I really really had to pee...

About two hours after a breakfast with copious amount of water to rehydrate after an eight mile jog and a cup of hot Vietnamese tea, I really really had to pee.  The problem was, I was on a small wooden boat motoring on a small tributary of the Mekong Delta. I was accompanied by a darling of a man who was taking me mountain biking along the delta, a trip I arranged through Phat Tire Ventures. Under normal circumstances, a 'pit stop' would have seemed ludicrous.  However, at this point I was thinking with my bladder versus my brain.  I politely asked if there was anywhere to stop and to my surprise, indeed there was! We pulled up to a dock in front of a bright blue house along the tributary, and parked under a gorgeous array of fruit trees.  A young girl promptly waved us hello under her pink sun umbrella and was soon joined by her most accommodating mother--accommodating me to the use of a bathroom (in the blue house)!  Relief at last!  To my further delight, the young girl and her mother shared their fruit and gave me a tour of a local home.  Warmth exuded from every corner of the yard and home...reminded me of the time I was running with x-country teammates in high school, had to pee, stopped at a woman's home and asked to her use her facilities.  We were all treated to apple pie before leaving...

More on Madagascar...my second time through, I treated myself to the Colbert Hotel, pricey, but worth every penny due to finally feeling safe! Then I met a man named Bruno who showed me several of the inhabitants of Madagascar.  Bruno was quite the gentleman, and transformed my trip into a pleasant holiday!  He was a guide for one of the parks, with a nominal fee.  I tipped him triple his fee and he almost fainted.  I told him he saved my holiday :)

Only in Madagascar...some wonderful creatures. The lemurs and
lizards, and "upside down"
trees left me bedazzled!!
Difficult to travel alone as a woman it was in Madagascar. I came
through twice. My plane nearly crashed, as we were descending nose
down at mach speed, and that was not the worst part. I was hassled
and haggled, disrespected...until I started swatting! Yes, physically
swatting people away. Then, and only then, did the police/security
guards take me seriously. No one touched me after that!!!

On my adventure thought Vietnam, just before stopping off to
pee...see an older post!

So, I took a break from kitesurfing and surfing the pristine waters
of Mauritius back in June of 2008 and stumbled upon this gem of a
hike! Tamarin falls. I surfed the famous (and somewhat infamous)
Tamarin Bay with a swell on the rise--got a peak to myself! I kited
Belle Mare and Le Mourne...world class waves and wind. I must say
the hiking is also world class. No one in sight! Got to spend some
time in a cave behind a waterfall. Ahh. So relaxing...

Never short change the power of an encounter with a stranger...I was
having a lovely, impromptu dinner at a cafe in Istanbul, enjoying
conversation with the host, a very knowledgeable young man with
mutual interests in history and archaeology. He somehow knew I was
looking for the vegetarian dishes and that I had a sense of
adventure...upon eye contact :) After dinner, he pointed me to the
back of the restaurant where he stumbled upon this gem of an
find...an underground ancient palace dating to 324 BC. The remains
of the palace discovered ~ 2 years ago during the expansion of the
eatery. Amazing find...

Unfortunately the plaque's photo is blurry, as I had a hard time
adjusting to the light with my digital camera...however, I think the
words are legible enough to tell the tale of the underground palace!

Volume Training Take 2---Here is a shot of some of the hills, at
3000-6000 feet above sea level. Hills training?? You cannot get away
from them here in Goreme, Cappadocia. Don't forget your camera. You
can take a photo between intervals :D If you do tire and can't make
it back to your hotel up in the caves, I am sure a friendly local
will give you a lift...in tow!

If you are looking for a good area to volume train for cycling, Cappadocia is your place!! Today I rode my Surly Traveler's Check (cyclocross) with its knobby tires for almost 3 hours, on and off road and I went downhill maybe 15 minutes! Hills galore. The route I took had 10% grades going down cobblestone streets, hence the quick downhill sections! Here are some sites along my way...
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Goreme, Cappadocia, Turkey. November, 2010

I am now in what has to be one of the most unusual, breathtaking, awe-strikingly beautiful places on Earth! Goreme in the region of Cappadocia, Turkey. Photos and words cannot do it justice.

Goreme is a microcosm set in stone. Literally. I feel like Wilma Flintstone or Betty Rubble. Or, better yet, a Mesopotamian (although I don't think Mesopotamia stretched this far, perhaps only the southeastern corner of Turkey.) It is a hiker's, off-road biker's, and trail runner's dream. The people are so friendly--friendly like the Fijians and Mauritians, ok, and the Kiwis, Trev M8! I am being treated like a princess. :)

Today I ran and biked on trails through several valleys with "stone dunes" everywhere!! They definitely have hills! Here's a tip: trail riding and taking pictures don't mix. Yes, I ate it! On the ground with both feet still clipped in!

Made a new friend who has a bike shop a stone's throw away from my cave hotel-the Kelebek Hotel-my new favorite. Needed a couple of new screws for my brakes, et voila. There appears Ahdem! Quite frankly I've met so many wonderful people here. Adhem, though, made me feel secure biking down hills:)

The bike is attracting quite a bit of attention, and is striking up quite a bit of conversation with the locals. "Come, sit, have some tea...and tell me about your bike..."

Good time to be in Turkey as the Kurdish Government Party has declared an 8-month cessation of terrorism to further the "discussions" of their woes. This came after this past Sunday's suicide bomber's attack in a popular square in Istanbul. (The square was full of tourists, but they were aiming for the police--phew!)

My boutique hotel has an amazing Turkish bath. That's where I'm heading...

I think I am in heaven.

Gule gule,
Jo

Loving Goreme