Gallipoli

We head off on a little mini bus at 6.30am and it takes us to the biggest bus depot you have ever seen. Turkey is run by buses, and any size you want Madame. We get on some sort of public bus that has all sorts on it, and all types of cargo. As I'm desperate for a coffee before we sit on this bus for 5 hours, Mum and I make a dash to this little teahouse. We grab two take away Nescafes in a plastic cup and a serve of cheese Boreks. The coffee was so hot, I now have a blister on my lip. The bus is a coach with a TV screen on the back of the seat. It's all Turkish but we manage to enjoy some American films in Turkish!! The bus is so great, as you have this man who pulls out a tray on wheels and serves you drinks and snacks for free. Then he comes by with a huge bottle of some lemon cologne which you wash your hands with and it's pure alcohol. It puts the greyhound buses to shame. We have what they call comfort stops. It's mainly Turkish toilets which you squat on (there is no way that you can get constipated in Turkey) or you can choose the occasional English one if you like. You pay for these, just like most places in Europe. We get to Eceabat, which is where our hotel is and our tour guide will be. You have got to love it as it's the "Crowded House" hotel. We are taken out the back for a quick lunch, and then all aboard the next bus to Gallipoli. Our guide's name is "Bullante" and he is very knowledgable and passionate. We stop down at where the Australians landed which was North Beach instead of Brighton Beach. Next stop is Anzac cove and it's so small, as it looks so much bigger on TV. This is where the Allied forces set up. When you turn around to see the hill they had to get over, you know they were up against it. Mum's grandfather was from the Lighthorsemen brigade and she has his certificate framed at home. We see so many graves, and most are so young. We go to Lone Pine and the battle fields and it's amazing to see the trenches and hear about the ceasefire day when the Turks and the Allies helped each other to bury the dead. So many men lost from all parties. I can now understand the pride you feel, and mostly why the Turks are so passionate about this country. I meet a young woman who is curious to know where I'm from. She must be 15. We are near the big statue of Mustafa Ataturk who was the general responsible for the defeat of the Allies and he later becomes the President and they love him to death. She looks up and says "he is my hero and I love him". The passion is incredible. We head back to our hotel and we have dinner at a Baltak restaurant and we ate the best hummus I have ever tasted. Sitting next to us are heaps of cats fighting over fish bones. There is no shortage of cats, Lena. They eat with you all the time. The next day we just potter, as we are going back on an earlier bus. Mum and I head down to the water to what looks like an men's only cay house. We sit down and order two Turkish kahve (coffee). Mum describes the coffee as lifting your head off!! We bus it back another 5 hours, and when we come into Istanbul there are toll gates and the lanes are about 7 or 8 wide, with no structure. So much so, that guys just get out of cars and say goodbye to people. There is a young man selling bananas to the cars passing by!! It's insane and on the hill beside the freeway the people sit and watch; it must be a spectator sport. Tonight we hit a Turkish restaurant where I enjoy an ayran (drink made of yoghurt, water and salt). Mum and I try what seems to be a dark fruit juice with red carrots. We eat some rolled up pastry filled with cheese and we happily take photos like we are smoking them, as they look like cigars. Early to bed, as we need to rest now before our trip starts. Oh, I have told you about the call to prayer. It goes 5 times a day and we wake up sometimes to the 4am one!! Goodnight.