Last Days....

Wow!  What an array!   How to choose?!

Bodrum....the city that never sleeps?

My chicken kebab attracted a few visitors to my table.

Bodrum Peninsula

I was impressed and pleased to see this cool, flowing water dish for animals in Golturkbuku.

The Turks love to play backgammon.

Golturkbuku

Farewell Turkey!

I am now on board the flight which will take me to Istanbul and then onwards to Brussels.  Over the past three days, I have savored the sights, scents and flavors of the Bodrum Peninsula, trying to soak up enough energy from the sun and sea to last during many long dark winter days ahead. 

I include here a pastiche of observations, reflections and photos from these relaxing days with little more than late breakfasts, shopping, reading, swimming, and evening strolls to give them structure. 

On Friday, I headed in the opposite direction from my hotel, away from the bustle of seaside cafés, and discovered the docks where cruiseships call to port.  Just beyond was a quieter, calmer strand of  houses, beachfront hotels and restaurants with shaded lounge beds.  I chose the first one I came to, literally, and reclined in peace.  The owners were preoccupied with a game of backgammon and paid no attention, so I didn’t even feel obliged to order a drink.  I was soon joined on my sunbed by a handsome male – a black and grey tiger-striped cat who happily sprawled next to my legs and luxuriated under my caresses.  He purred sweetly, then pounced playfully at the dangling strap from my camera as I took his picture.  Later, I ordered a salad and sat under a nearby tree, listening to gently slapping waves on the stony shore….a late afternoon swim, and then back to my hotel. 

Saturday was too lazy to even mention (lazier still than Friday!), but suffice it to say that I didn't let a day pass without a swim in the delightfully blue, clear Aegean.  Even late in the afternoon, the water is warm and I could still dry in the sun before leaving the beach. 

For my last day, I headed for the central bus station by noon to catch the convenient dolmus (mini-bus, or collective taxi) to Golturkbuku.  It was a 30-minute ride through lush pine forests on steep hills to cross the peninsula to its northern coastal shore.  Golturkbuku is known as a port of call for private yachts and boats of wealthy Turks, and I had been forewarned that prices there might be significantly higher than in Bodrum. I found the little town half-deserted, and after traversing the waterfront under a hot sun, I turned back to choose an empty dock with plenty of shaded sunbeds available in front of a small taverna.  The prices posted were no more expensive than elsewhere.  Another leisurely afternoon of reading and swimming, allowing myself just enough time to take advantage of my free Turkish bath, an offer added to my purchase of the excursion to Ephesus.

Back  in Bodrum, I asked the tour operator to arrange for a driver to transfer me to Gumbet, the next town along the coast, where the bath house was located.  It was nearly closing time, and I was the only visitor.  I had been told by other tourists that women were bathed by women and men by men, but I was greeted by three men!

The first one explained the procedure, and of course, though my bath was indeed free, the idea was that in addition, I would purchase a massage (an array of different types were on offer), a facial, manicure, pedicure, etc.  Since it was my last evening, and I had Turkish lira to spend, I decided on a back massage with oil. 

The bath began with the hamam or sauna, then I was doused with water in a lovely big room with marble floors, a huge marble slab table in the center, and a convex ceiling dripping slightly with warm drops and steam.  The attendant told me to lie down on the marble table which was very warm to the touch.  He proceeded to scrub my entire body head to toe with a rough but not unpleasant scrub mitt to slough off dirt and dead skin.  He then asked me to stand again by one of a dozen flowing basins around the perimeter of the room where he doused me again to rinse off. Once again on the marble slab, the washing began with billows of beautiful foam.  I am not quite sure how it was applied, but it glided over me as smoothly as a hydroplane over water.  I felt so incredibly clean! 

Wrapped in a towel, I was next guided to the masseur, with a brief cooldown in a waiting lounge with a bottle of cold water to drink.  Throughout the whole bath experience, I had the feeling of being guided like a child to do as I was bidden…rinsed, soaped, wrapped and led by the hand…..quite fun!

The massage that followed was the perfect way to end my vacation.  The masseur asked whether I wanted it hard or light….I opted for hard, and he covered my entire back, shoulders, neck and scalp, as well as arms, hands and fingers, deftly, expertly, smoothly!  I had taken a brief massage course in Brussels with an American from California, but this was even more deeply satisfying.  He clasped his hands with each of mine in turn, then laid each arm one after the other across the small of my back while he applied a maneuver that I would have liked to simultaneously observe so that I might try it out on others!  The 10-minute back massage I had requested for 30 TL (15 euros) seemed to last longer….the advantage of being the only customer in the place.   Afterwards, my driver whisked me back to my hotel (transport was included) and I felt refreshed and as good as new…..

Bags packed (and bulging), bill paid, alarm set, I took one last tour of town, lovely after dark  with the moon sailing in the dark, expansive celestial sea, and the many restaurants glowing with candles and lanterns.  Bodrum Castle, illuminated at night, dominated the panorama of the harbor, with yachts and cruiseships outlined in twinkling lights.  In the evenings, suntanned tourists and dark-haired locals paraded past innumerable shops beckoning with all sorts of exotic goods. 

I forgot to mention the curious procession I witnessed Sunday morning in Bodrum on my way to the bus station.  This same procession was mirrored by a similar event in Golturkbuku.  A group of men playing traditional Turkish instruments were gathered around a camel, richly decked out in a heavy oriental carpet and tasseled harness.  The long horns produced high whining strains typical of Middle Eastern music, entertaining a crowd of Bodrum inhabitants.  The camel himself sat majestically on the sidewalk while the crowd milled around, talking, women bore baskets filled with flowers, while the men sat at tables or jostled amongst the mix of locals and a few curious observers like me with cameras poised.   I never did learn exactly what it all meant! Someone suggested to me that it might be part of a wedding procession, but if so, the people attending were dressed very simply, and there was no bride nor groom in sight. 

I had seen a bride and groom along with a wedding party near the beach the day before, and they were definitely exuberantly dressed – some of the women in the wedding ceremony were wearing dresses with full hoop skirts in brilliant cascades of red. 

I like the Turkish preference for elaborate design and bright mixes of color, rich fabrics and textures – I have always had a taste for the exotic and bohemian….a riot of colors similar to the aesthetic sensibility favored by the Mexican and Peruvian folkloric artists that I adore. 

In one drugstore, I saw the largest array of nail polish choices I have ever laid eyes on anywhere! 

I will miss the sea greeting me each morning, sparkling in the sun, and oddly, I will miss the call to prayer that I could hear emanating from the mosque tower morning and evening – I found it provided a comforting regularity and rhythm to the hours each day.