Bayram Blue Cruise

I am a few days out from the amazing blue cruise boat trip that I went on for the Bayram holiday in Turkey.  There is so much to tell about this trip!  I posted photos on facebook and I will attempt to post some here but I have been having some troubles with uploading here on my blog.

Nine teachers from TAC went on the boat trip.  It was organized by my friend Kerry, who had read about the cruise, made contacts, booked shuttles, and researched flights.  She did an amazing job and if she ever wants a break from teaching, she should consider travel agent.  The group left Tarsus last Wednesday evening to fly to Antalya.  From there, it was a windy two hour bus ride to Olympos.  We arrived after midnight so there was not much to see at that time.  The next morning, we walked down to the Roman ruins that are tucked into the mountains, along the river, and then lead out to the sea.

Part of the Roman ruins at Olympos

As it turns out, that's really all there was to see in Olympos.  At least as far as I could tell.  The village consisted of one muddy road with hostels, restaurants, and little snack shops.  It seemed to be a starting point for other travel excursions.  We took a bus to where we boarded the ship, and from then on it was paradise on the Mediterranean.  Altogether there were 19 passengers on the boat and 3 crew members.  The cabins slept 2-3 people and were definitely cramped and a bit rugged.  That isn't really important when everything there is to see is outside!  Our group was blessed with sunny days and calm waters.  The boat would sail for a few hours at a time, stopping for meals and swimming breaks.  All of the cooking was done on board by the Turkish crew.  We were treated to some delicious chicken, seafood, stuffed peppers for lunch and dinner, not to mention a traditional Turkish breakfast each morning.  Drinks were not included in the cost of the trip, but were available for purchase.  A nice cold Efes beer in the afternoon and a glass of wine at sunset really can't be beat.  There were plenty of places on the boat to sunbathe, read, chat, drink, relax, sleep...whatever floats your boat (can't help that pun!).  The Mediterranean waters were still warm from the summer and were clear and blue and just awesome to swim in.  The captain made a few harbor stops, so of course I used that as an opportunity to go buy souvenirs.  Two of the nights, we were anchored in a secluded bay and one night we were anchored at a harbor city called Kalkan.  Each night was filled with a delicious dinner, drinks, and games.  I have to say it felt really nice to disconnect for a while and just relax and enjoy being with some great people.  I am going to let some of my photos do the talking now....

Front of the boat, a great place to catch some sun, some great views, and relax

Cruising by another castle....I should start keeping track of how many castle ruins I see here!

Kathy and I soaking up the sun on the boat

Beautiful Kas harbor (where I did my shopping!)

Butterfly valley....too cold for butterflies at this time of the year.  And I couldn't be bothered to change out of my swim suit to hike, so I only have photos from the boat :)

Water-skiing in the Mediterranean, I never thought I could say that I accomplished doing that!

Enjoying one last sunset in the lagoon where we docked for the evening.  **Sarong is a new purchase!!**

Just awesome!!

I would definitely recommend this smaller type of cruise to anyone who wants a more authentic way to see the coast.  I have never been on a big cruise ship, but I really loved this experience.  The only downside of the trip is that my Kindle screen is ruined :(  But I will be having a new one sent out soon.  This means I will get even further behind with my book club books, sadly.  Another cool thing that some of the group did on the trip, at the very end, was go to a Turkish bath (or hamam, as they call it here).  We spent the morning in Fethiye at an old Turkish bath from the Ottoman times.  It really was the perfect way to end the trip, not to mention definitely needed after the boat cruise.  Kathy, Anissa, and I first sat in a steam room, then one by one were scrubbed and sudsed by a Turkish man.  Top that off with a twenty minute massage and we all felt like brand new women.  I was even complimented on how refreshed I looked at work the next day :)  More hamams for this girl in the future for sure!