A Turkish Delight - Part I

Where east meets west. Where religious and secular cultures coexist. A country of many contradictions - Turkey is certainly a delight.

We began our trip in Bodrum on the southwest coast. Situated on the Aegean, the town which was once a quiet fishing village is now known mostly for its glittering nightlife and the myriad of boat trips that leave from it's ancient harbour.

We spent the first few days on one of said boat trips, a traditional Turkish gulet, exploring the Aegean peninsula and islets that surround Bodrum.

English Harbour

Cleopatra Island

Cleopatra Island

The deck of our gulet was comfortable, although not opulent by any means. The large table in the middle was the hub of activity and where we ate all our meals, and surrounding it were large lounging cushions and the bow and stern.

Below deck, on other hand, was tiny, cramped and hot. It was like camping at sea. With a mattress. But hotter. It was hard to get a photo to demonstrate this just because the cabin was so tiny. Below was the best I could do.

We decided almost straight away that rather the stay on board for the entire week, we would instead opt for the short 3 day trip instead, and head back to Bodrum.

The fact that there were loads of wasps the further along we went (I was stung twice) also played a small part in that decision. What can I say? I'm not very good at roughing it. We did get to see the spots I was most looking forward to though, including Cleopatra Island shown above.

Once we were back in Bodrum, we did lots of poolside lounging in the day (I know, hard life), and sightseeing in the early evening because it was so hot.

The seaside town is very picturesque, like a live watercolour painting - hilly with white stucco houses dotted about and bougainvillea hanging on every fence. Our B&B, Su Hotel, was no exception, and the poolside bar proved to be quite dangerous on a hot day.

Bodrum Castle, with it's underwater archaeological museum and bird's eye views of the harbour lived up to expectations, and we spent the the rest of our free time delving into beach side bars and shops.

Before I knew it, it was time to leave Bodrum and venture north. I was sad to leave the sea, being an island girl at heart, but I was also extremely excited about the next stop on our travels. Stay tuned...