Turkey was immensely enjoyable. I loved the people, the landscapes, the culture and the food. I will treasure my time there for years to come. Though I was there for just over 3 weeks, I could easily spend another few months, as there was so much more to do and see that I barely touched on. So, rather than feeling like I’ve seen enough of Turkey, I feel just like I was at the beginning of my discovery.
From the apricot centre of Malatya, to the sweeping horizons of Mardin. From Adana to Ankara, Istanbul to Erzurum. Each town or city had its own identity and felt completely unique. Finding a favourite amongst these would be nigh on impossible.
I tried a Hamam at long last in Adana. It was a really enjoyable, thoroughly relaxing experience. I came away feeling completely refreshed with skin feeling tighter. The building itself was typical of the Hamam design. Several domes could be seen from outside, with several tiny, spherical glass windows, which presumably helped heat up the chambers. The walls inside were all white, and the seating was, as with the rest of the interior, made of an opaque-white marble.
Each dome was a different chamber or room. There was the main entrance leading into a room with a huge vat of presumably cold water, then the main chamber, which had more sections surrounding it. In the centre of the main room was a large raised, circular platform where you laid on your back facing the ceiling, feet pointing outwards. On the perimeter of the chamber were several wash bowls, also made of a solid piece of marble, above which were two stylised taps. After you had relaxed yourself and lost half your weight in sweat you washed yourself in these basins, with a plastic bowl.
Australia
My flights started from Istanbul, stopping in Singapore for 4ish hours, then heading on to Sydney.
The flights themselves (my first in maybe 7 or 8 years) weren’t so bad. I had no idea how cramped economy seats could be though! Barely enough room to stretch my legs out on either plane. In comparison trains and most of the buses I’ve been on have a luxurious amount of space. I was impressed by the inflight meals though, and getting free beer on any trip certainly boosts points that little bit higher. Perhaps it’s a different story on the more budget airlines. I used Qantas and Turkish Airlines.
Though I barely slept on either flight (too much entertainment available in the headrests infront) I did catch a few glimpses of a stunning sunrise as we were coming in to land at 5.30am. It was unlittered by buildings, spread out above a vast quilt of cloud. Then I got my first look at the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge which had me grinning with the gradual realisation that I was indeed in Australia.
Once I’d given myself a day or so to recover from the jetlag I really started to enjoy Sydney. My early thoughts, as I was wandering around sluggish and travel-worn, were that the city looked as I’d imagine a big American city would look. With the wide roads, endless skyscrapers that teased the clouds with their height and colourful, brightly lit advertisements. This was certainly an incomparably different place to Turkey - and that was just the beginning.
From the Sydney airport my first priority was to find a place to lay my head down for a few hours.
After I’d taken some cash out from the Airport cashpoint and armed myself with a map containing locations of a bunch of hostels, I took the Airport Link underground train to the centre. Once there, it took longer that I would normally take to decide on a hostel, but I was tired and confused so kept walking in circles for some reason. All part of the fun.
I finally settled on a place named ‘790 on George’ (as in George Street) and paid some AU$80 or so for a three-day stay . I really like the Australian Dollars... they come in bright colours, have a plastic see-through window and are apparently ‘surf-proof’. There’s also a familiar face on the back of the coins and on the $5 notes!
The hostel had 7 floors and a seemingly endless stream of people going in and out. There seemed to be a large proportion of Australians staying there, which when I thought about it made sense, given the size of the country. The other nationalities you are likely to bump into are (in no particular order) English, Irish, Japanese, Malaysian, Chinese and a maybe the odd New Zealander (even though I can’t tell their accents apart yet). I also got talking to a Turkish guy who noticed I was using a Migros (Turkish supermarket) bag.
Once I’d paid and got a handful of bedding I took the lift to my dorm room on the 6th floor. Once there I lay down, shut my eyes and promptly passed out for 7 hours, from 9am to 3pm. When I woke up and checked my watch I was surprised at how much time had gone by, while still feeling immeasurably knackered and like I’d been run over.
I decided to go for a walk and get some air. I even managed to gather my thoughts enough to buy some socks from a little army surplus store - to replace the one's revealing big toe. After I’d eaten and wandered around a bit more I spent the evening doing a whole lot of not very much.
On the third day I was feeling more awake and the jetlag had all but disappeared. I walked across the Harbour Bridge and took some pictures just as it was getting dark. I’d ended up in a residential area, facing the Opera House and the distant skyscrapers – a great sight as night drew in and everything was lit up.
So after three brief days in Sydney I decided to make my way down south...
I went to the train station after I'd checked out of the hostel and hoped to do my tried and tested method of looking at the departures board and going somewhere that sounded cool. On this occasion, there were works going on on the New South Wales lines, so this wasn't going to be how it was.
The gent behind the counter pointed me towards the bus ticket office the floor below and there I purchased a ticket that was valid for 3 months, for as many stops as I'd like between Sydney and Melbourne. The price seemed right so I went for it. It turned out to be perfect timing aswell, as just as I was waiting for my bus, it began pounding with rain outside, bringing the stint of amazing weather to an abrupt end.
I made just two stops along the way, mainly because I was getting tired of actual COLD weather (in Australia?!). I stopped in the town of Nowra, which turned out to be quite quiet and mediocre. Essentially a typical suburban town with a few rows of shops and some small restaurants. I ended up spending the night (the most expensive night I've spent anywhere I have to point out!) in a cosy 3-star bed and breakfast calling itself the White House. It was an incredibly comfortable place, furnished in a traditional style with big old-fashioned furniture and creaky floorboards. It cost me $99 for one night.
My other stop was the more upbeat and picturesque Eden. This place, being bang on the coast had the benefit of a couple of beaches, though still incredibly cold due to winds from the sea. I stayed for two nights in a dorm above a pub, of which I was the only occupant. During the day I walked along the beach and it was good to breath in the fresh air and read amongst the shelter of some rocks.
From Eden I headed straight onto Melbourne, where I have been for maybe 12 days. I will stay here until the 8th November, waiting on a bank card and a Tax File Number (which I will be needing when I start earning) before heading slightly north. I'm enjoying Melbourne and slowly adapting to the Aussie lifestyle, which includes good beer, kangaroo steaks, amazing weather (mostly) and more of a laid-back attitude to life.
In other news, I've booked 28 days in Sydney from the 15th December until the 11th of January 2010. The cost - $915.00.
