Socializing

Our days have been split between the beach and the pool, but our social lives have become quite the whirl. Since summer is winding down we're all trying to make the most of our last days. Last night I was invited for a "Girls Night Out" in Turkbuku which is where the Rich and Famous go when they visit Bodrum. It has a line of shops and upscale restaurants along the water. They all looked very inviting, but we contented ourselves with strolling up and down the strand on Star Patrol. We saw a very famous Turkish movie star (I promise I'll get the name later). My friends asked what time the night life kicks off and the answer was midnight--too late for me. So we pulled up stakes and headed back to Gundogan where there was a famous Turkish folk singer giving a free concert. I got to hear about half of the concert and we were able to hear and see quite well on the giant screens. He was accompanied by the most famous belly dancer in Turkey. Note when I mention these superlatives that I'm taking all this on faith. I have no idea who these people are, but the singer had people setting up their chairs 4-5 hours before the start of the concert so they could sit up close. One thing I noticed at the concert was how quiet it was. The people were very subdued and well behaved--not a single one yelled, "Freebird!" or waved their lighter in the air. I'm so used to the big roar of the crowd at concerts that that aspect of it seemed more strange to me than the music. Actually, the music didn't seem that foreign. Either that particular singer is pretty westernized or my ear is changing or both. He was wearing standard issue white t-shirt and jeans and Ray Ban sunglasses so he could have been dropped down on a stage just about anywhere and fit in. His back up dancers (not the very flamboyant belly dancer) looked like they were doing aerobics. I had a brief flashback to the Solid Gold Dancers of the '80s.

A Turkbuku restaurant

The evening included a brief fireworks display. When I asked Kate about it she said that she heard it and thought it might have been heat lightning. In the "small world" department, I learned that the boyfriend of one of our friends worked in Wintergreen for a summer. After he finished there he travelled to L.A. where he met her (She was working at Universal Studios). Yes, working abroad in the U.S. brought them together.

Alex on the Elmaskent dock

Today we are having friends up to swim in our pool and share watermelon with us. We have two dinner dates for later in the week. It's pretty great to have people lining up to cook you dinner. Of course, I also have to clear out the fridge and freezer by Friday. Perhaps I should bring frozen chicken as a host gift.

Eating like a Sultan