Have Itch, Will Travel

To keep my pack light, I left my pashmina scarf behind and brought a head tube (like a Buff) that could be used as headwear or a neck gaiter. Throughout Turkey however, a hijab was required to visit the mosques, and in Georgia and Armenia, I would need to be covered similarly to enter the Orthodox Christian churches. While many sites provided garments for free or for a small fee, less touristed sites did not. Determined not to purchase a scarf, I looked into my backpack for another solution. I had a t-shirt.

By the following morning, Rob's gut had settled down somewhat but his energy levels were depleted. We decided to rest for a day and then return to Yerevan via Lake Sevan. Dizzy and without appetite, Rob spent the day in bed, promising to drink water whenever he was awake. Our hosts at Aida B&B  in Tatev , Armenia were wonderful; throughout the day they made him tea, a yogurt and rice soup, boiled rice, and potatoes, all foods that he was able to eat and actually enjoy. When he finally came out on the deck for dinner, each family member checked in on him. We made it back to Yerevan and had an uneventful night on the train to Tbilisi, Georgia. Unfortunately, Rob's gut decided to relapse in Tbilisi . He had barely a day to recover from the initial illness, and forfeiting our flights to and accommodation in Istanbul, Turkey was becoming more probable. Pain and distress had sapped Rob of all enthusiasm that he began to search for flights back home. I found a pharmacy and comm

Do not underestimate the road to Tatev. "I don't know what to do!" sobbed Rob, at the end of his tether. I pulled apart his backpack, but there were no drugs to help. He was losing fluids, electrolytes, and sleep, and all I had was water. It was 3am and we were in the middle of nowhere. Less than 24 hours earlier, we were at a car rental agency in Armenia's buzzing capital, Yerevan . We had hoped to hire the classic Russian 4x4, the Lada Niva , but none was available for the time we needed. Instead, we started our six hour cross-country journey in a black Kia Rio; our first night was to be  Tatev , a remote village of less than 900 people. Most visitors to its nearby cliff-top monastery arrived by the record-breaking 5.7km cable car " Wings of Tatev " and we learned why. "Well, she said the Rio could do it!" Rob sighed, recalling the rental agent's remark. The road had deteriorated into rocks and water-worn pits after the second switchba

Once upon a time, only Soviet cities with populations over one million could have an underground railway. Georgian-born Josef  Stalin insisted that his country's capital have a metro, though he did not live to see his will done. Without Stalin, Tbilisi was denied the privilege of a metro, but as USSR was involved in a Cold War with the USA at the time, they were allowed to build bomb shelters. The story is told that these bomb shelters were eventually linked to form the metro. Whether you would like to believe the story of Georgian cunning or not, trust me when I say that using the metro was an experience in itself. Like most ex-Soviet metros, the system was deep underground, and the escalator that whisked us down at triple the speed of your conventional mall escalator was like an old tractor; rugged, rough, needing constant maintenance, and likely to devour you if your shoelace was caught. We observed the other passengers keenly and learned that their slight desperation to dis

Kars was the end of the line. We had boarded the 29-hour cross-country rail journey from Istanbul half-way, enjoying vistas of pasturelands on gentle hills that occasionally dropped off a cliff into the river. Alighting the train, we saw the town as a wet and windy backwater. Murky puddles and rubble obstructed the uneven footpaths, and the austere high-rises wore expressions that matched the stormy  sky. We were here to visit the ruins of Ani on the Turkey-Armenia border, an hour's drive away, and Kars was to serve as a mere stop over. What else could this dirty, charmless town offer? Kars was a Monét painting. We took advantage of a break in the rain to visit the kalesi viewpoint , and we looked down from its turrets, finally appreciating what we had read in the guide books. From afar, the austere apartment blocks were colourful pastel features of the town landscape, distinct from other Turkish towns, and curiously, mosques stood adjacent to Christian churches. Near the foo

Wikitravel is a good resource for transport to Ani from Kars , but we found some details were outdated or not applicable when we visited in May, 2018 ( shoulder season ). Here are some notes from our experience: We checked with the wait staff at Antik Café  who told us that the bus service was operating once daily, departing from outside the cafe at 1100 . They advised us to turn up at 1030; the bus arrived outside the café at this time and departed at 1100 . There were 16 passengers  in our trip, so lots of seats were not filled. The journey cost  14TRY return per person . (Our hotel offered us a private car for 150TRY!) The site entrance fee was 8TRY per person , but multi-site passes were accepted also. There was a snack and tea shop at the entrance. There was a WC (1TRY) at the new complex across the road. We were at the site for 2 hours , which was enough time. It was cold and windy at the site, and there was a little rain. Dress appropriately. The site is ext

Or, Balloons Enjoyed Three Ways  Our overnight bus trundled into the sunrise, the broad horizon grew more defined as the minutes passed. I wondered where we might be. There was always a worry of sleeping through our stop. I nudged Rob, hoping for a position check on the GPS map, but he was confident that the bus attendant would provide warning. Outside the window, several blocks of high-rise apartment buildings stood awkwardly in the middle of the desert. Who would live there? Why would they live there? I was mid-thought when they appeared. As the high-rises slipped out of sight, a hundred hot air balloons were revealed, hovering in the distance, looking like colourful defects in the sky, little floating map pins marking our destination: Göreme, Cappadocia. We drew nearer and circled under the balloons, and they seemed frozen in the air, as if a magician had suspended time to allow us to view all angles of the spectacle. Every inch the bus moved was a new vision, and the breaking daw

Captivating Cappadocia  provides a detailed description of the Green Tour if you don't mind spoilers. Theirs is a rosy account, but if you want some practical pointers, read on. As independent travellers who usually avoid tours like this, we had mixed feelings. On one hand: It transported the group to places around Göreme that are difficult to reach independently It is good value , including lunch (drinks extra) and all entry fees Almost all the stops were worthwhile attractions Minimal market stops Selime Monastery was a highlight; you can climb all over the site. Image courtesy Ephesus Tours Guide On the other hand: It is a typical tour group activity with time limits and crowds Did I mention crowds? The underground city stop was spoiled by cramming a dozen groups into it The lunch, while tasty, was a relatively small portion by Turkey standards If you are interested in this popular tour Ensure you have some level of fitness! There are a lot of steps ,