In short Turkey was brilliant. We had such a nice holiday and it went by too quickly. I tried to keep a diary while away but was less than successful. Hopefully this blog will suffice and still be around in 20 years time.
We left London on a Saturday morning and it was an all day adventure to arrive at our villa’s doorstep. Painless enough and part of the fun. We arrived at about 9 in the evening Turkey time and were impressed right from the start. We had several people there to greet us, take our luggage and make us feel welcome. We entered through a grand staircase and I was bombarded with the scent of jasmine. It was such a familiar smell of holidays past and immediately made me think of a prior trip to Spain with Laura and the aroma that greeted us in all of Spain’s gardens. We were given a tour by the owner himself, who also gave us some insight into Turkish culture and his future building ambitions. All I can say is this tour literally made me laugh out loud I was so impressed. The photos we had seen before did not do this place justice, as I am sure our photos here don’t do it as well.
We had arranged to have dinner waiting for us when we arrived and after the tour we sat down to our first of many feasts. Sadly aubergine, one of my least favorite foods, is a popular dish in Turkey, but there was so much more to enjoy I could easily skip it and still leave the table full. We stuffed our faces, marvelled at our good fortune and went off to bed, excited to wake up and see what a daylight view could add to an already impressive picture.
We were so excited Martin and I woke up and got out of bed at 7:30. In the morning! We made our way down to the gym to burn last nights calories away and then made ourselves presentable for breakfast, running into various family members along the way, also too excited to sleep. Every morning we gathered down by the sea in the dining area designated as our breakfast hub. There is about a hundred steps to descend to the area and there is a kitchen at the bottom to save one’s self from having to march back and forth. We had a staff who prepared us a lovely spread every morning and cooked our eggs to our liking and to perfection.
Our house boy was a man by the name of Bayrham who was delightful and friendly. As with most of the Turkish people we met, he took an instant liking, and dare I say love, to the children present and would often sweep them away and keep them entertained while we finished our morning meal. He was assisted by two women, Segif and Usima (spellings are a total guess), equally friendly and charming.
After breakfast every day was mostly the same. The big variance would be, do I sun bathe down here by the sea or upstairs by the pool? Or do I just lounge in the shade with my book and good company? Or shall I go kayaking over to the beach and go for a little dip in the sea? We spent most mornings doing what we like, either together or not. There were some trips into town but we were so utterly content with where we were that we wanted to make sure we enjoyed it to the fullest. Lunch was usually bread and cheese and olives and other bits and pieces. Afternoons were spent either by or in the pool, with a nap thrown in sometime in between. There was some use of the running machine in the gym, but not much. Evenings were just as relaxed as the afternoons. Some evening meals we ate out in town (except for two special evenings) but many were at home. It was all very chilled out.
That said, we did have some adventures away from the villa. Martin’s parents arranged for us to go on a speedboat one day to explore the region and other Turkish Delights. We went into two hidden caves and marvelled at how blue and clear the sea was. We went snorkelling in a cove and marvelled at how relaxing it Is just to float. We had lunch at a small family restaurant and presented them with a photo of their family, taken by the senior Partners the year before. They seemed delighted. We took Henry for a swim in the sea and onto a pebble beach, where we spent some time throwing rocks and trying to convince Henry that we needed to go back. We saw an ancient city long since deserted and destroyed by several earthquakes, yet still intact enough to make out buildings and structures. The captain of the boat even very bravely allowed Henry to steer his vessel! It was a lovely day spent with lovely people.
Another adventure had was just by Martin and I. We decided to do a day kayaking trip to the sunken city of Kesava. Now up to this point we had been enjoying quite a bit of luxury. The speed boat experience being one, where you are greeted on board with champagne and given water all day long and tea and cake at the appropriate time. As we arranged the kayaking through the same company, we were expecting the same amount of comfort, but decided to go prepared with our own water and snacks, just in case. Good thing! The trip we went on was excellent and completely adequate to anyone’s need. It just didn’t include any kind of luxury. No water waiting for us. No snacks to keep us going. No towels. Nothing. Once we got over these simple facts though, and got in the water, we had a great time.
We had sea kayaks which meant we had rudders on the end of our boats and had to steer it with our feet. Immensely easier than trying to steer with a paddle. We took off and headed across the harbour to a bay called the shipyard. I think because in ancient times it use to be just that. Although our guide was lovely, he was hard to understand, and I wasn’t never really clear on what we should be doing or what we were looking at. After having a swim here we got into single file and went to see the sunken city. Sadly, there wasn’t a lot to see. Most of it is under water. This city use to reside on the hill but due to a series of earthquakes it began its descent into the waters below and has been preserved much in the manner it use to stand. This was hard to tell from our kayaks but some of the pictures give this impression.
After that we went to a very small village that was home to a castle of some sort. This is where we were suppose to I think spend some of our British pounds and help the local economy. The village was very rustic and every where you looked you saw women hard at work and men lounging around playing cards. This was a theme repeated throughout the region, even in our own home! After that we went back to home base and had some lunch, spending about three hours on the sea in total. We then were driven back to our home by our instructor as our bus driver had to wait for another couple not yet returned from their diving expedition. Nothing was too much effort for anyone we met. Everyone was so hospitable and wanted to do all they could to make you happy and content.
There was an afternoon when we took a drive up into the hills and visited another rural town, which apparently was popular with tourists in the evenings. (above is a picture of a woman in a tree picking what we think were walnuts) As perfect as our trip was, I think another reason we liked staying in the villa is we didn’t want to see any other English people! This is a very big tourist destination and in town the majority of people are white. This is a sad reminder that this isn’t the secret hidden gem no one else knows about that you think it being while laying on your sea side sun bed. This village town however was deserted of white people during the day and it was a good glimpse into local life.
We had many special dinners but one was on the water side at a lovely hotel close by. It was just Martin, Janice, Andy and I and although there was four it was still very romantic. Another was had on a gutlet, this time us four joined by Aunty Lyn.We watched the sun go down over the hills and then pulled into a cove to enjoy our meal. The perfection was only disturbed by an intoxicated lady falling off her chair, but as you can imagine this brought more amusement than annoyance.
I would go back to Turkey in a heart beat, but I think only with a large group of loved ones in a similar situation in the one we found ourselves. There are a lot of things to remember and I have a sinking feeling I will need to add updates. Like right now I am thinking about how you get use to the daily calls to prayers and after a while they just blend into the scenery. The people are also very friendly, and their interest in you is genuine. We are so use to being suspicious of everyone where as there, it was perfectly normal to hand your baby over to complete strangers and let them have a giggle and a cuddle. I can't thank Martin's parents enough for including me and giving us a trip to remember.
PS-I wore a big floppy hat and sunscreen of factor FIFTY (that is 5.0.) the whole time. I still managed to come home with a tan. This made me happy.
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