While on the plane out of Istanbul I was trying to sleep and it wasnt working so after I had exhausted my choices of on board movies…. Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and The Good Year, I amused myself by writing some notes about my favourite memories of Turkey. This probably wont interest anyone else so tune out if you want.

. The donkey ride up Mt Nemrut… I really thought me and the little burrow were going over the edge at various points – it was an adventure.

. Going for a hamman in Antalya with the Turkish equivalent of Brunhilda! Being scraped down and scrubbed to within an inch of my life… and a couple of weeks of soft days afterwards!

. Hot air ballooning over Capadokya – sucha an amazing place and a unique experience – I can cross that off my list of things to do before I die!

. Nick’s sunglasses being lost at the internet cafe and actually getting them back when we went back the next day to see if they had been turned in!

. Addie ordering a mexican platter in Canakkale and getting a plate with Doritos around the edge and some diced cucumber and tomato, some yoghurt dip and some grilled green chilli on the plate… I will have to get her to send me a copy of the photo she took!

. Watching the sunset over the Gallipoli Penninsula from my Canakkale hotel room…. with a bottle of pommegrante wine and some good friends.

 . Carpet shopping at Tribal Collections in Capadokya with Ruth… was so informative and fun. And even though Nick was falling asleep he didnt get in trouble!  Hmm wonder why 😉

. Finding a saucy note from Yale in my phrase book. Ooer as he would say!!! Bet he doesnt even remember writing it!!!

. Addie’s jewellery diet… which is a diet where you go without food so you can afford to buy more jewellery … might work for me back home actually!

. Having to go through metal detectors to go into the cinema…. and the intermission in the middle of the film so you can go out for a smoke.

. Nicks carbonara pasta at Gallipoli… spaghetti with evaporated milk and tinned mushrooms and luncheon meat on it!

. Being forced to use the worst toilet in Turkey at the internets in Silifke… imagine a turkish toilet that is being kept clean and habitable by teenage turkish boy geek types. Thought I was going to throw up!

. Trolling for jewellery in Kas looking through all the unusual handmade stuff and hanging out with the shop keepers who werent pushy here. The goods are so unique you either love it or not – no point in harrassing the patrons.

. Polite ATM machines in Turkey … you put your card in and they say ‘hello Ms borysSNORC – how can we be of assistance?’  Gotta love that.

.   Strange ice cream confections – particularly love the Ulker Golf icecream which tastes like a Bounty ice block 🙂  Thank God they were hard to find or we might have consumed heaps of them its so hot!  Equally hard to find was the sickly sweet pink Star Lolly!  (shudder)

. Signs in shops that say ‘SORRY WE ARE OPEN’…. which i gather is loosely meant to be ‘Excuse me, we are open’. Excuse me by way of getting your attention that is… cute.

. Being so exhausted on the overnight train to Ankara that we were getting rained on in our sleep and no one noticed.

.   Shopping for pashmina… in the Grand Bazaar.  And the Egyptian Spice Bazaar.. and in Goreme.. and in Antalya.. and in Fethiye.. and in Selcuk… and in Gallipoli… and in Sirceki… and ummm…. well everywhere really!

. Having a dinner debate about how the conservative Turks can abide the very sexual belly dancing thing and claim it as an iconic turkish thing??? Doesnt makes sense – about as much sense as being able to buy gstrings in the supermarket but 45% of Turks think it’s okay to beat your wife?!??

. Talking to Angel, MrK and Yale by video conference from the internet cafe… beautiful to see family when they are so far away. Not being able to look at the Youtube clip while there were people around! 😀

.   Trying all the strange fruit wines in Sirince (pronounced Ser-in-jay) pommegranate, kiwi fruit, apricot, peach, lemon, cherry, black berry, strawberry… you name it.

. Taking my first walk without Nick in the Ankara Otogar and being unable to walk 6 pace together without some overly enthusiastic and outgoing Turkish man coming up and wanting to talk to me. Nick was a great anti-Turk device for me!

. Watching a thunderstorm roll in over the mountains at Nemrut Dagi.. the clouds looked like they were on a slow boil and when the rain finally came it was huge fat raindrops and quite the lighting show. Almost made up for the fact that our room smelled like raw sewerage and mothballs.

. Being constantly asked if we tried the yoghurt in Silifke when we mentioned to anyone that we had been there…. didn’t know Silifke was famous for it’s yoghurt until after we left! 🙂

. Finding out that the scar on Bob’s back wasn’t a terrible skin cancer thing, but rather that he had been shot ‘I was a bit of a lad when I was younger’. Likewise finding out that Bonnie was a military cook and has an FBI file but wont say what for… you just dont know who you’re travelling with really 🙂

.   Walking around a modern city like Antalya and rounding a corner and suddenly… Hadrians Gate!  That is just something that is so totally cool and so never experienced back home i Australia.

. Jimmy the arrogant Turk dropping ‘Your’re terrible Muriel’ into a converstaion and the Kiwi and Aussies at the table absolutely losing it while the Yanks looked on bemused….. not the thing you expect to hear come out of a stange little fat Turkish man over dinner! 🙂

. My blog being constantly blocked at the internet cafe by the anti-porn software!!!! LOL!!!! 😛

Turkey was heaps of fun and I am so glad we went.  Nick was great to travel with too which is always a bonus  🙂  Would definitely have Nick the Travel Buddy again!  Where to next Nick???   South America?