marmaris
ahhhhh...... that's me on the shores of rhodes, greece, on my way back to the
ferry to marmaris. it was windy, beautiful. i'd love to see more of greece (athens,
perhaps?) time-permitting. but for a day trip, it was absolutely fantastic.
marmaris is equally charming, though overrun with tourists. it's greener, more
mountainous, and lovely. i really enjoyed it there-- it was peaceful and i could
finally relax and unwind a bit. much needed!!
spent the afternoon yesterday traveling from marmaris to istanbul (via dalaman)
and came home to a house full of people-- friends, familiar faces-- cooking, drinking
wine, smiling, laughing. i was exhausted when i arrived, but was so happy to see
my home was full of friends, everyone enjoying themselves and making me smile.
and back in istanbul....
telling stories in the living room:
overcast in marmaris
i'm writing from a little internet cafe in marmaris, turkey. it's a
small town (mostly touristic) and is surrounded by tall, green mountains
and sits on the edge of the mediterranean. british tourists abound here,
which is slightly annoying to me for a variety of reasons.... the main
ones being the interactions between british women and turkish (or kurds
or whoever) men. it's a big f***fest because the women (mostly older)
come here looking for sex and they find it with these guys who come here
solely for this reason. i guess the right people are finding each other,
but it just seems bizarre and wrong to me. like the woman i met last
night, from england-- pushing 50 with 4 kids (younger ones with her here)
who was taking home these 18-20 year old guys who speak no english.
yuck. i wonder what her kids think!??
my other problem is the fact that i had to order a türk kahvaltı (turkish
breakfast) off the menu.... because all the restaurants just advertise
the fact they have "FULL ENGLISH BREAKFASTS." ew! who would come to
turkey and need to order a full english breakfast!?!? so when i ordered
"bir tane türk kahvaltı" the waiter just looked at me and asked, "really?
you want a turkish breakfast?" yes.... it's delicious! please!
in other news.... i took the ferry to greece yesterday and spent the
day in rhodes. it was, in a word, absolutely charming. cute little old
town-- lots of little stores, much like the grand bazaar or sultanahmet,
but cute nonetheless. i walked around for a long time and then settled
in at this cafe on the crossroads of 3 streets.... sat at a table in the
sun, across from an enormous tree with full, green leaves and watched
swallows dart through the branches. it was so relaxing. i had a beer
and chatted with the waiter, a greek guy oddly named "bill" (actually
"villahnos" or something like that).
as i sat there, an old woman came up to me and wished me a happy
easter (greek orthodox easter is tomorrow, i believe) and it was so
sweet. bill the greek waiter translated her kind wishes for me, and i
was really moved by it all. i sat there for about 2 hours, enjoying
the sun, the sound of the wind in the trees, and the easter cookies
that they shared with me at the cafe. it was nice. :)
i also bought a pair of GIGANTIC fake gucci sunglasses. aw yeah. i am
rockin' the fake guccis later today......
flying back to the 'bul tomorrow... then selin leaves on monday for 3
weeks to be with her mom in france. boooooo.
mini-break
on thursday i am flying down to dalaman and then taking a bus to
marmaris, where i will stay for a night and then take the ferry
to the greek island of rhodes. i need to either renew my residence
permit or get a new tourist visa, and i decided i would rather
"force" myself to leave the country for a few days and get a new
tourist visa. it's like a mandatory vacation..... and i like it.
i need it! i am looking forward to getting out of istanbul, shaking
off some of the stress and negativity of the past weeks/months,
and sitting with a good book next to the mediterranean.
lauren & negin sent me a package and still overwhelmed by their
warmth and generosity. thai noodles! miso soup! lip gloss!!!! ahh!!
what more could a girl ask for?? if only you guys could put
yourselves in a package and mail yourselves here. :)
and yes.... there have been bombs going off here and there. i usually
don't find out about these things until the next day.... sunday's blast
did occur in bakırköy, where i teach 2 days a week, but i had left about
an hour before it happened. :(
ok.... i am off to buy my airport-marmaris bus transfer... and
maybe some sunglasses. ahhhhh vacation..... i need you.
