Be Excellent To Each Other

Apols for the rambling nature of this but I've not really slept much for the last 36 hours or so:

Morning of the first day brought some pretty ominous but still pretty weather.

Blue Grey by Loopdreams, on Flickr


Parasol by Loopdreams, on Flickr

Our new bezzie, Duncan who would always tag along when I was out for a morning stroll having been irretrievably but not unpleasantly awoken at 6am by the music from the mosque:

Duncan by Loopdreams, on Flickr


Sunrise by Loopdreams, on Flickr

Weird place called Butterfly Valley, only accessible by boat it was largely deserted but seemed like it was some strange sort of commune:

Butterfly Valley by Loopdreams, on Flickr


Pebble Balancing by Loopdreams, on Flickr

I'd bought an underwater bag thing for the compact camera since I knew we'd be doing loads of swimming, snorkelling type stuff:

Feeding the Fish by Loopdreams, on Flickr


Some more fish of some description by Loopdreams, on Flickr


Underwater Sunlight by Loopdreams, on Flickr


Kayaking on Blue Lagoon by Loopdreams, on Flickr

I also couldn't resist going for a paragliding flight. It was utterly amazing although the ride up the mountain was at least twice as scary as paragliding. The weather was touch and go when we got to the top as the clouds had enveloped the mountain. Not clouds like I've really seen before but huge pillars of the stuff, hundreds of feet tall and billowing upwards like smoke from a factory chimney.

Waiting for the clouds to clear by Loopdreams, on Flickr


Babadağ Summit View by Loopdreams, on Flickr

Once a gap was spotted the shouts went out and we legged it for the edge and we were off, the mountain fell away beneath our feet in an instant and I was momentarily grasped by a feeling of not really fear but just holy shit...what the fucking fuck? as I looked down at my shoes hovering impossibly over the countryside 6500' below us. The pilot was brilliant, though. After a short while we were just chatting away as though over a beer. Until he did some 'stunts' at which point I think I maybe went pretty quiet.

Sunset Paragliding from Babadağ by Loopdreams, on Flickr


Sunset Paragliding from Babadağ by Loopdreams, on Flickr

Me on the way down:

Me by Loopdreams, on Flickr

We actually watched the lights of the town come on as we were flying and by the time we actually got back down it was pretty much dark and they were popping flares to help the pilot spot his landing.

I shall post a video later.

Wow, Blackpool has changed. No pic of the comedy carpet?

Looks gorgeous, Mark.

Wow, sounds like you had an excellent time mate.

So where did you actually go?

Lovely pics, Mark!

Looks amazing!

Babadag, which science tells me is in Romania.

Olu Deniz, I think.

Yeah. It's a really lovely place, so chilled and friendly.

You're not wrong about the trip up the mountain, Mark. I was definitely shitting myself more doing that than actually running off the top, especially when we had to pass a lorry on the way up!

Bloody lovely place, isn't it? Glad you had a great time, chap.

Yeah, definitely going back there soon.

Bit of video from the paragliding here:

Wow, some lovely pictures there Mark.

Great pics, especially the underwater and the airborne ones!

Awesome! There's just no feeling like that, is there.