The Turks fell in love with my baby

MY ROUGH GUIDE

BEST DISCOVERY

The Turkish love children. Travelling with an eight-month-old baby was made easier by a number of self-appointed handlers who whisked her out of our hands as soon a we arrived in a restaurant. We regarded the dicky- bowed waiters in one establishment with some apprehension as baby Mia began her nightly manoeuvres around the tables. Immediately our waiter's frozen demeanour relaxed and true to form he picked her up to perform the ritual baby-kissing routine, escorting her to the kitchen to show off his find.

BIZARRE MEETING

After a three-hour Greek Orthodox church service I was accosted in the churchyard by the chanter, Nicephorus. We went to his cottage where his American wife Maggie made French coffee and Nico told me they were in Istanbul on a mission, searching for the lost instrumental component of Byzantine theological music. The search had brought them to Istanbul in pursuit of the Whirling Dervish sect. Nico united Turkish and Greek musicians on the Bosphorus group's first album, a best-seller in Greece, and one of the few acknowledgements of the shared heritage of Greek and Turkish classical music.

FAVOURITE MEAL

Despite the encroaching gentrification of Istanbul's seedier eating establishments, Cumhuriyet Meyhanesi in the fish market in Beyoglu is as run down as ever. A plate of entrees including vinegary whitebait, squid, stuffed vegetables and beans, followed by seasonal fish and a fresh green salad are hard to beat anywhere in Turkey.

ESSENTIAL PHRASE

Inshallah, meaning "God willing". The expression is also a way of avoiding committing oneself over a bottle of raki to the plans of a well-intentioned host. You can say your goodbyes the next morning in the sad knowledge that God obviously didn't will that you spend the next three days at sea in a fishing boat with your new friend.

BIGGEST MISTAKE

Trabzon is the sex capital of Eastern Turkey. "Natashas" (as Turks call Middle European prostitutes) throng round every doorway. As we combed the streets looking for Natasha-free lodgings, my partner nudged me and pointed out yet another Russian prostitute and her Turkish pimp. I turned to greet two old friends from Istanbul, a doctor from a prestigious university and his American wife. Admittedly her roots needed retouching, and they were good enough to laugh it off.

FAVOURITE HOTEL

The troglodyte dwellings of Cappadocia are cool in summer and warm in winter. In the case of the Ataman Hotel in Goreme our cave room was furnished in period antiques, with local carpets on the volcanic rock floors and had a view from across a valley of variously pink-and-violet-hued fairy chimneys from the rock-cut balcony.

BIGGEST LET-DOWN

The Polish village of Polonezkoy near Istanbul is a favourite among city- dwellers for its quaint vernacular architecture and its charming village folk. On arrival we began our search for likely village lodgings, whose owners we had read would willingly give up a room to weary travellers. All we could see were complexes of mock rustic new buildings. We unearthed an old cottage on a leafy lane, and I approached the owner. He asked suspiciously if we were married. I showed him the ring. "In that case, lady, this house is not for you. Look, it's three o'clock in the afternoon. There's a couple upstairs. There's a couple through here, and there's a couple in this room too. We only rent rooms by the hour. Go stay in a nice hotel."

WORST MOMENT

I thought I was mastering the art of driving in Istanbul's traffic, but I must have been too near the kerb just as a policeman chose to gesticulate in our direction. I felt a thump against my wing, and as I drew up I saw him bending to retrieve his pocket book from the dust. Although Turkish police no longer deserve their reputation for incarcerating tourists, I felt I may have overreached the mark this time. I decided to ham things up. When I kissed the man's hand and placed it to my forehead in what I hoped was a gesture of respect and contrition, he graciously halved his original on-the-spot fine.

Rosie Ayliffe did research for The Rough Guide to Turkey (pounds 12.99). Keep up with the latest developments in travel by subscribing to the free newsletter Rough News, published three times yearly. Write to Rough Guides, IoS offer, 1 Mercer Street, London WC2H 9QJ. A free Rough Guide to the first three subscribers each week.

FACT FILE

Getting There

Flights to Istanbul include Turkish Airlines (tel: 0171-499 9249) two daily flights all year round, from pounds 279, and Istanbul Airlines (tel: 0181-688 7555) three weekly flights from pounds 187.

Getting about

Trabzon on the Black Sea can be reached by ferry from Istanbul. It takes 57 hours but if you pay for a cabin, the trip can be extremely comfortable. Otherwise buses from Esenler Otogar in Istanbul take 16 hours.

Goreme in Cappadocia is an 11-hour bus drive from Esenler Otogar. Ensure that you board a bus belonging to the Goreme or Nevtur companies, since these are the only companies with direct services to Goreme. The Ataman Hotel is an uphill hike through the village.

Cumhuryet Meyhanesi is in the Fish Bazaar on Balikpazari Sahne Sokak 47 in Beyoglu.

You can reach Plonezkoy by taxi from Beykoz on the Bosphorus or in a hire car by crossing to the Asian side of the Bosphorus via the Mehmet the Conqueror Bridge and following signs from Ruzgarlibahce to Polonezkoy.