Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise: the Pyramids do not disappoint. Far from it. Even through jaded eyes and lifelong over-worked symbolism they are magnificent, other-worldly, splendidly breath-taking. Jamie photographed them from every angle, while I tried to imagine what the area would have looked like during its prime, with the white limestone glistening interiors of the Pyramids intact.
Giza’s Good, Giza’s Good Read Post »
Liz and I then wandered around town taking snaps and racing the ATM machines to get money. Having failed to withdraw cash from these machines in the last couple of days we were told that we had not been using the machines correctly. The trick is to be as quick as possible in pressing the buttons. Procrastinate for a split second and the machine will display a random message like “main server offline”, “unable to process your request” or “no spare cash left in Egypt”. Weird.
Who Said Port Said Is Rubbish? Read Post »
Some of our readers have never been sailing before, whilst others have been cruising for so long they’ve forgotten what it was like the first time the sails catch the wind and that boat heels over to an unnervingly impossible angle.
So what’s it like to go sailing for the first time? And what’s it like to go sailing in a country many thousands of miles from the comfort of your home when you are afflicted with panic attacks, a phobia of flying and sea sickness?
We continue our features on Fethiye: littered with great photographs our guest blogger, Tim, offers you a truly honest and philosophical account of a land-lubber’s impressions of sailing, Fethiye and the effects of Diazepam.
Experience the panic setting in here:
http://www.followtheboat.com/index.php/2009/04/14/more-than-an-experience-a-conquest/
Sailing: A Panic-ridden, Land-lubber’s Experience Read Post »
Fethiye is very definitely a ‘working’ town, despite its attraction for both tourists and yotties alike. There is an abundance of restaurants and cafes if you’re just wanting to relax or dine out. If you’re working on your boat or your house then you are spoiled for choice when it comes to shops, suppliers and repairs.
I’ve tried to capture this sense of work with a little photography project I’ve titled ‘Fethiye At Work’.
Shopping, Eating & Working In Fethiye Read Post »
In this feature we take a light-hearted look at shopping in Turkey. We examine the customs, the expectations and the heartache. Somewhere in the article are a few tips, but don’t take it too seriously.
Shopping In Turkey: Tips & Observations Read Post »
My first and only experience with sailing boats arrived at the age of twelve in Bognor Regis. It was a school trip and involved myself and some unruly pals sprawling ourselves across a tiny single sailed yacht. The thing with kids is, you tell them something ten times and they don’t listen, what they actually need is the experience of something bad before they know not to do something ever again.
Observations Of Turkey Read Post »
I am lying on a bed in my childhood room in my parent’s house, however this time I am not having a panic attack. My mind fills with memories of warmth, comfort, beauty, adventure, good food, marine life, ancient ruins, vibrant colours, culture, national pride, hard work and above all experience.
Memories Of Colours, Culture & Experience Read Post »
Gocek is one of those places that thrives on tourism, particularly boats, to the point where it appears to have taken the soul from the place. The market is local enough and is well worth a visit to stock up on essential fruit and veg. The marina, however, is littered with luxury yachts, coloured lights, a promenade and the usual cafes and restaurants pushing their chairs and tables into your path.
Blushing Skies, Burning Kilns Read Post »
It does, thank Neptune, and when we reach Gocek, we anchor up some 50 yards from the pontoon and board “Tinker”, a dinghy that has seen better days. Why is it though, that when men get into a dinghy or a canoe, they feel as though they have to paddle like the clappers to reach their destination? Everything on water is a race, I call it the “Columbus Effect”.
My First Sailing Experience & The Columbus Effect Read Post »
Today is my wife’s birthday, but I am not celebrating. I am lying on a bed, in my childhood room, in my parent’s house having a panic attack. My palms are sweating, my neck is tightening, my pulse is racing, I want to run, I want to hide.
More Than An Experience. A Conquest Read Post »
You’ll also get confused by the fact that none of the borders are sign-posted. One minute you’re driving along, minding your own business, admiring the view, and next you’ve driven into a checkpoint barrier. Probably manned by an angry Greek police officer.
Lefkosia or Nicosia? Read Post »
Contrasts again. The richly self-indulgent road south of the line turns into a dusty careworn main road on the Turkish Cypriot side. No Starbucks, Top Shop or McDonalds to be found here. Stepping off the main drag we are in a monstrous slum of poverty and wasteland.
A Walk Up Ledra Street Read Post »
The once garish colours are now reduced to a uniform greyness; a 1970s monochrome war torn news report from the BBC frozen in time. The roads are strewn with detritus and weeds grow uninterrupted up through the asphalt and concrete, cocking a snook at man’s feeble attempt to control nature.
The Spectre Of Recent History Read Post »
It’s a most startling and incongruous sight. In fact I found it impossible to suppress a slightly hysterical giggle at what had happened to this old monument to Catholicism. (During later sight-seeing forays I saw other, similarly changed, monuments of Christian worship, all of which triggered this irrepressible giggle.)
Famagusta is in the north of the island. Well, most of it is. Quite a large part of it is now sectioned off with barbed wire walls behind which can be seen the eerie no-man’s land of skeletal hotels, tumble-weed roads and literal urban decomposition…
Bastardised Churches & No-Man’s Land Read Post »
