Qi Gong in Bodrum

Hakan Onum.

My 6 weeks of enforced idleness came to an end on Friday and I was itching to get back into my old routine of long walks and yoga. But the bone in my ankle isn't completely fused so I still have to treat it gently.  I have been surprised how awful six weeks of inactivity has made me feel - I've luckily never suffered from depression but I think I've had an inkling of what it feels like - not wanting to get up, feeling useless at most things I've attempted -  instead of making use of my home time, I've wasted a lot of it. I had time to write a novel but I've hardly even written any blog posts. After 3 weeks of not being able to go out, I found I really didn't want to.  I'm extremely lucky to live in a town like Bodrum where there are so many good-hearted people and I thank everyone who came round to keep me entertained and take Jake for walks.
In this frame of mind (and body) it was serendipitous to see an advert for a taster lesson in Qi Gong being held just outside Bodrum town on Saturday. This name, which roughly translates as 'mastering one's vital energy or spirit' had been floating around in my head for a couple of weeks since my friend Jane visited from Marmaris - she has been doing Qi Gong exercises on her roof every morning and they have energised her,  so I was keen to sign up.
The lesson was held at Maksimum Yaşam in Konacik. Our teacher, Hakan Onum who is also  a Tai Chi and Shiatsu instructor and Feng Shui practitioner, led us in a fascinating theoretical and practical introduction to both Qi Gong (Cheegong) and Tai Chi.
I was won over by Qi Gong;  a holistic ancient Chinese exercise and healing technique that combines controlled breathing with movement and meditation. Qi Gong is accessible - if you can walk into the lesson - you can do it. You don't need lots of lycra-covered muscles or marathon-toned legs. I warmed to Hakan the minute he suggested that excessive exercise is not good for us as it leaves our inner organs starved of oxygen (I knew there was a reason I abandoned the running machine). Qi Gong can be as physically challenging as you want it to be and with a good teacher and at least 15 minutes a day practice, you will feel the benefit physically, mentally and spiritually. You also don't need to memorise long routines like Tai Chi.
I'm keen to sign up for the two month, twice weekly beginners class on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons but at a steep 600 TL a month, I am going to wait until I can attend every lesson. My Spring and Summer travel plans will make me miss too many lessons if I start now.

Hakan has a web site in English if you'd like to learn more, Vadi Ruhu and if you are in the Bodrum area and would like to sign up or find out more about Maskimum Yaşam, you can telephone Ayşe Özge Öncel on 0532 068 3748 for details in English.

Crafty Recycling

A crutch in one hand + A dog lead in the other = Empty bottles not getting to the recycling bin

A surplus of empty bottles + Chalky paint = Crafty recycling

Crafty recycling  + Too much time on my hands = Two garden vases.

Supplies from Cadence Paints. 

Shopping surprises

Sometimes living in Turkey I experience a 'shopping surprise'.  In the old days it was the appearance of broccoli and sprouts on market stalls or the arrival of cans of Guinness and bars of Cadbury's Fruit and Nut in the supermarket.  This year my lucky surprise has been the appearance of chalk based paints.  When we moved back to Bodrum 6 years ago and re-did our town house kitchen, I made-do as best I could with the paints available but now I can have the rich matt colour I really wanted, and being chalky - there is no sanding needed.  I'm working my way around the base cupboards this week and by next week I should be fit enough to get up a step ladder to paint the top.

 Cadence Paint's web site in English http://www.cadenceboya.com/en/

Available from Şulesi Hobi in Bodrum.

This wasn't my only discovery. For years I have been stocking up with Corsodyl when I visit UK. It's the only toothpaste that stops me looking like a postprandial vampire after brushing.  I ran out last month so had to look for an alternative and found Parodontax which is exactly the same product apart from the name and price - much cheaper here.

My daughter wears size 43 shoes - Almost impossible to find in Turkey so each visit abroad I return with a bag full of footwear.  From now on I might be able to travel with just hand luggage as we have discovered  http://www.37numara.com. Well made, reasonably priced, fashionable shoes and boots from a Turkish supplier in sizes up to 43 and 44.
I'm on such a roll, I expect to see parsnips and rhubarb in my shopping trolley next week - dream on.

Money

My broken foot is mending but I am still spending most of my time at home.  Boredom has forced me to explore a few corners of the house that I rarely visit and one such expedition proves just what a lousy housekeeper I am.  A voyage to the depths of the under-the-stairs box files turned up 3,000 Turkish Lira. A momentary whoop was crushed by the realisation that these notes were long out of circulation. I cursed my carelessness and began to calculate what I could have done with this money back in the last century and I'm sorry to say the answer is 'not much' which is why they were languishing in the murky depths. This was very small change. 

In 1980, 1 US dollar bought 90TL; in 1988 - 1,300TL;  1995 - 45,000TL and 2001 1 US dollar got you 1,650,000TL.  

The dollar rate today is 3.78  (which equates to 3,780,000TL in pre-2005 Turkish Lira)

Today there is a rumour circulating that foreign currency will no longer be issued from ATM machines in Turkey and banks are offering over 30% a year interest if one agrees to keep lira in their accounts for 3 years.  I'm not an economist and could never understand how the enormous inflation rates were stemmed early this century (please explain below if you know). I'll hang to my old Turkish Lira as a reminder that for a brief period 18 years ago I was a multi-billionaire. 

Ephesus Cats

Jake meets a local feline in the Latrine

Type "Ephesus Cats" into a search engine and you will find that the feline inhabitants of Turkey's most impressive ruin are almost as famous as its splendid library and theatre. Look for "Ephesus Dogs" however and it will be a stray labrador-cross, that gate-crashed Mendelssohn's Italian Symphony No 4 and sat down beside the Vienna Chamber Orchestra's first violinist last June, that grabs the headlines (and rightly so - obviously a music lover, he had the best seat in the auditorium). You Tube clip

Along side the hundreds of online photos of cats in Ephesus I add my own picture of my ailurophile friend Helen capturing a few more shots of a friendly feline in the bath house. . 

Most visitors assume the cats are wild and uncared for, existing on handouts from tourists. Luckily this is not the case. If you use the toilet block at the theatre (lower) entrance of Ephesus, you will see alongside feeding bowls on the wall, a discrete collection box.  Veli, who looks after the WC block, uses the donated money to buy food and medicines for the cats that live in the ancient site.  

So even if you don't want to spend a penny at Ephesus, please visit the loos and drop a few lira into Veli's money box.