DUR (Stop in Turkey)

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So after a nice ending to Kas, I make my way to Fethiye. The public bus system is interesting in Turkey. The buses are like shuttle buses (not coach/not minivan). Even though they have destinations listed on the front of the bus, they make stops on the side of the road for locals. They also drop off locals wherever they want. Today I was on a bus that stopped to deliver 2 separate packages. Interesting I thought. After a scenic 2 hour drive I arrive at Fethiye.

Antonio Banderis picked me up from the bus station (well a 20 something Turkish man with green eyes who is simply gorgeous). This is the 1st Turkish man that I am actually attracted to as many of them aren’t my cup of tea. He worked at my guest house. I dropped my bags off and took the 20 minute walk into town. This place is a paradise for all types of boaters – sailing, yachting, fishing, etc… the water is a great shade of turquoise and the smell of the sea is lovely. Once you hit the main town, there are maybe 50 or so different restaurants to choose from – it was never ending. There were even restaurants on boats. The shops were typical tourist souvenir shops to high end shops. They even had stores like Nike, Benetton and stores with Gucci knockoffs! This town is much ritzier than Kas and far more developed than Olympos. The thing to do here is spend time on boats – day trips and such. As I didn’t have a full day here, I spent most of my time wondering around the town. Antonia (obviously not his real name) invited me for some tea on the guesthouses boat. I guess I lost track of time as by the time I was done wondering, he was no longer where he said he would be. Whoops.

I make my way back to the guesthouse when I decide to get some water. An old man in his 70’s or even 80’s welcomes me with kisses from cheek to cheek. Weird… I simply wanted water. He insisted I have a beer. He backs me up into the corner where you open the fridge with the waters and beers and he gives me more kisses and grabs my right boob. Ummmm – OYE. I am thinking is this an accident or is this guy a perve. I end up taking a sprite and leaving 2 lira. He put a beer in my bag anyway. He grabs my arm insisting I try his nuts (like peanuts people). I just grabbed his arm and pulled it off of mine. I left laughing, but a little concerned. When I made it back to my guesthouse I told Antonia what happened and he asked if he can call the police as this guy is the neighborhood perve! Of course of all the stores I walk into – I walk into this store. OYE again.

So I ask Antonia for a glass as I might as well drink my well earned beer. He joins me and shares the beer as I didn’t really want it. Before I knew it he was rubbing my shoulders and asked if he could crack my back. Sure – this day couldn’t get any weirder. I excused myself after the back crack to simply hide out for a bit before dinner. I am not feeling this Turkish version of Antonia.

I plan on sitting still in the morning before I take off to Pamukkale which is supposedly a 4 hour drive (I never have any expectations anymore of timelines in Turkey)!

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