Lulu Island in Abu Dhabi

Obelisk Tomb and Bab as-Siq Triclinium in Petra

Damnoen Saduak Floating Market in Thailand

Have a look here: http://www.randomrambler.com/photoblog

It’s fresh out of the oven, so if you do spot any issues (or have any suggestions) post a comment and I’ll look into it!

Ihlara Valley

T minus 8hrs: Our first stop was the Ihlara Valley, a 16km long gorge with a depth of about 110 metres, filled with old cave churches and a stream that runs straight through valley. There are four approaches to the valley – the first starts from the southern tip at Ihlara village, second from the eastern side at Belisirma village, third from the north end at Selime village or fourth from the western peak at the Ihlara Valley Touristic Centre.

The most popular route is to start from Ihlara village and trek about 4-5 hours to Belisirma village, you’ll get to see most of the churches and a bit of wildlife along the way. The stream runs right through the valley so you can take a quick dip from any point.

Since we were short on time we started at the Tourist Centre taking the quickest route down using the stairs. Now climbing down those 360 odd steps may seem easy at first, but after you’ve been trekking around the valley for about 2 hours or so climbing up 360 steps was a killer!

Derinkuyu Underground City

T minus 5hrs: The underground cities of Capaddocia were built by early 8th-7th BC settlers and were used through the centuries to protect villagers and livestock from the neighbouring raiders. Of the 36 underground cities in Capaddocia, Derinkuyu is the deepest decending down 8 floors to a depth of 85m… this is not your average underground bunker folks, this is a self sustainable city complete with storage rooms, stables, cellars, churches and wineries (mans gotta party, raiders or not), that could shelter anywhere from 20,000 to 50,000 people!

The guy at the entrance said we were lucky, there were no other tourists below so we’d have the whole place to ourselves… lucky huh? This was probably the only time in travel history where we actually wanted to bump into other travellers! There was an eerie, uneasy silence to the place and at one point I could’ve sworn I saw something that looked like a white human form through my viewfinder. I half expected to see those crawlers from the movie Descent come up through the ventilation shafts.

Uchisar Castle

T minus 2hrs: It’s not everyday you get to see a castle (or fortress depending on who to talk to) carved out entirely from rock! Most of the rooms are blocked and inaccessible, due to erosion, though thats not the main draw of Uchisar Castle. The highest point in Capaddocia, most people climb up to the roof for some brilliant panoramic views of the region.

T minus zero: So by the time we reached back to Anatolian House (7:05pm), we found out that our bus had left just a minute before… great. Thankfully there was a second bus that would arrive in 45 minutes or so. We did end up catching our flight (barely) to Istanbul and vowed to return back to Capaddocia for some more escapades.

Goreme Valley

Göreme Town

Anatolian Houses – Cave Hotel

There’s no shortage of places to stay in Göreme Town, the more unique ones being cave hotels that have been carved out from the surrounding rock. Göreme Town has options for the budget minded (Rock Valley Pension, Guven Cave Hotel) and well-to-do traveller (Kismet Cave House, Anatolian Houses).

Top tip for travellers to Göreme – forget the tours and packaged itineraries… the best way to explore Göreme, and for that matter the rest of Capaddocia, is to pick up a good road map and rent a car. Tours to the museum are rushed and cramped during peak hours. By renting a car you can avoid the crowds and have the freedom to detour off to some of the more quirkier side attractions (UFO Museum) in the area.

Fred Flintstone never had it this good

Göreme Open Air Museum

A UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Göreme Open Air Museum, situated 1.5km away from Göreme Town, is a collection of cave churches and monasteries adorned with Byzantine frescoes dating back to the 10th-12th century.

St. Barbara Chapel

There are 10 churches in total – St. Basil’s Church (Basil Kilise), Apple Church (Elmali Kilise), St. Barbara Chapel (Azize Barbara Kilisesi), Snake Church, Dark Church (Karanlik Kilise), St. Catherine Chapel, Sandal Church (Carikli Kilise), Buckle Church (Tokali Kilise) and the Nunnery (Kizlar Monastary). You read more about these churches here.

The churches differ in architecture and fresco style, if you’re pressed for time then make sure you visit the St. Barbara Chapel, the Apple Church, the Nunnery and the Dark Church. The Dark Church is named so for the lack of sunlight entering in, which in turn has helped preserving the original artwork. There is an extra charge for visiting the Dark Church, but its worth every Turkish Lira.

Elmali Kilise (Apple Church)

Elmali Kilise (Apple Church)

Karanlik Kelise (Dark Church) Frescoes

Karanlik Kelise (Dark Church) Fresco

Kizlar Monastary, Goreme Open Air Museum

Cappadocia Landscape

For most travelers, Turkey starts and ends at Istanbul, which is a shame. As beautiful as Istanbul is, there’s an entire mainland, untouched by commercial tourism, just waiting to be explored. Cappadocia, located in the province of Nevsehir, is just one of these places.

Cappadocia’s otherworldly landscape was formed centuries ago after volcanic dust, ash and lava settled in surrounding lakes. Eventually these lakes dried up and over time the sediment left behind slowly eroded away. It’s defining peaks, valleys and mushroom like ‘fairy chimneys’ were formed later after a series of earthquakes ripped through the region. The result is a landscape unlike anything you’ve ever seen around the world.

Goreme

Fairy Chimneys

Settlers, around the 7th century, carved out their homes, churches, monasteries and even underground cities out of these rock formations which, to date, have been preserved in their entirety thanks in part to the Turkish government.

In the next few posts, we stroll through Goreme National Park, trek the Ihlara Valley, climb Uchisar Fortress and visit the Derinkuyu Underground City!

Komodos on Rinca

Komodo dragons have gotten a bad rep in the press these past few weeks. The dragons have become a noted topic after an Indonesian fisherman was mauled and killed while trespassing on Komodo island. Now, what was this fisherman doing on the island in the first place you ask? Searching for lost treasure? Nope. Saving a damsel in distress? Nope… apparently, he went hunting for sugar apples. Yes. Hunting for sugar apples, on an island known for its population of 1,500 Komodo dragons. If you ask me, the media should be handing this guy a Darwin award.

The fact is Komodo dragons are dangerous and should not be taken lightly. They are active, agile predators with razor sharp teeth and have the ability to climb trees, swim or outrun any human. Little known fact – Komodo dragons are actually not venomous rather their saliva is extremely toxic containing over 50 strains of bacteria… some of which have no known antidote. Update: Based on new reports it looks as though Komodo Dragons do have venom glands. Bite victims, if treated early with a broad range of antibiotics, do have a good chance of surviving.

Komodo dragons can be found, natively, only on two islands in Indonesia – Komodo and Rinca. We decided to visit Rinca because it had a greater population, 1,900 dragons approx, and because it could be done as a day trip, two and a half hours by boat (one way) from Seraya Island compared to four for Komodo. The boat ride itself, while long, was eventful as we got to see a pod of dolphins on the way to Rinca!

Dolphins on way to Rinca

All visitors to the national park must be accompanied by a ranger who also serves as your guide through the national park area. A fact, further drilled in by the park management, as they pointed to some dried up blood stains on the window left by a ranger who’d been attacked, a week earlier, by a dragon (he survived). After registering our names with the park HQ, we chose to do the longer, two hour, trek which also included a climb up to a viewpoint area.

Rinca Island

Our first encounter with dragons was close to the Park HQ, just next to the kitchen area. Four Komodo dragons, attracted by the scent of food, sat around the area in the hopes of scoring a quick meal. The park officials never feed any of the dragons or they’ll get into the habit of coming back for more.

Let sleeping dragons lie

These claws were made for stalking...

Fifteen minutes into the trek we see a fully grown adult Komodo dragon walking straight towards us… head swinging, tongue lashing and feet pacing one after the next, this Komodo was on the prowl! We moved off the path and into the grass to let him pass by.

Komodo on the prowl

Komodo stalking

Sniffing out prey... us

Striking a pose

A little further on, we come across another Rinca native… the water buffalo, this one happily submerged in a mud bath. Water buffaloes serve as the main prey for Komodo dragons, once bitten the dragons stalks the wounded buffalo until it finally succumbs to the toxins.

Water Buffalo in mud

Face only a mother could love

We finally reach the end of our trek with some panoramic views of the entire island. It’s hard to imagine that within these plains are home to just under two thousand Komodo dragons.

Rinca Island - Viewpoint

Reaching Rinca Island: Charter a boat from Labuanbajo (cost dependent on your haggling skills)
Entrance Fee: Approx 200,000 Indonesian Rupiah (per person)
Guide: Dependent on either one hour/two hour trek

Remote, isolated and far from the maddening crowds, Seraya Island is the perfect getaway from civilisation and is, without a doubt, the closest anyone will ever get to experiencing heaven on earth. Leave your high heels and hair gels behind though, Seraya is not your average 5-star-waited-on-hands-and-feet experience… with ten bamboo huts, no mobile coverage and only two hours of water/electricity per day, this is as primal as it gets.

Seraya Island - Pano

The island is located off West Flores, 11km from the port of Labuanbajo, and takes approx an hour to reach by boat. Accommodation and transport to the island can be booked through the Gardena Hotel in Labuanbajo.

All ten huts have been built directly on the beach offering unrestricted views of the sea… and your neighbours, though everyone tends to keep to themselves. Each hut has a bed wrapped with mosquito netting, a cupboard to store any belongings and an attached bathroom. Since water is only available when the generator is turned on in the evening, you’ll have to make do with using a bucket (and a quick trip to the sea!) to flush the loo. There’s only one restaurant on the island, managed by a small family who also take care of the island. You’ll need to order your dinner earlier on in the day and for certain items, at least one day in advance.

Seraya Island - Huts

Seraya Island - Beachfront

The entire island can be explored in about an hour or two. Top tip – trek up the hill, behind the huts, just before sunset for great 360 views of the entire island.

Seraya Island - Sunset

The crystal, clear water and shallow reef stretching 60m around Seraya is ideal for snorkeling. At any given time, you’re guaranteed to see some starfish, silver dollars or even sea snakes! Don’t worry if you’ve forgotten your gear, you can rent out fins, mask and snorkel directly from the restaurant.

Seraya Island Viewpoint

Other local inhabitants also include a lone deer and mountain goats that will, if you’re not careful, will eat anything you keep outside to dry. You’ve been warned!

Seraya Island - Local inhabitants

Seraya Island - Deer

For more info on Seraya Island visit serayaisland.com or contact the Gardena Hotel for bookings and availability.

Kuta

With pristine beaches, endless shopping and hedonistic nightlife it’s not hard to see why Kuta is a tourist magnet. Think Patong Beach, but with more zipping motorbikes and narrow alleyways lined with touts selling everything from ‘exotic’ tours and lottery tickets to weed and magic mushrooms.

Kuta Beach

Kuta Beach

Judging by the number of ‘Learn to Surf’ schools around, surfing is big business in Kuta. At any given time (rains included) you can spot up to thirty to forty surfers paddling out waiting to catch the next crashing wave.

Surfing Kuta Beach

Surfing Kuta Beach

Shopping at Kuta Square

Pronounced [rahys-tah-fuhl], this Indonesian dish has its origins in the Dutch colonial era where it would be served as a representation of the various ethnic cuisines found across Indonesia. Literally translating to ‘rice table’, Rijsttafel generally consists of various side dishes (as little as 10 or as many as 40+) served with portions of rice… not unlike your everyday Thali.

Rijsttafel

We decided to try out the Rijsttafel at Poppies Restaurant, a popular Bali institution on Kuta Beach. Our Rijsttafel came on a revolving tray and was, thankfully, a more manageable 12 side dishes – one beef, one fish, one lamb, two chicken, three vegetable and seafood, chicken, beef satay along with some plain and nasi goreng.

Though Rijsttafel is not considered ‘traditional’ Indonesian cuisine, I’d highly recommend anyone visiting Indonesia to give this dish a ‘whirl’. Terima kasi!

Day 4 – Painfully early 3:30am start to the morning, we’re scheduled to head to Gunung Penanjakkan (viewpoint at 2,750m) to catch the sunrise over Mount Bromo. Outside temperature approx 4 degrees C. Unfortunately we didn’t get clear weather, but watching the clouds and mist roll off the volcanos made up for it! Quick 15 min jeep ride later and we’re at the base of Mount Bromo for a trek up to the crater. I tell you folks, I’ve seen some pretty amazing sights on my travels but *nothing* can compare to standing over the edge of an active volcano.

Mount Bromo - Viewpoint from Penanjakkan

Mount Bromo - Sunrise

Mount Bromo - Base of volcano

Mount Bromo - Into the crater

Next stop Bali!