Guest appearance by Rach and Lauren!!

Lucy hasn’t written for ages but she is still alive. She has been travelling around Turkey with some cool friends for the last week and a half.

The plan began in Istanbul with a couple of day’s spent carpet hunting and spice gathering before heading to Anzac day celebrations in Gallipoli. We headed to Anzac celebrations with about 10000 other people and a group of 10 friends on our bus.
The actual ceremony was a cold sleepless night spent in a cramp grandstand while we watched old movies and documentaries about Anzac day through the night. The dawn ceremony was nice but Lucy kept falling asleep and then we all walked up a big hill to Chunk Bair where the NZ ceremony was held. Judy Bailey and Winston Peters made NZ proud!

We were picked up by a hot chauffer at Canakkale and driven to Izmir – thanks to Lucy’s Turkish contacts and we got a free rental car for the rest of the trip!!

The next couple of days were an archaeologists dream with lots of old stuff while travelling east. We finally arrived in Oludeniz for a couple of days of sun, sea and swimming (and paragliding). It is with some sadness that we now find ourselves in Antalya with planes and buses to catch…
We felt that we could impart some good knowledge that may help future travellers out when in Turkey:

Lessons learnt in Turkey with Lucy, Rachel, Lauren and Gertie.

1. One can never have too many figs.
2. There are many ways in which onion can be cooked, maybe not quite 1001 though.
3. Leftover seafood pasta shouldn’t be eaten after having sat in a warm car all day, however this does reduce the food bill for the budget traveller.
4. One can never have too many pistachios, any form will do – nuts, ice cream, turkish delight.
5. On the subject of accommodation, sleeping mats in a tent make it insulated, while the presence of a Turkish carpet creates luxury.
6. Good coffee can be hard to find.
7. More than two CDs should accompany a road trip
8. The probability of your tour bus being last to pick you up when there are 500 of them is 1:500, but it did happen.
9. Leave the tour, before the suspension in the bus breaks
10 Lucy loves this paragliding thing.

It was with sadness we had to leave Gutless Gert, our nice (free) rental car and carrier of figs, paragliding kit and other sundry items in Antayla, especially after such auspicious beginnings (delivery by a hot guy).

Ps. Rach was whisked away to the airport and now Lauren and Lucy are deeply depressed as we prepare for our departure..
P.s.s photos are coming soon, as soon as I find a cable to download them with!

P.s.s.s And lastly a comment by Lucy - I have been dissappointed by the lack of marriage proposals, and to be honest we haven't been hassled or harrassed by any nice or not nice Turk men... maybe they are a bit intimidated by us...