Turkey- Fethiye

We arrived on the 20th with all of our stuff and officially out of the Caucasus region. It was a fairly smooth transition for us. It wasnt so smooth for the French guys that thought they lost each other at the airport only to be reunited on the bus to the plane, but that is neither here nor there. We were picked up at the airport by our hostel and driven to our place of residence for the next four, exhausting, luxurious days. Yildirim Guesthouse is where its at in terms of hostels in Fethiye, it was pretty great. Very close to everything we wanted to do, people were very friendly and helpful, and the breakfast did not disappoint.

The first day we arrived, we gorged ourselves on doner kebabs and later fish sandwiches. Cheap and delicious, street food is the heart of any country and Turkey does it pretty well. For about 4 dollars, you can get a chicken sandwich about as big as your head with all of the fixings and pickled peppers to boot. Later on, Ms. Dee and I found some for about 2 dollars that was even better than the first. And the woman that made it was super nice and friendly. Always smiling.

One thing I love about Turkey is the vendors. They are flirtatious and funny and play off of each other in hilarious ways. I think that at some point in my life I want to be a street vendor so I can harass strangers as they walk by. You may pick up sarcasm but let me assure you I am being completely serious. I already have a few lines to use on people. Although, I hate to say this and I dont mean to sound sexist but I am not sure a female could be as effective in the vendor department as these guys are. I also would need a team member that I could play off of... so many options for my future.

I am writing this blog as I drive along the coast. Well, I am not driving, the bus driver is driving, and it is beautiful! The green, brown and rocky hills with the dramatic blue sea coast is wonderful! Im not on the correct side of the bus to take pictures so I cant quite share with you the scenery, but trust me when I say it is beautiful.

Back to Fethiye. We had one day of relaxation and a beach day before we began our training. Our SCUBA training!!! On a Sunday stroll along the boardwalk, we met up with our boat crew- Maria, Can, and Michael from Dolphin Diving. They gave us a quick tour of the boat and our course and then gave us homework. A video and the manual, which we all watched and read without a single hesitation. I promise (now you can pick up the sarcasm). Monday our training started. Ms. Dee, Vin and myself were all going to start our certification course. None of us had been diving but we all snorkeled before. The first dive was pretty amazing! I had been having sooo many dreams about diving that I dont think it actually hit me that I was diving. It almost seemed natural to me, not saying I was the best at it, just saying it was exactly what I expected it to be.

I love diving already and after three days of studying and hard work, I am officially certified and once I fill out the paperwork and send it in, I get a card to prove it. Dont worry though, although we were on the boat from 9 am until 5-6 pm, it wasnt all hard work. In case you were concerned I was over-doing it with the stress and homework, there was plenty of time for swimming and laying out. Along with a delicious lunch, cooked by Maria, this was more of a cruise with a few minutes of instruction thrown in.

Between the sun and the diving/swimming, we were exhausted every night. We would take a stroll along the boardwalk and people watch and then tuck in for an early night. Every night when my head hit the pillow (around 11), it was lights out and no waking me up until the morning. I slept hard and I think it is finally catching up to me to relax. It has taken a while to realize that I am not working, I am just enjoying this adventure. Although within every adventure is a certain amount of stress and traveling is not a walk in the park. It can be exhausting but I enjoy this kind of exhaustion. I enjoy this kind of "work." I really should be a planner of some sort.

Well those are my random thoughts of Fethiye. I really enjoyed the town, the people and the experiences there! I had a wonderful time diving and even though it was a few dollars I didnt quite need to spend, I am glad I did. This is a lifetime certification and I know there will be many more dives after this!

Next up is Selcuk and Ephesus and after that who knows, possibly Istanbul. Hope you are all well!