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Published: August 7th 2009
“Wandering re-establishes the original harmony which once existed between man and the universe" - Anatole France
Some of the most interesting traveler's stories start with, “A greasy guy approached us in a bus station with the words 'Have I got a deal for you!' dripping from his lips. Of course it was a deal we could not refuse.” Now if someone comes to you with a story like that then dig in and enjoy. Any story that starts like that has to be at least a little interesting, right? No worries, everything turns out the way it is supposed to.
Our tale starts innocently enough. After our pleasant
sailboat experience in Columbia we were giving thought to another one in Turkey. This one would be cheaper but shorter, only 4 days. Any amount of sailing is too little in my opinion but I was willing to over look that this once. We got off the bus in Fethiye, thinking we were going to have a few days to organize a boat and see some more ruins. Honestly, we were starting to get a little ruined for ruins. It's like seeing cathedrals in Europe or colonial towns in South America,
it is possible to have too much of a good thing.
As we were asking about hostels, we were approached by a man with a mullet (never trust a mullet!) who offered us deals on cruises. “Ah too bad! Next available is on Tuesday, 4 days from now. OR if you like, I maybe can get you on a ship today?” As Rick from the movie Casablanca would say, “For a price, Ugardi, for a price.” Well, I too don't object to parasite necessarily but cut-rate or not they always have to be treated with a healthy dose of skepticism.
We successfully bargained him down to something we found reasonable but I was still incredulous. This is guy was a far cry from trustworthy and I hate feeling pressured into anything. Ammi turned to me with that adventurous look in her eye and said those magic words, “I think it could work but it's up to you. What's the worst that could happen?” It still scares be a little when she says that.
I was worried about just jumping on a boat without researching it more and without even seeing the boat, but it simultaneously made sense.
If we didn't do it, we would have to pay for several nights in expensive hotels and we'd have to figure out what to do for those days in a town we knew almost nothing about. On the other hand, we hadn't done laundry since Israel and had nothing clean to wear on the boat and we were completely out of sunscreen. Not to mention the most than just slight sketchy stringy-haired mullet man that more than just a little pushy. It seems on the level though. Whatsoever would we do?
In the end, the lure of sailing won out and we booked the cruise. We started to get a little worried, however, when the organizer showed up without a uniform asking us to pay now, cash only. “Uh..........., where is the shuttle bus?” He pointed to the one place in the parking lot that was blocked by a huge pillar. “Right there.” I was doubtful. “Uh...we'll pay when we get in the bus.” He suddenly turned angry. “What, you think I'm going to grab your money and run?!” But his anger subsided when he saw we were serious. I didn't think he'd run off, but you never can
There it is!
Turkish gulet, traditional wooden boatbe too careful. My philosophy is that a little healthy suspicion helps keep people honest. We grabbed our bags, found the 'bus' which was a beat up old station wagon, and found some other travelers who confirmed that they too were booked on the boat, and we paid. So if this was a scam at least we'd all be in the same boat...or not on the same boat, as the case maybe.
After an hour and a half drive (the boat had left earlier in the day and we were catching up) the driver dumped us at a seaside restaurant and started getting back in the car. Luckily one of the guys we were with spoke some Turkish and after a brief flurry of exchange with the driver he told us: “He says we're waiting for a red boat and that it should be here in an hour.” That was slightly strange. I could imagine them right now laughing at our gullibility and rolling around in our money like pigs in mud. What are we going to do if this mysterious red boat never shows up? Does anyone know what town we're even in? Instead of twiddling our thumbs,
we decided to spend the time in the most productive way imaginable, namely figuring out how to smuggle as much beer and wine onto the boat without anything breaking in our backpacks. An hour later we were watching every mast above the rocky breakwaters coming into port. Just before the boats came into view we willed the boats red. “You will be red. You WILL be red!”
We jokingly laughed that he only told us that the boat was red because nobody painted their boats red in Turkey. “Ha ha, those stupid people will be looking forever!” An hour and 30 minutes, poor Ammi is fidgeting restlessly and her face looks close to tears, she thinks this is all her fault. Finally the guy we are with pulls out the number of the guy who drove of here and makes the call. “Hi. We booked a Blue Cruise with you and you dropped us off but we are still waiting. Can you get a hold of him and find out where he is?”he asked calmly. The guy on the other end says, “Yes, he should be there soon, just keep waiting.” “You said he would be here half an
hour ago, I want to know where the boat is,” he said tersely, exposing the growing agitation we are all beginning to feel. The guy on the other end retorts, 'That's not my problem.” CLICK. A shock wave hits the table. just as completely desolation sets in, I spy a traditional wooden Turkish boat—called a gullet, came into view, this one with crimson trim and upholstery. Is this it? We let out a collective sigh of relief and waved down the captain.
Our long-haired grizzly captain rode out to the dock to pick us up in the dinghy. We winced as he tossed our wine filled bags hard onto the deck, but luckily no damage was done to our beloved nectar of the gods. The boat was probably twice as big as the boat in Columbia, with 8 cabins, each containing a separate bathroom and bath. We felt a twang of guilt as we thought of our old shipmates. It almost felt like we were cheating on them with a different boat. We became friends with all of them and wished they were here. Would we become friends with our new shipmates? Most of them were families or couples
that kept to themselves. It remained to be seen.
Unfortunately we'd already missed most of that day's cruising, as well as seeing the Butterfly Valley. But we were just in time for swimming and dinner. I had previously decided that I would maximize my swimming to day ratio. If someone were to say “OK, guys. Time to get out of the water,” I was going to jump in and get out right away just to have one more swim. Unfortunately, as I surfaced from my inaugural dive from the side of the boat I realized that whatever mechanism that prevents salt water from shooting up my nose and into my brain pan must be getting loose at my age. I spent the next ten minutes spitting, hacking, and blowing salty snot rockets which I'm guessing did not give a good first impression with the rest of my shipmates.
Meals were great and filling. I would disappear to my cabin every so often because I 'forgot something' and emerge back on deck just a little bit drunker. “I fotally sorgot fwhat I swas getting!” The next three days were a drunken and sunburnt blur of relaxing, reading,
swimming, snorkeling, playing backgammon, exploring ruins (both sunken and dry), smoking sheesha, diving off the boat with increasingly more exotic belly flop moves (then hacking and spitting), and being woken up by mountain goats on the hills nearby. “You know Am, we lead a hard life. Sometimes I don't know how we manage.” In my mind's eye, I already owned a sailboat, plotting and planning our course through the Mediterranean. We came up with exotic ideas on how to finance it: “We'll run a sailboat school. Rich parents will pay us to offload their kids for the summer. We'll teach them European History first hand at the major sites. We'll make them do all the work on the boat, it'll be perfect!” Am responded: “As long as you don't name the boat the 'Salty Dog.' We've been over this.”
In the end, we made some friendships, but not as much as the previous boat. We theorized that the type of person who would go through the rigors of just getting to the boat in Columbia was more adventurous and less of a package deal kind of person. There were great people on this boat but we just didn't
seem to have as much in common.
The only bad part was the company advertised that we'd be dropped off in Olympos, but we were dumped an hour and a half away, forcing us to take an expensive bus. But we made it and felt the entire experience was worthwhile. I immediately wanted to look up
Findacrew.org to see if anyone would pay us to work on a sailboat because we were so thoroughly and irreparably addicted to sailing.
Moreover, the whole experience renews our faith in fate and humanity. If even a story that starts out with a greasy guy in the bus station can turnout this well it makes you think that everything, good and bad, happens for a reason. While we still maintain that a little suspicion goes a long way in an uncertain world, the next time we hear a guy whisper, “Psst! Do I have a deal for you!” we won't run off screaming. Really, what's the worse that can happen? Thanks for reading. 😱
Next stop: Olympos
***TIPS FOR TRAVELERS***
-Make sure the boat goes all the way to Olympos or Fethiye. Some drop you off in a different town and you have to pay the transport onward. Also because you just got off the boat, literally, you aren't in the best bargaining position, the transport can be pretty expensive. We went with V-GO and they dropped us off in Kale instead of Olympos. The 1 ½ hour minibus ride from Kale to Olympos cost us 25 YTL each which is pretty pricey. Know what you are getting before you book!
-It's not usually a good idea to book ahead, in our experience it is ALWAYS more expensive to book anything in advance. That said, it is a good idea to do a little online research ahead of time. If time is the crucial factor, write to a couple of companies you are interested in and email them to find out when they sail. Once you know that you can plan accordingly and when you get there you can seek out the one you want and bargain in person. If you are there a day early, sometimes you can even arrange to sleep on the boat the night before it leaves and save a night's accommodation.
-Dipping your clothes in salt water and drying them in
the sun won't clean them, but at least will get the shtank out.
-If you get to explore, Simena, a town with the castle on top that most of the boats visit, find the “I AM HERE” cafe (on the road up to the castle) and try the apple sheesha. Best in Turkey in my opinion!
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