ben not comfortable with tanks

after 2 months of lonely planet guidance, we found ourselves at dusk in an area of turkey that does not show up in any guidebooks.  Clare stated that she was hungry and jill was getting a bit tired of being passed on narrow bridges by folks who pray five times a day.  We pointed the Fiat at a yellow blob on the map which tuned out to be Siirt.  Somehow Allah guided us to a very functional clean room with three beds for 100 turkish lira.  After a very pleasant session at the nearby Kebab Salon, we made our nightly stop for baklava.  Everybody was welcoming but very confused by what we were doing in Siirt.  The nufus of Siirt is around one million people, but it seems that if a place does not show up in lonely planet than tourists are confusing phenomenon.


quote of the day.  Ben (at a passport control stop not too far from Iraq):  I am not so comfortable with this passport check because of the tank that is sitting right over there."

Cappadocia

Clare- The Wheel is Turning, Avanos, Cappadocia

Our Cave, Goreme, Cappadocia 

Unexpected Pleasure: The Hair Museum, Avanos, Cappadocia (only the hair of women- Clare and Jill contributed)

Ben Takes on the German Lady

Two Bunnies Chillin' by the Pool at the Mars Otel

Working out Bodrum Style

Digir aka Don Johnson

Family self portrait, Bodrum Castle- Museum of Underwater Archaeology

Splash from the upper deck

The ice cream man stops by our boat

chios flower  

don't step on any landmines if you get out   of the car!

The men prepare to snorkel

Pyrgi, sgraffito houses 

hooked on baklava

Last night slept in 200 year old "beehive" house in Harran, Turkey.  Today drank ten glasses of turkish tea.  Most Turkish men drink about 25 glasses per day.  I'm catching up.  Also threw caution to the wind as we filled up car with diesel petrol instead of the recommended "euro diesel."  Spent most of the day with Turkish guide (Ibrahim) who showed us some very crusty sights in southeastern anatolia (8 km from Syria).  Ancient caves, temples, castles, and Karavanserai (1000 year old truck stops for camels).  Dinner in Urfa was finest kind.  Chicken and meat shish kabobs served with fistfuls of mint, parsley, onion, and basil.  Squeeze of lemon, dash of paprika, roll into fresh warm flat pita and then swoon.  topped off the evening with pistachio baklava and a family viewing of spinal tap.

life in a cave

Sometime around October 12, 2010 and we find ourselves living in a cave in Goreme, Turkey.  It is cool and lightly misting.  Our days of beach and sunshine appear to be over.  We are inland on the turkish steppes about at about 4,000 feet of elevation.  People have been living in caves here (Capadoccia region) for thousands of years.  Now it seems that tourists want to get into the act.  The landscape is right out Tolkien and a hot air balloon passed about fifty feet from our cave window this morning.

The rented car is a blessing.  If for nothing else, we are not losing half our belongings transferring from one bus to another.  We spent a night in Konya which is the final resting place of Rumi.  Very moslem town.  No alcohol sold, women covering their heads at all times, and some gorgeous mosques.

I have started reading treasure island to the kids.  We are enjoying it.  The twins write in their diary almost every day and complain about multiplication tables at the same rate.  We all miss the clovis.  Ben misses food that he does not hate.  Clare ate a fish eyeball.

Istanbul has 20 million people.  That should be a trip.  The evening call to prayer is echoing through the valley.