We drove straight from Greece to Istanbul where we stayed three days. This was our first non-Western stop, so quite a bit more exotic than most of us had experienced before.
Topkapi Museum, Istanbul - The Maltese Falcon?
Topkapi Museum Rose Garden
Christian relics - Topkapi Musem
The Bosporus Straight with Asia behind me
Topkapi Museum
Fresh Market, Istanbul
Fresh Market, Istanbul
Fresh Market, Istanbul
Rumeli Fortress on the Bosphorus - One afternoon a few of us hired a boat and took a trip north toward the Black Sea.
We saw many places to dine on the way to the Black Sea
We ended up dining on grilled fish and way too much raki with some university students from Istanbul.
After lunch. As I said, too much Raki....
Our group on the right, our new friends on the left. (Bill Garsden is in the front row, far right.)
After the lunch and raki we needed a coffee break
Istanbul is a city of beautiful views. Hagia Sophia in the far background just below the horizon.
Hagia Sophia - Originally an Eastern Orthodox church. Converted to a Moslem mosque in 1453 and then into a museum in 1935.
Hagia Sophia interior
Wooden Shop Houses - Istanbul
Leaving Istanbul and entering Asia via a bridge over the Bosporus.
Our first non-urban campsite was near Balikesir, north of Akhisar. One of our drivers on the far right. Note the mallet used for pounding tent pegs and the herd of goats in the background.
The coastal city of Izmir, Turkey
Ephesus was one of the great cities of Ionian Greece. It later became the capitol of Roman Asia and was an important center for early Christianity. This is the Roman Theater.
View from the Roman Theater to the esplanade. Ephesus was built on the sea as a port, but the port has silted in and the sea is now several kilometers away.
Ephesus - Roman Library
Relaxing by the sea at Fetiye
Washed out coastal road
Deserted beach near Fetiye. We stayed at a place called Deniz Camping
From Fetiye we drove to the isolated and deserted Patara Beach.
Patara Beach. Lovely clear water. No one around.
Patara Beach
We bought a goat in a nearby town and roasted it on the beach.
Sand dunes at Patara Beach
Yogurt making. The covered bowls are full of yogurt in process. We bought a lot of yogurt, but were always anxious to find out if it was made from goat milk (stinky) or cow milk.
From Patara Beach we continued along the coast.
Sometimes the roads were a little scary
Ruins at Aspendus. Can you see me next to the right hand arch?
In 1977 Turkey was having an election. The favorite was Mustafa Bülent Ecevit who went on to become Prime Minister. We drove through one of his rallies.
More crazy roads
We camped near the Byzantine Kızkalesi Castle (Maiden's Castle) on an offshore island.
From there we turned inland and headed for Lake Van. Pretzels anyone?
More narrow roads thorugh the mountains.
We always seemed to attract a crowd. Well, some small crowds.
Small rural villages everywhere.
Campsite ovservers.
Another small village
Cave dwellings in the Göreme Valley at Cappadocia
Göreme Valley
Byzantine frescos in one of the churches of Göreme
Göreme Valley
Dwelling carved into the soft stone of the Göreme Valley. When I was young my Mom bought us a copy of the Life Pictorial Atlas of the World. Two pictures in that book fascinated me and triggered my life-long wanderlust. One was a photo of a woman working a rice field somewhere in Southeast Asia and the other was of a dwelling like this in the Göreme Valley. I simply had to get out of Southern California and actually see places like this for myself.
Officia Visit - No idea what was going on, but this government official was given a nice chair to sit in outside the office.
Shepherd in the Turkish highlands on the way to Lake Van
River on the way to Lake Van
Lake Van. We camped here and had an unfortunate incident with the local Kurds stealing our stuff; especially our beer. It was quite tense for a while.
Hoşap castle (Güzelsu). A medieval castle dating from the 17th century - East of Lake Van on the way to Iran
| Introduction | England | Scotland | Europe |
| Turkey | Iran | Afghanistan | Pakistan |
| India 1 | India 2 | Nepal | Burma |
| Thailand | Malaysia/Singapore | Indonesia 1 | Indonesia 2 |
| Hong Kong | Macau | Japan | Korea |
Photographs and text copyright Michael Newman and William Garsden: 2024