Mediterranean coast in Winter
Trip Start
Jan 28, 2008
1
20
83
Trip End
Sep 18, 2008
Fethiye,
Turkey
Thursday, March 13, 2008
We arrived at the bus station and could see it had been raining. Not a good omen for our coastal get-away. The bus station manager helped us with getting accommodation (he called his mate to come pick us up). We ended up at the Teacherīs Guesthouse. No, it wasnīt for travelling teachers like ourselves. The man who ran it was a retired Primary teacher.
The next morning we awoke holeful of finding a cheap day sail
Step 1 - Buy your fýsh
. We wandered up and down the Marina, looking for a boat that was sailing that day. After an unfruitful hour it was clear that we had arrived a few weeks too early. Unless we were willing to pay up to $300 for a few hours, the boats werenīt going anywhere. An old sea-faring Captain and his mates invited us to sit with them to enjoy some Turkish Tea in the late morning sun. His small yacht had a funny name which I canīt recall, but it was a bit spiritual. It was fitted with the latest gadgets including solar panels, sonar, and wireless internet! He lived on it all year. In a previous life he had sold carpets (what else!) in Istanbul but had suffered to many breathing difficulties from the dust and cloth. He had two young men working part time for him, who also slept on the boat in the off-season. We only met one of them, the other was still asleep.
The last bloke in our little circle owned the neighbouring sailing boat. It was called Mr. Hook. Funnily enough, he only had one arm. Apparantly his sailing buddies has gotten together years ago and bought him a fancy spring-loaded device, but he prefered the old fashioned wooded stump and hook
If you ever get to Fethiye, we recommend you try these two blokes for a sail first. They were charming, down-to-earth, and loved their boats.
Comments
happy and healthy
the photos your taking of Turkey show a very picturesque country. Is it as clean as it looks ?. I loved the look of those food markets - sounds like the locals are friendly and helpful .. different to Egypt .. glad your not being hounded and harassed, so you can mooch around at a leisurely pace and enjoy yourself. I print off these stories and photos for g'ma to read .. so thanks