Uganda- The Pearl of Africa

 Where to begin about this amazing country? I came here with a bit of trepidation but it has turned out to be the trip of a lifetime! I'll try to keep the dialogue short. 

The people: I have never seen so many happy, smiling, innovative, singing, dancing, joyful, friendly people. They make things out of nothing. I have seen shepherds brick makers, farmers of all kinds of crops, beer makers, artists, sewers, basket, weavers, and even a person who makes beer and gin out of bananas! 

The country: There's a great deal of beauty here. The cities are pretty terrible- crowded and noisy, but there aren't very many of them. The countryside is hilly with farms and banana plantations and tea plantations and coffee plantations and mountains and the thickest Forest /jungle I have ever seen. The Bwindi Impenetrable Forest is so large and thick with the most sweet smelling fresh air I have ever breathed. There are also many lakes including lake Victoria, the source of the Nile River and lake Bunyoni where I spent the night last night, one of the deepest lakes in Africa. It has a river flowing in and out of it so the water is fresh and cool and because it's over 6,000 ft in altitude there are no hippos or crocodiles and the swimming was so refreshing! 

The wildlife: This is why I came here and I have not been disappointed! I have seen Lions up close, hippos up close, elephants up close, giraffes, zebras,in addition to waterbucks, Impalas, elands, Bush bucks, warthogs, baboons, colobus monkeys, red tail monkeys, one blue monkey, cape Buffalo and so many birds and other wildlife too numerous to mention. And of course The reason I came to Uganda, the gorillas!

In short, I have fallen in love with this place and highly recommend it to anyone with an adventurous spirit. You will need that because the roads are the worst I have ever seen in my life! My Fitbit said I got over 12,000 steps yesterday when I hadn't walked at all! My driver and guide, Derek, calls it the African massage. 

T

The photos below are from a walking tour at sunset with a park ranger that was incredible. To walk amongst these animals was something I didn't ever dream of... Awesome!

And this morning....

Shoebill stork, Lake Victoria 

Turkiye Part Three - Historic Sites & Ruins

 If there is one thing . . . if I could only say one thing about Turkiye (which of course I cannot), I would comment on how incredibly ancient this country is. There are dwellings and sites dating back to the neolithic period!  That's over 12,000 years ago!  So, mainly part three is about the archeological sites that we visited and the ones that we didn't have time to visit.  There is so much exploration and research and so many unknowns still about this beautiful country that has yet to be discovered.  Here are some photos.  I was totally enthralled with Turkiye and hope to return someday . . . It is a country with much to offer including some of the kindest and friendliest people, delicious food and captivating sites! 

HIEROPOLIS AND THE TRAVERTINE POOLS - PAMUKKALE

Sunrise from my room in Pamukkale

Healing waters from the travertine pools at Pamukkale/Hieropolis

The arena at Hieropolis. The site on the far left is the excavation of St. Phillip's tomb

The Portal to the Underworld - named because of deadly gases that killed most animals that entered.  Humans figured out where the gas pockets were located and were, thus, able to survive.

The travertine pools were mostly without the beautiful aqua water due it being the dry season and much of the water going to local pools, hotels, etc.

Sultanhani Caravanseri - A stop for travelers along the Silk Road

Where the Virgin Mary spent her last years.

EPHESUS

Ephesus Library

 

Communal Toilets!

PERGAMON - Site of an ancient hospital/healing center with 100% cure rate - this due to the fact that they didn't accept anyone with a serious or uncurable ailment.  There were pools, incubation rooms, arenas and in a gorgeous area of the country.  

TROY

At the site of the battle of Troy

This is where the battle took place - now farmland.

The horse from the film left for the people of Bursa near Troy

A street scene along the way

The stamen of the crocus is where saffron comes from

Olive and fig orchards

Turkiye Part Two - Ankara to Cappadocia

 Astounding/Awesome/Majestic/Beautiful - These are just a few words to try to describe Cappadocia and the Goreme Valley.  The one thing I regret about visiting this amazing site is that I want to spend a much longer time there.  There are so many hiking trails and valleys with hundreds literally of these incredible fairy chimneys - some of which are still inhabited.  We visited one that is/was a church hewn out of rock with frescoes from the days when this church/rock was most likely Greek Orthodox.  But I'm getting ahead of myself.  

Our first stop after leaving Istanbul was at the Mausoleum of Mustafa Ataturk, the founder and first president of the Republic of Turkey and still beloved by almost everyone in the country.  When does that happen?  The day we visited a group of veterans showed up to pay their respects to their admired leader.  

After visiting the mausoleum, we spent a night in Ankara before heading off to Cappadocia with a brief stop at Lake Tuz, a large salt lake which sometimes takes on a pinkish hue due to minerals.

Me at Lake Tuz

View from my hotel room in Ankara

                               

Then we arrived in Cappadocia.  It was everything I had expected and more.  I'll let the photos speak but I will add that the wine from this region is really, really good! 

 

This balloon went right over my head!

Happy person!

 

A new city over an abandoned? one

 Lastly we visited the underground city of Kaymakli thought to have been built in the Hitite era (almost 2000 years BC!).  I can't imagine living underground and having to stoop to walk through passageways but they had it figured out.  Researchers still aren't sure how they cooked without smoking everything up, nor do they understand how they dealt with waste.  So interesting!  We were able to go down 4 stories but there were 4 more below us that are still being excavated!

They had a room to make wine!

One of the narrow passageways.

 Within a few days I hope to do the final installment on Turkiye which will include all the archeological sites.  A lot to digest!