In the 2000s, there was a brief craze of unhygienic places having footbaths of water in which you could put your reeking feet in order to have fish nibble at them. This seemed to me like 1. fish abuse, and 2. a good way to catch foot diseases.
When I went to the beautiful Kazdağı National Park in the mountains above the Aegean coast of Turkey, I found that the fish were willing to do this pedicure treatment in the wild. Normally, fish scatter and disappear when you swim in their river. However, just dipping your feet in the river in the picture above would bring a swarm of tiny fish to you. They would chew on your feet if they could get to them. They would also nibble at any part that you put in. A bit off-putting at first, but they never seemed to get hurt by limbs flailing about when I was swimming. Eventually, I just got used to being surrounded by a cloud of orally familiar fish.
There is a place near Sivas in Turkey that claims to use temperature-resistant fish for treating psoriasis. Go for it.
Now, the crabs. The east coast of Yorke Peninsula in South Australia has crystal waters and a high tidal range. If you go for a walk on Sultana Point near Edithburgh at low tide, there is a fascinating array of marine life to see. My 2-year-old daughter and I were eating razorfish (Pinna bicolor). This necessitated cracking open sharp shells and doing a lot of cleaning of stuff inside. After a bit of work, we would get an edible morsel that she would eagerly chew before demanding more. The detritus would attract all sorts of animals, including some small mud crabs.
When the supply of razorfish guts ran out, the crabs would nibble our feet. They were quite insistent with some bits of loose skin but never went as far as causing pain. I don’t know whether the concept of crab pedicures would take off like the fish ones did. There’s a business idea for you.
I suppose these foot-loving creatures would correctly be called pedophiles. Not paedophiles.
Posted February 3, 2014 Posted by Adam in Uncategorized
This was utterly beautiful. Sunset over the world’s loveliest coast. Flying down to that wonderful sand spit. We were on a Blue Cruise at the time. Our yacht was anchored on the landward side of that island in the top left corner of the picture.
Posted February 3, 2014 Posted by Adam in Uncategorized
It’s a massive volcano in central Turkey. Strabo reported that from its summit, you could see both the Mediterranean and Black Seas. It’s a spectacular place to ski.
Admittedly, when I was there I was attached to the ski team of a school in Istanbul where I worked. I spent much of my time skiing down the edges of competition slopes with armloads of jackets.
Still, I got away for a good ski sometimes. And just look at the place.
The peak
Winter on Erciyes
Looking towards the Toros Mountains
Another view from Erciyes Dağı
Posted February 3, 2014 Posted by Adam in Uncategorized
In the 2000s, there was a brief craze of unhygienic places having footbaths of water in which you could put your reeking feet in order to have fish nibble at them. This seemed to me like 1, fish abuse and 2. a good way to catch foot diseases.
When I went to the beautiful Kazdağı National Park in the mountains above the Aegean coast of Turkey, I found that the fish were willing to do this pedicure treatment in the wild. Normally, fish scatter and disappear when you swim in their river. However, just dipping your feet in the river in the picture above would bring a swarm of tiny fish to you. They would chew on your feet if they could get to them. They would also nibble at any part that you put in. A bit off-putting at first, but they never seemed to get hurt by limbs flailing about when I was swimming. Eventually, I just got used to being surrounded by a cloud of orally familiar fish.
There is a place near Sivas in Turkey that claims to use temperature-resistant fish for treating psoriasis. Go for it.
Now, the crabs. The east coast of Yorke Peninsula in South Australia has crystal waters and a high tidal range. If you go for a walk on Sultana Point near Edithburgh at low tide, there is a fascinating array of marine life to see. My 2-year-old daughter and I were eating razorfish (Pinna bicolor). This necessitated cracking open sharp shells and doing a lot of cleaning of stuff inside. After a bit of work, we would get an edible morsel that she would eagerly chew before demanding more. The detritus would attract all sorts of animals, including some small mud crabs.
When the supply of razorfish guts ran out, the crabs would nibble our feet. They were quite insistent with some bits of loose skin but never went as far as causing pain. I don’t know whether the concept of crab pedicures would take off like the fish ones did. There’s a business idea for you.
I suppose these foot-loving creatures would correctly be called pedophiles. Not paedophiles.
Posted November 30, 2013 Posted by Adam in Uncategorized
Stefan’s unwilling union with a genetically engineered fish triggers his rise through the System, the bureaucratic quagmire that controls his world. He finds himself compelled to facilitate the congress of increasingly senior officials with the marine anomaly. Nic Krechter finds that he needs to use the fish’s services to deal with his rivals in the System. The fish herself has to cope with the conflicting pulls of her developing feelings for Stefan and her desire for freedom. As the outside world begins to push through the borders of the System, Stefan, Nic and the fish struggle to retain control over their lives.
An allegory that examines how anyone might act when provided with an uncertain power. Novel: 155,000 words, approx 450 pages
Out this month on Kobo and Amazon Kindle.
Read these excerpts: