For two nights I stayed in an abysmal hotel in Kusadasi (pronounced Kush-a-dos-uh). I booked that portion of my trip knowing that it probably wasn’t going to be the highlight of my holiday, but it was a necessary evil to see Ephesus and one other historical site I was interested in. I’m not the type of person to do something or go somewhere un-fun on holiday without a really good reason. So as I sat in my stupid little dusty hotel room with a very nice bathtub, but without any hot water (seriously), not even wanting to venture out to explore the streets around me because the entire town was just so Da*!ed unfriendly, I began to doubt myself.
Why am I here? This is dumb. This town is horrid. If this is what the rest of my vacation is going to be like, I just might *SHOCK*HORROR* hate traveling.
UGH.
I have to say that was the first time I’ve doubted my ability to plan a good holiday. I really began to wonder and worry about it. I mean, don’t get me wrong, Ephesus was great and worthwhile. But there was really no need to spend so much bloody time in Kusadasi! Blasted Turkish packaged tour booked through my Istanbul hotel.
So to my great relief, my friendly driver Yusef, from my first day in the region, picked me up from the gross little “Dabaklar-4 Star Otel” (That’s what it calls itself. Not what it really is. Well maybe it was when it opened in 1950...) and took me to the bus depot.
Why am I here? This is dumb. This town is horrid. If this is what the rest of my vacation is going to be like, I just might *SHOCK*HORROR* hate traveling.
UGH.
I have to say that was the first time I’ve doubted my ability to plan a good holiday. I really began to wonder and worry about it. I mean, don’t get me wrong, Ephesus was great and worthwhile. But there was really no need to spend so much bloody time in Kusadasi! Blasted Turkish packaged tour booked through my Istanbul hotel.
So to my great relief, my friendly driver Yusef, from my first day in the region, picked me up from the gross little “Dabaklar-4 Star Otel” (That’s what it calls itself. Not what it really is. Well maybe it was when it opened in 1950...) and took me to the bus depot.
Bus travel in Turkey is fairly comfortable and relatively easy. But those drivers sure are in no hurry to get anyplace. I think in the states the three hour drive could have been done easily in an hour and a half. It took us two hours to go 100km. (62miles) We stopped once for a five minute break somewhere in the middle of nowhere, Turkey and as I hopped out of the bus, a WALL of heat hit me like a Mack truck and a voice in my head said that that little place was what hell felt like. It must have been 120F in the shade. (I’m not exaggerating. I’m sitting now on the coast at 8pm and the temperature is a comfortable 102F.) And in that moment, I really, really felt for the Men and Women of our Armed Forces stuck out in the middle of nowhere, not too far from here. Five minutes later and one more squatter toilet later I dashed back to the air conditioned bus.
Bodrum was beautiful from first glimpse. The bus drove along the coast for nearly 20 km and I caught sight of azure blues from the Meditteranean, gorgeous little white stucco homes and fishing boats. I knew in that moment that I was out of the “funk” and safely back in the proper travel zone.
MYHEAVENSTHISPLACEISGORGEOUS!
I walked from the bus depot 4-5 blocks with my packs to my hotel, Otel Gulec, which is realllllly nothing fancy, but came highly recommded on TripAdvisor. And I was not let down. I’ll take Otel Gulec’s simple, friendly, clean atmosphere over the so-called 4 star previous hotel anyday. No TV here, but plenty of hot water in the shower and a nice big room. And a lovely garden to boot. And not more than 4 blocks from downtown and the beach. And it’s CHEAP. I paid 50 Euro for a night’s stay. Tell me where else you’re going to find a deal like that. Come. Spend a month. You’ll love it!!
I’d come back here and I haven’t even left yet.
Whereas Kusadasi was somber, dusty, unfriendly and stoic, Bodrum is merry, cheerful, clean and fun. Everywhere I walked people would stop me and smile and ask me to take their picture or their child’s photo or a photo with their dog. These people are so friendly that my jaw dropped, and I stared at them, literally. It’s amazing. I wandered down the bouganvilla-lined streets with a huge smile on my face, happily snapping pictures of everything!
Whereas Kusadasi was somber, dusty, unfriendly and stoic, Bodrum is merry, cheerful, clean and fun. Everywhere I walked people would stop me and smile and ask me to take their picture or their child’s photo or a photo with their dog. These people are so friendly that my jaw dropped, and I stared at them, literally. It’s amazing. I wandered down the bouganvilla-lined streets with a huge smile on my face, happily snapping pictures of everything!
And the coast… Oh I’ve told you all before how being on the water is always such a relief to my soul. Today was no different. I dipped my toes into the pleasantly cool Mediteranean and instantly regretted not having on my swimsuit in that moment. But it would have to wait.
You see I leave here first thing tomorrow for Kos, Greece, and I needed to arrange for the ferry ride and see a couple of important historical sites.
1st necessary historical site: The Mausoleum. The original, that is, as in one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. All Mausoleums are named after that first one. It’s not standing anymore, but you can visit the site where it stood and see some parts of pillars and reconstructed models, etc. 2nd, The Mydos Gate. This dates back to the 4th century BC. It was built by King Mausolus to protect the city and today portions of the Gate have been reconstructed. It’s a really cool site to see and look out over the city and the port below. (Photos of sites to come in a later post.)
1st necessary historical site: The Mausoleum. The original, that is, as in one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. All Mausoleums are named after that first one. It’s not standing anymore, but you can visit the site where it stood and see some parts of pillars and reconstructed models, etc. 2nd, The Mydos Gate. This dates back to the 4th century BC. It was built by King Mausolus to protect the city and today portions of the Gate have been reconstructed. It’s a really cool site to see and look out over the city and the port below. (Photos of sites to come in a later post.)
Did I tell you that in order to access those sites I shlupped myself (on foot) up into the hills at 4pm when it was at least 110 degrees? HOLY COW. I felt as though I needed an IV of water dripping constantly into me just to make up for what I was losing in sweat during the hike. On the way back to my hotel I downed two bottles of water, a sparkling water and a Starbucks Raspberry smoothie thing. (Don’t hate… I’m not a chain food supporter – but sometimes a girl just needs some home comfort/Frozen flavor goodness and raspberry is not a common flavor here. Thanks for taking over the world Starbucks.) I didn’t get to see the cool 14th century castle in the harbor (the inside), but I watched the sun set over it as I swam in the refreshing ocean next to it.
No comments:
Post a Comment