We flew in on the night of the 24th to discover that my backpack was still in Amsterdam. I was kind of relieved as I’m never going to be excited about lugging around a 20kg weight.
Driving is pure craziness here. There are lanes but nobody uses them. I’d like to know the stats on how many tourists actually survive driving. I don’t even think there are speed limits- boy racers would love it here! Sega Rally would be perfect for learn?ng the skills needed to avoid fatality.
We were picked up at the airport where the dr?ver negotiated a tortuous route around one-way streets & pedestrian-only & tramcar-only areas. Reached Hotel Antique close to midnight, there was no charm about this accomodation except perhaps the very sweet people who ran it. A cold shower & a run-down room. Istanbul was quite cold too & the sheets provided weren’t that appealing. Luckily I wasn’t awoken by the call to the Mosque. From the roof of the Hotel I got my first real view of Istanbul- the Blue Mosque & stacks of chicken crates homes.
Turkish people have proved to be quite endearing, so helpful & friendly w?th their cheeky expression ”Let me help you spend your money!” We spent Saturday wandering around through the markets & checking out the Blue Mosque which has six minarets and blue interior tiles, Ayasofya- The Temple of Divine Wisdom & the greatest church in Christendom for 1000 years, & Topkapi (”Palace of the Cannon Gate”)- home of the sultans. The stained glass windows were impressive, aswell as the mosaics & domes. We didn’t find the circumcis?on room at the palace or visit the harem as it required an addit?onal fee. We managed to score ourselves a fake 20 Lira note- a bit of a dissapointment.
Our journey to the Grand Bazaar wasn’t via the usual tourist I suspect as we were the only tourists wandering that way using Bodra’s tracking skills through the back streets. Once there it just seemed like millions of stores all selling the same kind of wares. Not that interesting to us. We haven’t been into a Turkish rug store yet. Seen heaps of those evil eye talismans.
Back at the airport we found my backpack- I was a little nervous collecting it- we haven’t been using any of that wrap stuff for our luggage & I had to hand over my passport to one of the customs guys to enter the International area to collect my backpack. Sudden fearful thoughts that this was their way of trapping me as they accused me of having illegal things in my backpack. But it was all ok; just part of the process.
Antalya was a much more welcome sight, lots of greenery & definitely more picturesque than Istanbul. Sabah Pansion was gorgeous although very full with SoulClipse tourists- we had the last two rooms. Comfy bed, clean sheets & room but again no warm water for me. A delectable breakfast.
Then the mega torture began… first the search for a supermarket using numerous directions which d?d not provide us with success. Our driver ended up taking us to the supermarket. Then trying to get to the festival.
Back to the airport to catch a bus to the event, hoping to leave that morning. Waiting for Mike to arrive w?th our bus tickets. A plane arrived w?th hundreds of Israeli’s ready to conquer any mode of transport that presented itself. Tiny coach buses which could only take a fraction of the wait?ng fest?val-goers. There was no order to how people got on these coaches. Groups of people would spot the approaching bus & basically attack it, demanding to have priority over others who had been waiting for much longer. It was a very stressful situation, especially with the realisation that more planes would arrive & the buses could not keep up with the amount of people needing rides.
By 3-ish Kim, Macca & I managed to squeeze onto a bus leaving Ezra, Mike & Bodra to grab the next coach. We felt terrible having to be a part of the demanding crowd but we needed to get to the festival as much as anybody else. But alas, we had to endure more hardship as the bus only took us a certain way. I slept during this ride, drained from the challenge.
The bus dropped us off at a ticket collection stop where we met up with the boys. Macca discovered she wasn’t on the guest list & also she didn’t have any money to buy her ticket- she thought they’d have an ATM machine there in the countryside…
Kim did her best to sort her out but she ended up returning to the airport to wait for Beau & Hannah. The rest of us managed to get on a bus later that evening & began the final leg to the festival. Nothing is easy. The road out seemed to have only just been built & was basically a mud track. We watched Turkish pop & rap videos in the bus until it stopped. A car was blocking the road, it had become stuck & unmoveable. So we all piled out with our luggage & began the torturous walk of tears through the mud, in the dark. My pack had fallen out of the bus ?nto a n?ce b?g puddle of mud. I wished that Russell, Alanna & Guy would meet us on the path to help carry the load. Luckily Russell d?d just that- legendary!
Tent set up, we crashed out for the night, grateful that we could now be still for the next few hours.
The next day I woke to f?nd Dan?el had arrived in the night. We explored parts of the festival & K?m & I were snap happy. The stages had amazing psychedelic art everywhere, especially the main stage. We were all looking forward to 5:30pm when the Opening Ceremony would beg?n & the Whirling Dervishes would spin for us.
Enter the storm. While getting prettied up for the afternoon, the looming storm clouds broke. We’d been hearing thunder over the valley but then it was with us. Bodra & I spent the next few hours ?n the tent, watching the water r?se & the floor of our tent turn into a water bed. Bodra had his finger in a hole that was in the floor. I desperately tried to get everything packed up so that if the water d?d get ?nto the tent things wouldn’t get too damp. Water began to seep through the corners of the tent- we went through over two rolls of toilet tissue mopping it up. Bodra had to dig a ditch with a stick to drain some of the water away.
Then the rain stopped. We emerged, dry & worn out to find the festival had turned into a swamp. The main stage had collapsed. We sloshed over to the second stage but I was in no mood for dancing & crashed out in our water bed.
The next day was brighter although still sloshy. Bare footed we danced in the sun, the earth soft & comfy for bounc?ng on.
The day of the eclipse was perfect- not a cloud to hide the phenomena. People howled & cheered as the moon got closer to covering the sun. The light became eery & surreal. The sky was a dark blue & bright planets appeared. The ring of silver mesmerised us. & then it was over.
The rest of the afternoon we spent at the chill out zone listen?ng to Simon Poseford doing an amazing Shpongle set. Sitting by the river we laughed & danced, tingling from the sight that had drawn us all together. Later on Bodra, Daniel & I met the King of Bubbles who shared his eclipse thoughts with us & created huge bubbles.
Thursday the main stage was up & running. At night we danced to a few of the acts. The timetable was terribly muddled & some of the acts we wanted to see were on so late we couldn’t find the motivation to break our sleep to see them.
Our final night at the festival was fun, we saw Shulman at the chill out zone where they had put up more psychedel?c art. Then to the Ma?n Stage to see Sub6 but I couldnit understand the?r sound at all & didn’t even sway to their beat. I started fearing that I had lost all appreciation for psychedel?c trance. Th?s was confirmed when Infected Mushroom came on- an act I’d been looking forward to for so long. But to me, they sounded self-indulgent & talentless. Like they had made the big time & no longer had to put any true art into their sound. Again I did not dance, I couldn’t relate to the sound at all… sigh!
I ended up back at the ch?ll-out area & watched an amazing dancer. This lady moved her body with such perfect balance & precision as if she were a yogic master.
We left the festival in the morning, back to Sabah Pans?on for a much needed sleep & clean. It was wonderful to have a real toilet & hot water to shower in. At the festival we had been subjected to the most disgusting long drops used most uncarefully by the festival goers & not cleaned ever. Perhaps the long drops will be bull-dozed over & burnt. For a shower Bodra & I had taken a couple icy dips in the river, hoping that all the germs would just jump off our bodies.
Once back in Antalya, Ezra, Kim, Bodra & I found a beautiful restaurant for lunch/dinner. Seated in an old battlement looking out to the harbour. We sat?sfied our fest?val-starved states then returned to real beds for a much needed sleep.
Tonight we will bus to Cappadocia, an 11 hour r?de hopefully on a luxurious with enough comfort for a lovely sleep. We w?ll spend the next few days exploring the lunar landscape. The weather is warm & we are slightly browner from the festival. Enjoy the pics!
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