As I have just had a big moan about trying to get an insurance claim sorted out, I thought I should try to inject a more positive note into this edition. Lets face it, getting an insurance company to pay up , anywhere, is like getting blood out of a rock. In fact, as I recently donated some of my blood to a rock, I think its even harder.
So - Its warm and sunny, I shower in hot water from my solar panel . Summer is here !! Harika; woohooooooooo; at last. I felt really sorry for the eager yachties going out in their flotillas last Saturday, in cloud and rain, and spending the next 3 days in cloud, and rain. Imagine, you spend the winter in England or Germany or Wales even, in soggy coldness, dreaming of drifting across blue seas under blue skies in sunny Turkey, and then , what do you get – soggy coldness ! But Thursday it all changed. We drove over the peninsula to Selimiye, a beautiful little harbour on the Hisaronu gulf. Deep red poppies were everywhere, green fields had a sheen of red on them. All that rain has produced a wonderful display of wild flowers, and Osmans teeth were gleaming in the sunshine. Thats nothing to do with the rain. Harbour master/ restauranteur Osman has a full set of gold teeth, which he flashes frequently.
When I first came here, having often holidayed in Greece, I couldn’t believe the greenness. When you sail in from the west, as you leave the brown islands, barren apart from the grey of olive trees, you see the land get greener and greener as you head up the Turkish coast. The stunning combination of towering mountains, blue seas and green slopes is always breathtaking.
Right thats positive enough, I’m beginning to sound like a travel brochure. Won’t do at all.
The other signs of summer are also here of course. Signs saying ‘English breakfast served here’, cries of ‘ cheap as chips’, in the bazaar, smiling waiters trying to persuade you to eat in their restaurant , just by using their eyes. And Bar street. I like bar street. I can hear it from the boat, but it doesn’t keep me awake. In fact I often wake up when it stops. The repetitive deep base thud thud, must be like a heartbeat lulling me to sleep. Thats from half a mile away of course, I doubt anyone sleeps much closer by. But thats Marmaris, and Bar Street is a fun place to go and people watch . Chubby pink English girls in tops and skirts neither of which go down far enough to cover much, but no doubt go down quickly enough at some point in the evening. Glamorous glum Russians, tall bemused Dutch, and jolly round Germans. The handsome Turkish men who loll deciding whether to go for glam glum or chubby pink, give it all an air of slight , but safe, excitement.
The marina has changed too. Everything has been varnished at least 10 times and lots of the liveaboards have set off for other places. Now the summer lot are taking their place. They tend to be slightly more elegant, there isn’t much room for an extensive wardrobe if you are living on board a yacht, and of course many are the 1 or 2 weeks a year sailors eager to party and enjoy their holiday. New Crew Save clothes and deck shoes abound. And you can hear the sound of gin splashing into tonic as the sun goes down.
To get into the spirit I jumped in the sea off Turunc this week. Voluntarily and intentionally for a change. Well I was badgered into it by being called a wimp, but Iwasn’t pushed . It was surprisingly warm, and my heart didn’t stop with the shock. Good job , as I haven’t bothered with medical insurance either.
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