January 2018 - Solotravel

Cosmos Tour of Turkey

Checking in early for the Cosmos tour I thought would be a problem but no, I was shown to the room booked for the night. I thought I was in seventh heaven after the conditions of the past week! A four-star hotel complete with air conditioning, clean and comfortable beds, and a big room!! The wifi there just for me.

Having time on my hands I was soon off exploring a part of Istanbul I hadn’t seen. The Istiklal St is the most popular street in Istanbul if the crowds are to be believed, approximately a 1.5 km pedestrian shoppers paradise. From the big business names to the tiniest street seller.

It didn’t take long to find it as all roads seem to lead there! I spent several hours there wandering from shop to shop, looking for clothes, trying them on and adjusting mentally to the size of the clothes which were obviously too small, must be a Turkish thing because none of the clothes fit! The fact that I’d possibly added weight from all the Turkish food never occurred to me.

Having mentally adjusted to the larger size made it easier to shop. I checked out the underground for the second oldest subway in the world. The tram service to Taksim Square interesting and slow enough to enjoy the experience. As I had spent most of the preceding week in the Sultanahmet district, it was a real change to be in the more modern part of Istanbul of Beyoglu District.

I went to the top of the Galata tower, one of the oldest structures in this part of Istanbul. Built in the mid-1400’s it was the tallest building for some centuries. The view outstanding over such a beautiful city. The lift was the easy way to the top for which I was thankful. Getting back to the hotel, I was pleased to meet the lass, I would spend the next fortnight of the Cosmos tour sharing the room with. A twenty-something Australian girl from Perth.

Soon after we went back to the street to shop and look around for a place to have dinner. We ended up having a massive baked potato filled with all sorts of fillings that you chose from a selection. Allowing enough time to get back to the hotel for the tour meeting. A gathering of all the people taking the Cosmos trip around Turkey with us. A welcome drink of unknown ingredients proved to be fairly tasteless but certainly looked good in pink and yellow.
Having been informed of all the need to know stuff about the tour we retired to our rooms for the night, ready for a six-thirty wake-up call. Breakfast at seven, coach departure at eight.

Indian Pacific Train across Australia

A train enthusiast from my early twenties it gave me great pleasure to plan to travel Australia basing my trip on two trains, the famous Indian Pacific and Ghan both long haul trains being trips of 2-3 days each. Both trains are part of the Great Southern Rail Company’s trains The Indian Pacific travels from the Indian Ocean across Australia to the Pacific, where the Ghan travels in a north-south direction, the only famous train that goes in north – south direction.

I joined the Indian Pacific in Perth, out the door at 8.30 for an easy walk to the station from the hostel I had stayed in, for the previous few days. The long train already at the station waiting for all the passengers I heard some one say it was over half a kilometer in length! It felt even longer if you went in the wrong direction with heavy backpack! There were many passengers already waiting for the office to open at 9.30. Check in appeared to be relatively easy and speedy despite the crowd of people. I checked in my bag and kept the backpack with me as it had all I would require for the next couple of days. I have weights down to a fine art now.

Boarding the train in economy and the thought of two -3 nights in an upright position had me worried, how would I manage? There was plenty of space to stretch legs out and the seats very comfortable. The back of the seat reclining to about a 45-degree angle, so no worries there. I could handle this! The train departed Perth on time and we were on our way.

I jumped at the opportunity to change carriages to one that was empty. This proved to be a good move. The carriage was one of the older ones with vinyl seats that you could flip to whichever direction you wished. The beauty of this was I got to have four seats to keep my legs up. I have a medical problem that is helped by doing so; there were few others that took up the offer so we all had plenty of space! Unfortunately, this did include a two or 3-year-old child. A good little boy constantly told by his mother to be quiet/shut up/go to sleep! I realized she was trying to keep him quiet for the rest of the passengers, but in fact did just the opposite! He was a neat kid, but she drove us to distraction!After the fine customer service on the Sunlander, I found it somewhat lacking on the Indian Pacific.

The staff were not happy about filling my small flask with hot water for my coffee. They did, but not with good grace. Obviously, they do not get many people with flasks. Pointing out the safety aspect that it could spill and burn. I felt that it was my choice to do so. I had coffee in small packets that included milk so it was easy to set the flask up for the day.

Into our journey, we rapidly went through the Avon Valley and the wheat growing area of Western Australia. Lovely scenery, all the while looking out for the wildlife. Reading yet another book, I had been getting through a book a day consistently while on the trains. My afternoon book disturbed by loud and intrusive music, which despite asking for it to be reduced there was little we could do or the staff was prepared to do. Something to do with the gold class passenger’s music channel was the explanation!

Down to the buffet car for dinner, I chose a pasta and salad for my evening meal. I was served approximately 2 tablespoons of pasta and with the rest in lettuce and tomato. The portion size for an adult not adequate. For this, I was charged ten dollars. That meal I found inadequate so this time I had a pie, which from its taste had been sitting in a pie warmer for considerable time. I think the two rail companies need to talk, the Sunlander choice of meals was superb. Image result for kalgoorlie

The highlight of this day was a tour I had booked to see the Kalgoorlie Mine starting at 10pm! I have done a few tours but never one starting at that time. What a brilliant tour! The mine was amazing; the driver/guide told us that if you inverted Ayers Rock (Uluru) it would fill the mine. Stopping at the look out high above the Super Pit we had time to view the mine as it worked. The operation of it continues around the clock seeking out the gold for which it is famous. Up to 850,000 ounces of gold, a year are mined from the 360-metre deep by 3.5km long and 1.5km wide hole in the ground. Given the current price of the gold, working 24 hours, 7 days a week is lucrative opportunity indeed.

After the stop at the lookout for the Super Pit, we took in a tour of the town and the historic buildings. It all sounded interesting. Then it was back to the train for sleeping and the next leg of our trip. However, that is another story!

Solo traveler in Istanbul

This was to be my last day on my own in Istanbul, before joining the tour around Turkey.
Down to the disappointing breakfast of just bread rolls, and coffee, I was getting a bit tired of the idiosycrasies of this hotel, the fan, the smells that emanate from the pipes in the bathroom.
I had promised myself a visit to the small mosque a few minutes away, no hills to climb either. So after breakfast I set out to do just that. Set down a side street as it was, one would have thought it would be quiet but there were a steady stream of visitors to see it. The five hundred year old mosque was attended by an old turkish man, who gave out the scarves to the women. Having done so he went back to his praying or chanting, not sure which it was.
Dutifully wearing the scarf that the old man had adjusted for me , to be worn the correct way obviously mattered to him and I was happy to oblige.

It was a pleasure to wander around the simple mosque, lacking the opulence of the bigger ones , it was cool and interesting to see. A climb up the stairs to the balcony provided views from the windows of the graveyard and the adjacent buildings.
There is only so much to see in an empty mosque so it wasn’t long before I headed back to the hotel via the Ziva Baba restaurant where I had enjoyed reasonable priced and tasty meals over the last few days. Soup it was, with the lovely turkish

bread .

After lunch plodding up the hill to the main attractions for one last look and a free piece of turkish delight from the shops. Past the grand Bazaar with its hundreds and hundreds of shops with their very keen vendors and their constant “hello” I have become so accustomed to going to see the mosques I know I will miss the people , the shops that I have used . Faros with its Wifi and excellent food. I suspect they used to talk about the lady that never left a tip, but they always smiled and were always very pleasant. Considering the prices they charged, why would they even need a tip!

The day had not lost any of its heat, so before long it was back to the hotel to pack and think of dinner. Back down the hill for the last time , I had become very attached to the place, with its cats everywhere, the old men sitting around on benches and chairs. Playing cards in the side streets that were even grottier than the hill street I used. Washing hung from the windows, no maintenance done for many a year, the rubbish, kids playing ball in the streets. The shops with their goods spilling on to the street, the smells of the small bakeries and cafes. The wonderful view of the sea at the end of the street.

The beachfront interesting in its own right. Within walking distance of the hotel and under a rail bypass, it was a real pleasure to come across this area one night after dinner. The after work traffic jams a reality. Crossing the road only possible on the pedestrian crossross now lights, and even that wasn’t without its risks. The look on a womans’ face as her husband had to throw
on the brakes to avoid hitting me and several others was a classic. The beach front in name only as the huge rocks that lined it were not user friendly, but the ingenuity of the fishers and the teenagers who were swimming, amazing. Even a dog got into the act swimming , and trying to pluck up the courage to get on the rocks as the swells came and went at times very fast. Some
had concreted pads made between the rocks to rest their small cookers and seats on. With it being Ramadan there were of course all the families waiting with their picnics at the ready for sunset. Then there were the usual street sellers with the inevitable rolex watches, perfume, jewelry, water and sweet corn.

The small harbour had boats coming and going both big and small. Some were available for hire, along with a few inflatables. Off the coast at a distance were probably a hundred of more ships of varying sizes waiting to berth at the port. I watched a cruise boat leave, one that I had seen the same morning docking. They must have spent their ten hours having a quick look at Istanbul. Something I am glad to have spent more time doing, and enjoying all that the city has to offer even though it will not ever be enough.
Always the cats in and around the city, mostly fed but feral, they are everywhere from the mosques to the humblest street corner. I was fascinated by many cats sleeping all over motorbikes in a parking space. The seafront was no exception, with the restaurants lining part of it, what better place for a cat to call home. They are surprisingly quiet although I make no effort to touch them in case of fleas , they just watch what you are doing and whether it’s worth their attention.
Next day off to start the tour,and I will be out of this hotel as early as is decently possible!

Sofija

Asking the Sofija taxi office stand as I had been advised to do, and not take the taxis in front of the station. I knew the fare was around 5-6 levas, sure enough the driver said seven! I think even the office girl was aware of the price and knew it was higher than it should have been. That’s part of the price you pay for being a tourist in all countries. The taxi rip off is standard fare all over the world. I think I have struck two drivers that have actually been honest. A sad reflection on the mentality of most people in developing countries who think tourists are rich. I don’t doubt that to them we probably are but if they were in the same situation, it would be reversed. Some will be, but the majority are just ordinary people who have saved or even borrowed to travel.
Making it to the hotel/hostel safely, I settled in to a fairly plain room with no pictures apart from the rules! Not even a mirror. Still it was a spacious room and there was room for the suitcase. I even scored a jug from the most helpful chap at reception. Off out to familiarise myself with a new city and get a few groceries. The food is still very cheap as has been the norm for all these countries. A bit of sightseeing along the way. At 6pm I waited to take part in a free walking tour in Sofija, but come 6.15 and no sign of any one I carried on walking to see the Banya Bashi Mosque . Coming across the central market hall and the huge Alexander Nevsky Cathedral. The building that delighted me most was a small church that had been built in the 14-15 century. It was so cute, sitting below the road level in an area that was being dug out , called the Church of St Petka of the Saddlers.

After a meal at Maccas it was time to head back to the hotel after a long day.

The next day after breakfast, I thought to try the walking tour again. Calling into the office to leave the ipad in safe hands , I mentioned to the ever friendly chap where I was going. He says you have already missed 3/4 of an hour of it. There is an hours time difference in bulgaria to that of Serbia!! Hence the reason for missing the tour last night. That really stuffed up my day, so hanging onto the ipad I decided to go and see the Boyana Church. Catching a 5 tram and after consultation with a lady who spoke some english, I knew where to get off the tram and I was to catch a 64 bus to the church. Getting off the tram at the suggested stop proved to be the wrong one, so walking in a direction that had a mountain at the back I started out to see if there was a 64 bus.

I was lucky enough to meet a young mother pushing her 18 month old child , who spoke enough english for us to be able converse. She was brilliant, and escorted me to the bus stop that would take me to the church. Where to buy the tickets, where the woman behind the small window, gave me the wrong change, I suspect the tourist rip off again. I don’t argue with them it is not my problem ,it is them that has a problem.
The mother waited until the bus came,and told the driver where to drop me off and carried on her way! Some people are so lovely, I will never forget her kindness
The bus duly dropped me off just below the Boyana Church. I wandered up the quiet street in the heat, but a lot of trees and shrubs gave welcome shade.

A tour bus parked outside indicated I had got the right place. Going in the gates and down the cobbled path towards the church, hidden from sight by the wonderful trees and bushes that are such a delight in these countries. Stopping at the ticket office , I was advised of the nearly an hour wait. People in groups of eight or ten are only permitted at a time in the church. I bought the 10 leva ticket and waited , along with many others.
Just on an hour later I was granted entry to the little church, a wait well justified. I was greeted by the strangest elderly man I have ever met, very theatrical and could not keep his hands to himself! Argh, it was definitely discomforting, but he kept pointing out all the intricacies of the wonderful church. The entire wall surfaces were covered in exquisite paintings dating back to the 12 century.

Some of the paintings had lost some of the plaster ? that they were painted on but beneath there was even more paintings from an even earlier era. As there was essentially only ten minutes allowed in the church, he actually allowed me twenty, so it was worth the trauma his presence created.

Leaving the little church, and the peacefulness of its surroundings was a shame. There was certainly an ambience within the church and its surrounds. It was nice to know that the green spaces surrounding the little church were there to protect it from the modern world. It was made a UNESCO world heritage site in 1979.
Walking back down to the bus stop I was able to get one that returned me part way to the city, aided by a pleasant young man I was able to change buses to one that would drop me closer to the central city. A group of teenage girls said they would tell me when to get off the bus, pronounced buus, which they did. So the collective effort worked quite well.
Close to the bustop was a Starbucks, I was hanging out for a coffee and a wifi fix so what other option did I have!!
More sightseeing on the way back to the hotel left me entirely knackered , and I couldn’t face spending two hours on the walking tour at six. so it was dinner then home to the hostel