Turkey Traveller

Hisaronu is a holiday resort situated between Fethiye and Olu Deniz a few kilometres inland from the beautiful Mediterranean coast. It somewhat resembles a really cheap, tacky English seaside resort that's been uprooted and dumped on Turkey's Turquoise Rivera, expect bars and restaurants with English themes, menus, clientèle, lots of sport bars, tattoo parlours, karaoke, beer bellies, and more people wearing St Georges flags and union jack paraphernalia then I thought possible outside of some kind of surreal patriotic nightmare. Walking down the main street in the evening is not dissimilar to a visit to any British town centre on a Saturday night, there is a party atmosphere, neon lights, locals touting day trips and trying to beckon you into their establishment, bar after bar in which to wile away the evening relaxing to the thumping disco music. All in all for me it represents everything that is bad about mass tourism, and certainly isn't a destination to consider if you...

 More about Eskisehir: Eskisehir Sivrihisar Yazilikaya Platform/Midas City .

I heard yesterday that the beautiful and impressive train station at Haydarpaşa was damaged by fire at the end of last month. The Haydarpasa station is one of the most instantly recognisable landmarks in Istanbul and well loved by travellers, Turks and Istanbulites alike. The last most westerly train station in Asia where you can catch a train that travels the Hejaz Railway which terminates in Medina running via Syria and Jordan before arriving in Saudia Arabia. The Haydarpasa terminal sits on the shoreline built on reclaimed land overlooking the Bosphorus. It is a terrible shame for Istanbul and I hope the Turkish government will make every effort to return this splendid building to it's former glory. The fire started on 28 th of November in the middle of the afternoon, the damage is mostly to the roof and the fourth floor. No people were injured.                       ...

Kayaköy (stone village) A fascinating and eerie ghost town lies in the hills between Olu Deniz and Fethiye hastily abandoned when its Greek population was repatriated in 1923 after the Greco-Turkish war. Since then the town has been left bare to the elements and hundreds of intact but roofless houses sit empty staring across the valley. For 8YTL you can wander the houses, shops, schools, windmills, tavernas and churches of this beautiful and serene place. Entering the houses is weird as you get a feeling of being somewhere you shouldn't be, as if someone had left their front door open and you took it upon yourself to nose around. Even the goats that wander the village chewing on weeds have a tendency to look at you like an unwelcome interloper. The absence of sound is striking and even though we were virtually the only visitors we still spoke in hushed tones. Its like a community in stasis except without the people and its not much of a push of the imagination to picture the narr...

Faralya Art house is a beautiful pension nestled halfway up the Kabak valley with stunning views over the surrounding mountains and Mediterranean sea. Faralya Art House is the perfect place to spend time peacefully relaxing and soaking up the natural atmosphere. The rooms are basic and there is a shared bathroom, breakfast consists of bread, olives, local honey, cheese and eggs. Evening meals are available if you pay a little extra. Faralya Art House is quite isolated and there is only a rough track from the main road to pension so its best not to take loads of luggage without making some kind of pick up arrangement first, as struggling halfway down a mountain in the blistering heat with a large suitcase can be a little tiresome (I speak from experience). Due to the isolated position of Faralya it is not suitable for everyone if you want clubs, restaurants and shopping then its probably not for you although these are all just a short Dolmus ride away. If you like trekking, swimming, d...

Faralya a beautiful and isolated village nestled in stunning mountains that rise from the Mediterranean sea about 15km along the coast from Olu Deniz. Faralya is a perfect destination to escape from the unpleasant over development and mass package tourism of Hisaronu, Ovacik and Olu Deniz. There are no large hotels or developments just small hotels, pensions and camp-sites. Faralya is a beautiful place to relax in peaceful surroundings and a natural environment, great for hiking, deserted beaches, breath taking views, swimming and chilling out. It is also located on the Lycian way a famous trekking route that stretches from Fethiye to Antalya through the heart of the ancient Lycian culture that was voted one of the 'world's top ten walks' by the Times. There are no restaurants, pubs, nightclubs and just a few small grocery stores. Until fairly recently Faralya was almost completely inaccessible from the outside and it is only over the last twenty years that they have ...

Eskisehir is a city I return to on a regular basis, and I consider it my home city in Turkey, over the last decade or so it has undergone a huge amount of change and positive development. Every time we return there is something new, improved or restored mostly due to the vision of one man Mayor Yılmaz Büyükerşen. This video by heritage heroes recognises his achievements in this role. The Mayor has said he wants Eskisehir to be a role model for other Anatolian Cities, something he has undoubtedly achieved, every time you tell another Turk you are from Eskisehir they immediately all most always comment on how beautiful and successful the city is …. ah Eskişehir cok guzel demi? More about Eskisehir Eskisehir Sivrihisar Yazilikaya Platform/Midas City