TURKEY | Friday, 1 Jul 2011 | Views [3211]
After an epic 3-day journey, I have finally made back to Australia, my home for the time being. This will be my final post for a while as I undertake the mammoth task of sifting through my piles of notes and turning them into text worthy of the Rough ... Read more >
TURKEY | Thursday, 30 Jun 2011 | Views [2571] | Comments [1]
This morning a cool breeze rattles the
streets of the city and a splatter of raindrops pound my head as I duck out of
my hotel. It is as if the city knows I am leaving her and is protesting my
desertion. As if in apology, I give up on my ... Read more >
TURKEY | Wednesday, 29 Jun 2011 | Views [2305] | Comments [4]
1. You can’t always trust the map Perhaps I’ve never followed my city maps so meticulously before, or perhaps Istanbul is uniquely difficult to map out, but each map here seems to vary, both in accuracy and scale. It’s the amateur travel writers, ... Read more >
TURKEY | Monday, 27 Jun 2011 | Views [2847]
235km from Istanbul, the quiet town of
Edirne seems to get overlooked by the majority of tourists but still holds a
few notable attractions in its beautiful mosques and cluster of easy-to-meander
shopping streets. It was here, after ... Read more >
Tags: edirne, istanbul, mosques, rough guides, travel writing scholarship, turkey
TURKEY | Sunday, 26 Jun 2011 | Views [2694] | Comments [2]
A mere hour by sea-bus from the city swell lie the Prince’s Islands, a collection of nine small islands offering welcome relief from the city chaos. We spent our second day on the largest island, Büyükada, aboard rented bicycles, cruising up and down ... Read more >
Tags: beaches, cycling, istanbul, princes islands, travel writing, travel writing scholarship, trekking, turkey
TURKEY | Saturday, 25 Jun 2011 | Views [2096]
The Land Walls, Istanbul . After meeting with my mentor Terry at the
decidedly non-Turkish (but conveniently easy to find) Starbucks and discussing
my upcoming assignments over chai latte, we headed out to a lesser-trodden area
of town for ... Read more >
Tags: istanbul, land of walls, rough guides, travel writing, travel writing scholarship, trekking, turkey
TURKEY | Friday, 24 Jun 2011 | Views [3356] | Video
What better way to get an inside view on
Turkey, than to ask someone who makes a living guiding people through the country? Meet
our BikeHike tour guide, Turan, a professional tour guide born and bred in the
Aladaglar range of the Taurus Mountains.... Read more >
Tags: cappadocia, guide, istanbul, tour, travel writing, travel writing scholarship, trekking, turkey
TURKEY | Thursday, 23 Jun 2011 | Views [5615]
Before winning this competition I admit that I’d never been on a tour in my life. Sure, I’ve done the occasional two-day camping tour or hired a local guide to take me around, but I’d never even considered booking on an all-inclusive package tour, ... Read more >
Tags: backpacker, bikehike adventures, tour, travel, travel writing, travel writing scholarship, trekking, turkey
TURKEY | Wednesday, 22 Jun 2011 | Views [1630]
Returning to Istanbul, I feel that odd
sense of transition as if it is the end of a long trip. In reality I’ve been
away from the city little more than 10 days, but it feels like so long since I
have left that I felt sure life must have moved ... Read more >
Tags: bazaar, istanbul, travel writing, travel writing scholarship, turkey
TURKEY | Tuesday, 21 Jun 2011 | Views [9376] | Video
. Despite its increasingly liberal-minded youth and rapid adoption of western ways, issues of sexuality and gender still remain somewhat taboo within Turkey. That said, being the only Muslim country where homosexuality is not illegal, Turkey plays ... Read more >
Tags: gay pride, istanbul, march, politics, protests, travel writing, travel writing scholarship, turkey
TURKEY | Monday, 20 Jun 2011 | Views [1652]
After spending the previous evening with Jodi enjoying a delicious dinner of fresh fish and shrimp at the highly recommended Bahce Balik restaurant and downing possibly a little too much wine, we were keen to keep the morning laid-back. Wisely opting ... Read more >
Tags: beaches, istanbul, kalkan, mediterranean, sea, travel writing, travel writing scholarship, turkey
TURKEY | Saturday, 18 Jun 2011 | Views [1804]
. After a long drive from the Taurus Mountains and a short but sweet stopover at the Dogan Hotel in Antalya, we finally reached the bobbing turquoise waves of the Mediterranean, coupled with, thankfully, a sticky shot of sunshine. We spent the afternoon ... Read more >
Tags: beaches, boat, istanbul, kayak, mediterranean, sea, travel writing, travel writing scholarship, turkey
TURKEY | Thursday, 16 Jun 2011 | Views [10898] | Comments [1]
I’m probably not alone in the misconception that Turkish food is made up primarily of variations on the trusty kebab but there is far more to Turkish food than meat on a skewer. You’d be forgiven for overlooking this fact, however, judging ... Read more >
Tags: cappadocia, istanbul, kofte, lokum, travel writing scholarship, turkey, turkish delight, turkish food
TURKEY | Tuesday, 14 Jun 2011 | Views [3175]
Judging by the last few days itinerary,
this is where the adventure portion of our BikeHike tour really kicks in. We
started our day at the Kirkit horse riding ranch and,
immediately drawn to a beautiful bay Arabian called Vanessa, I soon found
myself ... Read more >
TURKEY | Monday, 13 Jun 2011 | Views [10460]
1. Cleanliness is Godliness . Visiting a bathhouse might seem an odd pastime to a westerner whose hygiene routine probably centres around showering in the comfort of their own home, but a visit to a hamam offers a whole other dimension of ... Read more >
Tags: hamam, istanbul, spa, travel writing scholarship, turkey, turkish bath
TURKEY | Saturday, 11 Jun 2011 | Views [2500]
. Hot air balloons have always held a somewhat magical fascination for me. As a child, I remember running across the fields to watch hot air balloons land in the British countryside and marveling at the enormity ... Read more >
Tags: cappadocia, fairy chimneys, hot air ballooning, sunrise, travel writing scholarship, trekking, turkey
TURKEY | Friday, 10 Jun 2011 | Views [3078]
Cappadocia, Turkey . . Carved into the soft volcanic rock like secret hideouts, Cappadocia’s cave hotels have unsurprisingly made a name for themselves amongst tourists visiting the region and ours, the Gamirasu Cave Hotel (http://www.gamirasu.... Read more >
Tags: bike, cappadocia, travel, travel writing scholarship, trekking, turkey
TURKEY | Friday, 10 Jun 2011 | Views [1428]
Topkapi palace. Residence of the lavishly dressed Ottoman Sultans and their infamous Harem and resting place of the renowned ‘three spoons’ 186-caret diamond (so called because its original purchase was for the price of a measly 3 wooden spoons), the ... Read more >
TURKEY | Wednesday, 8 Jun 2011 | Photo Gallery
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