It seems that my last post was misguided. I’ve had some critical feedback that the FOLLOW link didn’t work. Well, folks, it wasn’t a link. If memory serves me correctly (and that’s a moot point) the post actually went on to say that the FOLLOW button at the end of the post, in the lower right hand corner, is the one to press. However, if you received an email advising you of a post then it means you are already following us. The non-link in the last post (sans bugle) was really aimed for those new folk who might want to follow us and have not done so before.
So, we’re off to the airport around the time the sparrows break wind tomorrow morning.
More to follow, once we’ve started to explore Newfoundland. Hang tight but please don’t hold your breath.
And try not to press something which is not a link.
In Newfoundland, Greenland, Iceland, England….and Quebecland
We are off again. This time we’re driving some of it and cruising some of it. We fly out on Tuesday, 18 August, and return at the very end of September. We’ll try to stay upright, behave upright and have a jolly time. But, then again, when has it ever been trouble free? If you want to laugh with us, or at us, go ahead and follow us, by clicking this button
which you’ll find at the bottom right of this post
Or don’t bother, in which case you’ll miss out on our adventures. Which might be a blessing.
In Bodrum, we do absolutely nothing for two days. We are both exhausted and not yet fully recovered. On Saturday the sun is not shining but at least it’s not raining. The hotel has lovely artworks throughout the light and airy foyer, painted by Turkish artist Ali Atmaca. Fortunately, too large for hand luggage
My hair is a disgrace, after four days in hospital and nearly five weeks since my last cut. So on Sunday we seek advice from the front desk as to where I might get a haircut. The sweet young man rings his girlfriend for advice and then identifies a salon nearby – although everything is a taxi ride such are the inclines and cobblestones of this strange place.
It’s called Kuafor Lisa and the taxi driver takes us to where the young man at the hotel has shown him on Google Maps. It seems that Bodrum is extremely spread out, with small villages throughout. We know we have reached the ‘village’ when taxi slows, and I excitedly advise the driver that I see the salon. We walk in to a completely empty salon with one man seated at a desk, playing solitaire on his computer I think. He agrees to give me a haircut (sign language) and studies my face before producing the scissors. He is early 60s I would say, and extremely good looking, with a head full of white hair, tanned face, smart white linen shirt, jeans and loafers. He gives me the best hair cut I’ve had for a long time, and Cherrie is so impressed that she gets a hair cut too. Whilst she is being attended to I go outside to look around. It’s then that I see Kuafor Lisa, a few doors up. We are at Kuafor Hanan. Kuafor apparently means hairdresser. I retreat back into Hanan’s Kuafor. This man is an artist. He looks at the shape of the face, and cuts to it. When we pay him a paltry $50AUD for both cuts and thank him very much, this handsome man smiles.
He has one tooth in his head.
Lisa must think we’re still waiting for the flat tyre to be changed!
Since we’ve left the hotel anyway, we take the cab to the Marina, where we see a mast or two.
We slowly stroll along the waterfront
It really is very beautiful, but this town seems to lack a heart, a centre.
These busts remind us of Bryan, and his exhibition last year of the most influential men and women of science. We’ve not heard of any of them but….
The Public Pets are well cared for
And so, exhausted, we retreat to our hotel room. We’ve done Bodrum. Oh, we did see a boy buoy as we walk to the taxi rank
From our hotel we watch the sun set over the Aegean Sea, just as it sets over our healing stay in Bodrum
On Monday we return to Istanbul. Collected from the hotel at 1.30pm, we’re both a little apprehensive about flying, but it’s fine, except for the hour delay which gets us to our Istanbul hotel after 7pm. A mezze in the restaurant does nicely.
On Tuesday, our last day in Turkey, we are feeling well enough to venture out. We were both pretty unwell when we were last here, and somewhat underwhelmed. Plus it was raining. But on today it’s a glorious sunny day and we are staying in a much nicer part of town this time, in a hotel recommended by Roger Kirk. We walk to the Istanbul Modern Art Gallery, right on the Bosphorus, and enjoy the exhibitions
Now we see the magic that is Istanbul. This waterfront truly is lovely
And we sit and soak it up.
When it comes the time to use the toilet, the only one we can find is The Family Room. This photo does not show the scale, but there is a normal, adult, toilet, and the tiniest child’s one, about 600mm high.
Being the experienced tourists we are, sometimes we don’t take the advice
As we walk back to the hotel, we pass the public pests and are influenced by their advice. We rest too
And so, here endeth our Berlin, Dresden, Danube, Budapest and Turkey adventure, which included much poor weather (although we are aware that our friends in Sydney and south have been tormented by constant rain) and too much illness. As we sit at Istanbul airport now, awaiting our flight to Singapore and then on to Sydney, we know that there is no place like home
We set off from the hospital at midday on Thursday, in a very comfortable van. It rather resembles a hearse, but we’re both very pleased it’s not. Our driver, Arun, speaks no English and Cherrie and I hardly speak for the 8 hour drive of leg one. We are both exhausted, but our intrepid photographer never ceases
It was a beautiful drive (841kms), with just one quick wee stops. We each felt a relief at being out of caves and hospitals. We arrive in Denizli early evening and the first thing I do when I get into the hotel room is shower. Heaven. We order room service, a pasta and salad each. But our order loses something in translation, and we receive one pasta, one salad and one fork. It’s enough for us, and I quaff down my portion, wash the fork so Cherrie can consume the other half.
There are more public pets here, but more like public pests tonight. They bark all night, I bark all night and altogether a most unsuccessful sleep for us both.
The next morning we set off on the 4 hour drive to Bodrum. Over the range and down to the Aegean coast
Arriving at 1.30pm we sleep for a couple of hours in a comfortable room on a hill above the town. Although we’re frankly not sure where the town is, but intend to rest and not tour.
Bodrum is hilly, and I mean hilly, and the driveway to the hotel is steep. The wind is blowing fiercely, note the tree.
We arrive by plane from Istanbul, into Cappadocia in Central Turkey. Even from the car we witness this surreal landscape
This paragraph is for Bryan Pennington, and any other geology geeks amongst you. “Cappadocia, situated in the Central Anatolia Plateau in Turkey is characterised by widespread volcanic rocks (lavas, Ignimbrites and pyroclastic deposits) alternating with fluvio-lacustrine sediments of Miocene (around 10 million years) to the Quaternary age.” We’ve never seen anything like it. Even though it’s raining, it’s startling.
We arrive at our cave hotel (everything is a cave here) at 5pm and are picked up at 6pm to see the Whirling Dervishes. Cherrie did not really know of them, and amused me when she enquired as to what time the Whizzing Devonshires started. As it turns out, her title is quite apt. A supposedly religious ceremony, this performance we see is more touristy than ever. It’s a quasi-serious show, accompanied by a trio
And performed by four, plus ‘high priest’ who simply walks slowly around the 5m diameter arena, all in black. The god they worship is represented by a 40watt red light globe on a goat skin on the floor. One of the four is clearly a European with classical dance training. His arms are extended wide, rather than in the upward thrust to where the red globe should be – that is on the ceiling.
The audience, of perhaps 300 tourists, seem as impressed us. Out of respect for the ceremony we are asked to remain silent and take no photos, but of course there is a photo opportunity post performance! I sit throughout feeling pretty crappy, and nearly choke trying not to cough, but occasionally I do so, into a handful of tissues. The Devonshires did not react. Mercifully, this tourist trap took only 45 minutes, including photos, and we were back at the hotel by 7.45pm
Monday 6 May 2024
As you know, we had cancelled our scheduled balloon flight at 5.30am today. It was cancelled anyway, because……it’s raining.
Neither of us feel well this morning, so we make a call that perhaps should have been made earlier. We call for a doctor. An English speaking paramedic is at our room within the hour and pronounces that I have pneumonia and Cherrie has an infected throat. He drives us in his car to the private hospital, no sirens blaring. We are seen very quickly by an English speaking Internal specialist in a private room. Back down to the treatment room where blood is taken from us both. Cherrie is hooked up to in IV drip
and I am wheeled to the CT scanner. Within minutes it is reported that my right lung is in a bad way, my bloods speak volumes and I must be admitted for IV antibiotics. And so I am.
When I posted this on FaceBook, Guy Noble commented that I looked like I was wrapped up as take away food. I assure you there is a big beef bun in there.
Kapadokya Hastanesi is a relatively new hospital and I am in a private room, built for two but occupied by just the one foreigner. Now, I have had a little experience with hospitals in my day and I must say that I am getting very good medical care here. But the cultural differences are stark. We are in a very family orientated culture in Turkey and I gather that family look after their own in hospital, in terms of providing personal care, water and some food etc. I am fed, indeed, but it’s not overly appetising.
Poor Cherrie is finally dispatched back to the hotel with antibiotics. The hospital provides a shuttle service and so Cherrie is able to come back and forth, with some advance planning.
It’s Cherrie’s job, despite her being under the weather, to buy fruit, water (bottled water only, tap water not to be drunk throughout the entire country), tissues etc. I have been given no gown and cannot wear my nightie because it is culturally insensitive to do so. Therefore I remain fully clothed the entire time. There is one sheet on the bed plus the doona. The mattress is stuffed with old newspapers and the pillow with cotton wool wrapped marbles. The bathroom is equipped with a sink, toilet, a paper towel dispenser and toilet paper. There is a phone shower, but no recess, and there is no way that one could have a conventional shower without flooding the entire area. Maybe it’s meant for just certain body parts, and that family members bring nice fluffy towels from home. I’m not sure that paper towel will cut the mustard for me. The bed sheet is not changed for my entire stay. But I’m not here for comfort.
Google Translate proves a boon for communication with the nurses.
Tuesday 7 May 2024
The sun is shining bright, and the balloons are back in the air, after a two week hiatus due to weather.
Mercifully, Cherrie is feeling a little better today, so after her pastoral, and shopping delivery, to me she manages some touring
In my honour, she throws a pot
And catches up with some old timers
And so many dogs, known as Public Pets. They belong to no one, are tagged by Council, and fed by anyone who cares. They are placid and seem to be well fed, but there are many who are lacking tags
As always, Cherrie’s eye go to flora
She continues on her tour, and to offer you some relief I shall allow the pictures to paint the words
Today my bloods are better but my lungs are still in trouble. I reiterate that the medical care is excellent and I am on all sorts of drips, pills, nebulisers etc. They are doing everything they can to make me better, and our travel insurers are on the case.
We are extremely fortunate that the one man tour operator we chose to put this tour together for us in based here, in Cappadocia, and he has been fantastic with all the changes that have had to be made.
And, how fortunate we are, to have each other
Wednesday 8 May 2024
Today Cherrie spends with me, sitting beside my bed in her capacity as photo editor of this blog. I am starting to feel better and hopeful of a release tomorrow. They don’t slow the medical care down and are very attentive to those needs. I cough and cough, which is most unfortunate, because a severe cough in a woman my age has uncomfortable consequences. Sandra Clyne, I wish I’d noted.
Cherrie has moved from our cave to a cheaper cave today. We were to have moved on to Ephesus today, but again our tour operator has come good with his incredible flexibility and good humour.
Nothing else to report.
Thursday 9 May 2024
This morning Cherrie declares she is sick of living in caves. I guess that means that our future in Cooper Pedy is in some doubt. I am declared fit enough for discharge, with lots of mobile medications. I am unable to fly for a few days, so Ismail, our tour man, has arranged a car and driver to take us to Bodrum for two days of sun before returning to Istanbul for a day before the long flight home. It is a 10 hour drive and so we break the journey overnight.
I am released at midday, with medical care right up to the exit. Literally my infusion is finished and canula removed immediately prior to leaving the hospital. I am farewelled by a bevy of people I have never seen before in my life, except for the tall dude who is my doctor. And Cherrie of course. Medical tourism at work here
More about the drive in the next blog.
Here we are with Ismail, our amazing tour operator, at midday about to set off on the long drive. Ismail made all the changes for us, so many, so often, and with such good grace. Anyone wanting to tour Turkey, Made in Turkey Tours highly recommended.
2CsBlog 