Via we-all-know-where-by-now-don't-we to Göreme yesterday, on the day bus because who knew if the road would stay open at night. So today I have been dragged up and down a few hills in knee-deep snow (not to mention along a few ridges, over some ice, and other things, at speed, with Mustafa expressing his complete incredulousness that I was incapable of staying upright - "How do you DO it?" he keeps saying, "Falling over like that ALL THE TIME? I've never seen anything LIKE it!" I stuck some snow down the back of his jacket in response, so the snowball fights have been frequent.)

Nevertheless, it is gorgeous here, the sun has been out today and the snow is soft and powdery, and I have achieved a candle to put in the window of the centrally-heated en-suite cave at the pansiyon tonight, as it is the first Sunday in Advent.

* posted by nat 2:43 PM

Friday, November 26, 2004

Oh, argh, but life is going slightly pear-shaped of late.

In conversation with Mustafa, crossing the market square on Tuesday evening, I was explaining about other Mustafas and advanced the theory that all Mustafas are slightly, if not very, crazy.
"Do you know Mustafa Kemal?" said Mustafa.
"Of course," I said, "he was crazy too." And then I added, "He was a bit of a womaniser too, wasn't he?"
And then I waited for the universe to come crashing down, except he just laughed, and said that Nats are crazier than Mustafas, and then we ran to get indoors because it was so cold, and did silly dancing to "Hey Malkhata!" which is a lovely silly Bulgarin pop song, just right for silly dancing.

Earlier I had been to the otogar to book a ticket to Marmaris. "No direct buses at this time of year," said the man, "You're best going via Aydin."
As I was then mapless I got the ticket anyway before working out that this was a slightly long way round. Anyway, the next morning I went down for the 7am bus.
"Aydin?" said the same man. "Where are you going after Aydin?"
"I have to go to Marmaris," I said.
"Marmaris? The Marmaris bus went at 6am."
It was too cold to even contemplate strangling him.
So I went via Aydin, ended up on a Pamukkale bus, which I usually try to avoid as Pamukkale bus people are rotten liars, but never mind, got to Marmaris, sorted out my ferry ticket, and then the heavens opened and I spent the whole night in a panic about whether the stupid boat would actually go or not.

The next morning had slight drizzle, a bit of a breeze, a perfect bright double rainbow over the harbour, and a large cruise liner taking twenty coachloads of people off to Dalyan. Scary.
The ferry to Rhodes turned out to be a tiny little boat (the hydrofoil doesn't do day trips out of season!) that rolled about on the horizontal horrifically for two hours. I managed stoically for one hour then spent five minutes wishing the wind would choose a direction and stick to it so if I was going to be sick I could at least be sick not into the wind. As it turned out my nose ended up so close to the water once I stuck my head over the side it didn't really make much difference. Anyway I managed not to be the first person to throw up, nor the last, so that was all right, and given as I hadn't eaten since 5:30pm the night before quite an achievement.

I got off at Rhodes and trailed around the old town going "Why the hell is everyone British and argh I feel awful." Got to the Grand Master's Palace and asked for a ticket for one person in Greek, and got a torrent of Greek in response. I think the ticket guy was feeling a bit out of practice with his Greek. I then had to admit that I didn't know any more Greek. So then I went and looked at the mosaics, trailing round after a horribly chipper English-speaking guide who was saying things like "Now I bet you can't name all the nine muses" and nearly everyone in the group said "Watch this," and reeled off the list. I spent most of the time trying not to throw up over the mosaics which spoilt my enjoyment of them somewhat.

I then decided if I was going to be sick then I could treat myself to a nice milky hot chocolate, so I did so, marvelling as I drank it how it seemed to be being one o clock for an awfully long time.

Then I realised my watch had stopped.

I legged it down to the harbour to be nearly run down by one of the crew on the moped going "Boat is over there!" and pointing to the other side of the harbour where the boat was bouncing up and down like an overexcited puppy. Groaned and trailed over, and then refused to get on the boat until the last possible minute. Two of the crew attempted to chat me up. I told them I lived with my fiance and we were going to get married soon so hopefully I would never have to do this evil visa run again. They then constantly referred to me as "Yenge" which was almost worse.

They were, however, once they had stopped the chatting up, perfectly pleasant, and after five minutes of me sulking on deck, refusing to into the cabin, and getting drenched, they came and hauled me up the stairs and onto the bridge where I was sat down and told to keep my eyes on the horizon. I complained that I had been trying to do exactly that. Five minutes later a Turkish battleship started shouting at them over the radio, so that distracted them somewhat.

I made it back to Marmaris without being sick, got a 15Euro visa, and decided I was starving so I walked into the first open restaurant and had French Onion soup (lovely) and a very creamy veggie guvec (also lovely - at the time), and lots of random conversation with the slightly bored Kurdish chef.

Then I went back to the hostel and four of us sat around wrapped up in blankets, drinking over-strong tea and watching The Island of Dr Moreau followed by Reign of Fire on the Movie Channel. Then I felt a migraine coming on - not surprised after all that cream on a very empty stomach, so I went and got on a midnight bus to Antalya, as you do.

We all woke up at around 4am to find ourselves in the middle of a blizzard and driving at about 15km an hour. But the bus was lovely and steamy-hot so not really much to complain about, plus it made us late to Antalya so we arrived at the semi-normal hour of 7am.

I decided that the best way to combat a headache was to go to Paul's Place and drink a cafetiereful of french vanilla blend coffee. On the empty-ish, cream-filled stomach. Then I fell asleep on the sofa in the middle of The Screwtape Letters, but everyone there is very nice and apparently quite used to wierdos like me, besides, they all remembered me from a few weeks ago, when I did much the same thing!

I wanted to go and see Büyük Iskender (the film, not the kebab!) but there was a problem with the sound at the cinema so it wasn't on. So much for civilization! Instead I have bought some nice thermal underwear and a ticket to London. A return ticket, at that. Yay! It was only US$297, but I expect I will end up paying a fortune in excess luggage.

And anywhere I want to go now is apparently snowed up. I have been PROMISED a snowball fight in Cappadocia - but I can't bloody get there!

* posted by nat 3:33 PM

Monday, November 22, 2004

It's snowing!!!

... I think it might be time for me to go.

* posted by nat 8:28 AM

Friday, November 19, 2004

I have had my first really nasty stiff day for a long long time. I can not quite decide whether it was helped or hindered by awaking this morning to find myself actually IN a scalding hot shower being fussed over by a very worried Mustafa who kept telling me I was very cold and he had got into a panic because I didn't seem to want to wake up. Once he had bundled me back into bed wearing most of my wardrobe, his wardrobe, and a few blankets, it then emerged it was three o'clock in the morning. I ventured that attempted hibernation with a gale blowing outside at that hour of the morning was in no way abnormal, but he has spent the rest of the day popping in at intervals and force feeding me oranges and telling me cheerfully about various fishing expeditions.

I got up at about 5pm and we went out for dinner, then we went and sat in the barbers shop after it had closed and he knotted hooks onto a long length of line and I spent most of the time sitting on the hooks, and we watched Troy dubbed into Turkish. As usual with bad flims the dubbed version is heaps more fun.

* posted by nat 6:46 PM

Thursday, November 18, 2004

It appears that my soporific effect on Deniz is reciprocal...

* posted by nat 9:13 AM

Sunday, November 14, 2004

So today is Bayram, which meant many joyful faces at breakfast time. I kissed Ibrahim's hand and have yet to see even a glimmer of any money! Ha!

Loni and Jeremy (for they are here too!) have gone to climb up the hill, and Musti, Ibo and I went out fishing. I stuck my fingers in my ears every time he pulled a hook out of a fish's mouth, since it made a horrid sound, and was lectured several times about how this was his job and he was not going to pander to my feminine sensibilities.

'Could I do this in England?' Mustafa said, pulling hook number 300-odd out of the water and caterpaulting another large levrek over Ibo's head into the back of the boat.

I said I somehow doubted it, and we all bounced up and down on the boat and said how nice it was that in Turkey you could do pretty much whatever you wanted as long as you were reasonably sensible about it, and no-one minded too much.

On the way back it got rather windy which meant the boat got rather bouncy without any effort from ourselves, so I curled up in the cabin and Ibo threw little fish in to keep me company. I kicked him and then made him come in to retrieve them. Mustafa was too busy getting soaked down by the rudder to give me another lecture!

Am now drinking copious amounts of tea, being force-fed corn kernels, and watching a Jackie Chan film dubbed into Turkish. Thus I know it is a holiday.

* posted by nat 1:24 PM

Thursday, November 11, 2004

I am in... go on, guess!

I came up exhausted from rainy, wet, nasty-muggy Antalya last night and pretty much fell off the bus at Isparta, and was quite disturbed to be caught by a man talking as if he knew me. On closer inspection it turned out that he did know me; it was Mustafa.

Once I had recovered from that little shock things were fine, and he bundled me 'home' to have everyone else hug and kiss me while I sneezed and coughed all over them, then I was fed soup and put to bed.

Egirdir is as beautiful as ever, sunny and gorgeous this morning and I am here in my flowery shalwar and stripy t-shirt [1] hemming a headscarf and chatting with Havva. Earlier we had fun with some three-month old twins, one of whom LOVES my hair [2] and the other of whom falls alseep the instant he is put in my arms. You can guess which one I prefer. Father Turkish, mother French, so as usual I am on the polyglot terrace of confusion. The world and his wife has come to market today, as it's Bayram this weekend, so I am waiting until the madness calms down a little before I venture out to do my shopping/errands.

Or there's always tomorrow...

[1]Everything else I own is in the wash, being covered in mud, or blood, or sopping wet and smelly. It's been an interesting week.
[2]Drooling in it, pulling it out, etc.

* posted by nat 11:31 AM

Friday, November 05, 2004

I am officially more fun than football. It says so on my mobile phone. Hurrah!

Also, today I jumped into a five foot deep hole to save a tiny tortoise. I rock. Nearly couldn't get out again, but what is wandering through archaeological sites (Xanthos aka let's immolate!) for if you don't get to jump into the odd hole? And uncover the odd mosaic? It was hot! I blame the heat. Also, a pigeon tried to brain me. Go me and my jumping-back-from-tomb-entrance-reflexes!

And further, I have not been lauding Ramazan pidesi enough lately. LAUD!

I have been given a free drink of coke. I hardly ever drink coke. Might explain it. Must go, am being licked lovingly by large rottweiler.

* posted by nat 4:34 PM

Thursday, November 04, 2004

I have spent the last four days up in the mountains. (spent too much time in Tlos and exhausted myself, checked in for one night... and stayed...)

Today I came down, swam in the sea in Patara, found myself a nice little pansiyon with a sea view in Kalkan, logged into a net cafe, and discovered the US election result.

I am very tempted to go straight back up the mountains again!

* posted by nat 3:49 PM