A family trip to Greece and Turkey provided the perfect excuse to head north and avoid (a part of) the harsh Canberra winter.
I still had a ton of friends in Turkey, and hadn’t been back for a couple of years, so thought why not?
I also had a friend who was planning on visiting the Middle East and so we got to planning.
I had three weeks and set aside:
A week to spend with my sister and the kids.
Being in the neighbourhood, I decided to try my hand at revisiting Syria, 16 years after my first visit and after the long and bloody civil war.
I’d also wanted to visit Turkmenistan when I travelled around Central Asia in 2019. At the time my visa was rejected and my friend’s was approved.
We had intended to try again but then Covid hit and all bets were off.
Fast forward seven years and it was time to give it another go.
July
Thursday 2
It was a big week at work and Thursday night, after my shift I headed to the airport for my long trip north (after a quick detour south).
I bought my flights with Qatar Airways and despite a couple of cancellations due to the war in Iran and a hefty price tag of about $3000 return, everything worked out on the day.
I boarded QR7138 from Canberra to Melbourne at1850.
Just over an hour later, at 2005, I landed in Melbourne ready and eager for the next, and longest leg.
I took QR905 leaving Melbourne around 2245. It arrived in Doha at 0550 the next day. That meant I had under two hours until my final (or so I thought) flight.
At some point I decided the best, next course of action was to continue to Beirut, right after I arrived in Istanbul.
I was planning on maybe going the following day. I had accommodation booked in Istanbul, but I thought it was better to rip the bandaid off and keep going.
So at 0735 I hopped on QR239 from Doha to Istanbul.
I had my drone and a whole heap of things I wasn’t going to need so I thought it would be better to leave it in Turkey before continuing on my adventure.
I landed in Istanbul at 1155 and decided to take the new(ish) metro into town.
I was a bit short on time and luckily my friend met me at Gayreteppe. He collected my gear and transferred me to the metro for Sabiha Gokcen airport – on the other side of Istanbul.
At 1445 I arrived at the airport – giving me an hour and 15 to check in to my DOMESTIC flight.
I’m not sure I realised that the flight I booked to Beirut had a stop in Dalaman along the way.
In the end it wasn’t a bad thing because it meant I was flying domestic and needed less of a lead-in time.
In the end, I had a bit of time up my sleeve for a snack – the first of my 4000 Iskender kebabs during the trip.
At 1615, PC2290 was taking off from Istanbul for the quick, 1h15 flight to Dalaman.
I landed at 1730, giving me plenty of time before my 2045 ongoing flight to Beirut.
I was grateful for the snack in Istanbul.
Everyone said Dalaman airport was extortionate, and they weren’t lying. It was $9 for a gatorade. I think a McDonalds meal was about $30.
I had about three hours to kill so did some laps before climbing on to my fifth and final flight for the day – PC1826 from Dalaman to Beirut.
The flight took off on time at 2045 and landed in Beirut at 2205.
At the airport, I toyed with getting a sim card. Lebanon wasn’t part of my roaming plan and I couldn’t manage to find an eSim online. At $40, I thought it was probably a bit exorbitant for a day’s worth of internet so I decided to rawdog it (as the kids say).
My first problem was going to be finding an Uber without the internet.
In Doha, I had also booked (what seemed like) the cheapest place in Beirut. It was $63 but was probably worth about a third of that.
I ended up staying in Rawche Universal Apartments The location was great but that’s where it ended. It was up there among the worst places I’ve ever stayed – and i’ve stayed in some shockers.
We arrived around 2300 – after getting admonished for having Uber set to Credit Card instead of cash.
The trip was 15 minutes and cost me $27 dollars.
After a bit of stuffing around to check in I went up to the room. It was pretty dirty with cockroaches everywhere. There was no soap and no towels which wasn’t great after my day-and-a-half of travelling.
I went back downstairs and asked for a towel. The rest I could deal with.
There was more stuffing around and searching high and low, but eventually the guy managed to find me a clean/ish towel.
I had a quick rinse off before heading out for a walk and a drink. I even managed to find soap at a corner store which was a win.
I was out until 0200 before heading home for another shower and bed.
Saturday 4
I was up early – around 0700 and after another shower – I headed out for another walk.
I wandered along the corniche enjoying the light before it got too hot and humid. I was very tempted to jump in the water, but in the end decided to stay dry.
I checked out a couple of ATMs – on the look out for USD for Syria (and Turkmenistan), and once I sorted that, I was ready to go.
I stopped off at Dunkin’ Donuts (because when in Rome, right?) and around 0900 was back at the hotel packing up and ready to begin my adventure.
Having set Uber to Cash payment – I was ready to go.
I called an Uber around 0915 to take me the short drive to the Cola Bus station.
It was only about ten minutes and cost me $10.
It was pretty easy to find information on how to get to Damascus – but less so on how to hug the coast to Tartus.
One of the best blogs I saw was from The Globetrotting Detective who had seemed to have done the trip a couple of times.
She had a thorough guide on how to get from Tripoli to Tartus (and on to Latakia)
The thought was to try to get on a bus to Tripoli so I could find on going transport to the border.
I got a shared taxi from Cola Bus Station to Tripoli which took about an hour and a half and cost me $6.
It was a tight squeeze and a bumpy ride, but around 1110 we pulled into the bus station at Tripoli.
I guess it wasn’t really a bus station – more like a stop on the side of the road.
From there I needed to find a shared taxi to Abdeh.
I waited about ten minutes for a minivan to pull up and by 1121 I was on the way.
The trip to Abdeh was only about 30 minutes and cost me $3.
By 1156 I was dropped off at a busy round-a-bout.
I found a guy/driver to take me the fifteen minutes to the Arida border but we needed to wait until the car was full.
I think it was about $3. Eventually I paid the entire $15 to get the driver to take me alone. It was boiling hot and I was sick of waiting and no one was coming so I thought, stuff it.
We were finally on the road around 1223 and by 1252, we were there.
Of course when we arrived we discovered the border was closed.
Thankfully the driver didn’t dump me and go, or maybe it was a ploy. He asked around and finally told me that if we wanted to cross we’d have to go to the next border – about an hour inland.
By this point I was pretty hot and tired and generally defeated, so I agreed.
He drove me back to Abdeh and his mate said he’d take me for $40 (instead of the usual $50.) I said fine and off we went.
Around 1400 we arrived at the Wadi Khalid border.
The driver said he’d wait a while to make sure I got across before leaving me.
Of course I gave him all my remaining Lebanese Pounds and then when I got to the border crossing I needed 50c to photocopy my passport.
In true bureaucratic style I was shuffled from one office to the next – copy this, stamp that, check this, approve that and finally, about 1430 I was through. I’d made it (back) to Syria (nearly).
I had to complete all the formalities, again, on the Syrian side and pay $150 for the pleasure.
They searched my bag and checked my papers 1455 I was on my way.
Steal costpix from glob trotting girl
https://www.theglobetrottingdetective.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/syrian-visa-fees-new-goverment-1-400×508.jpg
A driver offered to take me all the way to Tartus for $35US. He said it would take an hour.
By this stage I was pretty fed up with it all so agreed without much hesitation.
The drive back to the coast was pretty interesting with kilometres and kilometres of stationary petrol tankers lined up, apparently destined for Europe and waiting to cross the border.
The driver said they make them wait to control them, otherwise they drive dangerously as they race to the border. There are also lots of security checks.
Anyway, around 1630 we finally pulled into Junada Hotel at Porto Tartous.
The hotel was fancy(ish). It cost me $200US for the night which is a bit rich, but it was one of the few places I could find (and book) online.
I ended up booking with the Syria Booking site – or so I thought.
When I arrived, they didn’t have any evidence of my booking.
Luckily they had a room and let me stay.
They all seemed happy, if not a bit bemused, to see me.
After getting freshened up and changed I went out to explore the world.
The hotel is right on the waterfront, basically at the end of a long Corniche.
It’s also right across the road from the old town, making it a perfect location to base yourself.
The hotel was a little bit like a Las Vegas resort with heaps of bars and restaurants on the complex, but they seemed like they would have been expensive.
I was out and about for about two hours, before heading back to the hotel around 2230 very ready to call it a night.
Sunday 5
I got up early and had a swim at the hotel – the water was warm and nice but a little dirty.
Breakfast was also included in the rate, so after an hour or so in the water I went up stairs to get tidied up and then headed back down to the restaurant.
It was a big buffet with mostly Syrian guests I would say and the staff were all very happy to see me. English wasn’t a strong point but I received many, many “Welcome to Syrias” – in a variety of contexts.
After breakfast I had another walk around town before heading back to the hotel for one last shower before heading out to find the bus station.
I was also on a mission to try to find a simcard, because being off the grid was starting to grate.
It’s not a mission I succeeded at, but I did manage to find the bus station.
The bus station was only about 15 minutes from the hotel so by 1347 I been ushered into a few different ticket shops, purchased a ticket and told to wait.
The bus ticket was 250 Syrian pounds – or about $3 for the one hour trip.
image
It wasn’t completely smooth sailing – my bus didn’t ever seem to arrive and I was ferried into a different shop to exchange my ticket for another operator.
Eventually, about 1305 some one helped me find my new bus and I was off.
It was a quick and easy trip and around 1430 I was spat out at the Pullman Bus Station at Latakia.
I’d heard the taxi drivers were pretty relentless at the bus station – sort of unsurprisingly, and I didn’t EXACTLY know where I wanted to go, so I left the bus station and headed outside and around the corner to gather my thoughts.
Fortunately, I had downloaded an offline Google Map of Latakia and noticed that the hotel was a shortish walk away – well about two kilometres, which I thought was feasible given I was travelling light.
So off I went, down the hill, heading towards the coast – where I knew the hotel was located.
I chose Safwan Hotel – mostly because it’s where all the foreigners said they stayed. It seemed central enough and the guy working there was nice.
It was only $15 for a shared room (which I didn’t have to share) and while it was a bit rough and ready, it was nicer than the place I stayed in Beirut and a quarter of the price.
The man working there was also a fountain of knowledge about Latakia, Syria and a whole lot of other things.
I arrived at the hotel around 1500 and after a quick freshen up I decided to head out into the world for a look around.
First things first, I noticed a Phone shop just around the corner.
It was already 1545 on a Sunday but thankfully the MTN phone shop was still open.
The girl in the office spoke a bit of English and before long I was on the way, armed with a newly minted simcard and mobile internet to boot.
Just down the road, I stopped off for some French Cock. It’s just a hole in the wall that sells Fried chicken but its Disney font and deep friend smell caught my attention.
I overordered (blame it on language) and ended up sitting outside scoughing it all down.
After lunch, I continued on my way south to the Southern Corniche – I wanted to see some of the beaches and coastline.
The water looked great but there was so much trash.
It’s also still very much in the process of being developed. There are a few clifftop cafes and restaurants but also a lot of empty lots and construction sites.
I walked down to check out a couple of the beaches.
I ended up striking up a conversation with a young guy who was studying medicine. He invited me to a charity where his peer was studying.
I ended up spending a couple of hours speaking to them about their hopes and aspirations before deciding to head back to the hotel to call it a night.
Monday 6
Given the state of my accommodation and probably because I was a little jetlagged, I was up early and out the door – exploring more of Latakia.
I wandered through the old town and tried to check out one of the oldest Mosques in Latakia – Al Nour Mosque (which was closed).
I hung a right and headed down to see the Tetraporticus before heading back to the Southern Corniche to see the sea.
I had every intention of going for a swim, but it was just too dirty.
Heading back towards the hotel I stopped off at St Taqla’s Shrine for a hot second before packing up my gear and checking out.
Not sure how he convinced me, but the guy at the hotel encouraged me to take a public bus back to the Pullman bus station.
It left from across the road and only cost me 30 cents or something,
It was easy enough and a pretty interesting experience.
The bus trip took about 26 minutes and finding a bus to the capital was pretty easy.
Around 1300 I was off.
The coach to Damascus took about 4.5 hours including a half hour stop.
It cost me about $6.
I hadn’t eaten anything so far in the day, but that didn’t stop me from getting violently ill along the way.
Something didn’t agree with me and I nearly had to tell them to stop the bus.
I was worried if they thought I was sick they might put me off and drive away, so I was VERY lucky when they stopped along the road for a minute – giving me just enough time to duck off behind a bush and be violently ill.
Not long after that we stopped at a rest stop so I was able to sort myself out and prepare myself for the last 1h30 of the trip.
Around 1820 we pulled into the Al Qaaboon bus station in Damascus and it was a bit chaotic, to say the least.
A young girl asked where I needed to go and I told her Bab Touma – from where I knew I’d be able to find my way to the hostel.
She showed me the right shared taxi to take and as it turned out, I ended up sitting next to a young boy who was from America and in Syria (alone!) visiting his family.
Armed with a couple of English speakers – I managed to get to Bab Touma without much drama.
The trip was only about 15 minutes so by 1830 I was at Acadonia Hostel in the old town.
I can’t remember who, but some recommended I stay there, and when I arrived I was surprised to see it was run by a young Australian girl.
It was dirt cheap – like $10 a day for a bed in a dorm room (without anyone else sharing it).
The bathrooms were outside, but I wasn’t too bothered.
By now my guts seemed to have settled down so I headed out to explore the old town – and to grab a kebab.
I wandered around for a couple of hours – checking out the souq before, around 2200, calling it a night.
Tuesday 7
In bed early and awake early. Around 0700 I headed out for a wander around town.
I wanted to get to the Grand Mosque before it got too busy, or hot, but typically, when I arrived it was closed.
Like most places in that part of the world, Damascus is very quiet in the mornings (probably because they stay up all night).
I did a bit of a walk around the old town – checking out churches and mosques and the winding little streets.
At 0844 – one of the places that was open was this famous ice cream shop – Bakdesh.
On a recommendation of a friend, I stopped in for an ice cream drowning in pistachios.
It cost me about $2.50.
By 1000 the Grand Mosque was opened and so I headed back to the hostel to pull on some long pants and headed back out to explore.
I spent a fair bit of time exploring the complex – I’d forgotten how grand it was.
Around 1100 I headed back into the Souq to check out Khan As’ad Pasha Al Azem.
Entry was 500SYP or about $7.
I stopped for a rest and a tea before continuing on my adventure.
In the afternoon, I decided to check out a local hamam. I ended up at Hamam Teirouzi
I think it cost me $15 for the standard scrub, soap and massage.
On the way back, I grabbed another Kebab and headed home to change. I wanted to go to a rooftop bar for sunset.
I wanted to check out La Joya but someone told me I’d need a reservation and would have to call to secure it.
That all seemed too hard, so I ended up checking out Z Bar on the roof of Omayad Hotel.
The place was empty but had a good view. Drinks were just OK. I’m glad I did it but probably wouldn’t have missed much if I didn’t bother.
It cost me about $25 bucks for a couple of drinks 2230, I decided to call it and head back to the old town.
A taxi was $10 and while I downloaded the YallaGo App I didn’t have a lot of luck using it.
Wednesday 8
I had another early start so I could check out a bit more of Damascus before my flight to Istanbul later that afternoon.
I’d spent a lot of time in the old town, so decided to branch out and wander up to the National Museum, stopping off at Al Hejaz Station along the way.
Of course the museum wasn’t open until 1000 so I headed back towards the old town to have a drink.
I ended up at a little coffee shop that caught my eye up opposite the Citadelle.
By 1100 I was back at the museum, and while they’re generally now my thing, I’m pleased I made the effort.
There was heaps to see and entry was only a couple of dollars.
There was an underground re-construction of a tomb which was amazing.
Outside, in the museum gardens there was also a lot to see – it actually seemed like they had more relics than they knew what to do with.
Anyway, I blitzed through, before heading back to the old town. I had another look at the Umayyad Mosque, before heading back to the hotel to get my affairs in order.
Around 1430 I found a taxi using the YallaGo App.
The girl at the hostel told me it’d cost about $20.
It took around 30 minutes to get to the airport.
I arrived by 1520 giving me plenty of time before my flight.
I had been worried there’d be heaps of security at the airport, but it was all pretty straight forward.
At 1700 Ajet’s VF318 was taking off en route to Sabiha Gocken Airport in Istanbul.
At 1910 I was landing in Turkey.
It only took me 30 minutes to get out of the airport, and I’d booked a transfer to make my trip in to town a little smoother.
Typically, it was a bit of an ordeal to find the tour operator, but I managed in the end.
I booked the transfer with Sun Transfers and it cost me 52 euros or about $85 dollars.
The trip took an hour.
Around 2100 we arrived at Taksim Square – a short walk away from my hotel.
I had a quick turn around then headed down the hill to meet my friend for dinner and a drink.
We ended up in Karakoy having a couple of beers in a bar called Berlin before heading down the road for dinner.
It’d been a long day for both of us, so around 2330 we called it and about half an hour later I was crawling into bed.
Thursday 9
After a busy few days, we had a slow morning before ambling down Istiklal Cadessi towards Galata.
We met a friend there for a “traditional” Turkish breakfast.
We decided to hit up Cafe Privato which wasn’t as good as I remembered, but it wasn’t bad either.
We were there for about an hour and a half before heading round the corner for a drink in Soho House.
After a couple of hours we headed up the street to Beyoglu for another drink. We ended up Street Pub mostly for its location and people watching potential.
My friend had never been to Istanbul before, so in the afternoon I decided to take him to a Hamam – settling on Firuza Hama – mostly for its proximity to our hotel.
Battered, bruised but very clean, we headed back up the hill around 1800 and got ready for dinner and a drink.
We ended up at Upperist for a cocktail and sunset before heading down the road to Durumzade for a “traditional” dinner.
After dinner we decided to take the ferry across to Kadikoy for a look at Istanbul’s “Asian side”.
We were home in bed by about 2330 after a long lazy day.
Friday 10
After a lazy, local breakfast (from a Simit man on Taksim Square) we headed back to the airport for our flight to Dalaman.
We arrived early – around 1030 – giving us plenty of time to relax before our flight.
So relaxed we were – we missed our flight.
We were at the gate, relaxing, or actually at the gate next door, and at some point we said – we better get up and see what’s going on with boarding – only to find out the flight was closed.
Thankfully, it was only $120 to check on to the next flight. And the stupidity only set us back an hour.
We should have landed at 1400 (TK2558) but in the end we were walking out of the airport around 1530. In a stroke of luck our driver (despite telling us otherwise) was still there.
I’m glad I hadn’t booked a replacement transfer when we missed our flight.
We booked the transfers with SunTransfers and it cost 50 euros.
At 1630 we arrived at the hotel – or close enough to it, around 1630. We had a quick freshen up, set up the GoPro to capture sunrise, before heading out to explore.
We decided to drop off our putrid, sweaty washing, and then went to take a look around the bazaar.
After a bit of shopping, we settled in for a drink of five at Deep Blue Bar.
Before dinner we had a sunset wander along the waterfront before choosing somewhere for dinner.
We ended up at Puerto Terrace for a low key meal before heading back to the hotel, via the supermarket.
By 2300 we were tucked up in bed, recovering from the long day that had just been.
Saturday 11
We got up early-ish – collected the washing – then headed along the water front to the Farout Cruises offices.
We were only there a couple of minutes then had to walk back down the hill to the port. It was sort of annoying because we’d just walked past the port to get to the offices and I KNEW we’d have to go back.
Anyway, it was only a five minute detour so it was fine.
About 1000 we were boarding the boat – and settling in for a quick safety briefing.
We had some snacks and spent some time exploring our home for the next four days, before settling in and getting comfortable.
Our first stop for the day was Kelebekler Vadisi (Butterfly Valley). By 1130 we were sailing towards the famous beach.
Not long later we were plunging into the beautiful, clean, fresh water.
We spent a couple of hours swimming before climbing back on the boat for lunch.
After lunch we turned back and headed towards Ölüdeniz for a swim.
We did the long-ish swim to the beach and spent some time watching the kids jumping off the rocks.
Next stop was a little way east: Gemiler bay.
We had tea and bickies – a ritual the kids loved – before a relaxing afternoon.
We had another swim and a relaxing afternoon before going over to St Nicholas Island (Gemiler Adasi) for a little hike and to watch the sun dip down below the horizon.
Around 2045 we headed back to the boat for dinner and our first night sleeping under the stars.
Sunday 12
After a relaxing morning – breakfast in the sun and swimming in Gemiler Bay – we headed east for Kaş.
We stopped at a bay which Google reliably tells me was called Güvercin ada dalış noktasi for a swim before continuing on to the town.
Around 1100 we docked in Kaş and headed into town for a look.
The heat was pretty oppressive away from the coast and so it wasn’t long before we were seeking refuge in a cafe in the old town.
After a wander around town we were back on the boat around 1300 in time for lunch.
In the afternoon we found a little bay near Çamlık koyu to for a swim before settling in near Kekova for the night.settle in for the night.
We had a long relaxing swim and spent the afternoon away in the sun.
Monday 13
I was up early – around 0530 to see the sun rising above the coast.
A couple of hours later, everyone else started stirring.
By 0800 we were hoeing into our breakfast.
We had another swim – because – when in Rome – before sailing slowly along the sunken city coastline.
By 1030 we had the castle at Kekova in our sights.
At 1100 we were on land – ready to tackle the hike up to Simena Castle.
It’s not a long walk, or a hard one, but in the searing sunshine, it’s no walk in the park.
We got up in about 20 minutes. Took our selfie and were done.
On the way down we stopped at the I Am Here Cafe for some homemade ice cream.
When we got down we had a little swim at Likya Mezari and I tried to get the busted drone up again, before heading back to the boat.
Lunch was on the table when we arrived.
We had a quick freshen up (avoiding the busy shipping lane at the same time) before heading off in search of our next destination.
At 1420 we arrived at our next stop – Gokkaya Bay.
We set up for the evening and were straight in the water to cool down.
We spent the afternoon swimming and chilling on the boat. We even had time for a quick beauty routine.
Dinner was ready at 2000 and there was a special treat for my sister on the eve of her birthday for dessert.
For something very different, and rather random, we went to Smugglers Inn Pirate Bar – a small bar in the middle of nowhere.
A had a couple of drinks before calling it a night.
All the young people there (from the other boats) looked as though they were ready to go right off and we didn’t think we needed to witness that.
Back on the boat it looked like my sister and nieces were having a party of their own – taking advantage of the disco lights and mirror ball on the boat.
There was lots of singing and dancing before finally, we decided to call it a night.
Tuesday 14
I woke up early again to see the sunrise before jumping in for my last swim.
We had one last breakfast on the boat before heading towards Çayağzı Yat Limanı.
We thought our trip was over but we still had time.
We arrived at the port around 0815 and while we were all washed up and ready to disembark, it was too hot to sit around sweltering.
We only had an hour, but an hour is plenty for one last swim.
We were on the hunt for turtles – we did see one but we couldn’t manage to get close.
At 0900 we were back on the boat getting washed up again, and at 0930 we were bundled onto a dinghy headed to the port.
I had organised transfers to Kaş for some of us and Antalya for the rest. I didn’t want any drama in the heat – and of course, that’s exactly what we got. The drivers didn’t seem to know where we needed to go and of course couldn’t speak English.
After a few frantic phone calls, a heap of messages, and a cigarette or two, we were finally on the road.
We bid farewell to two of our party who were heading east, and the rest of us climbed on to the van to head west back to Kaş.
The trip was only 45 minutes and so by 1100 I was checking into the hotel.
My sister and the kids stayed at Sardunya Otel and so after getting freshened up I headed back to their hotel to check out the beach club.
We spent the afternoon there swimming and chilling, joined by a couple of friends from Istanbul who came down to visit us for the weekend.
Around 1800 we went back to the room to get tidied up for dinner.
Our hotel was on the other side of town to the one my sister and her family were in.
It’s only a ten minute walk – but an uphill one, in the heat.
At 1930 we were back at their hotel – ready to have an aperitif. I’d been lugging Champagne half way around the world in celebration of my sister’s birthday.
We thought to have it on the boat but in the end we ended up having it on their balcony in Kaş.
Around 2000 we bundled into a taxi headed for La Kumsal Hotel where we’d organised dinner at Sidera Restaurant.
We had a night dinner, dining al fresco and watching the sun dip down behind the horizon.
We were back at the room around 2300 ready for bed after a long, lazy day.
Wednesday 15
We had breakfast at the hotel early before heading down to the port to get the ferry to Bilal’s Beach Club.
We were at the port by 0930 and on the boat shortly after.
15 minutes later we’d occupied our cabanas and were settling in for a long day of relaxing.
We spent the day swimming, sunbaking, boozing and generally just keeping the waiters on their toes.
We milked just about every last inch of sunshine before hopping back on the ferry around 1730 to head back to Kaş.
We met at 1930 again for a cocktail before dinner – deciding on Loop for sunset drink.
We settled on Gossi Ristorante for dinner – just across the road from the bar.
After dinner we had a walk around the old town before calling it a night.
Thursday 16
Another day, another beach club – today we were heading to Blanca Beach Club.
It’s only 10 mins from Kas – out on the Peninsula. We were feeling fancy so we called ahead and reserved a couple of cabanas – which were great to keep the sun at bay.
We had another long, lazy day of swimming and sunbaking before around 1800 heading back to civilisation.
Getting a taxi is always an ordeal, even though we’d reserved.
We met at Sardunya Otel again for another bottle of Champagne, before heading down to the waterfront for dinner.
We ended up at Mumi cafe Beach for dinner which was a good vibe but sort of touristy and overpriced.
After dinner we had another stroll around the old town before calling it a night around 2300.
Friday 17
We had an early start with breakfast at the hotel, before looking for our transfer.
We’d organised a van for 15 people from Kas back to Dalaman airport.
It was $250 for the 1.5 hour trip.
We arrived at the airport around 1230 – about two hours before our flight – giving us just enough time for an overpriced snack.
At 1435 TK2559 was taking off – headed for Istanbul.
We landed at 1610 and had organise another transfer to take us into town.
I was at the hotel by 1730 – giving me a couple of hours to get freshened up before heading out for dinner.
I met my sister and her family back at their hotel where we decided to have a quick look at the rooftop before crossing Takism Square for dinner.
We ended up going to Gonen Rooftop Ocakbasi. It turned out to be a bit of a letdown. It was super expensive, service was mediocre and it just wasn’t really a vibe.
By 2300 I was back at the hotel and very ready for bed.
Saturday 18 Istanbul
Saturday was a lazy day getting my affairs in order before heading off to Turkmenistan.
I went up the road to my sister’s hotel to see them off before heading back for a relaxing day.
I did some shopping, before going back to the hotel to chill.
Around 2200 I went up to Taksim Square to try to find a Havabus.
I think I missed it by a minute or so and so I ended up getting a BiTaksi.
I was at the airport around 2300 giving me plenty of time before my 0100 flight (TK324) to Ashgabat.
I ended up flying with Turkish airlines.
The return trip cost me about $1000. Not cheap, but also not a lot of options.
Sunday 19
At 0650 I landed in Turkmenistan.
Immigration and customs was a bit chaotic but simple enough I suppose – there are a whole bunch of windows and you have to go to one after the other – but it’s not super clear which order you’re supposed to complete the formalities.
I also had to get a Covid test (but my friend didn’t) so who even knows.
The guide told us the Visa was $40, Migration tax was $14 and the PCR test would be $40. I’m not sure the actual prices reflected that, but I was prepared for that, in any case.
I met the guide and we arrived at Hotel Mizan around 0800.
Gavin had already arrived and was fast asleep in the hotel room.
I told them to give me a couple of hours to have a nap and get freshened up.
I had some breakfast and then I was ready to begin our tour in earnest.
At 1000 on the dot the driver and guide came back to collect us.
Our first stop was the ancient settlement of Old Nisa – about 40 minutes out of town.
We had an amble around the ruins for an hour or so before calling it. It was pushing 40 degrees and we were both a little lacking in energy.
In the afternoon we went back into the city to check out some of the sites.
Our first stop was the massive People’s Memory Monument Complex.
Next up was the Wedding Palace where we even managed to crash a wedding.
We ended up at a traditional restaurant (albeit in a shopping mall) for lunch.
I THINK it was called Waka Neo Nomad.
We tried some traditional snacks and some interesting cultural exchanges with our guide before hitting the road.
Lunch was about 400 manat which I think was about $30.
In the afternoon we went to Independence Park and the Constitution Monument before taking a ride on the world’s biggest indoor ferris wheel.
The last stop for the day was the Arc of Neutrality
At this point we were pretty exhausted so we headed back to the hotel for a swim and a rest.
The pool seemed to be the place to be to escape the heat and so we skipped that and headed inside for a nap, instead.
Around 1900 we were beach out on the town looking for something for dinner.
We ended up at Bayhan Restaurant for dinner and a couple of beers.
Dinner for the three of us was 506 manat.
By 2130 we were heading back to the hotel, very ready for bed after a long day of travel and sight seeing.
Monday 20
We had an early start – with breakfast at the hotel – before heading back to the airport.
Today we were heading into the desert to check out Yangykala Canyon.
The flight to Balkanabat was only an hour or so and by midday we were checking into the brand spanking new airport hotel.
I’m pretty sure we were the first (and only) guests.
We dropped off our bags before hitting the road.
The drive to the canyon probably took us about 3 hours.
The roads aren’t great and once you factor in a couple of stops, plus a breakdown, it was already pushing 5pm.
We spent an hour or so there before heading back to civilisation.
Along the way we stopped off in a little town to try to find some parts for the busted car.
Around 2100 we were back in Balkanabat and stopped off at Uly Balkan for dinner and a drink
Dinner (and a few beers) was 677 manat for the three of us.
By 2300 we were back at the hotel and ready for a shower and bed.
Tuesday 21
We had an early start and breakfast at the hotel before starting our long drive home.
We were on the road at 0800 on the dot heading east for the capital.
Around 1130 we stopped off to explore Köw Ata Underground Lake – a hot spring deep down in a cave.
It was pretty cool and basically deserted so we had a flail before bundling back into the car.
A couple of hours later we were back in Ashgabat ready to check out the controversial Türkmenbaşy Ruhy Mosque.
It’s pretty spectacular and again totally deserted but worth a look if you ever find yourself in the neighbourhood.
We stopped for lunch at Soltan Restaurant – a Turkish restaurant in a shopping mall in the capital.
It cost us 550 Manat for the three of us and the food was pretty good but I’m easily pleased.
We headed downstairs to a supermarket to get some supplies for our next adventure – a trip north into the desert.
We were on the road by 1600 and by 1920 we were coming to our first stop – the Darvaza Water Crater.
It’s pretty interesting but hard to get a good photo of and unfortunately, full of trash.
We took a few snaps before hopping back in the car and continuing on to our final destination for the day – the Darvaza Gas Crater.
It was 2000 before we arrived.
Thankfully, there was still a bit of light left in the day.
We took a million photos before heading up the hill to inspect the damage – to see what our Yurt Camp was like.
While we were stuffing round down at the gas crater, the guides were busy back at the camp preparing a pretty decent meal for us.
We had a few beers before heading back down to the crater to see how it looked at night.
By 2330 we were back in our yurt, ready to hit the sack.
Wednesday 22
We got up early for breakfast and by 0800 we were back on the road heading back towards the capital.
We got back to the hotel around 1230 for a quick shower before heading out again for some lunch.
We ended up having Turkish food, again, at a place called Kebabcy.
Lunch cost us 228 manat and was pretty decent.
The guide also organised me a little cake for my birthday which was thoughtful.
In the afternoon we did some souvenir shopping at the Russian Bazar.
After that, we had a rather random trip to the Equestrian club. Horses are a national treasure so I guess it was worth seeing.
Next up, we went back to the Alem Centre to see the big Ferris Wheel.
We had a few hours relaxing back at the hotel before getting dressed up for dinner.
Around 2000 we headed to Berk Garden Pub for a couple of cocktails and dinner.
By 2230 we were back at the hotel, ready for bed.
Thursday 23
It was our last day in Turkmenistan but we were not defeated – we still had plenty to pack in.
We got up early and had breakfast before the driver came to collect us around 0800.
Before long we were driving east towards the border with Afghanistan.
A couple of hours later we arrived at the Ancient city of Old Merve.
We spent some time exploring the ruins before checking out some of the more contemporary sites and mausoleums.
The Mausoleum of Sultan Sanjar was probably the highlight for me.
It was already 1500 before we stopped for lunch at Aladdin Cafe.
Lunch and a couple of drinks cost 259 manat for the three of us.
We had a long drive ahead of us and when we got back to the hotel we had a quick shower and costume change before heading out to dinner.
At 2030 we went to a rooftop restaurant at the Altyn Asyr Sowda Merkezi.
We arrived at Central Park just in time for sunset so spent a bit of time taking pictures before setting in for a couple of beers and a chat with our guide.
By 2230 we were back at the hotel and ready for bed.
Friday 24
Gavin was up pre-crack of day for his 0500 flight back to Dubai.
My flight was a bit at the much more sociable 0810.
At 0600 the driver picked me up for the quick trip to the airport.
Around 0730 I was boarding TK325 ready for my flight back to Istanbul.
Just after 1000 I arrived at Istanbul airport and an hour later I was on the shuttle en route to Taksim Square.
I checked into Blue Point Hotel for the 15th time this trip.
I had a few chores to do – I had my hair cut and found something for lunch before heading out for a hamam before heading back to the hotel to get dressed up for dinner.
I met my friends at Sureya Kahvalti for a nice farewell dinner.
After dinner, we had a couple of drinks at Kiki in Cihangir before I headed back to the hotel.
Saturday 25
My flight was at 1345 so I got up early to do my last chores – picking up some souvenirs and sweets to take home
At 1125 I hopped in a taxi and by 1200 I was at the Airport.
At 1345 QR2400 took off from Istanbul en route for Istanbul.
I watched a couple of movies and ate too much.
At 1750 we arrived in Doha, giving me a little more than two hours to wander around and stretch my legs before the next leg of my flight.
At 2020 QR904 took off for Melbourne.
Sunday 26
The flight was relatively painless and at 1650 we arrived in Melbourne.
I was close to home, but not there yet, I still had a three hour wait before my quick flight back to Canberra.
FINALLY what felt like the last flight from the airport – 2120 QR7141 – took off for Canberra.
At 2225, after a long day of travel I was finally landing back in the capital.