Tonight, the famous Halikarnas Disco is silent…..what a
relief! It is located just 25 meters
from the entrance to the small family-run hotel where I am staying. The disco was established in 1979, at the
height of “disco fever.” (Remember John Travolta in “Saturday Night
Fever”? Think of the Bee Gees, Donna
Summer, and Regine’s in NYC…) Halikarnas
boasts itself to be the largest disco in Europe,
with a capacity of 4,000, mostly outdoors.
Friday and Saturday night, the disco was in full swing, with a huge
illuminated orb seen all along the beachfront of Bodrum, and a green laser beam
cutting through the sky.
Sunday is not a holy day in Muslim Turkey….Friday is the holiest day of the week,
but in secular Turkey,
shops are open every day, and until very late hours. Last night, I was strolling back to the hotel
after midnight, and saw many shops still open for tourists…shoe-shopping at
1:00 am? If the desire strikes you….
Interestingly, right beneath the tower of the central mosque
here in Bodrum is a rather large shop selling all manner of items. It is a curious juxtaposition of religion and
commercialism, but quite a practical use of space. It appears to me that Turks are very
hard-working. Indeed, in the private
sector, workers have only two weeks of vacation per year, similar to their
American counterparts.
Yesterday, I traveled by dolmus (minibus) to Karancir Bay (direction Akyarlar) where I spent
the day relaxing under a beach umbrella on a chaise longue. The Turks have a nice system whereby comfortable
lounge beds with large cushions or beanbags are provided free of charge, as
long as you order drinks and perhaps have lunch at the local restaurant. The waiters come by periodically to bring you
whatever your heart desires, and serve you with a smile! For lunch, I tried two delicious salads – one
called deniz borulce (green beans from the sea….delicious! – and the second a
mixture of roasted aubergines and
peppers in a yogurt sauce. I also had a
chicken kebab and the local beer, Efes. After such a full lunch, I had to flop
on my lounge bed again for an hour to digest before going for a wonderful swim
in the Aegean Sea. The weather here is a delicious 27-30 degrees
during the day….like a lovely summer day with dry heat, no humidity.
Today, after a traditional Turkish breakfast at my hotel,
(very much like a Bulgarian breakfast
with cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, white cheese (feta), yellow cheese
(kashkaval), bread, salami, watermelon, small cakes, boiled eggs), I again
headed for the central bus station to catch a dolmus to Torba. To reach the bus station, I walk along the
edge of the sea on Cumhuriyet Caddesi
past a lovely Turkish tea garden under a grove of trees, past numerous seafront
restaurants and shops, then turn towards the mosque, left on Ataturk Caddesi,
then right on Cevat Sakir Caddesi. It is
important to note that “c” in Turkish is pronounced “g” /tdz/ as in
“generous.”
Torba is only 8 kilometers away, and was an even more
pleasant spot to spend the afternoon lounging by the sea. I chose a wooden dock with mattresses to lie
on, and large umbrellas for shade. The
staff brought me a fresh-squeezed orange juice, and later a coffee frappe, all
with a price of course! The sun was
hotter today, but there was a pleasant breeze, and I took a long swim in the
sea, jumping off the dock. The restaurant lulls us with a pleasant mix of
American jazz, as well as French, Greek, Italian, Spanish and a few Turkish
standards. There was an eclectic mix of people there, mostly Turkish, but one
group of four was very curious – an American man in his early 40’s perhaps,
with another male, English-speaking but non-native. The two men were sunbathing, but periodically
went to speak with two women, much older, who were dressed chastely as Moslems
with long black garments, and head coverings.
The four of them had lunch together, then took off in a rented car. I wish I had gotten their story…..
Back in Bodrum this evening, I went to the local grocery
store to buy a few items to have in my room for supper. I decided to purchase some yogurt, and went
hunting for a spoon. I enlisted the help
of a young man working in the store, and had to mime eating with a spoon, as he
initially thought I was looking for a cup. This led to his asking me for the
English words for the plastic forks and knives which we also found. I offered to write the words down for him,
after I tried spelling them out loud for him (‘knife’ being such an
illogically-spelled word!) He seemed really pleased with the free
English lesson, so we continued to speak.
I told him that I am a teacher, and he appreciated my patience as he
struggled to answer questions I asked him about his studies. He asked if I
spoke Turkish, and I had to admit I didn’t know the most basic expressions
other than “Merhaba.” Dogan, as he is
named, then helped me learn a few basic expressions such as “tesekkurler”
(thank you) and “rica ederim” (you are welcome).
We had a nice exchange….
I hope to visit Bodrum a bit tomorrow, going to the Castle to see the arecheological museum of underwater treasures which is highly recommended. I might also check out the
beach at nearby Gumbet. On Tuesday, I
want to make an excursion to Pammukkale, and Wednesday to Ephesus. More details on this
later in the week!
I concluded too soon that the great Halikarnas Disco would be
silent tonight! Now they are pumping it
out….soon I will hear the deejay shout: “Are
you ready to party?!”
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