23.04.2012
The traffic in Istanbul is insane, people must be killed everyday either
in crashes or just plain being run over, there doesn’t seem to be any real road
rules and even when the traffic lights are green you’ll still get people trying
to T-Bone you, I would never ever drive here. There are about 18 million people
that live in Istanbul and 4 million cars and it’s not a huge place in
comparison to other cities I’ve been to & very wisely no-one rides bikes.
Our bus drove out of the city and towards to Gallipoli Peninsula, as we
got further out of the city the rural areas were full of agriculture and the
houses were very different to back home. There is no real structure to how they
are laid out, they all have a little square of land just plonked anywhere and
there might be 10-15metres between their border and someone elses but no-one
cares for the land in between, hard to describe but a bit odd. We stopped half
way for a break and there I found my first experience of dealing with squat
toilets, just basically a hole in the floor that you need to try and pee into,
a lot harder that it looks and you just know that the liquid on the floor you
are standing in isn’t just water, surely they want to move with the times, they
had normal toilets there too so why not make them all like that?
The landscape doesn’t really change so after a while everyone fell asleep,
eventually arriving in the town of Eceabat where we would later catch the ferry
across to Canakkale to stay for the night, but we first had a lunch stop.
We all paid 23TL each for a set lunch at a restaurant and were told that
there was no real other option for lunch, we felt pretty ripped off with what
we got, some rice, lettuce, tomato, cabbage, cold chips (about 5), and six 1
inch sausage things in tin foil.
After that experience, we went to ANZAC cove, was fantastic to go there
before the event although I would have preferred it maybe a week earlier to see
the place without the stadium seating etc. The first thing that blew my mind
was the cliffs that our boys had to climb up, the thick scrub to battle through
to get up there would be hard enough let alone carrying all their gear and also
getting shot at, they must have been gnarly guys, just amazing, and the NZ boys
got the highest, right to the top and they held it for a brief time before all
being killed L
We went to a couple of the cemeteries that were on the waters edge, and I
was more than impressed with the upkeep of the graves, in between each one
there were flowers planted, the grass was lush and the trees were all in full
spring bloom, amazing time of year to go.
We stopped and looked at the Australian Lone Pine Memorial, the Turkish
57th Regiment Memorial and then lastly on the top of the hill was
the NZ Memorial. Right up the top of the hill they have restored some of the
Turkish trenches back to how they were so they were really neat to see and to
know that our guys held them for a short time.
After a whirlwind and very tiring day, we headed back to Eceabat to catch
the ferry across to Canakkale for the night, the ferry was packed full of tour
buses and we didn’t think we were going to fit on but they seemed to be just
enough space to squeeze the coach on and then a little yellow car drove around
us and onto the ferry. The driver and our guide got out and they all started
yelling and the driver of the yellow car grabbed our drivers ties to pull him
in closer, but thankfully that all blew over pretty quick and we still got the
bus on just without the ferry back gate being able to be lifted up properly.
Canakkale is a really beautiful little town on the Dardinelles, we all
felt like spoiling ourselves so we went to a lovely restaurant on the waters
edge, they didn’t speak the greatest English so took us into the kitchen area
to show us what was on the menu.
I got Calamari and whole Sea Bream, the Bream was flame cooked I think,
completely whole and was so delicious, it didn’t come with any real sides but
it was plenty enough.
The beer to drink in Turkey is called Efes, very similar to NZ lager, and
for a decent glass the prices range from 4.50TL to 7.50TL depending on the
place.
24.04.2012
Today was very cruisy, started at 11am and we went to Troy. I was
expecting a lot more at Troy, don’t really know what but its mainly just lots
of rubble bricks with a few things here and there still together. There was a
brick ramp in one part where they believe could have been where the Trojan
Horse was brought into the city.
We weren’t there for long and we headed back to Canakkale, on the way we
stopped at a supermarket to stock up for the long haul night of staying at
ANZAC cove, just got myself some chips, olives, bananas, chocolate & water,
was crazy trying to find your way around a supermarket when it’s all in Turkish
and they eat quite different foods there.
Had free time for the rest of the day till 6.30pm so we all went and
drank beer on the water front, tried Turkish Coffee and I also bought a little
bracelet. The coffee was black with sugar in it, it came in tiny porcelain cups
and you can only really drink 2/3s of a cup cause 1/3 of it is a brown sludge,
but its definitely drinkable and all good if you just need a coffee hit.
We had a fantastic kebab at a place opposite our hotel (ANZAC Hotel),
finally some decent food!
6.30pm we headed towards Gallipoli on the ferry again, but we first had
to stop for the BBQ party dinner for those that had booked it, and once again
it was held at the place where we had lunch and once again those that got the
meal felt it was a rip off. I didn’t buy it cause they wanted 15 euros for it
and I had a feeling it would be just like lunch and it was.
We got to the cove at about 10pm, went through security like at an
airport, they had scanners and went through everyones bags. Then we were handed
cool welcome packs, with a wrist band, beanie, poncho, programme of events
guide, history book & pencil.
I walked in with Mark & Jenny, and already all the grass was taken,
there were thousands of people lying like sardines next to each other and there
was just no hope of us 3 finding a spot together. I bailed from them and found
a slither of grass on the edge of the walkway next to an Aussie girl who was
fast asleep by the time I got there. Her boyfriend was awake though and asked
if I could squeeze in, they had no issues so I began setting up camp.
Got out my poncho and lay that down first, then got out my emergency
bivvy – like an emergency blanket but shaped like a sleeping bag. Got myself in
my sleeping bag then inside the bivvy, used my jacket and backpack as a pillow
and I was super warm and comfy, Liz & Brian walked past me and managed to
find a tiny patch of grass to squeeze into so they lay down behind me.
After a couple of hours sleep I woke up to the screeching voice of the
singer from the Australian army band who pumped out a few songs at 1.30am, there
were documentaries running all night on the big screens which I’d wake up and
watch then fall asleep to. At one point they played the next part of a symphony
being put together ready for the 2015 anniversary, they got composers from OZ,
NZ & Turkey to put 2 minutes or so towards a song, every year for the past
7 years they have added to the song. So they played the song so far then played
the new bit for 2012, they turned out all the lights and we listened to this
spine chilling beautiful music while staring up at the million stars above our
heads, I couldn’t help my think that these same stars were looking down on our
ANZACs as they battled here 97 years ago and it brought a tear or two to my
eyes.
I fell asleep again and woke up an hour or so later, I put my hands
between my bivvy and sleeping bag and realised that it was so toasty warm that
it had created condensation and my bag was getting wet, so I got out and lay my
bag on top of the bivvy, then lay my NZ flags over my bag to protect it from
the dew.
I didn’t get cold once and I only used my puffy jacket in the morning
when we were standing up a lot but really it wasn’t freezing like in previous
years.
There was over 7000 people there last year and this year only about 4500,
and it was still crammed, not sure how they are going to cope with 20,000
expected for 2015, I’d say that if you are going to go then do it next year of
2014 cause it will be quieter and you’ll enjoy the experience so much more.
At about 4am everyone began to stir, the official dawn service began at
5.30am and was a very touching & emotional service. The karakea by the
Maori women stirred me to my core and brought a tear to my eye, the sun had not
come up yet and the energy in the cove was, well I’d like to say electric, but
not sure that’s the right way to describe it.
Julia Gillard got up in her awesome Australian accent (not), and the
representative for Turkey got up and spoke a few words, then our dude got up
and shed some tears while doing so and that got me going again. Finally after
everything they had the last post, and I don’t think there was one dry eye in
that cove at that point, the sound of the bugle just went right through you and
everyone else around you, it was like it echoed off the cliffs behind us and we
could feel that cove was full of the spirits of those fallen ANZACS &
Turks, we all knew they were there with us and it was overwhelming to feel them
by your side.
The sun slowly rose and the cliffs behind us where we lost those men were
lit up, everytime I looked up at them I just had an overwhelming feeling of
disbelief that a) we even attempted to battle up those hills and b) that we
managed to get to the top of them!
Ended up that I didn’t eat anything the whole night cause I was so comfy
and sleeping, so after the dawn service I had to pack up everything and throw
away my food cause I was not carting that up those hills.
With the masses I began walking with Liz & Brian, firstly along the
coast until I came to the turn off to Shrapnel Valley Cemetery where my Great
Great Uncle Frank Binns is buried. I had seen a few cemeteries a few days
earlier and thought they were beautiful but this one took the cake for sure,
flowers between each grave then 3-4 trees in bright purple blossom, what an incredible
place to have as your final resting place, just stunning.
I spent a while in here taking lots of photos and spending time next to
Frank, I placed a poppy on his grave and said goodbye and that I’d see him
again soon then left to continue up the hill.
Liz really needed to find her Great Uncles grave also, he was buried in
the 4th regiment cemetery and it was so hard to find, so we asked
some local police looking guys who couldn’t speak English then this Aussie
voice behind us said ‘Why do you want to go there?’, we explained why and he
ask us ‘Are you ok with going bush?’, of course we were so we followed him
along his shortcut up the mountain.
We went completely bush, there was a slight track but if you were on your
own you’d have no clue where to go, and we followed the Shrapnel Valley up the
hills. To our left we looked down into the valley where Simpson carried the
water to the ANZAC’s, he pointed out all the places where we were fighting
including where we were walking was in the thick of it, kept my eyes peeled for
a bullet shell but no such luck. The whole was up the hill we looked down on
Shrapnel Valley Cemetery, got some amazing photos of the cemetery from a
distance, but it was just so special to be taken up the hill the way our guys
went, not on a tar sealed road.
Eventually we got to the 4th battalion cemetery where we found
his grave, no one was in the cemetery but us cause to get to it from the other
side was off the beaten track too, so we chilled out here for a while in the
shade and I kept looking for shells, still nothing.
After 10 mins or so Rebecca came into the cemetery, a girl who was on our
tour but in a different bus, she’s a kiwi chick from Timaru.
I then stuck with Bec and started heading towards the NZ memorial and Liz
& Brian headed to the Aussie one at Lone Pine, we had a wee friend to
accompany us along the way, a friendly stray dog walked the whole way up the
hill with us.
We stopped in at all the cemeteries along the way, some with incredible
views down the mountain and out to sea, and our dog kept by our side as we did
so, not sure when she decided to leave but one moment she was there and the
next she was gone.
The NZ service was good, just like the dawn services we have at home
except at lunch time instead, only problem was there was not enough seating for
all the NZ’ers, the stadium seating was only for about 500 people and there was
easily 1000 kiwis there, so those that couldn’t get into the stadium seating
around the memorial sat on the grass outside & watched it on big screen. It
was so hot by this point, my back was soaking wet from sweat but gladly I wore
merino so it dried real quick.
After it was all over we went to the meeting point to catch our bus, it’s
the same point for everyone so there was a few thousand there, the NZ army bad
set up and played a few tunes for everyone which was nice. Still the sun beamed
down on us, Im so glad I had my flags with my to keep the sun off my arms, also
I must is a hat, sunnies just don’t cut it, you need a hat.
I still hadn’t eaten at this stage, so was starting to fade a bit, was
glad to get in the airconditioned bus and to the town to get some food. The
only thing I would change if I went again would be to take a bigger backpack
with me, you need food during the day and lots of water and it sux if you can’t
carry it.
Had a pida filled bread thing, went the veggie option, it was tasty and
made me feel heaps better, got on the bus and fell asleep, didn’t really wake
up again till Istanbul.
Had to do my washing when I got back to the hotel and have a decent
shower, then hit the hay as we had another early start the next day to do a
tour of Istanbul.
26.04.2012
Last day of the tour and everyone was pretty tired, but still managed to
rally enough energy to do a few hours around Istanbul. Firstly we visited the
Blue Mosque, called that by tourists cause of the amount of blue tiles used to
decorate the inside. My chosen attire for the day wasn’t quite appropriate for
a mosque, had a dress on, so they gave me something to cover my legs, I had a
cardi on so didn’t need one for my arms, they didn’t require you to cover your
head. Outside the mosque the have a heap of taps with seats in front of them
where everyone washes before going inside to pray, they have a special routine
they do always starting with the right side of their body.
The inside was so beautiful, but of was jam packed with tourists and
cause we had to take our shoes off the place smelt like smelly feet.
Next we walked through the hippodrome, where back in the day they used to
have chariot racing etc, unfortunately most of the structures were destroyed in
one of the many earthquakes Turkey gets, but there are still a couple of things
there.
The spice markets was next on the list, made sure I had my bag on the
front of me as the place was crowded, every stall they tried so hard to get you
in to their shop and they’ll say
anything to do so. The funniest one was ‘Excuse me you dropped something’, so
you’d turn around to look then accidentally get eye contact and they’ll try to
drag you into their shop, but after the 5th time you just start
laughing at them.
I bought a bracelet from there made of beads called Evil Eye, a blue bead
with a white circle then a blue dot in the middle so it looks like an eye. This
Evil Eye goes back to the story of Medusa and if you look into her eyes you
will be turned to stone, same thing goes with my bracelet, it protects me from
anyone with bad intentions, so if anyone looks at me with bad intentions then
the evil eye will get rid of them, thought it was a good thing to have while
traveling on my own.
After the Spice Markets our tour was over, I still had one night to go so
had the afternoon to fill, and I knew exactly what I wanted to do, Turkish
Baths or Hammam Baths. I had heard about them years ago and always wanted to do
it, so no better time than the present, plus I was so tired that I needed a bit
of relaxation. I had no idea where to go and our tour guide, Selcuk (pronounced
Selchook) had nothing to do for the day so he kindly walked me through Istanbul
for about 20 minutes and to these amazing Baths. By the way walked past some
incredible shoe shops, apparently they are for all the Russians that live in
the city.
There were a couple of options to choose from but I went for the deluxe,
cost 117TL so about $50, and our guide said he would be back in 1.5hrs to
collect me to walk me back through the city to where I was staying.
Let me take you through my experience at the baths, it was definitely
something else, unlike anything I have ever experienced before and definitely
something I would do again in a heartbeat.
Firstly they give you a couple of tokens that say what you are getting to
hand to the ladies that are looking after you, then you are taken to the locker
rooms to get changed, or undressed I should say, you just have like a giant tea
towel you wrap around you and some black undies they give you to put on, however
at this point they hadn’t given me the undies so I was just naked and thought
that’s just the way it was. Then they point you towards a huge wooden door, you
go inside and it’s like looking back in time, the ceilings are so high and the
entire place is made of marble, it’s a huge octagon shaped room with a giant
octagon marble slab in the centre. Around the outside of the room is running
water in small troughs and little stools beside them, then there are also
smaller rooms with running water in there too with stools if you want to hang
in there and wash.
On the marble slab lying along the edge of each side of the octagon is a
woman getting scrubbed down by an obese older woman who is wearing nothing but
black undies, completely topless, so the client is nude except the undies and
the lady washing is the same.
I realised at this point that I should have gotten some black undies too,
but before I could say anything she had ripped off my towel, she made this
funny surprised noise when she saw I was naked and quickly got my a pair, I had
to laugh.
Then she lay the towel down so I was lying with the head towards the
centre of the octagon, the marble slab was heated and so lovely to lie on,
there was a lady around from me that I caught eye contact with, she smiled but
in a way that told me that she was absolutely terrified.
While I lay there getting hotter, I began to take in what was about to
happen to me, and I took a deep breath, let go of any modesties and rolled with
it.
First she moved me to lie lengthways, on my back first, then she poured a
whole bucket of warm water over me. She then got another couple of buckets of
water with soap, had a piece of cloth, and began scrubbing me all over, it was
so nice. Turned over and she did my back etc, then she grunted at me to sit up
and she scrubbed my shoulders, had to close my eyes as not to experience
gigantic boobs right in my face at that point. Then she pulled me up to
standing and took me over to the troughs at the side of the room, sat me down
and began washing my hair, loved that bit.
Once I was scrubbed, she pointed to the next room, which was a spa room
but really was just a small swimming pool of 1.4m where you just chill out for
20 mins or so and relax.
After there I went to another room where I dried off and got a real
towel, then through to the part where you can have a drink and sit down for a
bit, I had a Turkish Apple Tea, was so yum.
Lastly was my oil massage, went through and I nearly fell asleep, it was
just a relaxation massage but it was so lovely especially cause I was so tired.
I felt so great afterwards, Selcuk said I looked like I was shining at
the end of it ha.
Walked back through the city to my hotel, and he said for me to have a
few hours sleep and then he’d show me the New City at night time, was super
tired but agreed, really had wanted to see that part of the city plus at night
I would never have been able to do that on my own, so thought I’d make the most
of it.
At 9pm we taxied into the city and the place was buzzing with people, he
reckoned that some times during holidays or special events you can get 4
million people there, luckily there wasn’t that many people there that night
but it was still a mission to walk down the street.
We went to a place for some food, was so good to have something other
than a kebab, but I still really want some veges, like broccoli and carrots
etc, they just don’t seem to do whole veges very much here.
After that we walked through this courtyard place which was under cover
of huge ceilings but still felt like it was outside, there were huge tables
everywhere with people dining and drinking, awesome atmosphere.
Came out of that and there were markets still going, selling fish and
fruit etc, came to a bar and walked up a few flights of stairs where it opened
up to look out over where we just walked. Had a couple of beers there, then
moved on to a shot bar, they have lots of these places in Istanbul.
We got a tray of 13 shots, all different flavoured vodkas, but they
weren’t full strength vodkas. Had ones of different flavours like orange, kiwi
& lemon, they were all pretty sweet and sickly so I wasn’t a huge fan.
Next we walked down to the river to a bar that was under the bridge, here
I had to try Turkish Raki, a clear alcohol that they mix with water and it
turns cloudy. You sip this, then take a sip of water, then you have a piece of
cheese, I wouldn’t say it was the nicest stuff, it was just super strong, 50% alcohol apparently, only in a small glass though, like an over-sized shot
glass.
Was so great to see Istanbul like that, didn’t think I was going to be
able to but Selcuk was so great to show me around.
Not sure if I will return to Istanbul for a holiday, maybe to pass through to go somewhere else
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