastic bags hanging out (the monkeys associated plastic bags with food and there are signs everywhere emphasizing this) and he reached over and tried to pat the first monkey he saw, a large male, on the head. Fortunately his foolishness made for great entertainment and we had the camera poised and ready. Check it out:

After we had our fill of the monkeys we watched a fabulous sunset and then hit one of the British pubs for fish n’ chips before crossing the border for our last night in Spain.

Hello Mudda , hello Fadda, life is bedda in Granada

Not knowing what to expect of Granada, we picked up our friend Robert who flew over from Ibiza to meet us for the 200km drive to town.
Turns out that Granada is a fascinating crossroads of different cultures. Morroccan tea houses, Islamic bathhouses, Andalusian Flamenco houses, and Moorish Sultan houses (okay palaces) leave you wondering if you’re really still in Spain. The smorgasboard of sounds does little to answer the question, replying with the rhythm of bongo drums competing with the melodies of flamenco guitar against the background of church bells. Plazas filled with dancing gypsies and dreadlock clad bohemians contribute to the colourful nature of this town.
Eager to partake in the energy of the city we kicked off the night with some fabulous wine and “the best tapas in town”. We also discovered why so many students live in Granada, as long as you are drinking you will be fed, what student wouldn’t love that! The ordering process required shouting in Spanish over a crowd three deep and then elbowing your way to the bar to claim your plate of complimentary goodies before somebody else scooped it up. Normally we would’ve been a little intimidated at this prospect but we had a secret weapon – Robert! After our fill of food and wine, we moved onto a few other venues, finishing in the wee hours of the morning. Knowing that Robert lives in the party capital of the world and is far more accustomed to this lifestyle, we were proud to find that we were not the only ones hurting the next morning! Not that it stopped a repeat performance the next night that included some live Flamenco in a tiny smoke filled basement “cave”. We didn’t think human limbs could move that fast!
Of course we did some “official” sightseeing as well. Granada is home to the UNESCO world heritage site called “the Alhambra” former address of the Sultan of the Moors that settled here until Islam was pushed out by the Christians. The palace is sumptuously decorated in Oriental style with no shortage of intricate details and impressive water features. If that wasn’t enough, the Sultan also had an equally magnificent Summer palace a short walk away through the gorgeous gardens. All of this makes Charles V’s digs (built later on the site) look a little ordinary if you can believe it!
If you want to see more or even take a video tour check this out: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alhambra

All in all, this town of bongo playing, bohemian university students; ancient buildings; and Flamenco, was a fantastic stop and a great place to meet up with a (Spanish speaking) friend.
Robert, have a good winter in Chamonix and with some luck, we might just see you there for some skiing next year!

Orange ya excited to hear about Valencia?

Ok so the headings just keep getting worse. But we just can't seem to stop ourselves!

With our Eurail pass set to expire, we rode a last train from Madrid to Valencia. With beautiful architecture and a slower pace than Madrid, Valencia provided a great backdrop for an evening stroll. We ended up finding a popular Basque-style tapas restaurant where we were happy to save ourselves from menu interpretation, and the staff from our Spanglish. Simply grab the tooth pick skewered food you want to dine on, keep the picks and present them at the end for your bill. Yum!

Absorbed in architecture and shopping, we didn’t hit the road until the afternoon of the following day. This meant arriving in Javea after dark for our much anticipated stay at our friend Johan’s house. With 3 bedrooms, a swimming pool, English TV, and laundry facilities to ourselves, it seemed like a sprawling palace after living in hotel rooms for the last few months. We joked that perhaps we should push the television into the bedroom and stay holed up in there for familiarity’s sake.

Javea is predominantly a sunny retreat for Brits that want to get away from the English weather, or are retired. So as if in England, we visited a local pub, (while “borrowing” some internet). The patrons seemed to enjoy a chat and we soon learnt much of local life and why this place was so popular. The woman running the bar, (having consumed her fair share of drinks) doesn’t bother keeping track of things, so when closing, everybody’s bar tab miraculously amounts to 12 euros’s!!?

We had hoped to stay for a week, but with our time in Spain running short, we cut our stay to only 3 days of luxury. We did however make excellent use of the laundry, the sun, and had a fantastic Thai dinner with Johan’s friends, Alan and Rosie.

Departing Javea, we turned on our laptop and GPS map software to get us to Alicante. This technology has saved us from many an argument as we navigate tiny un-named medieval streets, but this particular day it chose to take us to the highway via a rather bizarre route through a river, then along small roads weaving amongst the orange groves. After a little confusion, smiles from the local kids, and some good laughs, we were on our way.

Thanks Chandra, Johan, Alan and Rosie for setting this up. And we hope to see you all in Vancouver sometime!