West Asia

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Kashan’s historical mansions

I woke at 0400 and fell asleep again till I heard faint tinkling of my alarm.  I readied myself for breakfast at 0800 before leaving the hostel at 0900.  It was hot already but there was no point starting too early as various sights open at 0900. First up, I wanted to visit Hammam-e Sultan […]

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Moving south to Kashan

I woke early due to the time difference and headed downstairs for breakfast.  It was a disappointing first breakfast in Iran as I was looking forward to the usual tomatoes and cucumber. Upon check-out, I walked to the nearby taxis to Haftado-do-tan roundabout for transport to Kashan.  There were supposed to be buses and taxis […]

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Arriving in and exploring Qom

Flying to Tehran With the aid of a sleeping pill after supper, I slept for around 3h30 and rested for another 30 minutes before opening my eyes.  The entertainment system (marked with Olympic Airways who kindly specified thick wide sumptuous seats with plenty of legroom) was not utilised. A snack of a very good quality […]

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Resting up before the night flight

I had a flight from Antalya to Algiers at 2350. I wanted to do “everything” that I wanted before it got too hot, then rest before the night flight. It seemed the right idea to go for a walk while it was still cool, before breakfast. I wandered into the old city. There was nothing […]

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Back on Terra Firma

Above:  Antalya eateries in the evening. Most on board had had a bad night sleep but I was OK. I woke around 0700 and breakfast was served at 0800. We had a last swim in Gokkaya Bay before doing a short hop to Demre harbour around 1000. Our arrival was much earlier than expected as […]

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Blue Cruise Day 3

Last night felt warmer even though I had slept in the open, under the stars (as opposed to under the canopy). I didn’t use a blanket unlike the first night. Perhaps I felt warmer because of the dew condensing on me, making me feel all humid. After breakfast around 0800, we swam for quite a […]

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Blue Cruise Day 2

Captain had warned us that he would be starting up at 0500 for a long day on the move. In fact we would actually cover very little distance on the first and third days and most of it would be done today. I woke briefly when the engines came to life but fell back asleep […]

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Blue Cruise Day 1

My pickup for the Blue Cruise by Alaturka was around 1000.  The  term Blue Cruise refers to a recreational voyage on the Turkish Riviera, in the south-west of the country on the Aegean/Mediterranean sea. I had had my breakfast on the roof terrace of the pension at 0800 and was ready before 0930. The ride […]

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To the Mediterranean

Getting to Fethiye With a 1040 departure out of Sabiha Gokcen, I woke around 0600 for a light breakfast at 0700. My pickup timed for 0730 arrived shortly after. The one hour drive came to a standstill in parts but the journey took only 1h+. I still had just under 2h before departure when I […]

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Lazy or spare day

I woke at 0300 but managed to sleep again till 0700 before having breakfast at the hotel. It was to be a lazy day as I had done much of Istanbul in recent years and I have the feeling that I will be back soon.  Today was more a spare day in case things didn’t […]

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