Ephesus & Pamukkale

Today I was bright eyed and bushy tailed while everyone else was feeling absolutely rubbish! To start the day we headed to the ancient Greek city of Ephesus (which later became a Roman City). 

The city was famed for the Temple of Artemis (completed around 550 BC), one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World - no need to guess why - I thought it didn’t get better than the ruins of Pergamum but I was happily mistaken - I can’t even describe how breath taking this place was, walking around what was once and actual city that the ancient Greeks and Romans walked through thousands of years ago - how do you comprehend it? Its one of the biggest must-sees of the tour thats for sure! You’ll see in one of the photos above what they used to use for toilets - not alot of privacy! It was 28 degrees when we were walking through here so an ice cream was needed before we boarded the bus to continue on our way to Pamukkale!

On the way, we stopped at a leather good factory where they put on a mini fashion show - out of everyone I got pulled up, taken back stage, dressed in a leather coat and sunnies and made to walk down the runway... was all good fun though! Then we stopped at an incredible carpet making company - the workmanship that goes into one carpet was remarkable. It can take 9 months to make just one square meter of carpet by hand and we got to see such talented women creating a piece of carpet each, one knot at a time. Of course I was in my element photographing every piece of carpet  - the designs were so inspiring! Then we all got given apple tea and they rolled out carpet upon carpet for us to see. The building was huge and as you walk down the corridor there is room after room after room each with an individual business selling carpet - it was really something else! Everywhere you go in Turkey there seems to be carpet especially at markets like the Grand Bazaar - being a tourist I’m not sure how we are meant to buy it and carry it through customs!!

To finish the day we headed to Pamukkale which is famous for its unique cascades of natural mineral rich pools - it was so beautiful. When I saw this on the brochure before booking I thought it was snow! Its an incredible mountain like area of white rock and the water is so fresh, clear and warm. It went down layer by layer - everyone has to take there shoes off before stepping onto it so you have to be careful walking barefoot down the layers and in the water but wow it was so cool!!! Highly recommend! We then headed to our hotel where there were hot thermal pools and all chilled out and relaxed. I was out like a light that night and didn’t wake up till 6am when we had to get up and get ready for our 11 hour bus ride back to Istanbul which actually went quite quickly as we were watching movies and sleeping most of the way. An ice cream fight with one of the Aussie boys at lunch ended with me in a puddle of water and mud so I spent the last half of the bus trip soaked and I had to sing again for being last on the bus which wasn't fair! I survived though - thanks to my fair share of experiences growing up with an older brother - having my clothes ruined by mud and sitting in dampness for a few hours wasn't the worst thing that I have had to endure in my lifetime! Love you Greig!

Roman Pergamum

 

 

 

 

The Roman ruins of Pergamum were so amazing!!! WOW! I love ancient ruins, walking around them and imagining who walked before you on the exact same path. The craftsmanship and labour that went behind these ancient structures are just remarkable. I was never really interested in history at school, everything was always art and design (still is really!) but after the past year I have such a keen interest in history - I find it all so fascinating! We got a gondola up to the top of the hill, reminded me of going up to the gondolas in Rotorua, and had a wonder around for an hour or so all while our tour leader was telling us the stories behind the ruins. Rege used to be a history teacher and speaks great English so we all really enjoyed learning from him - he must have told the history of this place so many times but he re-tells it with such pride that this all took place in his country. I had no idea Turkey contains so much history from the Roman empire...

We arrived at our hotel which was a bit of a down-grade from the last few but still better than a hostel! That night was 'the big night out' but considering the state I was in from the previous night I just had a sober dancing night out! Randomly we went to an Irish Bar... in Turkey? Yes... whats more there was a tattoo parlour right next door. What happens when a bunch of Aussies get drunk next to a tattoo parlour?? Note how I said Aussies and not Kiwis haha! A handful got tattoos, including a 6 inch Tinkerbell sitting on a lotus flower... my oh my...

My Birthday!

 

 

 

At dinner after we arrived at the hotel from Gallipoli, Logan and I were surprised by an amazing and delicious Turkish cake that our tour guide had organised for us!! It was so thoughtful and sweet and really made my day. There was a group of 8 or so that were adamant on celebrating into the night even though they were exhausted from the last few days which I thought was really neat especially since we only really just met everyone! After a few bottles of Raki and Vodka I woke up minus my camera, shoes and sunnies. This is a sign of a fantastic birthday!!! After running around the hotel for an hour or so I finally found all my belongings and clambered onto the bus - needless to say I wasn't feeling the best....! It was my first birthday away from home and it was one to remember, especially because of the experience at the Anzac service.

I was surprised at work when I returned the following Monday with a gorgeous cake and cookbook! I was rummaging in the cupboard for a book and somehow two offices of people managed to sneak up behind me and start singing happy birthday - I got the fright of my life!! I can't believe I am doing another birthday update on this blog - feels like it was not that long ago since I posted about my 25th combined with my farewell - time flies! I can't believe I am 26 years old - each year I feel more carefree and fun even though I have more responsibility in terms of looking after myself etc but I'm free to do whatever I please and I'm so excited for the next year!!!

Gallipoli, Turkey

 

This morning we were up early and away heading to the WW1 battlefields on the Gallipoli Peninsular. We stopped off for a BBQ lunch on the way then continued on to the site. We parked up in a long queue of buses where we had to wait for a few hours in line before getting into the service area - you have to go through a security check like you would at the airport. So we left our stuff in a heap and wondered over the small hill to a beautiful beach - it was a site I will always remember with a big smile - hundreds of Aussies and Kiwis standing on the bank in awe of the sandy beach before us and almost simultaneously everyone took off their shoes and ran onto the beach, splashing in the water, chucking a rugby ball around (who packs a rugby ball fro Anzac day? Of course our culture does!) and on top of this Logan and I bumped into another friend form uni!!!! Pretty crazy, we also saw Sarah and Christian again (they were on a different bus) so we all got to sit together in the stands for the service. My favourite thing about travelling is the fact that you can meet perfect strangers from NZ and Aus and just bond immediately - Sarah and I were sitting together all night, arms around each other keeping warm and chatting away to everyone like we had been friends for years - were all away from home and you can't help but feel homesick when you are surrounded by Aussies and Kiwis and watching documentaries all night on these young, innocent lads that lost their lives in such an unnecessary, pointless war. We saw letters written to loved ones, re-enactments of families being told their sons weren't coming home and when your away from home yourself its even harder - it was one of the best experiences of my life though and we all supported each other - we were just so proud to be there representing our countries and paying respects to all the brave men that perished on the very hill we were sitting on - and the ones that survived. Anyone who survived the horrific circumstances of that war would never be the same again.

I was one of the only ones from my bus that stayed awake the entire night. I thought, how often do you get a chance to come to Gallipoli for Anzac day? Its a once in a lifetime event and I didn't want to miss a minute of it. I got to see the sunrise on my birthday, in Gallipoli and its something I will never ever forget. After 12 hours the dawn service commenced and it was really something to see. When it finished we began our 6.2km walk up hill (even at 7am the day was really warming up so we had to stop a few times to remove all our layers!) to where the Kiwi service was being held and again this was something special. We got to sing our national anthem twice in one morning and it meant so much for me to be able to do this. I'm so glad that I did Gallipoli this year - last year I wouldn't have appreciated being surrounded by my fellow Kiwis and Aussies - we are truly such a unique group of people and really come together to support each other no matter where we are in the world.

After the service there is up to a 4 hour wait for the bus to come but somehow our cheeky tour leader managed to arrive in under an hour after the service! We were all exhausted so got on the bus and headed off to Ayvalik where you would think we would have an early night - but since it was mine and Logans birthday it didn't quite turn out that way!!

Anzac Day in Gallipoli was definitely the highlight of my trip. Every single Kiwi and Aussie should experience this remarkable service and pay their respects at least once in their lives. I feel its something I will go back and do again when I am older. I had no idea of the true story behind Anzac Day and over 120,000 soldiers lost their lives. One out of every three that came off the boats on arrival were instantly shot dead and the next 8 months were spent in trenches through the coldest winters and hottest summers - they advanced just 200 meters up the hill in 8 months. We watched a documentary on the bus a few days later and the exact details and actual photos from the event will never leave my memory. Over the past year I have seen such disturbing imagery and learnt of some the most inhumane events that have occurred throughout history - as well as visiting the sites where they all actually happened - but I have made myself watch and learn because if human beings just like you and I actually went through these unthinkable times the least we can do is learn about what happened and help ensure that it never happens again.

Istanbul, Turkey

 

 

 

 

  

Logan and I finally arrived at the hotel at 4pm Turkish time - we had been up since 4am in the morning so it had been a long day! We decided to head into the Old City area which is fully of yum restaurants and cool shops. We had a traditional Turkish dinner and a wee wonder (I had to find a sweet shop mmmm the Turkish delight in Turkey is SO different to western Turkish delight - its delicious!) before heading back to the hotel for a good sleep. We had all of Sunday free so wanted to explore the city so we hopped on the free hotel transfer van at 10am where we met and Aussie brother and sister, Christian and Sarah and a fellow Kiwi, Rob, so we all decided to stick together and explore the city for the day - Rob said he knew we were Kiwi from me looking at our travel book and saying, 'This is mean bro!' haha!

We spent the next 6 hours together walking around, over the bridge into 'New City' which was full of all the modern shops you get in London which I found bizarre, I really didn't expect anywhere like this in Turkey! We had a traditional Turkish coffee which is the same size as Italian coffee shots but really thick and black - wow! What a hit! We saw so much walking around and went into the 6th Century Hagia Sophia as we saw on the itinery that it wouldn't be open the following day when we would be doing the city tour with our tour group. I had to wear a skirt and scarf provided to go in and you have to take your shoes off. It was so beautiful inside - simply stunning!

That night we got back late so we missed our induction meeting but had a few drinks with everyone in the bar then headed to bed.

On the Monday we had our first outing with our group and tour guide :

'Today we enjoy a guided tour of the old city, taking in the stunning Iznik tiled Blue Mosque, Hippodrome area, the Topkapi Palace and more. This afternoon, we take a relaxing cruise on a Bosphorus Strait. You'll see waterside palaces framed by a modern city skyline dotted with expansive domed mosques and towering minarets of traditional Ottoman style. Later you can opt to explore the mammoth Grand Bazaar and exotic Egyptian Spice Market.'

That night we went out and had dinner on a roof top restaurant  - so much food I couldn't eat it all! A few people went out that night but I wanted a really good sleep cause we were heading to Gallipoli the next day and I knew we wouldn't be getting much sleep the next night!

Turkey - An Overview

 

 

 

 

My week in Turkey was one of the best weeks of my life! We had an amazing group of Kiwis and Aussies on the bus as well as a fantastic tour guide - it was amazing to be around my fellow Kiwis again! Logan and I were up at 4am on Saturday 21st April and headed to Heathrow airport. Our flight was delayed and hour and delayed landing an hour then had to wait another hour to get through customs - no one seemed to queue up at this airport! If your a New Zealander you can enter Turkey for free - every other country has to pay a £10 visa fee. Even though we arrived a day early we got our free hotel transfer through On The Go Tours so we were stoked!! The whole week we stayed at 4 star hotels (some nicer than others!), all of the locals were really nice and friendly and I felt very safe. Before I left I had this image of Turkey in my head of dusty roads, run down houses and men that wouldn't be that pleasant towards women but I found my trip to be the exact opposite. In saying that we were in very touristy areas and on a bus tour plus I was with Logan and a few other guys for the first few days so I wasn't exactly a single women walking around myself. There is so much incredible history in Turkey - I really had no idea especially with the ancient Roman ruins. The markets are really something else - they are SO huge and you need a few days to see everything, its very busy and crowded but not as bad as a market in London! If I had come straight from New Zealand I would have felt a bit overwhelmed but Im just so used to busy bustling cities now I almost get a buzz off of it! It does get a bit annoying with everyone you walk past saying 'Hey lady, hey pretty women where you from? Aussie Aussie Aussie... like constantly. The funniest one was when someone asked if I was from Australia and I said no but your close and he replied, 'Ah! Canada!'

Coming from London everything was pretty cheap for us - you could get a really yum huge dinner on the roof of a restaurant looking out over the ocean for 15-20 lira which is around £7 (you pay that for an entree in London!) coming from NZ I would say everything is the same price as home so a $15 dinner would be a 15 lira dinner in Turkey so its better to go over with pounds as its pretty much 3-1. When your at the famous sites and someone takes a photo of you (the ones you can pick up at the end) you will pay 5 lira (£2) - if you want a touristy photo like that in London you would pay £20 easy. There is so much to see and do especially in Istanbul and the culture and tradition in Turkey is so unique I just can't say how much I loved the place - I am definitely looking into checking out the rest of Turkey now!

The toilets are pretty interesting - all places we went had a western toilet option but there are more of the traditional Turkey ones (see photo!) 

If you want to go into any of the Mosques then you have to be covered up - you can't have your knees or shoulders showing either but they have scarves and skirts on site for you to put on before you enter. So many Turkish speak fluent English or at least enough to communicate so that was helpful as well - again its good try and learn a few Turkish words.

Food and drink was plentiful and delicious! I had absolutely no problems eating there even though I can't eat wheat - lots of meat and fish, rice, potatoes, salads etc even their cakes are made with rice flours so the whole week I had no issues whatsoever. We mainly had buffets especially at the hotels and you do get a bit over them but its food so you just eat what your given! No one got sick and everything was really clean - we did eat a few dodgy places at the end of the trip so if your going to more authentic areas of Turkey I'd say the food wouldn't be as good as the touristy places.

Weather - HOT! When the girls went last year it averaged 16 degrees and was freezing on their Anzac night but we had weather up to 28 degrees!!!! I was melting especially since I had packed for cooler weather! But I'm not going to complain - it was soooo nice to feel proper heat again and get a bit of colour! Back to being just white and not transparent white haha! The night in the stands (outdoors) waiting for the dawn service was fine as well I didn't even end up sitting in my sleeping bag just had it over my legs but I was wearing a few layers of thermals and my amazing Kathmandu jacket - I got it for sale for £75 and they usually retail at £150 ($300) but its the best jacket I have ever bought, its so light yet so toasty warm - I wear it all the time!

Overall, what's the best advice I can offer on Turkey?? BOOK YOUR TICKETS AND GO!!

One Year in the UK!!!

I started writing this entry a while ago and kept working on it bit by bit as this year has by far been the biggest of my life and I found myself wondering on the way to work one day how I would actually summarise it all in one post. I made a photo montage for this post with some of my favourite memories from the last 12 months - so many happy memories!

I want to start by saying a huge thank you to everyone that has supported me over the past year - especially my Mum and Dad, my UK foster parents - my Uncle Rob and Auntie Sara and my cousin Graham and his wife Sarah - who have all given me more love and support than I could have ever asked for. I have so many amazing memories from the past year and staying with Rob & Sara and Graham, Sarah and Jacob in my first few months are among my favourite.

I've been able to reunite with my entire family - some 50+ members - and meet all my darling wee second cousins - and for the first time in my adult life I was surrounded by more than a handful of family members and its something that the majority of people grow up with and I didn't because we moved to New Zealand when I was 7. Growing up in NZ, people asked me if I wished we had stayed in England and my answer was a quick, un-thought of - no. I love NZ, growing up in the sun, on the beach, going on road trips etc ask me the same question a year later and I hesitate while I think about it as I do find myself wondering - would it have been better to stay in England and grow up with my family? I still feel in my heart that New Zealand was the right decision for my parents to make, if I had grown up here I may not have appreciated my family as much as I do now. I see the lifestyle here and I see the lifestyle in New Zealand and its a tricky one - your on the doorstep to Europe here and career wise there is a lot more opportunity in the UK but you don't get the all-year-round outdoor lifestyle that NZ provides. Knowing that I would always have a family of my own in NZ or Australia finally answers this life long question I have often asked myself.

Its been a year full of excitement, incredible experiences, travel, friendship, fear, worry (especially over money - this is NOT a cheap venture!!!!) tears, sacrifice, ambition, achievement - the list goes on. I have been to a total of 18 countries in one year (I know, crazy!) I will be heading back to France for work this year as well as a trip somewhere in October and possibly a warm escape to some exotic country over Xmas/NY! Next year I have Egypt, Italy, Greece and Croatia on the agenda as well as the two work trips to Paris and family visits to Scotland.

When I look back to day one of my blog all the way to this entry now I am really proud of myself and everything I have achieved - I feel like I'm reading about someone else life sometimes! I left NZ quite shy and naive about the big world I was about to enter, but at 25 I was more than ready and the shy girl is long left behind. I would have never, ever done a tour by myself this time last year - I was so nervous to meet and talk to new people and got quite overwhelmed by the concept of it all. But now I've gone from, 'Oh no, I have meet new people' to 'WOOP WOOP I GET TO MEET NEW PEOPLE!!!!' I love nothing more than meeting fellow travellers, especially Kiwi's and Aussies as you have so much in common and are on the exact same page in life. I do feel I have changed - I am definitely the same person I have always been in many respects but after everything I have seen and experienced in the past 12 months you can't expect to be the exact same person. In NZ I had so much 'stuff' - I had 3 wardrobes at my parents house full of clothes, handbags and shoes. I know, its a bit embarrassing now I think about it. Now I have one nice bag, a few pairs of going out shoes and a wobbly free standing wardrobe with a few going out clothes - and still I'm the happiest I've ever been. In general I'm just more fulfilled over here and feel that I am living the life I was always meant to live. Working in my dream job, traveling the world, hanging out with my extended family and living the busy exciting London life - living the dream. Not one day goes by where I don't think of my Mum, Dad and brother and how much I would love to see them in person, even just for an hour. Out of the entire year this has by far been the most challenging - before this adventure I had been away from them for 2 weeks max in 25 years - its now been 1 year and feels like a break up that you never heal from. As Dori from Finding Nemo sings: Just keeping swimming, just keeping swimming, just keep swimming swimming swimming.... 

On the whole, I can happily and wholeheartedly say that it was the best decision I have ever made in my life. I look forward to keeping you all updated over the coming year and please remember that you can leave your own comments now as well! How fun!

Thanks again for all of the love and support xx