Still in................Viagra Valley!!

Hi All,

Toot here in the pilot seat today!  So we're still in the land of Fairy Chimneys, caves and strange rock formations (that look like big penis')!! See below:

Here we are with some Penis formations at Viagara Valley (re-named by the lovely Claire Gordon).  Its proper name is Love Valley.

Its our last night here and then of to Konya - which I believe is religious so must remember to cover up!! 

Anyway yesterday involved some more hiking (in which Claire has heat rash on her legs again (like last year in Vietnam)) and went and enjoyed a walk to the closest town to the hotel and bought some postcards and stamps.  We also went to a rug maker where we were shown the steps how each were made.  Of course the rug I liked was $2,000.00 a little out of my price range.  So no magic carpet to take home but mind you I had no room to bring it anyway.

Also have discovered apple tea = delicious!  I'm almost a local well except for the headscarf, B.O and hairy upper lip!!

We also had the pleasure of a real Turkish bath "Hamam".  Let me explain the process we endured for this experience. Firstly, we we're given a coffee table size piece of linen we were to wrap ourselves in we decided to go real traditional "commando" (under the cloth) for the occasion.  We then went into the steam room which has several small rooms off the main section where there are cold showers, large pots of cold water and buckets to pour over yourselves.  Once your wet you have to go lie on the hot marble slab in the middle and lay down (bear in mind we only had these tiny cloths covering us) when wet these don't leave much to the imagination.

After doing this numerous times we then also went and sat in the sauna just in case we weren't HOT enough.  I was bright red!!! 

Once steamed to your satisfaction (or in my case before I passed out) we were then rubbed with a loofer glove (looked like an oven mit) by a old large, hairy, smelly Turkish man (they say this part is traditional) which was also wearing the tiny loincloth around their waists!! Yup what dreams are made of!! HUNKY!  So we were scrubbed around our parts around the cloth even my head and soles of my feet.  At this point it was tickling my feet and had dreads in my hair!!

The next part of our brave adventure was to get a massage, which we went into another room where we were asked to lay face down (again with our loin cloth just covering our bits and pieces) and they waved soapy bubbles over our body and then gave us massages.  Claire's Turkish man was very good where my old man wasn't as good with his hands!! But still good none the less!  However when I was rolled back onto my back and stupidly opened my eyes just as my Turkish man's armpit was over my face eewwwww!! Not so happy ending for me!

To finish off this experience we had a Houdini Turk of sorts that magically changes your wet cloth for a dry one with no skin being shown (and no peeking as he claims) and we could then get changed and offered some apple tea!

Even though I was going blind in there (contacts and steam don't mix well) and even in my blindness saw more than I needed too!!

We realise this sounds like a mass orgy but not as bad as it sounds! Promise!!

All of this took about 2 hours and of course we're a bit late for dinner but got there in the end but got another delicious cheap meal.  By the way I'm going I'll be coming back with excess baggage on my arse from all the bread, dips, lentil soup and meals in clay pots!!  Ekkkk!!

After dinner we strolled back to the hotel and had some fireworks on the way - it was a lovely summers night.   When we arrived back to the hotel we were smart to tie the fly screen to the other window handle to try to avoid if someone tried to come into our room at night as we are on the ground level and it's too stuffy in our room to not leave the window open!! So I had a much better sleep last night!! Soo goood!! I think finally my body clock has finally caught up with me! YAY!

This morning we went for another hike around "Imagination Valley" and we're naming shapes in the rock formations such as camels, a witch, a ram and Napoleon's hat just to name a few.  Was fun for the first few times then it was just getting a bit warm.

Today we also went to a pottery place where the family there has been making pottery for over 7 generations!  Beautiful stuff but again out of my price range! Claire took a liking to a platter plate but couldn't justify the price.  We then went and had a lovely lunch in the backyard of a local family's home.  Food again was delicious and cheap! 

We're now having a "siesta" back in our hotel room and by "siesta" I mean re-packing our bags and talking to you fine folk!

Shortly we will go for another hike around the Goreme Open Air Museum and after that who knows our tour guide isn't all that good with the communication!! This can be very annoying for all that know me I am a control freak and like a little order!  We believe we're supposed to going to a Turkish dinner night with dancers, food and Rakki "local rocket fuel" (Turkish equivalent to Ouzo).

Hope I haven't bored you all  too much?!

Miss all and love all!

Speak soon

Much love Toot & Gordo (over and out)!! xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxooxxooxoxox

P.S. Len no Turkish man's rug will ever be as good as yours!

P.P.S I'll load some more pics on to the blog next time. I've run out of time now siesta is nearly up! Damn it I didn't fit in a nanna nap!  you know how I love my sleep!