Ephesus, Turkey

Hotel Bella....friendliest hotel we've been in! The hotel is full of Turkish antiques, rugs, ceramics..beautiful. They drove us everywhere we wanted to go, and helped plan our days.
The view from the rooftop patio...where we ate many of our meals, lounged around and smoked the water pipe! (Apple flavor!)
View of the storks nest and the hilltop citadel. The storks fly from Africa in the Spring, lay their eggs and fly back with the kids in the Fall. This nest has five youngsters that were just learning how to fly. Mom and Dad still do all the hunting. Mom brings back the water, and Dad the fish. We watched them feed...very entertaining while drinking a glass of wine or eating dinner!
We drove out to the tiny village of Sirince passing grapevines, peach and apple orchards. We were charmed! We tasted their famous fruit wines....peach, apricot, blueberry, melon, raspberry, cherry...all served in little shot glasses!
The streets are narrow and cobbled. At one point I was standing next to a pile of rubble that "whined", out popped three of the most adorable stray puppies. We met momma later and gave her many well deserved pats. Would have given her a steak dinner if I had one!
The stone and stucco houses with red roofs. We had a delicious lunch with white beans, stuffed pumpkin flowers, yogurt with cucumber and mint, and dolmasi (stuffed vine leaves).
The next morning we got up early to beat the heat and headed to the famed Ephesus, the best preserved classical city in the easter Mediterranean. It was a great trading city and a centre for the cult of Cybele, the Anatolian fertility goddess.
We passed gymnasiums, churches, baths, a great theatre, marketplace, fountains, temples, and numerous gates.
The most interesting part was the "Terraced Houses." They have been covered by a huge "tent" so that workers can continue to excavate. They are literally piecing together a giant puzzle.
Beautiful frescoes cover the walls and elaborate mosaics cover the floors. These were wealthy people!
The Library of Celsus. It held 12,000 scrolls in niches around its walls. A 1m gap between the inner and outer walls protected the valuable books.
That evening we went across the street from our hotel to the Basilica of St John. St John is said to have come to Ephesus twice, once with the Virgin Mary and towards the end of his life when he wrote his gospel. It was a heap of rubble and has now been restored...as well as a heap of rubble can be! We are "ruined" out..now off to the resort town of Bodrum.

Istanbul, Turkey

The view from our hotel window. We are steps away from all the big sights…Blue Mosque, Aya Sofya and the Topkapi Palace. Istanbul is a maze of cobbled streets. They drive like maniacs…so you best be quick on your feet! We walked past food carts selling roasted corn cobs, chestnuts, simit (sesame-encrusted bread ring) and fresh fruits. The touts do their best to talk you into their establishments.. “Turn left here!” “You cannot refuse me!” We quickly learned which streets to avoid!

The Grand Bazaar. You could spend days wandering around these halls! There are over 4000 shops selling carpets, belly-dancing costumes, copperware, leather goods, fabric, gold, silver jewelry, antiques, colorful lamps, musical instruments…and much more!

We took a ferry down the Bosphorus strait. I would have more pictures…but my foggy, jet lagged brain allowed me to delete them all that night. Yes…argh. The Bosphorous runs from the Sea of Marmara to the Black Sea. One shore is Europe and the other shore is Asia. We passed amazing palaces, yachts, mosques, palatial residences and fish restaurants.

The next morning we headed over to the Blue Mosque. There are numerous mosques in Istanbul (which makes for an incredible skyline) but this is one of the most famous. The courtyard is the biggest of any Ottoman mosque.

The interior has 260 windows, and the central prayer space is huge. I had brought a shoulder wrap and a skirt that covered my knees, but still had to add a wrap that reached the floor. A head covering was not required.

Aya Sofya…”church of the divine wisdom” which is across from the Blue Mosque.

The streets surrounding the Grand Bazaar. A crush of different cultures…Greeks, Europeans, Muslims in full burka’s…we just enjoyed walking around.

The Spice Bazaar…you could smell it before even entering! Spices, nuts, honey-comb, olive-oil soaps, figs, Turkish delight….heaven!

We ventured into the cool depths of the Basilica Cistern in the afternoon. The cistern lays beneath one of the great squares, and was used to store water for the Great Palace. It was forgotten until 1545 when locals discovered they could miraculously obtain water by lowering buckets in their basement floors! As you walk through water drips from the vaulted ceiling..and you can see ghostly carp swimming by....
Our last night we took a train and tram to Beyoglu...the neighborhood was strung with lights and full of action! We had an incredible dinner...eggplant meze, sea bass wrapped in chard, spicy meatballs, etc. We then found a rooftop bar with views of the city. Now on to the remains of a Roman city in Ephesus!

Perhentian Islands, Malaysia

To get to the Perhentian Islands we had to take two planes, a taxi and a boat. All in all a very long travel day. The islands are very Muslim..thus alcohol would be difficult to find. Before getting on the boat we asked where in town we could find a liquor store. We were told “Chinatown.” After wandering Chinatown in the heat with all our luggage, we asked again, and were told the “Chinese pharmacy.” The shop owner scrounged around and found us a bottle of gin and a bottle of whiskey! Success!

We arrived at Bayu Dive Resort…we each had little bungalows that reminded me of camp. Even had gingham bedspreads. We sat out on our porches, had cocktails and watched "gecko vs. bug" each night. Reminded me very much of the Cook Islands!

It was a fairly quiet beach…white sand, turquoise waters. Tide went way out at night so all the boats were grounded. Bats swooped down on us each night at dusk...and the stars were very bright!

Our first day we decided to take the “Jungle Track” over to the other side. We hiked for about 30 minutes to a beautiful beach, and spent the afternoon snorkeling and having lunch. We saw a huge variety of fish…and even saw a shark!

On the jungle hike the tree’s started rattling and we saw a group of monkeys. A few had ginger colored babies with them. We also saw giant ants, frogs, and monitor lizards.

The Monitor lizards got bigger every time we saw one. This one was HUGE. It was like the troll hiding under the bridge. He kept flicking his tongue at us…and giving us the eye. Yikes. We watched him until he disappeared into a huge sewer pipe. We watched our step from then on.

The next morning we went diving/snorkeling with our resort. Malaysia is a beautiful place to dive...we may have to come back someday.

Our last night we did another jungle trek across to a different beach. Much steeper and the trail was covered in vines. We felt very Indiana Jones! Had a nice dinner...and real cocktails! Pina Colada's and Margarita's....Jeff and Sarah head back home to Portland...and we now head to Turkey! We are ready to move on to something new!

Singapore

We only had one day in Singapore…and boy did we fill it up! Started with the Singapore “Flyer”….very much like the “Eye” in London. A huge “observation wheel” that turns slowly, allowing you to see the entire city from up in the sky.

The city is beautiful! Very clean compared to the cities we have been in. Lot’s of parks and manicured gardens. They are preparing to host the Youth Olympics as well as a Formula One Race downtown.

After the Flyer we got on a “Hop on Hop off” bus and toured the city. We had seen this building from the Flyer. It is three 55-storey hotels that includes a casino and a huge rooftop garden. Very impressive to look at!

Singapore is known for its shopping districts. I have never seen so many malls in my life! Too bad none of us like to shop. We walked through them to cool down (air con!) and ate lunch in what would be considered a “food court” in the U.S. The Asian “food court” is amazing….not exactly the Orange Julius, Long John Silvers, or Happy Panda we have to suffer through back home.

We went to the Raffles “Long Bar” where the Singapore Sling was first created. We spent $30….yes….$30 PER Singapore Sling. Our quote was “when in Rome”…us and all the other tourists filling the bar!

We were also told we had to do the Singapore Night Safari. We were unable to take pictures of the animals because the camera flash spooks them. Unfortunately, that didn't stop all the other ignorant tourists from using their flashes. We saw a huge variety of animals- Rhino, tigers, lions, leopard, tapir, ant eaters, zebra, giraffe, etc.

We had a late dinner at "No Signboard Seafood." The restaurant started as a small stall at a market. It did not have a signboard...thus got it's name. It was delicious...we had black pepper crab, scallops, seafood fried rice, and a clay pot beancurd dish.


Hotels in Singapore are incredibly expensive. Budget is considered less than $100/night. We found a place for $45/night....the reason for the price? It is in the red light district. You wouldn't even know during the day. We did notice that the mattress had a plastic cover on it...and they did have an hourly rate...We took a walk after dinner and watched Dean and Jeff get whistled at. Our street was lined with brothels...they did not have doors on them...just little walls to cover the entrance. It was entertaining to say the least. Off to the islands for some R&R!!!

Kuching, Malaysia

We arrived in Kuching, Malaysia for the World Interhash. This is the view from our hotel window. Kuching is a small riverfront town surrounded by jungle. We were woken each morning at 5am to the Muslim “call to prayer.” The town is much like Kuala Lumpar in that it is a blend of Indian, Chinese and Malay cultures.

We arrived just in time to do the Red Dress Run. Men and women alike wear red dresses. This event is run all over the world and proceeds go to charity. Moments after taking this picture a curtain of rain came across the field…and it poured for the next hour. We ran a 5K through the middle of town dripping wet with water up to our ankles! The locals got a good laugh!

The next day we headed to an orangutan sanctuary. These monkeys were rescued and are going through rehabilitation. At some point they would be put back into the wild. Currently they are free…no fences….They are fed bananas, coconuts and other fruits to supplement their diets AND to allow the tourists to view them. This orangutan wanted to see how many bananas she could fit in her mouth!

There were two tiny babies. This one was playing with a plastic water bottle. Just like human babies with pots and pans...it doesn't take much to entertain them!

This was the “cranky” momma…her baby is clinging to her. She decided to move over to the other feeding station. The handlers were telling the tourists to get OUT of the way…and quick. Our friend Michael is the one in the yellow shirt front and center that cranky momma is giving the eye to.

Interhash! Free beer, transportation (that got us lost every time), dinner buffets, nightly entertainment (dancing, music), three porta-potties for EACH sex (yes…six total)…all for 5000 people. Yes…it was a mass chaos. We are just happy to be with good friends and getting some great runs in.

We had a traditional breakfast of Laksa…called the “Borneo breakfast.” It is a bowl of noodles with a coconut gravy, shrimp, chicken, bean sprouts, lime, and cilantro on top. Delicious! Oh, and by the way…I am happy to report that our stomachs have adapted. We are the only tourists not popping Imodium.

We took a riverboat cruise on our last night in Kuching. Dean and I (after traveling In SE Asia) expected a rickety putt-putt boat. We were pleasantly surprised…nice boat, cold beer, and traditional dancing.

I just like this picture….the bride and groom look so out of place! Rickety bridge and fishing boat...hmmmm. On to a whirlwind tour of Singapore!