CAMELS AND RUINS

After nearly a month in Istanbul we headed south to the Aegean historical coast of Turkey.

Skipping Ayvalik as our first stop due to the few accommodation available for backpackers, we arrived to Bergama, famous to be the place where the parchment was invented!.

Ancient Greek ruins, narrow streets and prayers that can be heard five times a day coming from the mosques are a good combination to spend some time waiting for the Camel wrestling, just three days ahead.

Friendly faces as we ask for directions to arrive to the exact whereabouts to see the famous camels, and after a few wrong turns due to our poor Turkish we finally managed to see some humps ın the horizon. Cheered up for that and welcomed with an unforgettable smell we pay the 10 lira (6 Euros) to assist the event.

Camels are big celebrities around here, some of them are named as Davıd Bechkam, and the show up their many bells and different coloured ornaments indication of their high ranking.

Some for pride and some for money, the camel owners push their beasts with foamy mouths to fight each other. Some run away, some bite their adversary testicles but most of them push really hard with their body until the opponent gives up and the people get crazy for the winner.

As for me , I look around to the stands where the sell delicious camel sausage sandwiches and think about the poor looser...

Not many tourists to be seen around and feeling welcomed by the locals we get mixed with the spectators while the Gypsies play their songs to entertain the public and others seem to have had a bit more Raky (local spirit) than usual when they dance on top of their trucks.

Great spectacle!!

Time for us to redo our backpacks again and keep heading south where a few more degrees in the thermometer as well as for what they proudly say the extremely well preserved Greek ruins of Ephesus.

The ruins are great and even the three of four extra buses of Japanese in low season, the sunny sky adds up a great way to spend our last day in the ancient west coast before heading for as the forecast announce... the freezing Cappadocia.