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Marmaris
Entry 5 of 26 | show all | print this entry |
Shared a Dolmus to the Otogar with Gary and Ans. They
then left for Fethiye and I for Marmaris "Pearl of the
World". Part of the route was flanked by eucalyptus
trees. I've seen none bigger, but then I have never
been to Australia. On the bus I sat with a Canadian,
older than myself who, after divorce, had sold
everything to buy a boat and had been travelling the
world now for more than twenty years. John was a
criminal lawyer by profession and hailed from (and get
this for a coincidence) Halifax, but this time in Nova
Scotia. There didn't seem to be many places he had not
been to but Turkey was amongst his favourites. He
always stayed out of the Carribean at this time of
year and had a lot to say about hormonal changes in 45
year old women.
I quickly found a place to stay, the Yesim Apart
Pansiyon. It is probably the most run down of the
places I have stopped so far but it is cheap and clean
and very central. I think I can safely say that there
are no other backpackers staying here. Strangely they
wanted cash in advance. Perhaps that indicates that
people frequently do a runner. After a wash and brush
up I launched myself on Marmaris. Sort of a high class
Blackpool but with strong Rhyl undertones. It says a
lot about a place when the only English papers
available are 'The Sun', 'The Star' and 'The Daily
Mirror'. Couple that with the names of the eating
establishments like 'The Rover's Return', 'Shirley
Valentines' and 'Old Mother Riley's' and you get the
general drift. The biggest suprise to me was that the
beach was topless (you wouldn't get away with that in
Blackpool or Rhyl ....except
possibly on a Saturday night). Not that I mind in the
slightest, but I was of the opinion that there was
more on show that should be covered up than exposed,
and that includes the men. The majority of visitors
here at present a British followed closely by Germans,
then Russians and then Scandinavians. There is a few
Americans about too.
Checked out ferries to Rhodes and then walked in the
general direction of the pick up point to get my
bearings. I was startled to be tapped on the shoulder.
It was John again. He invited me for a beer in the
pavement café (Fiskos) he had been sitting in. We
spent a couple of hours drinking and chatting and I
learnt something about avoiding immigration on the
Cambodian border, the beauty of Laos and the acoustics
of caves (another coincidence here in that John asked
me if I knew what a didgereedoo was as he had
accompanied one on a flute in a cave on an island off
the coast). He then went about his business to the
chandlery collecting bits for his boat and I went back
to my apartment for a rest.
I didn't think I was ready for Marmaris by night
(there might be illuminations), nor particularly want
to be. Went out in any case though and had an
excellent meal and a couple of beers before retiring
for the night.
Thursday 27th October
Marmaris is closing down. The season ends on Saturday.
Already many of the hotels and restaurants have closed
up shop. There is a degree of desperation in the touts
competing for that last tourist dollar. What all these
little places need is Shelley W. She could sell oil
and sand to the Arabs and make them feel happy to have
bought it.
Gradually I found my way to the old town which amounts
to no more than a cluster of well maintained houses,
houselets and streets around the base of the castle.
In spite of being in the middle of it all it was a
much quieter area. Chatted with several people
including a Turkish lady from the Rhonda Valley and a
very enterprising old woman who had her own 'pound
shop'. This did not have the sort of junk sold by
pound shops in the UK but the sort of junk sold by
tourist shops in Turkey...though there was some nice
stuff as well. She was a delightful old woman, very
tactile, twinkly eyes and with a face like a wise
walnut. She used her excellent English shrewdly and
with good humour. I liked her a lot but didn't
purchase.
There are many boats berthed here in Marmaris. Some
are bigger, smarter or posher than others. The arrival
of the cruise ship 'Costa Atlantica' takes the breath
away though. You forget just how big these liners can
get. I thought I was experiencing some sort of optical
illusion when I saw her. Judging by the comments of
many others I was not alone.
Right in the centre of Marmaris, behind the Burger
King is a huge rock. I doubt many notice it though
because flats surround and hide it. At the base there
are burial caves and a few settlement remains. All are
estimated to be about fourth century BC. The rock
itself is protected, and the vegetation "the same
today as they were in the antique period many thousans
of years ago when they first bloomed" (sic). As the
vegetation is 99% large Opuntia cactus it suggests an
as yet unexplored ancient link between Turkey and the
USA :-)
Friday 28th October
I am not really planning my days, more acting on whim
and waiting for life to happen. Today and tomorrow
were exceptions though. Tomorrow morning at nine I am
taking the ferry, one way, to Rhodes. Today I had
planned a boat trip. I was actually looking forward to
it. My mistake was taking my laundry in yesterday. "It
will be ready tomorrow" I was told. I should have
realised that, like the rest of Turkey, nothing
happens early here. The laundry, it turned out, didn't
open till ten, my clothes were not ready and the boat
left in fifteen minutes. No matter, it wasn't meant to
be.
Later in the morning they closed the main road to
allow a childrens parade to pass through. This had the
effect of adding tenfold to the motorbike and motor
scooter traffic that already makes pavement life
somewhat dicey.
In the afternoon I met a Turkish 'beach girl' called
Elma. Just 22 she could get by in six languages and
yet had never been anwhere other than Marmaris. She
had both wit and humour coupled with a wicked grin and
could flirt the leaves from the trees. She, very
cleverly, was able to tell the nationality of people
from about fifty yards away. When I asked how she did
this it was firstly by 'visage' (faces), secondly by
the way they walked and lastly by the clothes they
wore. Using that formula I reckon she would have a
better than even chance even in a nudist camp. She
never got it wrong whilst I watched. Funnily enough I
could spot the Brits but often mistook other Europeans
for Brits too, so failed miserably. It was fun though.
Perhaps she is the interesting person I was destined
to meet by missing the boat this morning. I felt she
was wasted on Marmaris though but then her family were
relying on her. A future president of Turkey perhaps?
A pleasure to talk to and be with.
One irrirating thing I have been unable to escape in
Marmaris is the Caroline Ahern's Mrs Merton voice. I
have heard it on the beach, and emanating from cafés,
bars and restaurants. Last night it was whining on
across the street outside my room till very late on. I
can't imagine it is all coming from the same woman but
the thought that there might be several of them is
positively frightening! Perhaps England is exporting
clones.
I noted than some enterprising young Turkish men were
earning an extra Lira or five by massaging sun oil
into bodies on the beach. The sort of job many a young
man may aspire towards providing he could choose his
clientele.
I have eaten twice in the same place, doing so at
John's say that the owner is honest. And he is and the
food is very good too. The owners wife bears a very
strong resemblance and speech pattern to Cagney off
'Cagney and Lacey'. At least I think it is Cagney. The
dark one anyhow. Nice friendly people both of them.
I need Euros for tomorrow. Happily I have a small
stash of them in my money belt. If I didn't there
would be no problem as cash machines (ATM's) will
dispense Turkish Lira, Euros or Dollars.
The latter part of the day I spent trying to find a
Wi-Fi hotspot somewhere in the town. Found four but
not one I could link into. This is going to have to
wait before I can send it out.
Tonight I went to a pop concert in the middle of town.
Quite good, but I only stopped a couple of hours. Back
in my room I can hear it as clearly as if I was there.
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