Driving and more driving today through mountains - the mountains here look like they have been twisted by earthquakes. The layers of rock are sometimes vertical or in wavy patterns and stick right up like teeth. We had no idea Turkey was so mountainous and green. We drove to Lake Van and around the mountains to the south of it, at one point going over a pass that was over 2000m high. We got to Van and headed east towards the Iranian border but stopped near ...

<!-- @page { margin: 2cm } P { margin-bottom: 0.21cm } --> More beautiful mountains to drive through today. We have been finding cheap kebabs along the way but today we found the cheapest kebabs yet - only 1 TL for a chicken one and 1.50 for a lamb one, plus you get a free Ayran (yoghurt drink)! The kebabs here are a bit different to others we've had so far - they use a oval-shaped bread that is flat but about half inch thick, rolled lengthways int...

One night's bush camp in Goreme, then 3 nights there at Kaya Camping. On our way along the silk road towards Cappadocia, we stopped at a Caravanserai that had been well-preserved and partially restored. These are along the silk road about a day's ride apart so that traders wouldn't have to camp along the way. We drove into the weird landscape of the region of Cappadocia late in the afternoon and stopped to admire the weird fairy chimneys the soft rock has erod...

Three nights in Olympos. We are staying at the Saban Pension, in the bohemian tiny town of Olympos. There are ruins of the ancient city of Olympos (Roman and later) are down by the beach, and to get to the beach you pay 3 lira for on day or 5 for a multiday pass through the archaeological site. The rest of the valley is full of small pensions with treehouses in orchards or around large chillout areas, and the guidebook warned us it would be full of drunk Auss...

Three nights at Ölüdeniz, staying at Sugar Beach campsite. The day we arrived was Queen's Day in the Netherlands. Our two Dutch people organised a party and we were all asked to wear something orange, so all sorts of imaginitive costumes were devised. We had a great night, complete with orange punch. The next day was bright and sunny and after a great hangover breakfast of egg sandwiches, Shane and I spent the morning on the beach (during which time I ma...