Turkish Delights

Cappadocia: Amazing lunar landscapes with strange rock formations and cave cities

We stayed in a cave hostel at Göreme. Kinda reminded me of the town of Bedrock from the Flintstones

Dawn hot air balloon ride over Cappadocia

Kas & Kekova Island: Relaxing at seaside resorts and cruising around on the Mediterranean... it's a hard life

Olympos: We stayed in a village of tree houses - I pretended that I was an Ewok for a few days

Ephesus: More Roman ruins and the tomb of John the Baptist

Temple of Artemis, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. Only a single column remains today.

Troy: There's not much left in Troy apart from this dodgey replica of the Trojan horse. Standing at the ruins of the city looking across the fields to the Mediterranean sea, you can just picture Brad Pitt riding up on his horse in a skirt... cheap thrills!

Gallipoli: The ANZACs landed on these shores on 25 April 1915

Carpets, carpets, carpets everywhere!!! I warn you now, those carpet sellers are good and will eventually have you convinced that you really do need a $1000 carpet. I was spared - only because I don't have that kind of money.

Istanbul: Blue Mosque, Topkapi Palace, and Aya Sofia

Lebanon

Beirut: Monument to the civil war, Bomb site where the Lebanese president Rafik Hariri was recently assasinated, Lebanese bread straight out of the oven

Baalbeck: The gigantic complex of Roman temples with the tallest columns ever erected.

Syria

I just happened to be passing through town, so I thought that I'd just drop by and see how my mate Saddam was doing...

Damascus is the oldest inhabited city in the World, only 5000 years young. Not much to do here apart from checking out the famous mosque and browsing in the souqs (markets). If you're ever in town, give the pistachio ice cream a go - yummo!

Very strange to see such funky outfits at the Damascus markets, considering that it is a strict Muslim society and very rare to see women's faces in public. Personally, I like the fuzzy purple number which doubles as a mobile phone holder.

Look what else I found for sale at the markets - sheesha pipes! It's just like bumping into an old friend.

Crac des Chevaliers was the base of Richard the lion heart. It is one of the best preserved crusader castles. We got a chance to explore all the nooks & crannies and roam around the secret passageways in torch light. There were also the remains of the original round table where the knights used to have their meetings. How cool is this place!

Roman ruins at Palmyra

Walking through the medieval city of Aleppo is like stepping back in time. It's a bustling city within the walls of a citadel with cobble stone passages. Seems as though life here hasn't changed much over the thousands of years - there's blacksmiths hammering away and merchants leading there donkeys laden with wares down the street. The massive souqs here sell everything from antiques and spices to fresh camel heads.

We made spaghetti bolognese with mince purchased from the souq. The sauce tasted suspiciously gamey. My guess is that it wasn't beef mince...

Still a happy camper! As you can see, we ate very well - apart from that episode with the dodgey mince meat.