Turkey: The road to Iran

As our time in Turkey draws to a close, we have a small confession to make. Though we have had a great time traveling through the old Ottoman Empire visiting geological wonders and getting a glimpse into the ancient world, our minds have been wandering off on ahead of us, rather firmly fixed on the climax of our Big Adventure - Iran. One example of this is revealed in our first Turkish destination, Istanbul. It was a fabulous and culturally colouful place to explore but the main purpose of our time there was to secure our Iranian visas. Visiting the Iranian Consulate was rather an experience for me, I can tell you. Within moments of entering the building, the co-ordinator was making gestures at me which obviously meant that I needed to be wearing a head scarf. In Iran it is illegal for women to have their head uncovered in public but I had simply not considered this, as we were still in Turkey. We were very tight on time and I needed to stay in the consulate in order to get my visa. I didn't have a head scarf to put on, but I did have a polar-fleece and as this was my only option I proceeded to tie the polar fleece on my head trying to make it look as normal as possible. The queues were long and I sat with a polar fleece tied to me head for over an hour. Apart from a few laughs from other people in the waiting room this was not too much of a problem, however when we returned two days later to collect our passports you can be sure that I was prepared with a scarf! Despite out preoccupation with all-things-Iran we have seen some truly incredible things and had a memorable time in Turkey. Here are some of our snaps...

We visited the Eqyptian Spice Bazaar in Istanbul where you are instantly hit with the contrasts of colours and smells. It would have been a nicer experience if we had not been contantly baraged by pushy salesmen. We did learn a lesson in how not to buy product - our tip is buy one product at a time so you don't get confused between different product values. Thankfully our lesson only cost us a few Euros.

Plenty of competition for the catch of the day in downtown Istanbul.

Mmm tasty Turkish treats - Baklava and Turkish Delight (locally known as lokum).

The Sea of Marmara on our first night heading South from Istanbul.

We were heading for Gallipoli Peninsula to visit the sites that we have heard so much about as Kiwi ANZACs. It is a really tranquil spot and hard to imagine such a gruesome war being fought here.

The soldiers are really well honoured in the beautiful memorials and well-kept cemeteries all around the area. This inscription captured my attention.

Another wild camping spot, another beautiful outlook. On this evening we went into the local village and bought a fresh fish, which we cooked up and thoroughly enjoyed.

Ephesus was one of the places I was most looking forward to visiting in Turkey, and it did not disappoint. If you pay a bit extra you can go inside this covered area where experts are painstakingly restoring the terraced houses from the city's glory days.

It was fun to walk around the city knowing that the great Apostle Paul had walked the same streets.

Celsus Library - the intricately detailed stone work and sheer scale of this facade gave us a glimpse of how grand the city had been.

Another night and yet another fantastic camping spot. Even in mid-October, the sea was still warm enough for us hardened Kiwis to go for a quick dip in, which we did earlier this day.

We started making our way East and stopped off at Pammukale, home of these amazing white rock hills and thermal pools. We don't actually know much about them so if you're interested you should Google it (and write back and fill us in) =)

The water was really warm, which may have been more welcome had it not been a scorching afternoon.

As we continued to head through Central Turkey we enjoyed increasingly spectacular scenery. Large, dramatic hills bordered great plains like this one, a patchwork of life and colour amid their more desolate surrounds.

What would attract so many men to this town square? Lively games of Backgammon!

For rural Turks this is the versatile goods-truck-cum-people-carrier.  The top speed is modest but the MPG would be a dream!

And if you don't own one of those, there's a high chance it's one of these!

We walked past a local barber shop, and Phil seized the opportunity to get a spruce up, which included (at no extra cost) getting his ear hair burnt off!

With communication limited to gestures, the result turned out quite alright!

After 5 nights straight camping, we indulged in a night at an apartment hotel in Konya.  Unfortunately the apartment didn't include a washing machine (self-service laundrettes haven't made it to Turkey), and our washing bag was bursting.  So after dinner I dutifully washed and rinsed our dirty clothes by hand, and we hung them all around the apartment (mainly on or near heaters).  With careful rotating, to our relief it was all dry by the time of our departure the next day.

One way to try and maximise efficiency in road-transport, but I'm not sure it's the best way...

Our second sight-seeing stop in Central Turkey was the area of Cappodocia, famous for it's ancient and very intriguing rock dwellings.

Phil's cave-man instincts were awakening....   =)

The "fairy chimney" rock houses.  Walking around this area was really like being in another world - a very cool experience...

On the road heading further East, we took a detour off the highway to find lunch at a local village.  It was smaller than we predicted and only had 1 food store, but to our luck was the bargain find of Turkey, if not the entire trip!  There's only 1 thing on the menu at this place - Kebab!  For a grand total of 5 TL (about €1.50), we had a kebab and yoghurt drink each; The kebabs were massive and delicious!

This is the friendly store owner, who welcomed us in and ushered us into the back - lucky, as we wouldn't have found it otherwise!

After lunch we went for a quick walk around the village, and bumped into a few of the friendly locals.

The humble Fergie tractor.  Massey Ferguson must have made a fortune in Turkey - these hard-working little tractors abound in their thousands, if not tens of thousands, right across the country.

We continued to enjoy superb scenery as we drove across Turkey.  It has really been a very memorable experience.

Beautiful mountains + Autumn colours + excellent road = A great day!

An apricot tree covered hill; The prime produce of this region.

Our final wild-camping spot for Turkey.  This one makes the name "wild camping" very apt.

It's a hard life....!  (Well, we're enjoying it while we can, but we know it can't last)

Chai!  In Central and Eastern Turkey, it is customary and very common to be given free chai (tea) in many different places, including when filling up!  It made for two happy customers

On our final night in Turkey, being served Turkish pizza and soup by some very friendly Couchsurfing hosts, to be followed by a delicious meat and rice dish.