As Ali was not part of a large tourism operator, he was able to take us to the more remote and less touristic attractions, where there were significantly less crowds.

One place was the village of Taskinasa, a typical inland Turkish village, basic yet amazingly memorable. Here we walked the streets and met some of the locals. Very few spoke English, but with a smile and hand gestures there was good communication.

The folk in this village were mainly farmers of sorts, preparing for the cold hard winter ahead. Stockpiling of wood and making heaps of tomato sauces. I had the good fortune to help stir this massive pot of tomato sauces over an open fire with the local women. When I stirred the sauce in this huge cauldron, they laughed and muttered amongst themselves, I'm not sure why, but we all had heaps of laughs.

Their water supply came from natural springs and it tasted simply awesome, much much better than the bottled water you buy.

Whilst walking down the small streets through the village a couple of guys were talking in their front yard. I walsked up to them greeted them with one of my only Turkish words, "Meraba", hello. They instantly started talking to me in English...what a surprise. We all gathered around them and they asked us many questions about Australia. They were very proud of their house, which looked absolutely beautiful. It looked as though a few families may have shared the abode.

One of the guys told us that his place had become very popular in United States on account of the fact that an American photographer had taken an image of the house and published it in an American Tourist magazine, typifying it as a typical house in a small Turkish village.

Check out the image gallery, and you will see.

Of modern day times, hot air ballooning is one of the most popular activities in Cappadocia. This was on all our bucket lists.

So what happens here is the balloon company you engage sends a driver to pick you up form your hotel at 5am. The idea is to get airborne before dawn so you can see the sunrise from aloft over Goreme.

We had no idea how big this industry is here. As the driver winds through the narrow tracks to the launch site there are literally a hundred or more balloons being inflated, firstly by hot air blowers then huge gas burners. As the fill up with hot air they stand tall, and when instructed you jump in the basket.

In the main, the baskets hold around 20 people including 2 pilots. A small safety briefing is given, then off you go. It is eerily quiet but for the intermittent roar of the gas burner that provides hot air for control of lift. The maximum height these balloons get to around 1600m. The pilots have amazing control, obviously vertically and some rotation, but they are at the mercy of the breeze and therefore have very little directional control.

On one occasion we were heading directly for this massive rock...on a collision coarse. The passengers were very quiet, and then the pilot played the Titanic theme song.....yeah right, opened up the burner and glided over the craggy escarpment missing it by about a meter. Absolutely fantastic. The sunrise over Goreme was sensational.

The flight ended too soon. Below the ground support crews follow the balloons with a car and huge flatbed trailer. On descent, the pilot lands the basket onto the trailer, they deflate the balloon and pack it all up. Every one who participates receives a certificate and they celebrate by offering a champagne breakfast of sorts.

It is really worth doing, and from memory it costs around 180 Euro per person for a 20 person basket. The bigger the basket, the cheaper the flight. The problem with the larger baskets is getting a good place in the basket to get the best views. Check the image gallery and you will get an idea of what this is all about.

So, now we have sorted through the preamble regarding Cappadocia, let's check our personal experience and report back.

Sam and I planned to stay here for four days. We had booked a room in a cave hotel in Goreme. So what is a cave hotel in Goreme? It is a hotel that is partially or fully carved into the side of a mountain or isolated rock mound. Check the image library out and you will get a better idea.

Doug and Brony who were on the boat with us in Turkey this year were at the same hotel as well. We were looking forward to catching up with them again.

Goreme is a town literally carved into the volcanic rock, and is the gateway to the Goreme National Park, a vast UNESCO World Heritage Site and is central to most of the attractions.

We had booked this room at the Cave Escape Suites. On arrival we were lucky enough to be upgraded into this most spectacular room.

Brony and Doug had organised a local tour guide to take us around for a day. His name was Ali. He owned a road side cafe which was the meeting point for our excursion. He drove us to various attractions giving us a running commentary at the same time.

Cave Houses

These were scattered all over the region, some being carved into the side of mountains, some burrowed into free standing mounds of rock. Many were built in such a way that the living spaces were located on the lower levels, with the upper regions having spaces made available to pigeons. Say what! Yes pigeons. The go here was that the pigeons pooped in their little roof spaces providing fertilizer to the inhabitants of the cave houses below so that they could fertilize their crops. In actual fact, pigeon fertilizer was usually spread before winter, so that when the snow melted the fertilizer dissolved as the the plants grew...pretty smart.

Not only were dwellings carved out of rocks, but whole churches were as well. Some of these that exist in Goreme are still used for modern day weddings and other celebrations. We witnessed quite a few of these.

Underground Cities

This region hosted trade colonies throughout history and founding commercial and social bridges between countries, Cappadocia was one of the important junctions of the Silk Road. As such, many of the local inhabitants build vast underground tunnels and complexes where they could protect themselves from invasion.

These were so large, they could house thousands of people for months. They kept livestock in purpose built subterranean corals and stored all their supplies for the long haul underground. These underground cities are a sight to behold.

Once threatened by invaders, they would escape to their abodes and shut off the entrances with massive discs or spheres of rock that could only be opened from the inside. If you can remember the movie Indiana Jones where this massive rock ball rolled down a ramp as he was trying to escape whatever he was trying to escape, that is similar to what they used.

One funny thing happened here. It was strange that there was no payment required to enter this underground city. As it turned out Ali nailed the timing so that the box office people were attending one of the prayer sessions at that precise time. There is something to be said for local knowledge.....

Camel Ride

Ali had organised a sunset camel ride for us. There were four camels. Sam, Bron, Doug and myself were each assigned a camel. They are huge. Each camel had a keeper. So, he guides the camel up to a ramp and you jump on. My camel was called Sophia. The ride lasted for about 90 minutes. About 30 minutes into it my crotch was aching like there was no tomorrow. I couldn't wait for this activity to finish.

None of the others seemed to have an issue until I worked out that the saddle which was hidden under a blanket of sorts was fitted to encapsulate her hump. I sat behind the hump, rather than in front of it, consequently contorting my lower body to hang onto the bloody handle bar in the front....It was easier to go side saddle. I watched Doug who is an expert with horses and soon worked out the error of my ways. In any case after alighting from the Sophia, I walked like John Wayne for about half an hour...oh the pain.

This reminds me of a funny quip about camels: There was this elephant who came up to this camel and asked, why do you have two boobs on your back? The camel retorted by saying, that is a funny question from someone who had a penis on his face.. In any case, camels are really cool, no wonder they used them in the old Toyota adds.

Time to move on...

Capodoccia, a bit of history...a bit long winded, but my mum who reads this, loves history. So, here we go. Furthermore, it is the most awesome place, so it is well deserved of a special mention in this blog. So, here we go.

Oh, by the way, the content below sounds absolutely amazing, it should be, because most of it has been plagiarised from various sources...I am only the content editor......enjoy.

Shortly after Sean and Marie left, Sabrina and I left Stella in Samos Marina. We took the ferry to Kuşadası located on the west coast of Turkey. From there a taxi to Izmir which our good friend Ali had organised for us. From there a 2hr flight to Neveshir and a bus ride to Goreme, in the heart of this region. A bit of a mission, but well worth it. So what's so special about Cappadocia.

Cappadocia, ancient district in east-central Anatolia in Turkey, situated on the rugged plateau north of the Taurus Mountains, in the centre of present-day Turkey. The boundaries of the region have varied throughout history. Cappadocia’s landscape includes dramatic expanses of soft volcanic rock, shaped by erosion into towers, cones, valleys, and caves. Rock-cut churches and underground tunnel complexes from the Byzantine and Islamic eras are scattered throughout the countryside.

The name Cappadocia is now commonly used in the tourism industry to refer to the area that extends roughly from Kayseri west to Aksaray (95 miles [150 km]), where the largest number of monuments are situated. The most-visited attractions include the sprawling underground cites of Derinkuyu and Kaymaklı and Göreme National Park, where there are a large number of rock-cut churches and dwellings. In 1985 Göreme National Park and other rock sites in the area were designated a UNESCO World Heritage site.

The region of Cappadocia is a place where nature and history integrates. While geographical events created fairy chimneys – the people carved houses and churches inside these chimneys. Later on decorated them with frescoes in this historical process, bringing the traces of civilizations for thousands of years to present. Written history of Cappadocia, where human settlement dates back to the Paleolithic era, begins with the Hittites. Hosting trade colonies throughout history and founding commercial and social bridges between countries, Cappadocia was one of the important junctions of the Silk Road.

In the 12th century BC, a dark period began in the region with the collapse of the Hittite Empire. During this period, the late Hittite Kings with effects of Assyria and Phrygia ruled the region. These Kingdoms lasted until the Persian invasion in the 6th century BC. The word used today, Cappadocia, means "Land of Beautiful Horses" in Persian. In 332 BC, Alexander the Great defeated the Persians and encountered great resistance in Cappadocia. During this period, the Kingdom of Cappadocia was established. The Roman power began to be felt in the region towards the end of the 3rd century BC. In the middle of 1st century, Kings of Cappadocia were appointed and toppled from the throne by the Roman Generals. When the last king of Cappadocia died in 17 AD, the region became a province of Rome.

In the 3rd century, Christians came to the Cappadocia which became a centre for education. Pressure on the Christians increased between 303-308. But Cappadocia was an ideal place to be safeguarded from pressures and to spread the Christian doctrine. Deep valleys and shelters dug into the soft volcanic rocks created a safe heaven against the Roman soldiers.

The 4th century is the period of the people known as "Fathers of Cappadocia." But the importance of the region reached its climax when Leon III, Emperor of Rome banned icons. Under these circumstances, some people who were pro-icon started to take shelter in the region. Iconoclasm movement lasted more than a hundred years (726-843). Although some Cappadocian churches were under the influence of Iconoclasm in this period, pro-icon people easily continued worshipping here. The monasteries of Cappadocia developed considerably during this period.

Again, in these periods, Arab raids started to affect the Christian regions in Anatolia, from Armenia to Cappadocia. People escaping the invasion and coming to the region changed the styles of churches in the area. In 11th and 12th centuries Cappadocia passed into the hands of the Seljuk Turks. The region spent a period without trouble subsequent times under the Ottoman Empire. The last Christians in the region migrated from Cappadocia due to the exchange of Treaty of Lausanne in 1924-26, leaving beautiful architectural examples behind.

Shortly after Dieter and Leanne left we had decided to undertake a bit of touring by car. so, we hired a car. It was a small, so we shoe horned ourselves in like sardines. Poor Sean managed quite well to wedge himself into the car.

It is interesting when you hire a car in Greece. Firstly they are nearly all manual. There is no fanfare in a contract. Our guy brought the car to the boat, I signed the paperwork, paid him cold hard and the he was gone, a mere aberration. No credit card details. You just a bring a back the car with the amount of fuel that you started with. Ah, yes, don't worry about the roundabouts in Greece, no one understands them any way.

The following day we left for the north coast of Samos. A little hamlet called Kokkari. It is a very popular tourist resort, but it has maintained its quaint look. Apart from that, there are numerous shops, so the girls were in seventh heaven. Sean and I went and sat by the waterside and had one of those cold draft beers. With regards to shopping I think Sean mentioned that he read a book where the author had said his wife was consumed by a Greek shop.....well how apt.

Onwards we drove to the western side of Samos to Karlovasi. This is essentially a sea port and fishing village. It has a quite remote feel to it. Our intension was to head out to the Potami Watefalls. This is a really beautiful place with a rainforest feel to it. You hike about a kilometre into the bush and come out at a fresh water pool. To get to the fall one must swim and wade down a small ravine. The fall is not visible from the tail of this pool. Marie and Sean were the first to go. At first wading the swimming...then gone around the corner. They came back after 15 minutes or so, and loved it. Sam and I followed. The water is quite chilly. The water falls off a rock spout about 1 meter above your head....simply awesome. Check the images section to get the gist of it.

Just as we were leaving a German speaking woman wanted to see the falls but had no one to accompany her, so I offered to accompany her. She was happy about that. Off we went and on return she was so thankful, a good deed for the day.

On the track into the falls was a small market. A lady was selling hand made bracelets and the like. Sam and Marie bought some stock off her, so she was thrilled. A small stall on a remote bush track, simply awesome.

Back to Karlovasi for a "Luigi's" Ice cream, then back again to buy homemade cakes, an excellent after thought.

We drove the inland route back to Pythagorio, stopping at the various look outs that adorne the South Coast. From here you could see the Fourni Island Group, Ikaria and Aganothisi. It gives an amazing perspective of the geography you only typically see on a map.

The last stop was a small village where Sam and Marie looked at some more handicrafts. Sean and i had a coke and waited until the were ready to leave the store.

A great day, and shortly Marie and Sean were to fly home. We would all catch up again in OZ. Although we could not sail as much as we wanted, we still took advantage of every day to the max. It fantastic to spend time with them over this time. Thanks to Sean and Marie, can't wait to see you guys back home.

3/9/2023

In Posidoneo, which lies at short distance from the Turkish coast (at 1,200 meters), is a nice fishing port and a beautiful pebble beach where pine trees provide shade on the beach. There are several nice tavernas, fish restaurants and cafeterias. From here you have a wonderful view of the Turkish coast.

As we approached we could see it was already crowded with yachts, but we managed to shoe horn ourselves into position. The first shore leave mission was to find taverna to celebrate Marie's and my birthday. We did that, a waterfront Taverna. Sam and I even found some dairy free birthday cake for Marie also, which was a great find.

We all had some lunch at a small cafeteria where a woman was making amazing embroidery of sorts. Her son served us and gave us a bit of history of the area. We did ask him about a mural of two young children that was affixed to a post near the water front. He told us of the earthquake that occurred in Vathy in 2020. It registered 6.9 on the Richter Scale, so was fairly significant. Many buildings collapsed. Two young teenagers that spent much of their time in Posidoneo swimming were killed and the mural was memorial to them. So sad.

We all of spent the afternoon on the beach swimming in the crystal clear waters. Sean was the gondolier for the day transporting the crew to and from the beach. With Sean we don't need a motor. Each stroke of the oars projects the tender forward at warp speed. Hey Sean, did you hear about the local paddle sale? It was quite an ordeal (oar deal), sorry mate, better stick to my day job.

Behind us on the beach, up a small hill was this amazing little church. It is the Church of Agios Nikolaos. What does Agios Nikolaos mean you may ask. There are a lot of them. It means Saint Nikolaos. Anyway, the little church is still used today, as there was evidence of confetti everywhere on the pavement.

During the afternoon Ted arrived on his yacht. Who is Ted....well Ted is a lone yachtsman. We met him sometime back in Pythagorio. Given he was on his own, we invited him to Lea's birthday, so, now we invited him to Marie's and mine. He was so appreciative for the company. He was Australian, living in Port Stevens. Marie and I were not sure if he was up to our shenanigans, but he seemed to have a bit of a laugh.

After this great meal, Marie each got a King and Queen hat. We wore them with aplomb and laughed so much, so what to do. Lets jump off the pier and swim out fully clothed....Not a minute to waste. Both of us jumped in the pitch black and swam out to the yacht. Poor old Ted was probably thinking, who are these lunatics....Anyway, Marie has this dress on, and I struggled to keep up with her, and I only had board shorts and a T shirt. But we stuck together and got out to the boat with no issue. The tenders were just behind us. I was more worried about the state of her dress the next day. anyway, happy birthday Marie.

We stayed another day, but had to relocate because the swing of the the boat at anchor was getting close to the shore, so we did that. Although, it took a while because with so many yachts in this anchorage, space was a premium. It was like threading a needle.

The next moring we left for Samos Marina so that Dieter and Lea catch their connecting flight to Athens. The weather outlook for the next few days was not good. Southerly wind and thunderstorms were forecast, so a spot in the marina would be reasonable alternative until the weather improved, given time was against us to travel afar at this stage. But, as we always do, we made the most of it in such good company. Stay tuned for the next instalment.....you guessed it, in Samos.

Check the images gallery for more laughs