WEDNESDAY 29th JULY 2009 (POSTSCRIPT)

POSTSCRIPT




Don't know if it's been an interesting ride for you but it certainly has been for us!




Full of frustration and at times despair. Some good memories though of fabulous people and places.




Would we trade any of it .... probably not. It wasn't a 'holiday' in any sense of the word but we certainly learned a lot about a different way of life. We saw things we would never have seen had the trip gone without a hitch. We experienced some of the difficulties people have to live with which has given us a new appreciation of our life at home. It also taught us a lot about being 'patient' and that all good things come to those who wait.




The HORS - do we love him or hate him? Of course we love him. We knew by doing this trip on an 'older' bike that we would have inherent difficulties, no question. That's part of the territory.


We look forward to his arrival at home and to welcome him into the stable.




One thing that kept us going when the chips were down were your 'stupid' comments (smiley face). We loved all of them. Thanks for that.

TUESDAY 28th JULY 2009 (LAST DAY in IZMIR)

TUESDAY 28th JULY 2009

LAST DAY. Had our final meeting with Lutfu & Cihan re shipping details then had to go to the NOTERS office to give Lutfu 'Power of Attorney' to finish the bike transfer on our behalf. The HORS leaves IZMIR on Friday on a ship called YM INCREMENT, bound for Singapore, then Melbourne.

(Lutfu & Cihan - good blokes)



It was now nearly 1.00pm. Back to Otel Balca to pack and then we had a 'free' afternoon before flying out. It was a coolish 41 degrees (thankfully the weather was cooler for our last day). We caught a bus to revisit the Oriental Market then made our way to the 'Feribot' Station.

For our last afternoon we decided to cruise the harbour from pier to pier and enjoy the sights and the gentle sea breeze. A good choice.

We even got to the point where we forgot we had a plane to catch such was the relaxing effect of the Feribot.

We caught a taxi to the airport, about a thirty minute drive, found where we had to be and settled in before flying to Istanbul at 8.00pm.
Flying into and out of Istanbul was magical. Such a beautiful sight at night - more so because we could identify many local landmarks.
Dubai, Hong Kong, Melbourne, Hobart - here we come.

MONDAY 27th JULY 2009 (IZMIR CUSTOMS OFFICE)

MONDAY 27th JULY 2009


Last FULL day in Turkey. We were to meet with Lutfu late morning to finalise shipping arrangements for The HORS but that was soon changed to early afternoon. All we could do was wait for the call and be ready for action when it comes.


At 2.45 pm we learnt that the Otel phone system was out! The Shipping agents had been trying to reach us for over two hours when it was decided that the receptionist should knock on our door to see if we were about. We were - we had been waiting for the call.


We had to hurry but luckily for us Lutfu's office was only three blocks away. We went straight to the Customs Department near the wharf and this is where we had to hold our breath and hope all will go well. As expected much paperwork needed filling out and signing, all of it unreadable.


Lutfu acted as our translator and despite trying to get the best deals for us there were still 'extra' charges imposed which will line the pockets of the relevant persons. This is so unfair but there's nothing we can do about it. All we want is that final signature to say 'YES, the bike can go to Australia'.


Once the paperwork was complete we then sat for nearly two hours waiting for the Customs Inspector to inspect the contents of our boxes. Even though WE had to wait for THEM that also cost us extra as it was almost the end of the day...!!! They were probably out back having a cuppa!


BUT, all documents were signed which meant we could go to stage two - go through this whole process again on the dock side. We piled in to the battered old trucks and away we went. Very strange following a box knowing that your bike/sidecar is inside.


We entered the port gates and all went well, once charges were paid for opening 'this' gate and 'that' gate! But, the boxes were left 'inside' a locked shed, out of the intense sun and we were happy with that. The necessary information was stapled to the box and that was that. We said our goodbyes as that's it until the bike arrives in Australia.



The HORS leaves IZMIR on Friday and travels to Melbourne via Singapore. Should arrive in about 4-5 weeks.


We then went back to the office to complete the payment side of things. We were glad the Port involvement was completed and relatively painless. It's not quite finished as the Customs people have held Paul's passport to complete some more paperwork early tomorrow morning. One more quick meeting with Lutfu and the deal is done. It was well after 7.00pm by the time we got home.

SUNDAY 26th JULY 2009 (EPHESUS)

SUNDAY 26th JULY 2009

Up super early in order to catch a taxi to the 'OTOGAR' (main bus station). Our 8.00 am bus eventually departed 8.45 am for which we were grateful as at that time of the morning it was already HOT and no air-conditioning in the bus while it sat.




The drive to Celcuk took 45 minutes. Its here we caught a smaller bus to EPHESUS, an archaeological gem dating back 6,000 years BC. It was an ancient Greek city partly developed because of its sea trade and location. Nowadays the sea has receded 6 kilometers from the ruins.






It is thought this is where the gospel of John was written, the tomb of St. John lies here;
'Alexander the Great' liberated all Greek cities and gave privileges to Ephesians building a new temple; Cleopatra hung out and numerous other historical facts that we've only ever read about -many happened here. Lots of familiar names, but I've forgotten most of my history!

It is one of the best places in the world to see what life was really like in the Roman times. So much of it is still intact. I imagine so much has yet to be discovered - unbelievable to see. Apparently 200,000 people lived here in its heyday. It's so incredible to realize that people lived here all those years ago and that documentation still exists about what and how life was. The most fabulous facade on-site was that of the Library of Celsus.




We were gobbed-smacked from the moment we entered to the moment we left nearly 4 hours later. We particularly liked eaves-dropping as the 'guides' spoke to their various groups. One particular story we loved was when all the respected 'gentlemen' of the time told their wives they were going to the library. They went to read history, geography and literature. Unbeknown to their wives there was an underground tunnel from the library to the bordello close by. Turns out the 'gentlemen' were studying history, geography, literature AND anatomy...!!!


It was great to be able to take our time, stop and soak in the atmosphere. The more you look the more you see and you can only see if you STOP. Incredible place.
























From here we caught a taxi to the top of the nearby Mount Coressus to visit 'Mother Mary's House' (or House of the Holy Virgin). We almost didn't go but thought because we are so close we should. This single building had more of an impact on us than the whole of Ephesus and we were so pleased we visited. Despite the large numbers of tourists we were able to see and photograph the chapel without anyone in sight and enjoy the lovely trees and gardens in the vicinity.

It is believed the Mother of Jesus Christ spent her last days here. The world was divided for preaching following the persecution of the Apostles in Jerusalem following Christ's death and so St. John moved with his mother to Ephesus.
There are facts according to the scriptures and facts confirmed historically re the authenticity of this place. There is mention in both Christian and Muslim faiths.

Back to Celcuk we visited St. John's Church (signposted St. JEAN's) then I set out on my mission to find the many stork nests that lived on the aquaducts in this city. And I wasn't disappointed - there are many. Our first day out on The HORS showed me my first ever stork nest and I regretted we didn't stop. I have seen the occasional nest since but here, in Selcuk, I had the time to stop and stare and enjoy these beautiful birds.


We also visited a ceramics factory - all 200,000 pieces were stunning. We were shown how the items are made and the hand-painting process. We were particularly taken with the ancient wine server. Would have liked one of those but couldn't warrant the cost - hugely expensive.


I continued to wander about staring skywards looking for and finding many stork nests, the smile on my face HUGE. Despite this I even found a tortoise at ground level and watched him amble ever so slowly to some undercover scrub. All this in the middle of a city (population 40,000) is fantastic.

Because we traveled by bus to Celcuk we decided to catch the train back to IZMIR to experience something different. We boarded at 7.20pm but no-one mentioned it would be 'standing-room' only. Half an hour into the trip we were able to get a seat (thank goodness) and settled in to watch the evening lights of IZMIR pass as we made our way through the suburbs.

We had quite a walk back to Otel Balca but despite our tiredness we did enjoy the evening breeze and now that we are orientated to the city knew we weren't THAT far from home.

A fascinating day - history, nature, religion and dirty stories from days gone by...

SATURDAY 25th JULY 2009 (CRATING THE HORS)

SATURDAY 25th JULY 2009




Lutfu arrived at Otel BALCA 11.00am and together we all rode to the 'Oto Sanayi Sitesi' which is where the HORS' crate was going to be custom built. When asked would he like a helmet, Lutfu responded by saying, "Maybe not today, it's hot!" He enjoyed riding on the pillion seat and now intends to buy himself another bike.








We arrived at 'AGACKAKAN' where the bike and sidecar will be separated and boxed. There was timber EVERYWHERE. We met Evza KANDEMIR who will be in charge of the boxing process. Our job was to separate the chair from the bike, clean the hard-to-get areas (because of the chair), disconnect the battery and have the petrol removed from the fuel tank.




When all was set we left Evza and his crew to their work and went back to the Otel.

We made the decision to catch a bus to Ephesus tomorrow so we decided to catch a bus to the OTOGAR (bus station) to find out from where we will leave and at what time. Good thing too - it took us over an hour to find our bus! There are hundreds of buses coming and going from every corner of Turkey at all times of the day. We found out the necessary info then caught another bus back to Alsancuk (the area where we're staying). The whole process took three hours.

We caught up with Vinie at the Smoking House on the boulevard and enjoyed a chat while watching the sun slowly sink into the ocean - always nice to see. The temperature was high thirties but the breeze off the water made it all very pleasant. We bid our farewell, walked along the boulevard, watched the yachts sail, the horse and carts coming and going and people with their dogs out for a walk.











Another good feed at the end of the day made all the more enjoyable as we listened to John MAYER in the background. Beats traditional Turk music any day...

FRIDAY 24th JULY 2009 (CLEANING THE HORS)

FRIDAY 24th JULY 2009


As a result of walking for eight hours yesterday, today was a non-day. We slept through most of it! However, we did manage to get ourselves together enough to meet with Cihan to discuss more details re shipping the bike.


We learnt that they now need to 'box' the HORS tomorrow, not Monday as first thought. This suits us better as Monday was leaving it all a bit late but puts a halt to our plans of riding to EPHESUS to see the city ruins.


This news put some energy into the bones and we had to get busy and CLEAN the bike.

What is considered TOO much of an oil leak? When the OTO-WASH wont go near it...!!! Paul was told to go away and clean the oil THEN they would steam wash it. Not much help to us (and there wasn't THAT much oil on it).


Frustration level was high as they HAD the degreaser, but wouldn't sell, we couldn't find any to buy (have been looking for a few days) and so The HORS made its way back to its stable - up a one way street the wrong way...!!!


Back to 'home' where the process began of manually cleaning the bike with rags and petrol and lots of washing powder and water. The bike came up very well. It was sprayed down with CRC to protect the surface a little during the shipping process.




We found a GREAT place to eat (ALIN's) - the first meal we've enjoyed since being in IZMIR. It cost us 36,650,000 Turkish Lira (on paper the most we've ever spent on a meal!). In reality about $30 Aussie dollars. We will be revisiting.

THURSDAY 23rd JULY 2009 (IZMIR - ORIENTAL MARKET)

THURSDAY 23rd JULY 2009


Our mornings have slowed down a lot, now that we don't have to make miles anymore. Sort of miss that routine - the dread of packing and wondering what drama will unfold during the day.

We had to meet with Lutfu and Cihan at midday to discuss further The HORS's shipping arrangements. So far we are quite impressed with them.


We decided to walk along the boulevard (not as hot today - maybe 35 degrees) where a slight breeze was blowing. We had only ever walked part way and so decided to explore further a field. Every three or so blocks the atmosphere changed completely. At one end sat the up-market restaurants with the other end being the smoking houses. We walked past several large tug boats and thought it amazing that you had to step over the mooring lines to get to the tables and chairs. We watched children jumping off the wharf and doing what children do best. They were funny and imaginative using empty water bottles tied around their waists as floaties!









We then found ourselves at the Oriental Market and were pleased to be back in what we call a 'real' shopping area. The westernized shopping centres have no character whatsoever. The 'bazaar' on the other hand is old and fascinating, more interactive, interesting smells and colour galore. We sat on cushioned seats for a drink and before we knew it Paul was inside a cafe being taught how to make Turkish coffee. It looks like and has the consistency of warm chocolate icing but he liked it. We enjoyed this market far more than the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul. The shop owners let you browse and touch without harassing you about the fact that that particular item is the BEST bargain in the whole world. They are all smiles, polite, patient and not pushy at all. It made the 'looking' experience a pleasure. There is always an exception to the rule though and I walked out leaving Paul alone to figure out how to escape!





It didn't take long for a couple of hours to pass at the Oriental Market (with not one purchase made) before we wandered in the direction of home. We nearly always took the narrow, covered market streets as they are more interesting. It's in the 'open' streets where the fruit and vegies are and the smell fills your nose with such fresh, wonderful scents. Can't say the same about the meat though...!!! And watching the bread-makers roll and flip and twirl their dough's before placing in an open fire-kiln was excellent. When they know you are watching they do their best to elaborate their routine.


We did take a wrong turn which took us out of our way a bit (not so happy as the legs were wanting to fall off!) BUT we did find the motorcycle shop area so Paul was happy with that. Nothing of interest though and can you believe one sales person hadn't heard of DUCATI...!!! Italian bikes just don't feature here - it must have been a translation issue though...surely he's heard of Ducati.


We got home just after 8.00pm...
went to our room and never moved a muscle from then on (couldn't..!!). We watched a crap movie on TV (it was in English though and we are hungry for the English language) so that made it bearable. We have our stockpile of muesli (and beer) and that's what ended up on the menu for dinner.



It takes a few days to even begin to get to know any area so sometimes just staying put for a while instead of traveling all the time is a good thing. There are a few places we've been holed up for several days at a time because of either 'issues' or breakdowns and these are the places we will remember the best. Another good day done and dusted.