Simoon Travel Blog

Swimming the Lycian Way

Clare — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 17:09:39 +0000

If you’re looking for a new approach to the Lycian Way then I can highly recommend swimming it – or at least parts of it. I’ve always wanted to do a swim trek and so found myself with nine others donning swimsuits, and all manner of swimming paraphernalia (I’d never heard of drag pants and hand fins before), getting ‘greased up’ and hitting the warm clear sparkling waters off the southern coast of Turkey for a week of glorious swimming, sunning, boats, eating, lazing, exploring, dancing…And a bit more swimming.

We were situated in Kas; a pretty coastal resort about 170kms southwest of Antalya where the mountains drop into the Mediterranean and an abundance of good boutique hotels, pensions, shops and restaurants cater to your every need. It is a popular destination with trendy young Turks on their summer holidays who come to sunbathe on the terraced cafes, and dance the night away in the cool bars overlooking the sea. Kas is on part of the Lycian Way; an ancient 500km footpath that stretches from Fethiye to Antalya with numerous ruins, castles, tombs, and sunken cities peppering the route. We were looked after by two excellent swimming guides and it was a joy to be with a group of people so at ease in the sea; there was Ryan, a huge hulk of a man who could free dive to 25 metres with ease and startle divers as we pushed through their air bubbles overhead. When I felt tired I could hold onto his ankles and he would tow me through the water for great lengths of time.

A typical day would be 3kms swimming in the morning and 2kms in the afternoon which would take about 2 – 2.5hrs and 1.5 – 2 hrs respectively depending on your speed. But it wasn’t an endurance race and at any time you could stop and get on the boat…Not that anyone did, but we were divided into three groups according to our capabilities so everyone swam at the pace they wanted to.

The gulet became our base for the day and we would set off each morning from the marina to the start of our swim; these gulet’s are wonderful traditional Turkish boats perfect for lounging on with plenty of space, numerous sun decks, and a cheerful experienced local crew constantly preparing delicious snacks and glasses of hot apple tea for us. The route took us along the coast from Ugagiz where we docked on the little island of Kekova and trekked up to the imposing castle of Simena with its fantastic views of the surrounding islands covered in thyme scented trees and grazing goats. We swam near to the ancient sunken city of Aperlae and peered through the glass bottom in our gulet down to the ruins; the city flourished between the 3^rd and 4^thcentury before being abandoned and falling into the sea. Remains of houses and their contents littered the sea-bed including stairs, archways, amphorae, statues and countless other abandoned artefacts. We swam over plane and boat wrecks, alongside turtles, and into caves. In fact we couldn’t stop swimming and when the boat dropped anchor for a long lazy lunch of traditional home made Turkish food to include fresh fish and delicious salads, we’d still be in the water, diving and hanging out with noodles (bendy things you can wrap around your body to comfortably float in the water). There followed much sunbathing, fishing for calamari, reading and relaxing before heading off to start the afternoon’s swim; perhaps another 3kms swimming past tombs embedded into a cliff face or striking out across open sea from island to island. The highlight was an open water crossing of 5kms non-stop from the Greek island of Meis back to Turkey; an exhilarating swimming experience being buffeted by cross currents, dodging boats and enthralled by the deep blue waters.

Clare’s Recce Tour to Uzbekistan – Simoon’s New Destination

Clare — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 14:45:23 +0000

When I told people I was going to Uzbekistan, I was often met with odd, sometimes confused looks. Few people had heard of the country let alone the location, which seems to be a mystery to many! Uzbekistan is located on the central axis of the ancient Silk Road in Central Asia, just south of Kasakhstan and north of Turkmenistan. This location on the silk route as well as its more recent Soviet occupation has moulded the country into a fascinating mix of cultures, heritage and history – the perfect new destination for Simoon! The countries’ landscape ranges from the vast Kyzylkum desert in the west, to the fertile plains of the Ferghana Valley in the east, with the terrain getting progressively more mountainous as you reach the Kyrgystan and Tajikistan borders on the eastern fringes of the country. Our journey started in the capital city of Tashkent, a city strongly influenced by its Soviet predecessors. The city had a much calmer and more orderly air about it than I was used to with our Middle Eastern and North African cities – the wide boulevards, the vast Independence and Amir Timur squares and the chandeliered metro stations all made it abundantly clear that this was going to be a very different experience.
After a brief stay in Tashkent we headed southwest by train to the city of Samarkand.    Our first stop in the city was stunning Registan Square (see image) which is renowned as being one of central Asia’s most impressive examples of Islamic architecture where the Persian influence in architecture and style is very apparent. When much of the restoration of the Square happened in the 1980’s many of the craftsmen were drafted in from Persia to complete the intricate mosaic tiling covering the medressas. From the Registan we continued our tour of the city to view the other sites such as the Bibi Khanum mosque, the Siab Bazaar, and the Shah-i-Zinda necropolis. The Shah-i-Zinda sits on the crest of a hillside and holds a collection of mausoleums of the who’s who of Uzbekistan through the ages. Although it is possibly not as iconic or as well known as the Registan it was one of my favourite sites in the city, with each individual mausoleum decorated slightly differently to the taste of its interred inhabitant. It was probably also because we visited it just as the sun was setting; there were few visitors and we wandered in relative peace and quiet from one mausoleum to the next.
The next day of our somewhat whistlestop tour took us further west to Bukhara. Bukhara has a very different feel to Samarkand or Tashkent; it has a slower and more relaxed pace and has a real endearing quality – I instantly liked this city. Its most prominent site, the Arc (fortress) – see image – is an imposing fortress that housed the city’s elite from as early as the 5th century until as late at 1920 when it was bombed by the Red Army – unfortunately much of the Arc’s interior was destroyed in this attack however parts of the Royal quarter are still intact and house a number of museums. Throughout the day we toured around this relatively small city on foot and also visited sites such as the Kalon Mosque and Minaret, the Chor Minor and the Ismael Samani Mausoleum.   For the shopping lovers amongst us and if you are keen to get involved in a bit of haggling, Bukhara also has some beautifully hand painted pottery and craftwork, of which the quality was probably the best that I came across on the tour.
Then it was on to the walled city of Khiva, a city historically known for its slave trade (and general barbarity!), which lies in the heart of the Kyzyl Kum desert almost 500km northwest of Bukhara. The journey is an arduous 10 hours by bus through the desert however from the moment we arrived in Khiva I knew the long journey was worth it. It was early evening, the sun was setting and I stepped through the Ichan Kala (inner wall) for the first time and felt transported. With barely a soul on the streets I roamed around the winding alleyways of the city with the only sound being the wood craftsmen at work in their workshops (wood carving seemed to be the speciality of the city). On my wanderings I stumbled across the Juma Minaret, which we would climb to the top of the following day for some fabulous panoramic views of the city.
The next day we discovered the other sites of Khiva including the Kuhna Ark; this was the Khivan rulers own residence and fortress which was first constructed in the 12th century and later expanded in the 17th century. The Kuhna Ark held buildings such as the Khan’s mint, stables, harem, mosque and jail. As you wander around this museum like city you get a real sense of its long history and what it might have been like to live there at the time of the Khan. We also had the opportunity to visit a carpet workshop set in a small converted Madrassa in the old city, which had been originally set up by a young NGO volunteer from the UK (he has since written a very interesting and insightful account of his time in Khiva – A Carpet Ride to Khiva by Christopher Aslan Alexander). The use of natural dyes, original Timurid designs and the fact that you could watch the skilful weavers at work made for a very interesting addition to the tour. Unfortunately, that evening it was time to leave Khiva and we departed for the neighbouring city of Urgench for our flight back to Tashkent.   Travelling around Uzbekistan has convinced me that it is the ideal next destination for Simoon; the country combines a perfect mix of culture and history and with easy link ups to its neighbouring countries of Kyrgystan and Turkmenistan. Watch this space for tours in either Autumn 2011 or Spring 2012….
If you are interested in Uzbekistan do let us know and we can answer any queries or send you the most up to date information on our upcoming tours.

Middle East Update

Clare — Thu, 16 Jun 2011 09:09:44 +0000

16/06/11 – We are continuing to monitor the political situation in both Libya and Syria but for the moment have stopped all tours to both destinations. However, once both countries are back on their feet we will endeavour to start our tours again. All of our other tours are running as normal.

08/04/2011 SYRIA UPDATE

Clare — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 15:48:55 +0000

Over last weekend our Classical Syria and Highlights of Jordan and Syria tours departed successfully and we continue to follow events in Syria closely.

Update on Libya 30.03.2011

Clare — Wed, 30 Mar 2011 16:19:43 +0000

Many of you have asked about Libya and our guides, friends and colleagues on the ground and whether we have been in touch with them. Unfortunately we have not recently and communications are sporadic. As far as we know everyone is ok and laying low. Many of our colleagues live and work from Misrata that has been the focus of much fighting in the last few weeks and the situation is becoming increasingly fraught with a pressing need for aid. There is a charitable organisation that has been set up to raise money and if you would like to donate please go to http://wmclibya.org/ or call us to discuss further.

SYRIA TRAVEL UPDATE

Clare — Tue, 29 Mar 2011 16:03:33 +0000

29/03/2011 SYRIA AND JORDAN TRAVEL UPDATE

We continue to monitor the situation in Syria and Jordan and as of today still intend to run our Classical Syria and Highlights of Jordan and Syria tours set to depart this weekend. A group has just returned from Syria having had a great time and friends and colleagues on the ground report that things are returning to normal and that many tourists are still enjoying their holidays as usual. Flights are still continuing to take tourists out for their tours.

We are also in close contact with the British Consul in Damascus who is letting us know when the FCO advice is to be updated and we will of course let everyone know should things suddenly become too unsafe to visit Syria. It is a good idea for everyone travelling to Syria with us to register on the FCO website as advised by the Consul: http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/travel-and-living-abroad/staying-safe/Locate/

Syria Travel Update

Clare — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 15:19:08 +0000

25/03/2011: SYRIA TRAVEL UPDATE

We are keeping a close eye on events unfolding in Syria and have been made aware that the southern city of Daraa is off limits. None of our tours have ever been to Daraa or even close to it and people travelling overland between Jordan and Syria will not be going anywhere near the city. We are in close contact with colleagues and friends on the ground who say that things are pretty normal with many tourists in the country enjoying their travels as usual. We are also in close contact with the British Consul in Damascus who is letting us know when the FCO advice is to be updated and we will of course let everyone know should things suddenly become too unsafe to visit Syria. It is a good idea for everyone travelling to Syria with us to register on the FCO website as advised by the Consul: http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/travel-and-living-abroad/staying-safe/Locate/

Please rest assured that groups out in Syria currently are having a safe enjoyable holiday as normal and groups travelling from next week onwards are at the moment still going ahead.

Please do call the office on 020 7737 2664 with any queries you may have.

Middle East Update

Clare — Wed, 09 Mar 2011 17:56:54 +0000

With the situation in Libya as is and no easy solution in sight our thoughts have been very much with everyone in Libya. Thankfully we didn’t have a group out in Libya at the time that the troubles began – now nearly three weeks ago, which is incredibly lucky as we know many tour operators who have had to deal with getting their groups out of the country safely. Many thanks for everyone’s kind emails in light of the ongoing situation – it is a great support to both our people in Libya and us here to know that so many of you have been thinking about us all. We continue to monitor the situation in Libya on a daily basis and as soon as it is safe to travel out there again we will of course be back there.�
However in light of the fact that this might be some time we are concentrating on our other existing destinations and Syria in particular which is still as popular as ever; we know that things are calm out there with our tours running as usual. We are in close contact with the British Consul in Damascus who has reported nothing unusual and our friends and colleagues say that it is highly unlikely the events going on in the rest of the Middle East will affect Syria to the extent they are doing elsewhere. In other words, Syria is still very much open for travel and people are enjoying their holidays as usual. Jordan is also a great place to book travel to at the moment, with far less people in Petra currently and some good hotel deals. Although Jordan has seen some demonstrations, these have been very localised within the capital of Amman and things have since quietened down with people very eager to show tourists it is a safe and welcoming destination.
Lebanon has also had more attention recently and has not been affected by the wider ripples of discontent – and we continue to run tours there with the lovely Albergo hotel in Beirut as our ‘hotel of the month.’ We have had enquiries for tailor made tours to Iran and want to encourage people to book.
Ethiopia will shortly be up and running with a tour planned this September over the festival of Meskal which marks the finding of the ‘true cross’. It is celebrated by much dancing, feasting, and bonfires, and if Timkat is anything to go by then this should be a great experience. Clare is shortly travelling to Uzbekistan to suss it out and we have also been thinking about Georgia, Armenia and the Sinai in Egypt…Do let us know if any of these places interest you or indeed if there are any other countries we should also be thinking about.

Albergo Hotel, Beirut, Lebanon – March’s Hotel of the Month

Clare — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 17:13:17 +0000

We want to put forward The Albergo hotel in Beirut this month. This is a fabulous hotel, situated in one of the oldest and most picturesque neighbourhoods within the city called Achrafieh. It only has thirty three rooms and has been converted from a city mansion in exquisite taste, style and detail. It is luxurious (but not ostentatious) with 5* prices to boot, but worth every penny as some of our customers will agree. The interior décor is strikingly French, elegant and comfortable with some exquisite Persian carpets, Damascene ceilings and a lovely little rooftop pool with views of both the sea and mountains. The food and service are excellent and being in a fashionable part of town you are within striking distance of the plentiful bars and restaurants of Monnot Street. But you won’t be disturbed by obtrusive city noise here…and you’ll find it hard to leave this home away from home.

‘Just wanted to let you know that we were delighted with the Albergo.’ Janey King – Tailor made tour, Lebanon and Syria 2010

‘This hotel is amazing’ George Theo Tailor made tour Lebanon 2010

Libyan Shorba: Libyan Lamb & chickpea soup

Clare — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 16:04:29 +0000

Ingredients:
1 medium onion chopped
1 large garlic clove, chopped
1/2 tablespoon dried red pepper flakes (use less for a milder dish)
3/4 lb lamb shoulder, cubes (trimmed of as much fat as possible and cut into small (1/2 inch)
2 fresh tomatoes, skinned, seeded and roughly chopped
1 tablespoon turmeric
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon five-spice powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups water
1 (15 ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed (chickpeas)

1/3 cup dried macaroni (use your favourite soup pasta)

Direction:
1) In a large saucepan, cook first three ingredients for a few minutes over high heat until onion is translucent.
2) Add lamb cubes to saucepan.
3) Saute until the lamb is browned, then stir in next seven ingredients in to the water.
4) Reduce heat, and simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes then add the beans.
5) Simmer for another 5 to 10 minutes, and then add the pasta.

6) Continue simmering until the pasta is al dente (depends on your pasta choice, 5-12 minutes), and serve with a good hearty whole wheat bread.