Goodbye My Friends

It is our last night in Goreme and the last dinner we will have as a group.  Tomorrow we will catch the night train to Istanbul, our final destination on this Middle Eastern journey and the end of our travels as a group.  Some of us will continue on our individual journeys, while others will fly back home for Christmas. 

We have loads of fun together and as this bunch is mostly Australian, many of us hope to catch up once we are home next year.  I will miss walking down the streets with Yvonne, Em and Victor on our optional days off.  We shared many laughs and helped each other when needed, as if we had known each other for years.   (Thank you guys!)We would often be invited in for apple tea by shop owners, many who just wanted to chat and didn’t care if we never bought anything.  These interludes, helped us interact with the locals better and have left us with memories of the amazing hospitality of the Middle Eastern people. 

We dress up for our last dinner.  The theme is Middle Eastern and we do our best.  It is Zerena’s birthday and so we will celebrate with a cake and candles after our dinner of kebab testes! 

I am already looking forward to catching up with my new friends in Melbourne.  We were a mixed bunch of people, who ranged in age from the early twenties to early sixties, covering every decade between.  We had a shared love of travel and even found a few common threads between us.  My ‘small world’ theory is proven right again  when I discover that Robyn is the aunt of a friend (Emily) in Melbourne who I travelled to Europe with last year! 

We drink home brewed wine and toast Zerena for her birthday.  After dinner, the party spills over to a local cafe for more drinks, a bit of dancing and a few games of pool. 

And so I say goodbye to my friends and to Sarah. (although we still have that train trip and brekkie to go).   Sarah, who is originally from New Zealand, has been an amazing guide and shared with us her love for the Middle East and her zest for discovery.  I wish her well, as she continues her travels in Lebanon over her Christmas break.  

 A friend is one of the nicest things you can have, and one of the best things you can be.  ~Douglas Pagels