Wilderness and Whisky - Otterly Magnificent Mull

It became apparent very quickly that we'd touched down in Scotland as we watched a bloke crack open a bottle of duty free whisky and take not one, not two but three swigs as he waited for his luggage to come round.

After an evening in Edinburgh that included dropping into Los Cardos for another haggis burrito and a couple at The Hanging Bat we were on the road in the loudest campervan that the isles of Scotland would ever see. We named him Puff the Magic Wagon.

The first day was spent looping around the top of the world's most famous Loch and saying hello to Nessie. She looked happy to see us.

We set up shop at a campsite at the bottom of Loch Ness. Over the last year we've heard a lot about how great the "vibe" is at particular places we've stayed. Maybe we're just getting old but the vibe at this campsite was more up our alley. People actually look at you and say hello, they're not glued to their phones and they don't stare you down and judge you based on the number of patches stuck on your pack or the lushness of your flowing locks.

After freezing the proverbials off overnight in a van without any bedding we set off for the ferry across to the Isle of Mull.

Mull is spectacularly dramatic, has you reaching for your camera at every turn and put into real life the images of Scotland that previously only existed in our heads. Here is a selection of said amazing scenery.

And of our set ups each night.

As you can see, single malts played a fairly big part in keeping us warm.

The highlight of Mull was Arthur's expertly run Discover Mull tour where, surprisingly, we weren't the youngest people on it. We learnt all manner of things about Mull's history and the wildlife that we were there to hopefully view, and managed to spot White Tailed Eagles, Buzzards, a super rare Kingfisher (that got a group of about ten adults more excited about a bird than I had ever seen), Red Deer, seals and a heap of other creatures. 

HOWEVER, the crowning glory of the wildlife on Mull is the possible sighting of an otter. We were fortunate enough to have not just one but two separate sightings and one we observed was from less than a hundred metres away as we watched him swim in with a fish, nom it down and then proceed to rub his scent all over the seaweed, in between power naps. It was one of those wildlife experiences where other than him coming over for a belly scratch, you could not have asked for anything more.

And that was Mull. Next stop, the Isle of Islay - a whisky lover's paradise.

A big shout out to Sarah and Andy Wood whose camera was able to capture what ours could not and the incredible hospitality shown by Arthur and his wife Pam who allowed us to park on their property overnight and even let us into their home for a welcome shower - obviously a few days without one was beginning to show!

Incredible Istanbul - Ten of the Best (Part II)

...following on from here

Things in and on Bread

Before we hit Istanbul we'd read something that said don't just fall into the doner, pide, durum trap. We fell into the trap but when the trap tastes so damn good why wouldn't you want to fall into it? Our three in and on bread highlights were:

Pide

We had a pide at Şimşek Pide, it was OK.

We had a pide at Hocapaşa Pidecisi, we thought that it couldn't get any better.

We had a pide at Mavi Halic, it did get better and it was crazy good.

Fish Sandwiches

Down by the banks of the Golden Horn there are a few different places where you can acquire one of Istanbul's famed fish sandwiches. Under the Galata bridge, next to the bridge from floating vendors, stalls alongside the bridge. The best fish sandwich requires a little bit more effort.

After crossing the bridge to the Beyoglu side you head west, through the fish market, and arrive at a cluster of about six or seven street vendors pumping out some seriously delicious fare. A piece of oily mackerel in a soft bun with some grilled veggies, salad, a lick of pomegranate molasses and a decent helping of chili. Sometimes less really is more.

Kokoreç at Kral Kokoreç

This one's for you Mum. The intestines of a lamb get cleaned thoroughly, are soaked in milk for a while and then get cleaned again. The intestines are then wrapped around a mixture of more intestines, lungs and sweetbreads, speared onto a spit and then roast away ready for willing customers like us.

The resulting meat package is full of lamby goodness but it's the texture that gets you and has me salivating for a kokoreç right now. In bread, on bread, on a plate. Anyway will do! 

Crawling with Cats

Istanbul is crawling with cats. No really, if you walk ten metres and don't see another cat it's because you missed it not because it's not there. Needless to say, this means hours of us making smooching noises and going psswssswssw in feeble attempts to make new pals. We made a few.

A very special mention goes to the Aya Sofya cat. Yes, a cross-eyed cat that calls the Aya Sofia home.

A very unspecial (not a word but let's roll with it) mention goes to the American who walked past and went, "it's like they've never seen a cat before. Sometimes people are so dumb". No buddy, you're dumb. This is the famous Aya Sofya cat (see its blog here) and you're just another D-bag swanning around Istanbul in a singlet with your hat backwards.

Pickles, Pickles, Pickles

There are few things, me not included, that make Nicola as happy as pickles. Her one main regret on this trip was not buying a single giant pickle in a can in Germany. Yes, you can get that.

Salgam (fermented black carrot juice), pickles in a cup in pickle juice (yes, also a thing), pickled chillies by the container load at every eatery, piles of pickles with pide. Pickles are everywhere and Nix was, and still is, in heaven.

Parklife

A big part of our time in Istanbul was finding a park to take it easy in for an hour or so before setting off again for the arvo. Moda Park over in Kadikoy was so peaceful that I squeezed in a little power nap before waking up for my afternoon tea. Naww.

Çay

Tea so strong that it coats your teeth and is a legitimate substitute to coffee. I wasn't sold at first thinking that strong black tea is just strong black tea. We're now a week in to a tea addiction that will have spiralled out of control once we leave Turkey in a months time. Thankfully there are çay stalls or men with portable çay urns just about everywhere that you look to feed the addiction. Look, even a bank blocking your card is fun with çay!

The best and cheapest so far was at 4am from a guy on the side of the road as we boarded a bus to the airport.

A big shout out to Big B, Little C and Mike and Kate (check out their time in the 'Bul here) for giving us way too much to try and squeeze in to what felt like four very short days.

Incredible Istanbul - Ten of the Best (Part I)

PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT: I've got to make an apology. As much as laying on beaches and reading books and working on our tans and drinking cheap beers is a pretty good life for us, it doesn't make for very good blog reading for you, my faithful readership of five actual people and six internet bots.

I hereby pledge that from this point forward, until we set foot back in Australia, we will try to do some exciting, interesting shit and keep the posts about us lazing about on Turkish, Cambodian, Sri Lankan beaches to an absolute minimum. So, starting now, strap yourselves in for a wild ride Mum, Mum, Dad, Dad, Lizzy and bots 1 to 6.

Great cities are about layers. Nope, scrap that overused metaphor. Great cities have many different faces. Hmm, nope, try again. Istanbul: where East meets West, where new meets old. Lolz. Great cities have lots of shit going on that comes at you from all different angles and levels. Regardless of what shitty metaphor I come up with, Istanbul is without a doubt a great, great city.

Street food vendors dot every part of the massive, sprawling city, cats prowl, sleep and judge on every corner, ferries infest the waters that divide Europe from Asia and the new town from the old, the call to prayer fills the skies with music (and wakes you up way earlier than should be considered appropriate), Muslim women in burqas and headscarves walk side by side Western women doing their best impression of cheap street whores, and the list goes on. The point that I'm trying to make is that I don't think we've ever been in a more engaging city and we may never be again. So, here are the top ten things that we saw, ate, drank, did and enjoyed in Istanbul.

Basilica Cistern

The Blue Mosque is beautiful and anytime that you're in a still practising mosque it's a privilege and an honour.

And Aya Sofya is epic and amazing.

But we left both feeling that they hadn't lived up to the expectations that had been placed upon them. The Basilica Cistern on the other hand is a sight that did meet our expectations. Built in AD 532, this cistern held an f load of water for the Grand Palace and its surrounding buildings and aside from the fellow hoard of tourists, is one of the most tranquil and relaxing places in the city.

Turk Kahvesi

Turkish coffee. Pretty much my ultimate coffee. Thick, black and just a little bit sweet.

All throughout the city you'll be able to get yourself a decent Turk Kahvesi but if you're ever in Istanbul there are two names that you need to remember - Fasil Bey's and Mandabatmaz . Both produce Turkish coffee that is next level. Cemil at Mandabatmaz is a little unorthodox in his approach to making it and is an absolutely joy to watch from the back of his cafe as he goes about his craft.

Ferry Infestation

Ferries are an inexpensive, seamless way to go from just about anywhere in Istanbul to anyone of the other cities within the city. Every time you catch a ferry it's like a mini day trip and gives you unimpeded views of one of the world's most famous skylines. 

Open Ayran

Ayran is a salted drinking yogurt that's brilliantly refreshing and works as the perfect accompaniment to spicy food. However, that's just the stuff in prepackaged tubs. 

Our first couple of meals we ordered ayran and it came out in a tub, that's OK in itself but Turkish people around us were receiving it 'off-tap', if you will. So instead of me trying to indicate with my hands that we wanted open ayran, and looking like a nut job in the process, at our next opportunity we Googled Turkish for open (açik) and gave that a crack the next time we ordered. Open ayran comes from a machine like the one below and it helps to develop its frothy head and gives a product that tastes as though it's come directly from a cow who's been clamped and shook all about. It is salty, it is cowwy and it is delicious. You are forgotten to us now inferior, prepackaged ayran. Give me açik ayran or nothing at all.

Chicken Pudding

Yes, a pudding made with chicken. It's sticky and gelatinous and has a texture unlike any pudding that you've ever had before thanks to the intricately shredded chicken strewn throughout it. Dust it with some cinnamon and you've got yourself one very unique dessert. Or breakfast, as it were.

Part II over here!

The Recap - The Balkans (Part II)

Corfu, Macedonia and Bulgaria. Definitely the laziest chunk of our trip and quite possibly the laziest few weeks of our lives. There appears to be a very strong inverse relationship between the strength of our tan and the number of things achieved during our days.

What We'll Miss

• The Ohrid fruit and veg market is quite comfortably the best fruit and veg market that we've come across in Europe. The stone fruits and berries in particular are the ones of your dreams
• Automatic coffee machines are on every corner in Bulgaria and given that I've forgotten what a good coffee actually tastes like, walking past and not popping in the equivalent 30c for a quick "espresso" would've just felt wrong
• Swimming everyday and losing a few kilograms was a nice change

What We Won't Miss 

• Chihuahuas. I've crunched the numbers and there are officially 1.2 chihuahuas to every 1 person in Bulgaria. You know when a cat walks proudly alongside you that you're not a real dog
• Bulgarian for thank you, phonetically, is blahgohdahryah. I asked a couple of Bulgarians how to pronounce it and both times after my butchered attempt they stared at me and said, "just say merci"
• Whinging, whining, little sooky children at the beach. Bring back those well behaved German kids!
• Average food. So much average food..
• I thought that Perth's roadworks were an eyesore and an inconvenience. That was before we went to Sofia. The city has essentially been divided in two and crossing to the other side of the main road which would've normally taken a minute now takes at least 30
• Seeing things on beaches that can never be unseen - old, saggy, brown, oiled boobs, kids pooing in the sand, way too many nude kids, semi-erect blokes in budgie smugglers - the list goes on

The Food

The gyros that we had in Corfu was an edible oasis in a desert of shit. It's definitely not a region to travel to for its culinary delights.

The worst of which was a slice of pizza that we had in Ohrid one night. The toppings were passable but the cheese that they'd used was some strange sort of spreadable cheese thing that was worthy of the odd gag. To top it all off it wasn't served on a serviette or a piece of cardboard but a massive square slice of wafer. What the actually f*ck.

The Drink

What's better than paying $2.20 for a 2L PET bottle of beer? Getting home to realise that you've paid $2.20 for a 2L PET that comes with a 20% bonus!! That kind of news was worthy of a beer.

Bye bye Balkans. Hellooooo Turkey!

Ohrid, OH for Awesome

No dribble for this Macedonian beauty, just some photos from a pretty spectacular few days...

 

Corfu all over you...

When we'd initially set off on this trip we'd always planned to spend a few weeks hopping between Greek islands, immersing ourselves in an as authentic Greek experience as possible. However our time in Europe is quickly running out and the bank account appears to be diminishing at an ever increasing rate. Our compromise was a week in Benitses on Corfu, a Greek island that's just a thirty minute ferry ride from the Albanian coast. We tried our best to have that authentic Greek experience. Our days went something like this.

Mornings began with us rolling out of bed when we felt like it for a breakfast of Greek yoghurt and honey, and some fresh fruit.

We'd then trek the tough two minutes down to the beach, pull up a sunbed and acquaint ourselves with one of the various cold coffees that the Greek people love so much. We are now very well versed on the differences between a frappe, a freddo espresso and a freddo cappuccino.

After a fairly strenuous four or five hours reading, gazing longingly at Albania, soaking up the sun and jumping into the cleanest and clearest sea we've swum in so far, we'd be feeling a bit peckish. Enter Greece's most beloved export - the mighty gyros.

We'd intended to be very methodical in researching Benitses' best gyros with a goal of trying all that Benitses had to offer before settling on our favourite. But after stumbling upon the particularly nondescript Kebab House and taking that first bite we knew that we'd found our winner. The meat was juicy and moist on the inside and browned exquisitely on the outside, some chopped tomatoes, cucumbers and onions were thrown in, as was handful of chips and then the additions that took the gyros from good to great - the condiments. Firstly, a Tzatziki chock full of so much garlicky goodness that you would immediately feel yourself sweating cloves as the garlic's fire raged around your mouth, and then there was the special sauce. Among other ingredients that we can't remember were oregano, lemon juice, olive oil and some type of mustard. This is special sauce that is truly special. The heavenly combination was all wrapped in a pita like none other that we've had before.

I know everyone at home has their go-to gyros joint and anyone who's been to Greece thinks that they've had great gyros but this is next level stuff. This particular gyros cannot be improved upon. Greece's gift to the world is gyros. The world's gift to us is that gyros.

After that gastronomical delight we'd wander back to our apartment for our daily Ouzo dose and our take on Greek meze - generally some onions and toms drowned in olive oil with olives and some Tzatziki and Taramasalata.

The nights normally ended with too much red wine, another penalty shoot out and another late night.

We also squeezed into that busy schedule a sampling of the Greek classics moussaka, stifado (an oily beef stew with shallots), sofrito (slivers of beef cooked in wine) and Retsina (resinated Greek wine),

souvlaki, Metaxa (Greek brandy), dolmades and baked feta. All delish!

Did we have the experience that we'd hoped for? Probably not. Any authenticity that this small fishing port once had is mostly gone (as evidenced by the English language chalkboards out the front of every single bar and restaurant) and we were probably twenty years late in getting there. Although upon reflecting on the above, I suppose we did a reasonable job. We can't complain too much......