Jul 2010

Well as the temperature rises we do our best to keep cool so have spent the last few days hanging out at the pool and enjoying getting to know a few of the local people. Albeit our conversations are short and there is lots of sign language and shrugs of the shoulders. Our day started today seeing 3 hot air balloons come right over our verandah while we ate breakfast and land just metres away. Later we headed to the Goreme Open Air Museum. Its a UNESCO World Heritage Site and had fresco's dating from the 9th century. The kids had lots of fun exploring the caves, some of which were churches with beautiful painted walls and ceilings. They had a good try at deciphering the stories that the pictures told and were fascinated by the skeletal remains in one cave that were unearthed in 2006.

Probably the highlight for Holly and Toby though was a ride on a camel - their faces were beaming the whole time, they held on tight and only looked slightly worried at the end when the camel sat down to let them off. From there we walked to Goreme to catch a taxi back to the cool haven of our cavehouse. The walk to Goreme was probably the hottest of my life. It was 43 degrees!!! however I have to say the kids coped very well with the heat, they were hot but there was no moaning at all except a few "how much furthers". Goreme had changed hugely since we were there in 2001. It was like the Queenstown of Cappadocia and judging by the accommodation and amount of tour buses the back packers have disappeared as well. So then it was back home and straight to the pool for a cool off.

The kids have made some great friends at the pool 2 girls (Ozge and Aybuke) and 2 boys (Berkay and ?) around 11 years old who pretty much hang out with us for the entire time of our swim. It is great to see the kids completely unfazed by the language barrier. Bellie is now swimming with floaties and Holly and Toby are enjoying their increasing confidence. This is one of the reasons we have decided to stay here for a further 3 weeks (originally booked for 1). We set out with a goal of introducing the kids to another culture and we have been lucky enough to become a part of that here. We are recognised by many of the store owners who enquire about the kids and the staff here at our accommodation are also lovely. The kids at the pool are teaching us all a few Turkish words - yesterday's lesson was how to count to five. It's funny they have gone from quiet, reserved interactions to now mobbing us the minute we arrive and immediately grabbing the kids and wanting to dunk them - which our kids are less than happy with.

We have also had lots of fun talking to Koray about the Turkish culture. They really seem to hold a strong value on Family and children are very precious. Children are very respectful of their parents and there is apparently very little crime. Alcohol is not a big part of life - thus maybe the lack of crime. He also told us there is a saying about teachers having heaven just under their feet. Teachers are highly regarded as they hold the key to the future - a nice way of looking at it.

We are really enjoying the food - everything is made from scratch using fresh ingredients there is a notable lack of processed foods here and it is interesting how much healthier you feel, how quickly the sugar cravings disappear and the lack of headaches. The afternoons are filled with bowls of watermelon, oranges, apples and kiwifruit. The biscuits that can be brought are really pretty dry and tasteless so we just don't bother with them. The other three strange and unrealated things I like are 1) Front loading washing machines - seem to get the dirtiest children's travelling clothes clean, 2)Huggies $15 for 66 - a bargain (let me know if anyone wants me to import them). I tried to have a conversation with a lady at the pool yesterday as to where to get the huggies swimmers that she had her baby in. After some puzzled looks and a final statement that you have to go into the city to get them she ended up giving me her babies one as she left the pool - not the usual item to use second hand. Finally number 3) kitchen handitowels which have a half sheet perforation (I know I am strange but am sure mothers of young children will appreciate that one)

Matt went with Koray for a shave at a Barber shop yesterday - I'll let him describe the experience:
I went for a Turkish shave yesterday with Koray at his local barber. An interesting experience. Starts with a 5 minute soap up with hot hot water. Once you have about a inch of foam on they get out the flick blade and run it over your face. The shave was great and very close. When they do under your bottom lip they put their fingers in your mouth to pull away your bottom lip. To stretch the skin and under your nose they pinch your nose pulling it up to achieve the same - was a wee bit taken back by this. However the best was when he dunked a over sized cotton tip in some meths then lit it. It was a "what the fuck" moment. The flame was about 4-5 inches and made me glad Koray was there with me, so in a high pitched voice I screeched to him "is this normal or are they taking the piss cause I'm a foreigner". He laughed and relayed my comments to the 4 guys working in there who all laughed for some time at my expense. So what was the flaming cotton tip for! - they cup your ear with 1 hand and with the other flick the flame inside your ear to burn the hairs! The cupping hand covers the outer ear to stop any burns - that is the Health and Safety part. He did both ears 4 or 5 times each and I must say the warm flame in your ear and the smell of hair burning inside it was a very very different experience, but a pretty cool one too. All in all it took about 20 minutes for a shave and set me back 5TL about $4.50. Was all worth it though when we went swimming that afternoon and Berkay the young Turkish boy came up to me a said, "You look like Ryan Giggs". Nice one.

So that the news from our part of the world - take care and catch you soon.

Bellie getting ready to Skype

Well a quiet few days here in Urgup. Mostly it is too hot to drag the kids about seeing things they probably won't appreciate at their ages. So we're just taking it easy for a few days - wandering the village, swimming and generally just chilling. My Birthday today so have enjoyed breakfast on the verandah where I opened my 3 pandora charms from my 3 little darlings and a beautiful necklace made locally from Matt. Big party next year and anyone who reads our blog is invited!

My Birthday necklace

Aerial view of the pool we swim at from the top of the hill

Tosti's for lunch by the pool

Exploring the caves

School lessons which happen between 1pm and 3pm have been fun and funny. The kids have taken to calling me Mrs Watson and putting up their hands when they want to talk. I am amazed at how polite and obedient they are during lessons - might do a permanent change to Mrs Watson. Toby joins in on the lessons though after 10 minutes informed me he was heading off to play with the class toys! Everything is done to rule (those provided by Holly) including doing "computer suite" on Wednesday.

Bellie continues to be a trick - on the first day headed out into the courtyard only to return a moment later saying "hot". The washing drys in minutes almost have to worry that it will shrink in the sun. A lot of the men carry a string of beads in their hands I asked one about them and the answer was something along the lines of something to play with but also some religious significance. On several occasions when Bellie has been grizzling about something (usually wanting to walk rather than go in the backpack) they have given them to her to play with - one man actually gave them to her to keep. Not exactly in my parenting handbook - reward for bad behaviour. And for those that do want them back usually the yelling is far louder when we take them off her.

When the excitement all gets a bit too much

We are amused at the kids resourcefulness when it comes to toys. Today they have returned from breakfast with egg cartons -so they are being made into care houses and the like. The other day in Istanbul they had the most fun flying feathers in the wind on the forecourt of the tax department.

The call to prayer continues to amuse now it's "The call to lunch" or "the call to bed" with Toby singing in his deepest possible voice "Holly it's time to go to bed and Holly you need to sleep all the night"

Matt is feeling a little precious about a couple of scams he's fallen in to over the last couple of days. The first one was when he asked me the time one morning and I mistakenly read my watch as 6.30am - off he went running at 5.30am. He was a tad confused to get back at 6.20am. The second I will let him explain but when you read it bear in mind how many years he spent dealing with reps and suppliers getting the best possible price for shop stock. Right Matt here. Absolutely gutted yesterday got conned by a gypsy woman about 4 foot 6 and with only one tooth. She was selling woollen knitted cats. She didn't speak any English but that wasn't a problem because I didn't want to buy one. She gave a cat to Toby. Who replied "thanks" and then she held out her hand and said 10 lira. I told Toby to give it back which he did without complaint. Then she did the same with Holly with the same result. I told her I didn't have money and opened my wallet getting about 3 lira in change out. She grabbed it put it in her bag and asked for another 7! I said no and grabbed Holly and Toby and started to head away. It was at this moment she made her genius move and handed it to Bella who was in the backpack. Bella screeched with delight holding so tight there was no way I could prise it from her. Being on my back I couldn't reach round far enough to get a good grip and the more I tried the more I kept turning around looking like a dog chasing his tail. As the only other money I had were 50 lira notes I wasn't sure what my next move should be. Then Rach came down the hill to meet us at the pool and I had to ask for some money to clear my debts. I handed over 10 lira which she snapped up and disappeared. Rach wanted to know what had happened and when I told here she cried with laughter. I had paid 13 lira for a 5 lira cat that I didn't want. The only upside is Bella has a new toy which she loves. And that was my shopping for the day. It lasted no more than 3 minutes but i came away feeling used and taken advantage of. I could only consul myself that afternoon with a few Efes Beers!

And this is her - the scam artist

Saturday 24th July

Dinner last night was lovely we sat high up on a terrace of a restaurant called Ziggy's and had a lovely meal overlooking the valley. The kids were fine with the babysitter - they were all asleep so there were no language difficulties. It is funny - they still chat away to other kids at the pool about Buzz Lightyear and such and the Turkish kids just look at them like aliens. Certainly everyone in the village knows us - we liken ourselves to being like an African family in Richmond - we stand out like a sore thumb. The kids continue to be smothered in hugs and kisses it's funny as if someone ran up to you in the Richmond Mall and started hugging and kissing your kids you'd probably report them but here it is very acceptable.

Toby is doing his best to enjoy eggs - there is of course an incentive if he can eat a whole egg. We are however a long way off as he is his father's son and starts gagging when it touches the tip of his tongue. Lucky he has time up his sleeve . He is feeling pretty chuffed though - he had a haircut at the Turkish Barber yesterday - they spent about 30mins fussing around him even blowdryed it at the end!

This afternoon we were invited by Claire and Koray (the American who married the Turkish man) to their 9 month old daughter Isabelle's party. It was a traditional party that celebrates the baby's first tooth and involves eating bowls of bulgar wheat with sugar on as well as icecream and cake. It was held at 4pm on the third floor balcony of an icecream store downtown. You can imagine how excited the kids were that they were going to be having icecream for tea. There were around 50 people their only 3 of them men. The kids had fun playing with other kids - funny how they interacted. At times there was hostility but Toby would put on his tough face (usually when the other kids weren't looking) By the end of it they were all playing nicely together and holding hands in a circle singing traditional Turksh songs. At one stage they sat Isabelle down with a book, a pen, a gold ring, and Turkish Lira note - what she choose would indicate her career path. She chose the shiny gold ring - not a big surprise, indicating she will like or work in gold - as Matt commented what women doesn't like gold. Again we felt very privileged to be invited to this ceremony - these are the experiences you can't buy or visit.

Yesterday we travelled to Urgup in Cappadocia. At 6.30am the man who owned our apartment in Istanbul came to do the house inspection and give us back our bond of 200 Euro. It was a bit like flatting again her wandered around the house checking such things as whether the toilets still flushed - we are not sure what we were meant to have done to them! Funny though as Matt discovered as he lent over to reach the toilet paper that the toilet was not actually fastened to the floor - can't you just imagine the look on his face. So anyway we mentioned that we would be leaving in a taxi to the airport at 8.00am in time to get to the airport at 9.00am an hour before our flight. "No" he said "you must take the tram and then train". Matt explained that no we had decided to take a taxi as all the changes on the tram were not so easy with 3 children and all our luggage to which he replied that no a taxi could take up to 2 hours in the morning traffic. " Oh crap" change of plans - so we had to leave pretty much then - waking Bellie who had been up half the night unwell and bundling everyone out the door to walk to the tram station. It was a mission lots of walking, stairs, and crammed trains, but we made it with 15 minutes to spare before boarding after having all our bags scanned twice including taking Bellie out of the backpack both times and then wrestling to get her back in as she "wanted to walk" - far to independent and strong willed for her 18 months age.

The 1 hour flight was uneventful apart from Bella and Toby being relatively grumpy. Holly decided she was sitting on her own across the isle and made friends with a young woman called Rosie - well they chatted away like long lost friends for the whole of the flight until Rosie became very air sick on landing. You can imagine Holly's excitement to find someone who's Turkish name translated to that of dear Aunty Rosie back home - and of course this girl was told all about Aunty Rosie and various family happenings.

So after a tram, train, long walk, security checks, flight and mini bus ride we arrived at our cave house. Wow - it is awesome. We have a two bedroom, two bathroom, lounge, kitchen and private garden all carved out of the volcanic rock that makes up much of the landscape. Holly has a bed carved out of the rock. It is lovely and cool inside without any air conditioning and has a very calm and restful feel about it. I have just been and done some washing the washing machines are sitting in carved out cubby holes also - kind of like modern world meets prehistoric as do the sky dishes dotted on the landscape. The kids imaginations have run away with them - they think we have landed on the moon. There is talk of dragons and bats and all sorts of make believe. It is really an awesome place which does feel as though it is on another world.

The Lounge of our cavehouse

Hallway

Master Bedroom

Kids Bedrooms - that's Holly's bed carved out of the wall that she is sitting on

Our private Courtyard

The Washing Machines

And it is hot - oh so hot 35 degrees+ Matt has found a hotel down the road with a pool that we can pay to use so that is looking like a good option and we might do a short private 1/2 day tour and other than that probably just try and keep out of the sun. We have also come to the realisation that we might need to modify our days a bit in order to meet some other families. The Turkish people seem to keep their kids up late at night so we can only guess they have a mid afternoon siesta - day one of that for our kids today and both Holly and Toby were asleep within minutes. This way we can go out as a family for dinner later when it cools down - it is at this time that the streets are full of our kids. Not during the day when us stupid tourists are trying to get out. An American lady who is married to a Turk had invited us to join her and her family for dinner tonight at her brother in laws carpet shop - a sales pitch? - we shall find out!

The surrounding landscape

The playground - what an amazing backdrop

The town 10 min down hill walk - taxi ride home!

Wednesday 21st July am
Well we did the dinner thing last night - gave the kids a big afternoon sleep as dinner didn't start till 8pm. Arrived at the shop and were taken upstairs - there were around 20 people including kids. The upstairs room was gorgeous, it was a carpet museum with many beautiful pieces ( though not really a place you want kids running around) Dinner was served in 4 courses and most of it was delicious just the odd thing that churned your stomach. The hosts were lovely and most of the other diners were Americans and Turks all very pleasant. There was plenty of red wine which was surprisingly nice as the white wine we have tried tastes like aviation fuel. Also Raki - a Turkish spirit - we steered clear of it as this heat 3 kids and a hangover were not deemed to be a winning combo.

After dinner we headed down into the shop where the host a another couple of Turks brought out their traditional guitars and drums and played some music. There was singing and dancing and lots of fun. The kids got up and had a dance Holly particularly was in her element with her new 9 year old friend and we saw very little of her all night. It was a fun evening and we lasted to around 9.30pm - not bad considering Bellie and Toby are usually in bed at 6.30pm. Exactly the type of experience we travelled half way across the world for.

The only challenging aspect of the night was the stairs which Bellie desperately wanted to explore - only problem was they were steep and made of marble. Funny the Turkish kids are very used to them - there are no stair gates and the railings around balconies are terrible either low, with huge gaps or non existent with a 4 story drop. We have to be constantly vigilant and where we eat is generally dictated to by these aspects. Bellie is the challenge - has the mobility but not the brain. Also they drive like idiots here and you'd be surprise how may you can cram into one car - no need for 7 seaters. We saw 10 adults and children in a Fiat Pinto yesterday - unbelievable not a child restraint in sight.

Anyway they were all very keen to see their beds at 10pm when the taxi dropped us home. Though as we drove home we saw many people with kids just heading to town.

Have just returned from breakfast which is provided here - we have eggs as you want them from boiled to omelets, cereal, bread, fresh squeezed orange juice, fruit and coffee. All served on a terrace overlooking the hills and cave formations. You can't beat that! The only challenge is the wasps of which their are many but they burn little pots of coffee beans which seems very simple effective way of getting rid of them. Funny though we realised Holly was calling them "Mosques" she was suddenly yelling "Shoo, go away mosque" You can imagine Matt's alarm after all the beautiful Mosques we have been to and she suddenly transposes this name to these horrible little pests. Other funny thing that happened is breakfast came out and Toby was so excited he thought he was being served popcorn - you can imagine his disappointment to find it was scrambled eggs. Bellie is enjoying a varied diet of many different fruit and vegetables though we have been a bit concerned she is not that keen on the meat here as it does taste a bit different. Yesterday however or concerns were put aside when Holly said she picked up a giant ant and ate it - hope they're full of iron.

Breakfast on the verandah

3 rascal

This afternoon we got some great news. Matt emailed the lady who owns the apartment we are renting to ask here to let us know if she heard anything about the young lad at the beach. A bit of a long shot in a city with 14 million people but we thought it was worth a go as we hadn't been able to stop thinking about him and wondering of the outcome. Anyway we thought maybe there might be something in a paper she could relay to us or if she had any hospital contacts.

We were very excited to recieve this email shortly after Matt had sent his email:

Hi Matt,
Yesterday what you have done was amazing. You saved his life. We called the police and get the hospital information. He is in a private hospital at Kinaliada (His name is .................., Hospital name is Hospitalium Camlica and telefon number is 0 216 443 71 13).

I have talk to head of department. He told that his situation is getting better he passed the critical stage with your first intervention. Doctor asked me to thank you on behalf of him.

Hope you had a chance to relax and rest

Cheers,

Zumrut & Hayri

We could not have hoped for better news - it was great to get some closure and I know we will both sleep better tonight for knowing. It is easier for me being a nurse and having seen these things before but it really took it's toll on Matt. Here's to aiming for a less eventful trip ahead.

Well guys - be for-warned this one is not for the faint hearted.

Today the Watson 5 decided to travel a little further afield and head to the Princes' Islands for a day in the sun and the water. Our lonely planet lead us to believe if we walked to the waterfront (about 10min from here) we could catch a ferry direct to the group of 4 islands. Off we headed at 8.15am to catch the 8.30am ferry, when we got to the terminal it became apparent the boats were not heading in that direction. After a couple of confusing conversations (something we specialise in) we were able to ascertain that the terminal we needed to be at was a tram ride away on the other side of Istanbul. Next with some help we mastered the ticket machine, got tokens and jumped on the next tram. Toby was excited to see another "Alligator" to go up (he meant escalator) We were feeling very proud of how we had worked out the tram system as it is a very cheap way to get around you can go anywhere for $1.50 and the kids are free. Anyway we arrived at the terminal and for $6.00 for all of us we were able to purchase a ticket for the 1 1/2 hour journey to the Islands - so off we went.

The boat trip though long and slow was a lot of fun, many people talked to the kids particularly two elderly Iraqi men took a fancy to them putting their hats on them picking them up. We kept Bellie in the backpack for 90% of the journey as it is easier than having her out. Bellie had here photo taken about 20 times on the boat - people are intrigued by her and also the backpack. As we hopped off the boat a woman said to Matt - "Everyone on the boat loves your children - they are all talking about them."

Bellie in a bear hug with a friend

The kids Iraqi friends

The guide books had us believe the best island to go to was the 4th one, Buyukada and a couple of conversations on the boat confirmed this. So we sat the journey out in the hot sun and patiently waited to get there. Eventually we made it and well and truly felt we had earned our swim. These Islands were stunning with gorgeous old buildings and market type stores selling fresh produce and bread. There are no cars on the Island only bikes and horse drawn carriages. Off the boat we piled and headed for the place where you catch a carriage. You can only imagine the dismay on our sweaty faces to see about 200 people lined up to catch a carriage which was the only way to get to the beach as it was too far to walk. We didn't even contemplate waiting for what would have probably been 2 hours to catch a ride. So back to the dock we headed to catch the boat back to the 1st Island, Kinaliada which was the only one we could see with a beach in walking distance. The very same Island the guide books said not to stop at.

It's funny they say not to go there in the weekends as it is horrendously busy. Well today it was packed and I shudder to imagine it being any busier. So we were finally there, we hopped off the boat and decided the beach to the left looked a little less packed so headed that way. It turned out this was a local beach we looked very foreign there but that was okay the people were very friendly.

So the next challenge was for the girls to get their togs on - not a change shed in site and we figured probably not acceptable to get the kids changed on the beach in a Muslim country. So after a lap of the block we managed to gesture to a guy who told us there was changing facilities at the local tennis courts, off we three trotted. The changing shed was like a shower tent so we jammed in there and melted whilst getting everyone in their togs. Bellie was doing her usual trying to take off so was pushing at the tent door whilst I was topless. Anyway back off the the beach finally.


I tell you the pool at Dorset St is ever so appealing after this!

Now the beach - as well as being packed was made of huge stones and in the water they were slimy so the kids couldn't walk on them. So Matt and I struggled to get into the water with them and finally had a swim which was nice and refreshing. Bellie made another friend in a young teenage girl who let her sit on her lilo (don't worry Mum I was holding her the whole time) and splash her. So then it was out for a sit on the towels under our umbrella we paid $5 to hire and the plan was to get some lunch. Toby said he was keen to have a picnic there so Matt was about to head to find us something. At about that time I noticed there seemed to be something wrong just down the beach from us - people were yelling and gesturing, I said to Matt "there's something wrong" my first thoughts were a shark - though had no idea whether there were sharks in these parts. Matt had stood up by this time and said he thought they were gesturing that someone was missing in the water. He then ran into the water and swam over to where the others were looking. He got to dive under a couple of times slightly down from the others as there was a slight drift in current. When he was about 5 metres away and under again he said that there was a big drop off in the sea floor and you couldnt see the bottom. As he came up the guys beside him had found a young mans body. As they dragged him into the beach I called to Matt to come and take the kids so I could go and help. My first thought was this boy is dead, there were no signs of life. I yelled at the men to lay him on the stones, he wasn't breathing and two people at the same time started to jump on his chest and stomach. I could see they were doing so without any knowledge so pushed both sets of hands out of the way and began chest compressions. I was just at the point of thinking I needed to do some breathing as well and worrying about my own safety in doing so (hepatitis, aids etc) this guy was spewing out frothy water. Then he started breathing erratically at first but at least that took that decision away from me. The next challenge was trying to ascertain whether anyone had called for any help. It was absolutely hopeless not a single person spoke English - the first time we had encountered this on our trip but we think because we had ended up at a very local beach. Matt had come back after gesturing with 2 local girls to keep an eye out for Holly and Toby so he could come back with Bella to see if I was ok. He said men we jostling behind me and gesturing to get me away. He said he yelled at them and said Nurse, Nurse which meant nothing to them but when he said Hospital one replied Doctor and he just said yes so they wouldnt try and drag me away from guy. He also went round asking anyone if they spoke English so we could translate information about the boy and also if help was coming. Finally after what seemed an eternity of watching this guys erratic breathing and what became a semi-conscious combative state a police van arrived with a local doctor a GP I am guessing. I was unable to even give him a handover, I asked if he had oxygen and he said there was some but not here. So they got the guy into the van and drove off - we can only hope they got him to Istanbul and a hospital as he was in a pretty bad way.
All during the drama Holly and Toby were great. I had left them with instructions on not to move when I went down the beach to get Matt out so I could help. It was about 50 metres away but when Matt went back with Bella they were happy as to play with the rocks on the beach.

Matt and I were left feeling pretty shell shocked and upset. It was difficult for us to get any closure and find out what happened. We feel fortunate to live where we do - an ambulance or helicopter would be with us in minutes. We still feel quite upset tonight - it is times like these you just want to hug your family close and never let them go. That young lad was lucky today and it felt very strange for us to have been there and to have been part of it. We were astonished at the few people who helped to look for him but decided that most of them probably couldn't swim and were just paddling at the edge. Possibly what happened to this guy - he said when he dove down there was a big shelf there and the guy probably just stepped off the end of it.

By this time we decided it was time to head home and call this a day. 7 1/2 hours after we left for the day we returned. As Matt said if you told someone you travelled 7 1/2 hours to go for a swim they would think you were insane. You know those little people did not utter a whinge or a moan all day even when things took a lot longer than they should of. We can not believe how much they have changed in a week. Little superstars!

Well that's it from us guys - other than we send you all our love and take care xxxx.