Alan first came to Turkey in 1995. From the first he was captivated by the country – the incredible layers of history, the diversity of cultures, the music and the legendary hospitality of the people. Since then he has spent most of the intervening years living and working in Istanbul as a teacher of English.
He lives in that Queen of Cities with his Turkish wife, Dilek; visits regularly an ever-increasing whanau in Australia, New Zealand and the USA; writes a blog about Turkey; rides a bicycle, and escapes to Gümüşlük whenever the opportunity arises.