Saturday, June 25, 2011

The Ride

This is how it works.

We set out in the morning on horseback and ride four to six hours along trails through grasslands and hills, along rivers and over mountains.  The Cappadocian landscape is dry, dusty and scrubby grassland (I believe it is classed as desert), and is not dissimilar to country New South Wales except that it is more rocky and hilly.

When we arrive at our designated campsite for the day, our support truck is already there with the outfitter’s crew setting up camp.  They pitch a dozen tents with foam mattresses and sleeping bags, and hang oil lanterns outside each.  These guys work hard to make camping easy for us.  The truck is a mobile kitchen and shower, complete with hot water and decent pressure.  Unbelievable!  It’s bespoke-built by the Turkish outfitter, Ercihan.  There’s power on board for recharging camera batteries and laptops, and a table seating ten folds down from the side of the truck under an awning.  I’ve done a lot of camping, and this is really luxurious compared to boiling a billy on the fire and jumping in a river to wash.

The food is fantastic.  We are eating so well.  Last night was tender and juicy chicken barbecued over the coals next to the campfire, the night before that was barbecued lamb, and before that was trout with garlic, lemon and rosemary.  There’s cucumber and tomato salad, yogourt, olives, and always plenty of bread, and it’s all cooked and cleaned up for us by the crew.  Then we typically finish the night around the campfire drinking beer and wine and raki, known as “lion’s milk,” an aniseed-tasting clear liqueur that turns opaque white when cut with water.

1 comment:

MilazzoMan said...

Your sojourn to Turkey seems to coincide with the onset of my latest food addiction - Turkish apricots and Turkish figs. I found a new brand, vastly superior to others I've tried in past, and haven't been able to stop munching them yet (figs in moderation, though).

I was wondering why I kept seeing your face in the striations in certain pieces of these fruits. Other people see Jesus, Mary Mother of Jesus, Mary Magdelene, Mary Poppins, et al. I get an bloke from The Land of Oz, but far from The Land of Oz. In jodphurs. Isn't that in India? I don't think anyone needs figs if visiting India.