Adalar - The Islands

I've just spent the last few days on islands in the Marmara Sea where the main form of transportation is horse and cart. They only allow motorised vehicles for the emergecy services and refuse collectors. It was quite an expereience. I felt very cut off and really relaxed. But I was surprised at how expensive some of the islands were. Buyuk Ada (one of the places I visited) is an island where many rich retired Istanbul residents have a weekend home. 6 euro for a coffee - are you kidding me? That's worse than Tokyo, man!But it was a real chance for me to slow down and reflect on the wonderful trip I've had and how much I've experienced and learned.The best thing about the island for me (apart from the weather) was the architecture. It was just one amazing white clapboard early 19th century villa after another. Some of them were in pristine condition. Others were greying and wrinking like their owners. I'd say the average age of the island inhabitants was well into the sixites. But sure I fit in better with these people than a group of twentysomethings on Ibiza.

The Splendid Palace Hotel

A very grand name for a less than grand place. My hotel is the white building with the two silvery domes. It dates back to 1908 and surely was worthy of its title all those years ago.
Now it has the feeling of decaying grandeur - all the original fixtures and fittings but a bit worn around the edges. A bit like the guests really. I was easily the youngest staying there by a long shot.
It's the sort of place where you imagine Agatha Christie holed up to be inpsired and write one of her novels of intrigue under an Ottoman sun.
It was really very cool. Bad value when you think of what you actually get for the price. But I guess I was happy to pay a premium for all the old world charm and nostalgia I enjoyed.

All goods are delivered to the islands (Adalar) by boat are then distributed by horse and cart. There are horses everywhere on Buyuk Ada. It makes it all very quaint. You feel like you're stepping back in time. But horses (and their inevitable waste) are a little too fragrant for me in the heat of summer. Can you tell I'm a city boy?

On the not so wealthy side

Being the odd one I am, I wasn't satisfied with just checking out the fabulous villas on the coast of the Islands. I also went wandering up into the hills beyond the wealthy areas. I'm not sure how many tourists went there before me. One little Turkish young fella came up to me and babbled away in a language I couldn't understand. But from his facial expressions and body language, I think he was saying, 'What are you doing up here? There's nothing to see!'
If so, he was wrong. Up in the hills behind the town were the little shanty farms for all the horses that made up the transport of the island. It was like a different world. Imagine pictures you've seen of the shanty towns outside Rio or something like that. I say two old guys sitting drinking tea in a massive pile of horse manure. I'm not joking. They had a small table set up among two or three big piles of dung, chickens and dogs were running around, and the skinny ponies were feeding off what little vegetation they could find around. I will rememeber that image for a long time.
It also gave me pause for thought - I complained regularly about the price of things on the island. But I guess in such a seasonal economy they have to make hay while the sun shines. The tourists probably come only three or four months out of the year. There's precious little else to keep them going and to keep the bony horses fed after that.