Slip Sliding Away



Volcano de Lodo



For New Years Eve we decided to pamper ourselves and go the Volcano de Lodo (Volcano of Mud) for a mud bath. For some reason we expected the volcano to be a volcano. Instead it was a very large hill made of mud. You climb up a set of stairs and find a large pool of mud about the size of a large hot tub. One by one you enter the mud, lay on your back and then are pushed head first to a massage station where you receive a rub down. After a few minutes you are flipped onto you stomach and for the rest of the massage. When they are finshed you are pushed out of the way towards everyone else that has finished. Since you can't touch the bottom, and can't really swim in the thick muck, you come to a stop when you bump in to someone else. Everyone is so slippery and equally incapable of manuevering on their own so there is a lot of grabbing and bumping in to eachother only to slide right off. After you've enjoyed enought mud wrestling you make your way to the exit where they scape off the excess mud so as to preserve it for the next tour group and then you carefully walk back down the stairs to the small pond for your cleaning. Here a women with a plastic bowl dumps dirty water over your head and cleans most of the mud off. Just when you think she's done, she pulls off your swimsuit top and then bottoms (fortunately the water is so murky no one can see) so they can attempt to scrub the mud out of your swim suit. I will say that the did a pretty good job but it is still a little dingy.



The mud



After our mud bath experience we headed back to Cartagena and relaxed by the pool in our dingy swimsuits hoping that the chlorinated water would help return our suits to their natural colors. While we did look a bit like Pig Pen from the Peanuts gang, surrounded by a cloud of dirt in the water, the suits did not fully recover.



One of the many bands on New Years Eve

To celebrate New Year's we headed back to Old Town Cartagena to celebrate on the streets. It was like a huge tailgate party with table and chairs every where. Some were sponsored by neighboring restaurants serving a late prix fix menu others were brought in by locals along with elaborate home made meals. Others just rented plastic chairs and sat in circles with their friends and family. Lisa and I just wandered around listening to various bands and music, taking in the sights. We finally settled near a fenced off square where a live band was playing to ring in the new year. Midnight came and went without us really realizing since their was no countdown. For the second year in a row, we were tipped off mostly by the popping of corks and kissing of the people around us. We decided to head out shortly after midnight so we could catch an eary bus in the morning.

Hammock room after check-out

On the morning of the first we headed to the bus station in hopes of catching a bus to Santa Marta further North along the Carribean coast. This turned out to be a bit of a problem. The only buses head in that direction were going to Barranquilla and from their we could take another bus to Santa Marta. All in all it took about 5 hours. We were planning to leave all but one day pack in the lockers at the bus station and head into the rain forest at Tayrona but since it was New Years day the lockers were closed so we decided to go in with all of our bags. This proved to be even more difficult once we got to the park. The area that we had hoped to stay was a two hour hike from the entrance. We tightened the straps on our packs and started down the path. Before we had gotten very far, the wet path turned into slippery muck, ankle deep in parts. After what seemed like two hours of rough going we arrived at Arrecife which was only supposed to be 45 minutes from the entrance and it was starting to get dark. Rather than continue on, we decided that this was a good a place as any to stay for the night so we walked up to a surprisingly nice looking reception desk to inquire about a hammock for the night. Our hearts sunk when she told us that they were all booked for the night. She did indicate that there were a few more places in Arrecife so we headed back to the muddy path and continued on to "The Paradise" . Fortunately, they had room for us and escorted us to what looked like a green house but rather than lined with plasic, it was lined with mosquito netting. Inside, there were three hammocks hanging all at one end and the inn keeper hung ours directly next to them leaving the majority of the space free (in the off chance of selling more spots). There were two Brits that checked in at the same time as us and got the two hammocks on the other side of us.

Our muddy feet after hike to Cabo San Juan de Guia

After our muddy hike we were in desparate need of a good shower and a good meal. We started with the shower but were disappointed to find them lacking in both privacy (four concrete stalls with no curtains) and lights. Oh, and ceilings. As soon as we were ready to jump in it started pouring rain. I suppose I should look at the bright side since the rain increased both the temparature of the water as well as the water pressure. But it also drenched the clothes I was wearing.



Once were completed our showers, we discovered that the inn's (it isn't an inn but I'm not sure how to describe it) restuarant was closed for the night but that we could return to the neighboring inn that turned us away and use their restaurant. Now, freshly clean, we headed back up the muddy path to the other inn and discovered a very nice restaurant as well as a large table of people that we met on New Years in Cartagena. They had left after us in the morning and arrived in Tayrona much before us by chartering a bus direct from Cartagena (it helps that they had two Colombians in their group). The dinner was spectacular, although I'm sure that even straw would taste good after the day we had.

Upon returning to our inn and hammocks we realized just how close together they really were. Both Lisa and I accidently bumped in to our neighbors climbing in and then throughout the night the guy next to me elbowed me several times.

Lisa on her horse, me on my mule ready to get the hell out of dodge

After a cold, damp and uncomfortable nights sleep in the hammock we decided that we were definitely going to stay only one night. But after hiking all the way here with our packs, in the mud we decided to enjoy it for a bit. We met up with the international group that we met in Cartagena (three Canadians, one Mexican, one South Korean and two Colombians) and hiked to Cabo San Juan de Guia (the beach where we originally planned to stay). It was a yet another muddy hike but at the end we were rewarded with a stunning, swimmable beach (the beach in Arrecife is too dangerous for swimming). We relaxed for a bit out of the water and for a bit in the water before heading back to Arrecife to pack up. Rather than hiking back up the trail in what was sure to be even more mud due to the previous night's rain, we chose instead to rent horses to take our packs and us back up to the top. About eight years ago I swore I would never get on a horse again and perhaps that is why they gave me a mule instead. While I hated every minute of the climb out of the park on the mule, it was far better than the hike in and much faster, only about 30 minutes. Once we reached the entrance our new friends found a truck that would take us and all of our gear into Santa Marta proper for only $10,000 COP each. While the truck was designed for four passengers, we somehow managed to squeeze nine of us in (two in the front seat, four in the back and three in the bed of the truck). Our driver also had to bribe a policeman $10,000 COP when we were stopped at a check point (it would have been more but he didn't see the three in the bed of the truck hidden by our bags).

 

The full truck to Santa Marta

Once in Santa Marta, the two Colombians, Luisa and Carolina, went straight to work finding us an apartment for the night. It was much cheaper than a hotel, but it also did not include those things that you expect from a hotel... toilet paper, blankets, towels, soap, etc. Lisa and I decided to buy some towels in town since I only brought my travel towel which has only been used following muddy events leaving it a little too dirty to use after another shower. After a shower, we all headed out to explore the Santa Marta nightlife. It was amazing how many people were out and about on a Sunday night. The streets were packed with music blasting from the backs of cars and nearby clubs. After making the rounds we headed in to a club for a little dancing before heading back to our apartment where you could clearly hear that the party was continuing without us until the wee hours of the night. Fortunately, I had earplugs to dull the noise and fell asleep without much effort.

Catedral de Sal & Cartagena

One of the Stations of the Cross

For our second day in Colombia, we decided to visit the Catedral de Sal (Salt Cathedral) about 50 km outside of Bogota.  After analyzing all of our transport options we decided to go by taxi.  However this proved more difficult than we expected.  The first taxi that we found was not allowed to leave the city limits.  He offered to call another for us but couldn't get through.  The second taxi was willing to take us but wanted to charge $170,000 COP which was the same as the private car that the hotel could arrange.  The third offered to take us to the boat for $100,000 COP but you can't get to there by boat so we weren't sure what he meant.  Finally, on our fourth try we found a driver to take us for $75,000 COP round trip including 30 minutes of wait time.  However, as soon as we got in the taxi the rate changed to $85,000 COP plus an additional $15,000 COP for each additional hour over the 30 minutes.  Before he could change the rate again, Lisa insisted that he write the price down for us which he did not like but agreed.  This of course did not stop him for trying to charge us more to return us to Candelaria as opposed to our hotel in the North (we mentioned where we wanted to be returned to during our initial negotiations).  He finally agreed to take us because he did not want us to think badly of Colombians.  When it came time to pay, he wanted an additional $10,000 COP because he waited for a long time.  We reminded him that we got 30 minutes included and were gone an additional 60 minutes - but he said it was much longer.  We refused to give in and paid him the $85,000 + $15,000 COP that we agreed to and got out.

One of the larger chapels in Catedral de Sal

 The Catedral itself was very nice.  It was carved out of salt in an underground salt mine.  You walk through the cave visiting small alcoves - one for each station of the cross.  I was expecting each alcove to have a carving of sculpture depicting the station for which it was built but instead everyone had a cross and a couple of stone kneelers.  After the stations you go futher down in the cave and there are a couple of large chapples with wooden pews.  They were somewhat plane in decor but given that they were carved out of salt 150 meters undergroung added a sense of awe.

After the catedral, we decided to visit Museo Botero.  If you are not familiar with Botero, he is famous for painting rather fat people, fat animals, even fat fruit.  What it lacks in seriousness it makes up for in humor.  Besides, who doesn't love a painting of a fat man on a fat horse. 

We decided to dine in the Zona Rosa neighborhood in the north part of Bogota at the Bogota Beer Company.  We knew we picked a good spot when we saw a line of bogotanos waiting to get in.  After a delicious burger and a beer we headed out to explore.  Zona Rosa is definitely where the young and good looking bogotanos hang out.  Every restaurant and bar was packed.  After drinking a mojito while listening to a live band we called it a night.

 In the morning we headed back to the airport to catch a flight to Cartagena.  The moment we stepped off the plane we were sticky from the heat and humidity.  And we continued to be sticky as we walked from our hotel to old town (it was much further and hotter than we expected), explored the old city, had drinks and ate dinner.  We went to Cafe del Mar, a club on top of the wall bordering old town, to watch the sun go down while with a glass of their finest vino tinto.  While we were enjoying the sunset and trying not to stick to the table my neighbor from the flight to Bogota came up.  He was traveling with his two brothers and we joined them for another drink and then dinner.  Our original plan we to return to the hotel and wash the sticky off before dining but they talked us in to just staying for dinner.  It turned out to be a lot of fun, if perhaps too much wine.

Cafe del Mar, Cartagena



Puerto de Reloj, Cartagena





Primero Dia en Colombia

We arrived in Colombia late last night so after locating an ATM at the airport we took a taxi to the hotel to get a good nights rest in preparation for a day of sight seeing. 

Plaza de Bolivar

In the morning we decided to take the bus to La Candelaria, home of most of the tourist attractions.  We found our way thanks to the assistance of three friendly bogotanos. The first gentleman we met lives or lived in San Francisco and was very happy to tell us all about Bogota and what we should and how to stay safe.  The second, Carlos, found us wandering the bus station and told us which bus to take and even went so far as to escort us to the end of the line.  The third, we found on the street corner and he walked us two blocks to the Museo de Oro.  June wasn't kidding when she said that Colombians were friendly.  Before entering the museum we discovered that we were famished so we went in search of La Puerta Falsa near the Plaza de Bolivar.  The Lonely Planet lists La Puerta Falsa among the highlights of Bogota.  Lisa and I each decided to get  chocolate competo.  This is a meal that comes with hot chocolate and bread and butter.  But there is a twist.  In Colombia, you drop cheese into the hot chocolate and let it melt (it really just gets soft). Then you drink the hot chocoate and eat the cheese with a spoon.  The hot chocoate was delicious, but I have mixed feelings about the cheese.

Catedral Primada

After eating, we started exploring.  First we wandered around Plaza de Bolivar which was converted into an outdoor ice skating rink.  Poked our heads in to Catedral Primada where a priest was giving mass to those in the pews and the tourists we peeking around.  Next we returned to Museo del Oro (again with a bit of assistance) and oohed and awed at all the gold nose rings and other relics.  After a while, all the nose rings started to look alike and we were growing tired.  However, before the let us leave a security guard instructed us (and the other tourists to wait) and then escorted us in to a round, dimly lit  room and closed the door.  There was some tribal music playing and every once in a while a section of the wall would light up showing us more gold nose rings.  Then the floor in the middle of the room lit up, showing more gold nose rings (and a very large emerald).  Just when we were wondering if a human sacrifice was next, the door finally reopened to let us out. 

View from top of Cerro de Monserrate

After leaving the museum, we decided to take a coffee break.  We each ordered a cafe pintado (coffee with a little milk, as opposed to cafe con leche - coffee with more milk) and a bottle of water.  Once the caffeine kicked in we stopped by a couple more churches then headed to Cerro de Monserrate.  You have the choice of walking up 1500 steps to get to the top of Monserrate or taking a cable car.  We opted for the latter.  From the top you get a spectacular bird's eye view of all of Bogota.  By the time we returned to the city we were exhausted and starving so we decided to grab dinner and call it a night. 

Colombia Here I Come

Why Colombia?  This is how it came about...

A few months ago I was spending the weekend with some friends in Bodega Bay when Lisa approached Colleen and I and said "I had so much fun traveling with you girls last year over New Years that I thought it would be fun to travel somewhere again this year."  After much discussion we realized that between the three of us we has been to most of the desirable Spanish-Speaking countries already. So I suggested Colombia because June refers to it as one of her favorite countries in the world.  No of us had been so we decided that would be the spot.

So to prepare for my upcoming trip I decided to read Ingrid Bentecourt's "Even Silence Has an End: My Six Years of Captivity in the Colombian Jungle".  About a quarter in, I realized that I really should have saved this until I returned to the US.  (It is really a spectacular story, just not good for preparing to visit the country).  After a good cry, I finished the book (she was rescued) but decided I needed something a little more upbeat to prepare me for my adventure.  I decided Romancing the Stone should do the trick.  I remembered that the movie was funny but I completely forgot the premise.  Kathleen Turner's character's sister is kidnapped and Kathleen Turner and Michael Douglas trek though the jungle avoiding snakes and bugs while being followed by guerillas with guns hunting them.  Again, perhaps not the best pre-Colombia choice. 

More than anything, both of these stories make me wish I thought to buy some bug spray and a machete.  I guess I'll find out soon enough whether I regret excluding them from my packing list.

Istanbul was Constantinople; Now it's Istanbul not Constantinople...

We had a 6:15 AM flight back to Istanbul which meant waking up at 3:45 AM. Fortunately our series of early morning wake-up calls is over! Once we arrived in Istanbul and checked in to our hotel we headed out to the Sultanhamet area of town. Our plan was to visit the Topkapi Palace first but we accidentally went to the Istanbul Archaeological Museum instead. After we spent an hour or so admiring sculptures from all over Turkey we started getting suspicious. Finally we took a look at the Lonely Planet and discovered we were in the wrong place. But since we were already there, we decided to read up on the Archaeological Museum and discovered that we couldn't leave until we saw all of the sarcophagi (sarcophaguses?) so we went back in. It was definitely worth it. 17 of these sarcophagi were found buried all at the same site and were discovered in 1887 when a local was trying to build a new barn.

After the museum we tried again to go to the Topkapi Palace and after walking all the way up the hill we were informed that the palace is closed to the public on Tuesdays. After failing for the second time in one day we decided to go to Haghia Sofia (aka Aya Sofya, Sancta Sophia, and the Church of the Divine Wisdom). Whatever the name, Haghia Sofia lives up to its distinction. While the church is undergoing restoration, we were still able to enjoy the mosaics (although it took a couple of tries to find them) that make it so famous.

After Haghia Sofia, it was time to hit the Grand Bazaar, not to buy, just to get a sense of prices. The bazaar itself can be a bit overwhelming. Every time you stop to admire one shop’s wares, the neighboring shops call out that it is their turn. It doesn't matter that you were looking at ceramics and they sell t-shirts. Sometimes while walking through the corridor shop owners will get right in front of you, attempting to maneuver you into looking at their carpets, bowls, hats, belly dancing costumes… all while asking where you are from and what you name is and where you are staying. It is really quite amazing how much they are able to say in the moments it takes to pass their shop.

After the Grand Bazaar, we did a quick walk through the Spice Bazaar. Not only can you buy spices and tea there but you can also purchase leeches. We didn’t ask why we just kept on walking. On the way to the bazaar we decided that we would try out a Hamam (Turkish Bath) after shopping but we didn’t realize how hard it was going to be to get there. We seemed to find out way into the garment district of Istanbul as we walked for what seemed like hours. I think we passed two entire blocks that just sold underwear and another two blocks of fabric stores and suit makers. By the time we found our way to the hamam we really needed a bath.

I was a little nervous about my first (and last) hamam experience. Fortunately, we picked one that catered primarily to tourists so most people spoke English and realized that we had no idea what to do. First we are shown to the locker room and given a peştimal to wrap in. Next, you enter the haranet (steam room) where you lie down on a heated marble slab and sweat for 15 minutes or so. Then with little warning warm water is dumped over your back and a you are given a “massage”. In other words, a woman with a loofah-esque cloth rubs (scrubs) you from head to toe, pausing occasionally to dump more water or to ask you to turn over. After the initial scrub down, the woman covers you with bubbles and starts over, two more times. Next you are brought into an adjacent room where you sit on the floor next to a sink and get your hair washed (at this point I highly recommend keeping your eyes closed). After the final rinse down, you are shown to a room with a luke warm pool where you can soak as long as you like. You are also free to return to the steam room for some additional sweat time. After the pool you take a traditional shower and then you’re done. All in all, I would recommend you give it a try if you’re in Turkey.

After dropping our bags off at the hotel and changing we decided to check out the Taksim Square area for dinner. Armed with the hotel map and Lonely Planet we were off. It looked to be about a 2 km away so we figured we be there in 30 minutes or so. This did not work out at planned. Most of the streets don’t have signs and most of the streets on the map are not labeled. Also, the park we planned to cut across was not so easy. We had to walk parallel to it for a while before we found an entrance. About 1 ½ hours after we started, we finally made it, starving and sweating, to the square. Taksim Square apparently has 4 million people pass through it every day and it felt like about a quarter were still there when we arrived. I insisted that we actually step foot into the square and take a photo as proof that we actually made it. Also, we needed to spend at least as much time in the area as it took us to get there so we had a leisurely dinner with a couple glasses of wine before taking a taxi back to the hotel.

After 3 days in a row of sub- 5 AM wake ups, we decided to start off our last full day in Turkey by sleeping in. After a leisurely morning we finally went to Topkapi Palace. When we arrived we quickly realized that every tourist in Turkey and its 7 bordering countries were all at the Palace too. Nearly every place we went we had to stand in line jut to enter. But not everyone stood in line… many people just pushed ahead or rushed the door and the security just stood by and shrugged. We did a quick tour of the highlights (according to Lonely Planet) and then got out. Even the quick tour took about 2 hours.

After the palace we returned to the Grand Bazaar, this time intent on shopping. Some shops were more willing to negotiate than others so we happily left one after another until we found one that would give us a good deal. We each bought a lamp from the gentleman that helped us the day before (this will not be fun getting home as the box is a bit heavy and cumbersome). Hopefully I will find a place to hang it one of these days…

No visit to Turkey is complete without seeing the dervishes whirl (we couldn't take pictures so this is from the website). We had purchased tickets to a whirling dervish performance the previous day and now, lamps in hand, it was time to attend. The show took place in a converted hamam on what used to be the round marble slab in the steam room. Now the slab is a stage and the chairs circle around it. I have to say, that after a day in the heat and the crowds it was sometimes difficult to enjoy the show with its melodic music and spinning dervishes trying to lull me to sleep. I managed to keep my eyes open but I saw a lot of nodding heads around the room. It is hard to describe the performance. There were 5 dervishes and one was clearly the captain. Before the whirling began the spent a lot of time kneeling and then slowly walking is a circle bowing to each other (at least 20 minutes of this). Finally, just as I was losing my patience one of the dervishes began to whirl. Seconds later another one started and before long all 5 were whirling with one hand raised to heaven and another faced down to earth. They whirled and whirled for a long time but then the song ended and they all came to a stop. After a short pause, they repeated the process, a total of 4 times and then the all walked away. If any of you plan to attend a whirling dervish performance I suggest having some coffee beforehand and reading up on it because there are no explanations during the show.

This concludes my trip to Turkey. We leave in the early afternoon to head back home.

The Amazing Cappadocia

It took longer than expected to get to Cappadocia. It was delayed two hours for take-off and then the pilots decided to give us a nice circle tour of Nevşihir… a couple of times, so we wouldn’t miss anything. We were also a bit surprised on how long it took to get from the Nevşihir airport to the town of Göreme. We mistakenly believed that the Nevşihir airport was in Nevşihir. Fortunately, we arrived at our hotel Ufuk (more about this later) with plenty of time to book our balloon flight and go to the Open Air Museum before dinner.

I read in the Lonely Planet guide that we needed to go to the Open Air Museum but I didn’t read further. As a result, I had no idea what to expect. I guess I just assumed it would be like a normal museum except outside. This was not the case. It is actually a series of cave dwellings used by the early Byzantines that lived in the area and included a number of chapels. Most of the room and chapels were pretty bare but a few had some very colorful frescoes remaining. We wandered in and out of the caves for an hour or so before heading back into town to explore.

We had two items on the exploration agenda: 1. Book a tour to an underground city for the following day; and 2. Seek out genuine fake sunglasses for Colleen to replace the pair she left in Şirince. We were successful on the first count but not on the second. All over Selçuk and Fethiye we saw signs advertising both genuine fake watches and genuine fake sunglasses but there were few choices available in Göreme.

After dinner we headed back to Ufuk. We booked a cave room so that we could imagine what it was like to sleep like the Byzantines in a cave (that is if the Byzantines had electricity, running water and a bed). After our long day traveling and wandering Göreme, Colleen and I were really looking forward to our “guaranteed hot showers 24 hours a day.” We quickly concluded that the hot water was cold and the cold water was frigid. I guess they meant that we could get hot water from the kitchen 24 hours a day? So after our “refreshing” showers we went to bed already questioning the plan to get up at 4:15 AM for our balloon ride.

It never really occurred to me that the Kapadokya balloon company had more than one balloon so I was surprised to see that about 50 other passengers beat us to the office in town to await their flight. It took about 30 minutes after arriving to deal with logistics – paying, getting our pilot assignment, drinking coffee (or tea) before boarding a mini-bus with 10 other passengers also assigned to the Sanjay balloon. On the way to the launch site we quickly realized that nearly every tourist in Göreme was awake and boarding a balloon somewhere in the vicinity. There were probably about 40 balloons in total flying between 500-750 tourists. The flight itself was spectacular. We hovered above the unique landscape, both soaring high above the hills and dipping deep into the valleys during our hour-long flight. Once we landed we were each given a flying certificate and a Turkish mimosa (champagne with cherry juice) to celebrate the journey and safe landing. All of this and we were back at our hotel by 8:00 AM.

Side note: Our captain, Sanjay Gupta (not the CNN newscaster/doctor) had previously lived in San Francisco and worked for Deloitte Consulting. Colleen and Sanjay spent a great deal of the morning comparing (her current and his former) colleagues and learned that they had a lot in common. Now Sanjay is a bit of a nomad, traveling all over the world working as a balloon pilots (winters in Melbourne, this summer in Cappadocia, and next summer in Kenya).

Since this was really our only full day in Cappadocia, we had to keep busy. We scheduled a tour that started at 9:30 AM. Most of the tour was ho-hum. The sights were beautiful but I could have happily skipped the 4 km walk through the Ihlara valley and the stone polishing demonstration/shopping trip. However, it was worth it to go to the underground city, Derinkuyu. This city was used by various peoples throughout the generations to hide from various attackers. It goes 150 m down and has a total of 8 floors. While very cool, this is not a trip for the claustrophobics. We spent a lot of time walking through narrow corridors with low ceilings. Colleen and I both had to duck. We also went to the Selime monastery. This is another cave dwelling that, in this case, house 600 monks and nuns during its peak.

We got back to Göreme at 6:00PM. The previous day we made reservations at a restaurant named Dibek. This restaurant is apparently the only one in town that serves genuine testi kebabs. This is a dish that is cooked for hours in a clay pot that is then broken open at the table. We’d been hearing about testi kebabs since Dalyan so our expectations were high, but I must say that Dibek far exceeded them. Colleen had the veggie version that made me very jealous because it was so good. I went with the beef, which was also spectacular. I’m now a little disappointed that we didn’t have it the previous night so we could each try it again.

All in all, one of the best day’s so far. Tomorrow we return to Istanbul.

Mud, Kayaks and Ruins

Our final day in Dalyan was our most relaxing day of the trip so far. We slept in and didn’t have to meet up with the tour until 10 AM at which point we boarded a boat and headed to the ancient city of Kaunos. Similar to Pinara, Kaunos contained a fairly well preserved theater (no dance show this time). There was also a temple from the Greek times and a church that was built after the people were converted to Christianity.

After Kaunos, we re-boarded our boat and went to the Sultaniye hot springs and mud baths. This was definitely a unique experience. After changing into our swim suits, the first stop is the was to be hosed down with a fire hose by a guy that seemed to like his job a bit too much. The we slid in to the brown pool filled with muddy water. You had to reach down deep to grab mud that you then applied all over. Then you exit the pool and stand in the sun and wait for the mud to dry. Next you head to the showers to rinse off the mud before entering the hot springs pool. We were a little disappointed to discover that our friendly fire-hose laden guy was standing at the ready to get us again before and after the hot springs. The hot springs have the pleasant scent of rotten eggs (sulfur) so we weren’t that interested in spending too much time floating around in the cloudy, but warm water. After one more shower and a change of clothes we were back on the boat. After a buffet lunch at The Other Side restaurant (cleverly named because it is on the other side of the river from the majority of Dalyan) we took a long cruise back to turtle beach. A few of us opted to stay on the boat (in the shade) rather than head out to the beach in the scorching sun. After the beach the boat took us back to our hotel in Dalyan where we loaded our luggage back in the bus and headed back to Fethiye.

On our last day of the tour, we went on a kayaking trip. We all gathered in the bus and headed to the town of Gocek and reunited with our cycling guides for a day of kayaking. There were four two-person kayaks and the remainder were singles. Sonia, our guide warned us that you should only kayak in a two-person kayak with someone you really get along with. Colleen and I risked it and were fine; Louis and his son Jeremy were not so fine. When they finally reached the beach for our first break, there were both blaming each other for taking the much longer slalom course they took to get there. After the rest, they broke up. Jeremy hooked up with Sonia in the two-person and Louis ventured off on his own to prove that it wasn’t his fault. When we reached the next beach for lunch the results were inconclusive but they both seemed happier. Kayaking after lunch was tough. I think everybody was pretty tired by that time and just wanted to be back on shore but we had to paddle for an hour to get there. Once on shore, Colleen and I had to say our goodbyes to our tour group since we decided to skip the 12-hour overnight bus ride to Istanbul and instead take a bus to Selçuk.

I must say, that Colleen and I were both a bit nervous waiting on the side of the road for our bus to arrive, not knowing what to expect. When it did pull up we found it to be nicer than that Luftansa plane we took to get here. Each seat had its own television and we were served cookies and ice cream during the 4-hour ride. The bus, however, only took us as far as Aydin where we then boarded a dolmuş (mini-bus) to Kuşadasi and then transfer to another dolmuş to Selçuk. We could have taken a taxi from Aydin directly to Selçuk but where is the fun in that. It was nearly 11 PM when we finally arrived at our hotel so after a quick snack we headed to bed.

In the morning we took a dolmuş to Ephesus – also known as Efes which is coincidentally (or perhaps not) the name of the most popular beer in Turkey. Our plan was to arrive at Ephesus ahead of the heat and the crowds. We failed. It was already scalding hot at 8:30 AM and humid. And while at first there didn’t appear to be many tourists, we quickly discovered that they all entered from the upper entrance and as a result we spent the morning like salmon swimming upstream to all the sites. After admiring the library and other ruins we decided to walk (I don’t know why in this heat) back into town via the temple of Artemis. Only one complete column of this wonder of the ancient world still exists and is now the home to a couple of storks that have made their nest on top. Next we escaped the heat by heading in to the Ephesus museum. Both the air conditioning and the relics were worth the price of entry. After lunch we did a quick tour of the Basilica of St. John (of which little remains, although much more than the Temple of Artesmis) and to the Isa Bey Camii which was a mosque built in the 14th century and still operates today (although it’s had some work down). Next we took a dolmuş to Şirince about 9 km away. This is the town where our cherry wine originated. After tasting a number of other fruit wines (raspberry, strawberry, mulberry, blackberry, peach) Colleen and decided that there are some things that should just stay in Turkey. Tomorrow our adventure will relocate to Cappadocia… stay tuned.