Toot and Gordo Signing Off

Hello dear followers,

The time has come for us to draw this journey to a close!

Today saw us burn our buts off in 45 degree weather cruising the streets of Deira looking for the bloody spice souk!!!! Its not as simple as it may appear. No maps contain street names, just pictures of attractions to visit. Locals seem to know nothing about it and look blankly when asked for directions. The only directions they seem to be able to give are to their own shop!!!!

After visiting the gold souk it seemed way too hard and hot and we headed for the nearest cab! From here we went to the comfort of the Dubai mall and returned to the hotel 8.5 hours and a few bargains later.  During this time we went to the top of the Burj Khalifa (worlds tallest building), watched the fountain show at the bottom of the Burj Khalifa (apparently much more impressive than that at the Bellagio, Las Vegas) but I would still like to see that first hand myself to let you know.

We finally packed it in an headed for the hotel to eat take away pasta, and a Magnolia Bakery cupcake! All of you Sex & the City fans will understand the last bit and hopefully be very jealous!

It is now time to pack the bags *sigh* (again), and get ready for bed as we have a transfer to the airport at 6:45am tomorrow morning.

Not long now til you all get to see us again (we know you are excited)!!!

Tramping through Turkey and Dubai with Toot and Gordo would like to thank you for following us and leaving your comments!

This is Toot and Gordo signing off Xx.

Thats all folks!!!!!

Dune Bashing

Hi All,

Just a quick note as we have shopping to do!

Went four wheel driving yesterday afternoon and Gordo got sick!  Bit of a shame but fun none the less.

Had dinner out in the middle of the desert and both came back with henna tattoos. Was a warm but good night.

Sleep in this morning and found out that the fridge at home has probably died! Welcome home present we werent really wanting.

Not much else news, about to go exploring and shopping.  See you all in a couple of days!!!

Love Toot and Gordo Xx.

:ast day Istanbul and onto Dubai!

Hey guys,

24/7/11

Well, what a day!!!!  We had brekky, checked out and at our first attraction by 8:50am! Pretty good considering it was another late night lastnight, we had 3 attractions to see today before 1pm and we were both tired and probably a little grumpy.

We started at the Basilica Cistern, first in line so no crowd and good photo opportunities when we got inside.  After this it was across the road to Haghia Sofia (Church of holy wisdom).  We managed to do this in record time of 30 mins as once again we were early and the cruise ships hadn’t let out the crowds yet.  Haghia Sofia is more than 1400 years old and is among the worlds greatest archaeological achievements.

After Haghia Sofia it was off to Topkapi Palace.  This was amazing and would have loved to have the time to go around with a guide and hear the history behind it all.  But time was pressing on and we had a plane to catch. We managed to look at everything in there that was open and saw an 86 carat diamond. Surprisingly enough Toot came away from it fairly easily and without a fight (she must be more tired than I thought).

Once attractions were finished we headed back to the hotel to change our bags around and waited for our transfer to the airport. We arrived at the airport, checked in and ate a whopper meal between us for lunch and waited to board the plane to Dubai.

We finally arrived in Dubai and got shuttled from the tarmac to the terminal as it was busy.  Just after going through passport control we had day packs x-rayed and of course Gordo got pulled over and asked to unpack it, they thought she had a gun.  Fear not, it was a cable up against a padlock and they let her through.  Waited for bags then got transfer to hotel.  The room is awesome and the beds are extra comfy. Finally got to bed at about 12am.

25/7/11

Up again early this morning. Did a city tou,r which showed us all the new projects which are planned for Dubai and saw some of the well known landmarks.  We drove over onto the island shaped like a palm and went and visited the already built bits of Dubailand. We saw the model for the rest of it which is to be completed by 2030. It is going to be huge!

Tonight we have our night in the desert, which includes four wheel driving in the dunes, dinner and some traditional entertainment, should be fun!

Love always

Toot and Gordo Xx.

PS We will be home soon, dont wory!

Return to Istanbul

Its us again,

Yesterday was a very rewarding long day on the bus.  We once again packed our backs and checked out of the hotel by 7:30am. We caught a ferry across from Canakkale to the Gallipoli Peninsula.  We visited Anzac Cove, Lone Pine and saw some trenches.  It was a reminder about how lucky we are to be travelling here almost 100 years later with no fear of war. Able to walk free and enjoy Turkeys hospitality.  Young boys leaving home for an adventure and arriving in hell and some never returning.

From Gallipoli it was then back onto the bus and heading North to Istanbul.  Fairly uneventful trip back and we finally arrived at about 6pm.

Once we dumped our bags and headed for the Spice and Grand Bazaars.  We flew through the spice bazaar stopping only to sample delicious Turkish delight and of course purchase some. Then from there we negotiated the back streets of Istanbul without really checking the map.  And guess what, we made it without getting lost.  Unfortunately we thought that the Grand Bazaar closed at 8pm and upon arriving there at 6:45pm people were getting ready to close.  We flew through (as they are not open Sundays) and made a few small purchases. Of course there were a couple of scarf purchases made by Toot!

After the Grand Bazaar we had arranged to meet up with the group for a final drink on a hotel roof top not far from us.  We got there as they were winding up and headed out to dinner with them. The restaurant had noce views but was quite pricey compared to what we had been paying for the rest of the trip.  We saw some fireworks and the lights of nightlife in Istanbul!

While walking back to the hotel, of course we stopped for dessert.  This time no magnums, but our other group project, soft serve cones. After being turned away form the soft serve window at Burger King we defaulted to McDonalds two doors down.

We said our farewells to the group and return to the hotel to crash.

Today we have a busy day, Topakapi Palace, Basilica Cistern and if any more time, Hagia Sofia.

After this we leave Istanbul and head for the heat of Dubai! Look out here we come!

Love to all

Toot and Gordo Xx.

PS Look out for our next post, coming to you live from the back of  camel!

Selcuk to Troy

Hey guys, Gordo here,

Not much to report from today!  We started the day by once again boarding the chariot for Troy! Along the way we only stopped for the loo and lunch.  We left the hotel this morning at 9am and after a few stops along the way (one being for a very delicious but also very filling lunch) we reached Troy at around 5:30pm.  We did a small tour and have to say I wasn't as impressed as I thought I would be but I guess maybe I cant quite grasp the concept of something that is 3000 years old when my our own country is only around 225 years old.

After around an hour at Troy it was on to Canakkale to stay for the evening. We checked into the hotel at around 7pm and check out again tomorrow morning at 7:30am. Not long enough!  Once we checked in and got changed it was off for our last group dinner together. We headed to a local restaurant. The food was nice but expensive and the service was bad.  But the company was great and a fantastic view across the channel towards Gallipoli, which was lit up. Busy day of doing not much and only a quick stop in the hotel tonight.

However that said, in the morning we get to hop on board the ferry which will take us back to the European part of Turkey to visit Gallipoli!  I have to say that I am quite eager to get there and have a bit of a walk about. After that visit we will again jump onbard the bus for the last time and head back to Istanbul for our last night of the tour.  We will go and get some more shopping done before dinner and then head back for a snooze, before heading out again the next morning to do our last shop and sightseeing of Istanbul!

Update on the group: We have all been in close confines and handled it pretty well.  My opinions have changed over the last two weeks, mostly for the good.  Athough there is always someone that rubs you up the wrong way. There is one person in particular that has spent 14 days with us and still couldnt get mine and Carries name right.  She was calling me Clara and calling Carrie Claire! MINDA!!! Once she was approached about her mistake she brushed it off as a minor thing, this angered me more! However the rest of the group are lovely and I hope to keep in touch with a few of them!!!!

Toot says hey!!!

Cant believe that in less than a week we will be home.  Not looking forward to the cold weather at all!  Will also miss all this amazing food!!!!!

Look out Dubai, we're on our way!!!!

Love always Toot and Gordo Xx.

Selcuk

Hi people,

Another day on the road! Surprise surprise!   It started off as a lovely day weather wise and warmed up, but not too bad if you are sitting in an airconditioned bus. 

After a loo stop on the bus and a stretch of legs for the driver it was back on the road.  With a slight mishap with the bus door flying open shortly after we reached speed on the road! Interesting and probably quite scary for the driver! He is lovely and doesn't speak any English so he can swear as much as he likes in Turkish and we all have no idea either!!!

After our loo break it was off to the leather factory for a leather fashion show!  Fashion show was funny when they pulled two people out of our group to go back stage and dress up and come down the catwalk.  Most amusing when Kevin got in to the spirit of things and did a great job.  Bearing in mind he must be sixty and is a father of 5, but a great bloke!!!  Had us in tears of laughter!!!

Yes a purchase was made!!! Gordo is now the proud owner of a lovely black leather jacket!!!  You will all see upon return!

After the leather shop it was onto the hotel where we spent last night.  Once we arrived and settled in we headed out to find some lunch.  We found an awesome kebab shop across the road from the hotel and shared a lovely cheap open kebab with chips.  Between the two of us with drinks and peaches for after the meal, the bill came to 12TL! That is $7AUD!! Cant complain with that considering we both left very full! 

Once lunch was finished and we did a little walk around the town it was back to the hotel to get ready to go and explore Ephasus, an amazing ancient Greek City raining from 1st century BC! Very big but also very interesting!

After Ephasus it was back to tthe hotel for a quick t-shirt change then off to dinner!  We all went to a little restaurant about 5 min walk from the hotel where the atmosphere was good, the beer and wine were flowing and the food was also quite tasty!  Finished the night with a small walk back to the hotel and a stroll through the town markets on the way.  Climbed the 6 flights of stairs to our room and off to bed!

Another day on the road today but off to Troy! That should be great!!!!

Much love Toot and Gordo Xx.

Roman Times

Hi All,

Sorry about the delay in getting this post out.  We have been exceptionally busy swimming, eating beautiful seafood dinners and generally just having a great time.

Yesterday:  We unfortunately left Kas. It was by far one of the most beautiful places we have been and the village life was amazing.  We did some shopping, ate amazing food (broke a tooth as u know), then hit the road again for another day of adventure.  Our adventures took us to “Xanthos” (pronounced Santos) another old Roman ruin. We visited a beautiful gorge with gushing water coming from melted snow from the top of the mountain.  The water was icy cold and an amazing shade of lush green and very refreshing, especially in 40 degree weather. After this it was off to another carpet making place, where they showed us the local rugs being made and how they died the fibres. Don’t worry, no magic carpets again, we didn’t get caught haggling again like the first time. We will visit haggle co on our return for a cheap knock off. Our daily group mission is to find the cheapest magnum ice-cream of the day and report back to the group. Last night we found one for 2.50 Turkish lira, the equivalent to $1.30 Australian.  Before our magnum hunt, we had dinner in the local fish market.  We chose our seafood from the fish monger and they give it  to the restaurant to cook. All up for drinks, dips, bread, salad, prawns and calamari, dinner cost us $28.00 all up for two people. The food was to die for. After dinner it was back to the hotel in Fethiye to sleep.

Today: We left our tiny hotel room after breakfast and hit the ground running.  We once again packed up our stuff and headed for our chariot (the bus). We visited an abandoned Greek village, named Kayakoy. There are around 2000 houses and a church etc from a Greek village abandoned in the 1920’s (due to the war of independence) but built many many years ago (I forget how many years, I am on holiday and forget many details). Once deserted by the Greeks it was also later damaged by earthquakes. It represents a ghost town when the sun shines through the empty brick windows. After this visitation it was back to another day on the road. We didn’t do much before reaching our hotel except eat lunch, which was nothing impressive today.  Once we reached the hotel, in Pamukkale it was time for a little rest and downloading photos onto computer, while Toot had a nanna nap.  She is old you know!!!!  We then met up with the group again to go and visit Hierapolis (an old Roman city ruins, which included the cemetery, roman bath, theatre, temple, holy area, basilica, the latrine and a monumental fountain). It was quite impressive to see what was achieved that long ago without machinery and modern day engineering.  From there it was onto the thermal baths.  This is nick named the “Cotton Castle” which is a natural phenomenon which was created by deposits from thermal waters that cascaded down the mountain side over hundreds of years, forming a combination of pools and terraces.  We then watched the sun set over ruins from the Roman city and headed back to the hotel for a disappointing buffet, as there are no restaurants near the hotel and no nearby village.

Tomorrow is another day! 

Love always

Toot and Gordo Xx.

PS Scarfe count so far for Toot is 8 and climbing rapidly!

Magic carpet count 0