Travels in Turkey

Linda Stewart

When English friends (S & T) invited us to holiday with them in Turkey we recognised it as an opportunity of a lifetime?

Previous jaunts had been conservative forays into comfortable cultures, the ones where they speak English, the food not too out there (no eye balls) and squatting is the pose of choice for well, anything other than you know what.  It did not take much research to discover  we were in for a travel experience beyond our preconceptions of ‘normal’.

Nights spent flipping the pages of The Lonely Planet provided the how to information: where to stay, tips on tipping, how much to pay,  the low down on shopping (haggle, haggle, haggle).   The MOTH, with the patience of Job (hangs in there for the long distance) assumed the role of travel planner – endless research and bookmarking websites, while I assumed the role of appreciative sounding board (short distance contender, no patience).  What Lonely Planet did not prepare us for were our reactions to just about everything we encountered from the time we stepped off the aeroplane.

S & T’s home is in the coastal town of Fethiye, on the Turquoise Coast, rich in a culture melding the old and new in such harmony that moving between the two is a seamless experience.

Fishing Town of Fethiye

When we returned from the wonderful experiences I put together a scrapbook which has been pulled out infrequently to relive the ventures.  However, the digital photos begged to be enjoyed once more and with the journal entries from which to draw I’ve put together a few posts of our time backpacking in Turkey.

It is hard to think of a country so vibrant and diverse.  Next time – a day in Fethiye.