31 Aug – 2 Sept 2015. Bodrum is near the end of a finger of land that juts out into the Aegean Sea. It could be argued that Bodrum is on the Mediterranean Sea since it is on the south side of the peninsula. Marmaris has been described variously as either on the Mediterranean or the Aegean. How can you possibly draw a line to indicate where one sea ends and the other begins? No matter. It’s all sunshine, clear skies, and blue water whatever we call it. We are steeped in a seaside summer holiday.
To get from Bodrum to Marmaris, the next stop on our road trip, we take a ferry across the water to a peninsula to the south. It’s an uneventful, but pleasant two-hour cruise on an ordinary car ferry, much the same as those seen anywhere from Patagonia to British Columbia. We arrive to nowhere. There are no buses to take walk-on passengers, nor stalls selling food or trinkets, nor a town, nor anything to entice people to linger. There is a small café and a bit further up the road a small town, but at the ferry dock the only thing to be seen is a row of fishing boats and a couple of fishermen, probably because everyone simply drives off the ferry and away to Datça or Marmaris.
The road to Marmaris is narrow, winding, mountainous. The scenery is spectacular: ragged peninsulas of land jutting out into the infinite royal-blue sea. The sea is forever present below us and stretches out to the distant horizon where it meets the sky with hardly a change of colour. This is not a road regularly travelled by tourists so there are none of those convenient pullouts where it is possible to sit and simply absorb the beauty of the landscape. So we travel on, arriving in the early afternoon.
Like Bodrum, Marmaris is another seaside vacation town, and one of Turkey’s premier resorts. Its population of 30,000 swells to ten times that in the summer. Much of it is a modern Mediterranean city, but with a little exploring we find the lovely old town,
the beach,
and the Grand Bazaar, complete with speeding motorcycles. Although modernized it feels much less pretentious and more interesting than clinical, sterile western malls so calculated to induce spending.
The next day we take a trip to the Dalyan River. It begins with a two-hour boat ride over open water along the coast. It’s a big boat. There must be over one hundred people on board. They are from Russia, Lebanon, Denmark, Britain. All are on holiday, relaxed, happy, sun-soaking. Most are in their swimsuits surrendered to the heat.
We stop for a while to swim in warm soothing water,
and then we’re on our way again.
The sea is so blue, deep blue, endless blue sea, blue sky. Blue is the favourite colour of all people throughout the world, by a wide margin. Is it any wonder? Blue is the colour of peace, serenity, tranquility. It is the colour that reduces stress and increases confidence.
I go inside for a while to be out of the sun. There is relentless insistent loud techno dance-party music. Why? It’s not a party it’s a boat cruise. If the purpose was to dance I could understand, and even join in. But the purpose is to laze in the sun and sea breeze. I find it grating, unnerving. It shatters the serenity of all that blue that surrounds us outside. There is a small boy engrossed by an orange popsicle. The man at the bar sits smoking for want of customers. I go outside again and watch the water rushing by, a Lebanese woman with a pink hat and bee-stung lips, a pale overweight and soon-to-be-red-roasted Brit, kids at play, parents at play.
Lunch is served inside with everyone crowded in. The noise of the engine, the music, and the people is deafening. We must shout to be heard. It is energetic mayhem. We are sitting with a young Lebanese couple on their honeymoon. They speak English but conversation is impossible. The engines vibrate from my feet up through the whole of my body. It’s like sitting in one of those electric massage chairs you find at airports, only not nearly as comfortable since I’m sitting on a hard bench at a table.
We arrive at Turtle Beach where it is announced that we will not see any turtles because they only come ashore at night. We are not disappointed. We had read that this would be the case, despite advertising that features a large turtle.
We swim again, shower off the salt, and take a walk along the beach. Then we sit and eat one of the mouth-watering fresh-cooked crabs that we had ordered on the boat.
From Turtle Beach we board smaller boats to travel for more than an hour up the Dalyan River to a mud pool. On the small boat there is music so loud and so disturbing that eventually I ask for it to be turned off. We are in a beautiful serene natural environment and there is blaring raging relentless music so loud it is distorted. I don’t understand. With such noise how are we to appreciate the beauty that surrounds us? How are we supposed to hear the landscape? The guide agrees that for one hour we can go without music. It is turned off. A sigh escapes me and my shoulders drop about two inches.
We all plunge into the mud pool. Why not? It’s fun, if a little surreal. Why are we doing this again? Oh right. It’s supposed to be medicinal. Well laughter is medicinal and there is plenty of that.
There’s a man with a hose to wash us off as we emerge. The stream of warm water is so strong it almost knocks me over. There is mud everywhere, but the next station is a sulphur hot pool so the mud must be eliminated. The jet of water makes me scream with surprise and excitement. The sulphur pool relaxes me. I sink into it with quiet joy.
I feel well watered! First a swim followed by a shower on the boat to wash off the salt, then another swim at Turtle Beach and another shower, then the mud pool, the hose, and another shower, then the hot pool and being hosed off again afterwards. It is turning out to be a very watery day.
On the small boat back to Turtle Beach once again the torture-music is blaring. I ask again for it to be turned off. When it is, at least half the people on board indicate, either with body language or verbally, that they too had wanted the music stopped.
On the big boat heading back to Marmaris in choppy seas people are sitting all along the bow of the ship squealing each time the spray of a big wave hits them.
Later I sit on the side bench with my back to them and the wind, leaning over the railing, watching the white foam and spray made by the movement of the boat, the wind thundering in my ears, the dangling camera lens cap clattering against the railing. Now and then I see rainbows in the spray.
We arrive back in Marmaris for sunset, weary and sun-soaked, have ice cream on the seaside walkway, and then head home.
The next day we rest. We venture out briefly for a not very exciting lunch. For dinner, using the plastic sandwich tubs we always carry with us, we make salads at home – tomato, two cheeses, stuffed olives, chicken, cucumber, olive oil, lemon juice. It is much nicer than lunch. But first we sit together on the bed, spread out a pristine white hand towel, open the foil wrapping, and as an appetizer, eat the second crab we’d bought on the boat. Pulling it apart with our fingers, slurping it out of all its nooks and crannies. Crabs don’t like to give up their succulent goodness easily. You have to work for it, fingers dripping juice, breaking off small bits of shell, sucking out a tiny bit more flesh. Perseverance is needed. Oh it is good. And at the end, a testament to our neatness and our determination not to miss a single minute morsel, there is not a drop of it on the towel.
Pirate boats are a thing in the blue Mediterranean and Aegean resort towns of Turkey. We see one in Bodrum. We see many in Marmaris. They are party boats. We would never venture out on one. Perhaps we have become a pair of old curmudgeons. But they sure are fun to look at.
From Marmaris we drive Fethiye, another drive over a winding mountain road. This time there is a place to stop and look.
Next post: The beauty of Çalis Plaji near Fethiye, Lycian cliff tombs, another blue-water boat trip, and Antalya.
All words and images by Alison Louise Armstrong unless otherwise noted
© Alison Louise Armstrong and Adventures in Wonderland – a pilgrimage of the heart, 2010-2016.
Soooo beautiful. What an adventure! Loved the picture of you guys all mudded up. and all that blue!
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Thank you Mary. It was a wonderful time. I don’t think I ever would have believed water could be soooooo blue until we spent time on the Mediterranean (and Aegean). It’s quite spectacular. The mudding was a load of fun!
Alison
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Turkey is so beautiful
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Thank you so much. I had a quick look at your blog. Your trip to Cuba sounds great.
Cheers, Alison
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How am I going to know you in San Miguel unless you have mud on you?
That place looks beautiful!
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Chuckle. We’ll try to mud up for you, and walk down the streets in our swimsuits 🙂
The Turkish riviera is indeed very beautiful. Looking forward to meeting in RL.
Alison
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The photos of the old village are charming! But the mud picture wins the prize for best photo!
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Thanks Peta. We love to find the old part of town – so much more appealing than the chaos and general grubbiness of the new parts of towns anywhere in the world wherever there is real history. Aren’t we lovely all mudded up? Chuckle. Couldn’t resist posting that one.
Alison
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Hi Alison,
It is such a gift to me to share in your experiences and see your photos. It brings back so many powerful memories of the last few weeks of the two years that we lived on Dragonsinger sailing with Karalee, Jocelyn, Kevin, and Allen.
We took a private boat up the river. No music–we were just looked after all day. We skipped the mud baths. Instead, we spent the afternoon in the lake above the river snoozing and swimming. Here is my blog post from that very special day:
http://davidgreer.ca/cruise/diary/djg/2003/jul/20030716.html
Such a special spot. Reminds me of just how beautiful the Mediterranean is in the summer.
In kindness and joy,
David
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Thanks so much David. I had a look at your post – sounds like you had a wonderful day. I agree – the Dalyan area is very special.
Blessings, Alison
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Well, your photos are gorgeous as usual. Love love love the one of the pirate and the parrot. And the one of a muddy you and Don–cool. It seems that you did that coast in the opposite direction than we did it. We drove up from Antalya, ended in Ephesus, flew to Istanbul from there. I fell in love with the water and rocks and such friendly people. I had been afraid to go to Turkey because of the movie Midnight Express. Which I find out had NO Turks in it, and was shot in Greece!!
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Thanks BF. The pirate and parrot were in the boat next to us while we were still moored in Marmaris. I was lucky to get a couple of shots of him.
Don’t we mud-up well! 🙂
Our entire experience of Turkey was wonderful with the exception of Pamukkele which I’ll document in a later post (no water in the terraces!)
I haven’t seen Midnight Express – to violent and cruel for me. Sigh. I’m such a tender soul. 🙂
We did a circle from Izmir – Epheus Bodrum Marmaris Fethiye Antalya Pamukkele Izmir. Then we got an overnight train to Konya.
Alison
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Love. This. Post. I feel like I just took a vacation. And you two are like a couple of little kids covered in mud. Most excellent!
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Oh Kelly thank you! I’m so glad you came along with us 🙂
Yeah, that mud pool was fun!
Alison
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Alison,
I have been to many of the places in this post and I could not have described it better. It was wonderful revisiting these destinations through your eyes. The pictures are beautiful! What do you use for a camera?
Best,
Dan
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Thank you so much Dan. My camera is a Panasonic FZ1000. It has its limitations (smaller sensor, and not so good in low light) but I find it mostly does the job without me having to carry around a load of camera gear.
Alison
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Thank you for the sunny holiday, dear adventurers!
I remember looking over at Turkey while on holiday on Levbos, Greece.
If I had seen your beautiful post
I might have swam over 🙂
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Thank you and your’e welcome.
It would have been a wonderful thing
to see you swimming through the water
towards us 🙂
One day we will get to Greece!
Alison
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The blaring music would have driven me crazy too. I have the exact same photo of my hubby and me drenched in mud in Dalyan…what fun! Beautiful photos especially the town of Marmaris.
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Thanks Caroline. OMG the music was painful. Bleeding ears! In such a beautiful landscape. But the mud – now that was fun – which you obviously know from personal experience 🙂
The old town of Marmaris is lovely. Definitely worth rambling around.
Alison
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Love your adventures in exotic places like this. Yet, the sea really unifies everything, doesn’t it? Whether in Australia, Turkey, Mexico, Vancouver … the ocean is a common blue presence, washing every shore.
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Thanks Silk. I’m glad you enjoyed a little visit to the Turkish riviera. The ocean is certainly a common presence connecting us all, at the same time I would never characterize Vancouver’s ocean as blue 🙂
It reminds me of a visit to Australia years ago. My sister is showing slides of a recent trip to Vancouver with her then young daughter. As a slide comes on the screen of the grey sand and grey waters of Spanish Banks with my Aussie niece and my Canadian niece playing together, my sister sniggers and says “that’s Canada’s idea of a beach” lol. We’re just too far north I guess.
Alison
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Only way to see our local waters is from the deck of a boat! I’ll post some downhome blues just for you!
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Yes please do!
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The photo of you mud twins is priceless. Look at those kid-like grins!
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Thanks Kate. Yeah, we were having fun!
Alison
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I’m so pleased to hear they did turn that infernal music off when you asked, what a brave soul you are to ask and I’m sure you were being silently applauded by others not brave enough to ask. What a fantastic watery day in such beautiful scenery. Loved the pirate and his parrot.
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It was a wonderful day except for the infernal music. On the way out it did take me a while to get the courage to ask them to turn it off, but I just had to it was so bad. On the way back I asked pretty much right away and it was clear that many others on the boat also wanted it off.
The pirate was a lucky shot. He was on a pirate boat moored next to our boat at the Marmaris marina. Don and I were on the boat early so I had lots of time to look around for anything interesting to photograph.
Alison
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What a great way to spend a day, especially without the music…
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What a marvellous collection of pictures to add to your memory box!! You truly enjoyed Turkey to the max.
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Thanks Darlene. Yes, we did enjoy Turkey, except for a major disappointment at Pamukkele, and a minor one in Istanbul, which I’ll write about eventually. The rest was fabulous.
Alison
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I am wondering about the mud pool. What makes it not be bottomless?
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I’m guessing there’s rock underneath, like the walls, but all we could feel was packed mud that we had to scoop up with our hands.
Alison
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Another lovely adventure shared! I was thinking of the music and it made me wonder about the boat driver– how being in all that beauty becomes “just a job”, and how the music somehow breaks up what has become a tedium. Or perhaps it was something else altogether. But I like being able to see your beautiful pictures in silence… 🙂
We’ve made the world small, and in many ways it is, but this blog seems an endless discovery of unique and beautiful places. I’m so grateful for the views you guys provide.
Blessings
Michael
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Thanks Michael. I think the music is because they think that people like/expect it, especially the young. And perhaps the young are so surrounded by noise these days that it’s difficult for them to be without it since it means the inner noise gets louder (and of course must be avoided at all costs!). The difference when the music was turned off was palpable. Suddenly I could hear the landscape.
Thank you for your kind words about the blog. We do love to go exploring, and the world is full of unique and beautiful places.
Blessings, Alison
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I think many, many people would love it if you guys put together a big, glossy, coffee table book of all your photos, with captions, from your travels!!!!
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Thank you! What a lovely compliment. Others have suggested it. It has also been suggested that since coffee table books are so expensive to produce and therefore have a limited market, that we write a book about our travels and make a name for ourselves first. Either way we both feel there are several books in us about our life journey, and we expect to start writing within the next few weeks.
Alison
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I have visited Marmaris some time ago with my husband and children, so it is lovely to get a trip back down memory lane via your beautiful photos. Thank you Alison😀
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Thanks Gilda, I’m glad you enjoyed our journey, and your own through your memories. The Turkish riviera is certainly a beautiful part of the world.
Alison
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Wonderful chronicle…the mud bath looks so fun and i love the photograph of you and Don…
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Thanks Hedy. The mud bath *was* fun! We look like a couple of silly kids don’t we!
Alison
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Pure joy Alison so fun! Playing is good for us all! 😀
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Great mud shot, Alison. And lots of lovely country. And the cat… it was like a tiger stalking. –Curt
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Thanks Curt. Everyone loves the mud shot! It’s beautiful county. Wish we could have spent more time in it. Sigh. So much world. So little time. I’m glad you noticed the cat! It’s one of my favourite photos. And yes, like a tiger. There are always street cats, but I’ve rarely gotten a decent shot. This one has a bit of life to it.
Alison
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Most of my street cats are happily curled up in the sun looking quite pleased with themselves, as only a cat can. Yours was positively feral in its look. The mud was just cute. –Curt
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In my present state of mind, all I did at first was look at these photos. They were so good for my soul and slowed my breathing so beautifully that I went back and read the post (which I always do, of course, but am finding hard to do right now). Thank you for a much-needed dose of warmth and water and fun and the world beyond my nose!
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Thanks so much! This was a lovely comment to read, and I’m glad you were transported into our world for a while. I love this about blogging – so often I read others’ posts and get pulled out of my internal noise back into presence and peace, even if only briefly.
Hugs, Alison
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Love all the photos, but those of the old town of Marmaris are particularly evocative…..you can practically feel the heat, smell the air and hear your footsteps echoing off the walls.
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Thanks so much Amanda. I love your description of the old town! It was like that – hot and still and silent except for our own footfall. Beautiful place.
Alison
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Love your adventures. The travel boat day is almost an icon for travel – stupendously wondrous and ridiculously nonsensical. Love this world!
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Thanks Marsha. I do love your description – stupendously wondrous and ridiculously nonsensical indeed. Still, we had a great day.
Alison
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Adorable duo.Cheers.
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Thanks Sidran 🙂
Alison
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I saw so many of those pirate boats in Croatia a few years back! You’re not being old and curmudgeonly- I too would never set foot on one!
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Oh good to know that it’s not just us Mo. I do like to look at them though – they’re very creative, but I know I wouldn’t be able to stand the drunkenness and the noise.
Alison
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Cool
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