Bad hair Last Day

In the past some of my girlfriends have commented on the fact that Phil likes taking photographs of the back of me walking in the distance. They are right but it is not entirely his fault. I really dislike having my photo taken so Claire from behind is his only choice of shot. Occasionally he catches me out and I get cross with him. Sometimes I edit soon after he publishes but more often than not I let them stay. But the years have not been kind; I used to kid myself and blame the shots on the camera (and the photographer) but recently I have had to come to terms with the fact that the bad pictures are because I look so shit. In recent years on holidays in the sun my nose has burnt and scabbed over. And this holiday is no exception. I have read that this is because, as we age, the skin gets thinner and therefore is more prone to damaging sun rays. I don’t think I have a particularly large nose, my belly probably sticks out more, but there you have it, I have a scabby nose. My Australian friend Lynn introduced me to a silicone sun protection which was great. I did buy some out in Oz but then gave the bottle to my sister. She suffers from Lupus and has to wear sun cream at all times so I figured she needed it more than me but I think when I return home I shall have to invest in another bottle. If a scabby nose wasn’t too much to contend with then I also have been suffering from bad hair days. I think I mentioned before I came that I had had a really bad cut and colour. I have not been able to do much with my hair out all; whilst in Rhodes I bought a black hair bad and have had to wear it every day since. Bad hair, scabby nose, out of shape body and shades does not make for a good look!!!!

I was really sorry to have missed out on my Turkish bath especially as this is the first time that I had been able to persuade Phil to accompany me. I have had many massages over the years in India & Thailand but Phil has always woosed out. He doesn’t know what he has been missing. But 70 euros for 45 minutes is way over the top and it was the right thing to walk away. I did pop down to the beauty salon last night to get my eyebrows threaded and the girlie there did a brilliant job. It only cost 4 quid and so well worth the money. After my black eye experience I don’t even attempt to pluck anymore.


Our second week in Turkey has been very different from the first week. Don’t get me wrong I really enjoyed spending time with Sharon & Danny. The market in Ishmeler was an experience and we both enjoyed the midnight cruise. Of course the highlight of last week was having the chance to meet up with Mick & Lynn and their friends again. This was indeed, an unexpected bonus. I have enjoyed having the bike and all the freedom that it brings. At first, I was nervous especially after the first bike breaking down and the puncture on the second bike which was a bit of an expensive nightmare. But that said, it could have been worse, we could have experienced the blow out right in the heart of the mountains and then it would have been a long walk to the repair shop. You forget just how stifling Marmaris can be when you are in amongst it all. It’s only when you ride up the hill and driving through the mountains looking back down at the harbour then you realise how free you are, it’s like a different world. I said to Phil, it’s rather like going out to dinner in a tight pair of jeans, eating your meal and then coming home and undoing your top button and pulling down your zip and letting it all hang out. I’ve loved the bike especially when we don’t have to wear the helmets. We did wear them on the big main roads but around town and in the villages and mountains we haven’t bothered. It’s lovely feeling the wind through your hair and on your face. Mind you it’s a little cramped on the scooter and it’s not done my back any good. I’ve taken lately to hanging my legs out so I get them tanned but this does get tiring after a while and it’s not the best thing for overtaking vehicles!

We had a late night (again) in the Aloe bar last night and didn’t get to bed until the early hours. I’m not sure how this happened because it wasn’t meant to work out that way. We’d gone down early to post the blog and have a couple of beers and then all of a sudden it was midnight. We didn’t wake up until gone 11 and only then because the cleaner was banging on the door. We said “go away”, no not really, we shouted “thanks but no thanks” and having missed breakfast we decided to jump on the bike and head out of town. This time we headed out by the port not really sure what we’d find because our map is crap. However, we were pleasantly surprised as we found we could drive right by the shore line taking in lots of little places where the locals were picnicking by the sea. Phil was feeling unwell so we settled in a small village, parked the bike and stopped in a bar for some brunch. We both ordered egg and chips (how English is that?) the perfect hangover food. We’d not long ordered when Phil turned a funny colour and had to rush to the loo. He was violently sick and only just made it to the bog before throwing up his guts. Bless ‘im. He barely managed his food but he made a gallant attempt. I really wanted to chill out on the sun beds but it was pretty obvious that we had to get home hey pronto and get Phil in his bed and close to his own toilet.

So this is our last day and the last blog from Turkey. Have we enjoyed the holiday I hear you ask? Well for a last minute, cheap as chips it’s been just what the doctor ordered. Phil had been a bit down before we left, I’m sure whether it’s because of his recent diagnosis of diabetes 2 or the fact that he can’t get any work. I hadn’t really wanted to come away thinking the holiday was slightly indulgent bearing in mind we are both out of work. Also I wanted to stick around for the house viewings. But Phil has cheered up considerably and is almost back to himself so for that reason alone, I’m glad we came. It’s just such a shame that Phil is feeling so rough on our very last day. We had planned to chill out on sun beds and catch the sun but that hasn’t happened today. I did spend an hour by the pool but came up to the room to check on Phil and helped him with the crossword and also to do the blog. My only second posting in 2 weeks away.

We soon learned that our hotel ‘My Way’ had only been opened for 2 weeks when we first arrived. This was very apparent and I promised myself that I wouldn’t publish a review. Whenever we travel I always post a review on ‘Trip Advisor’ giving my/our opinion on the very best and the very worst. However things at ‘My Way’ having taken a turn for the worse in our second week, so unfortunately for them, I will be posting a review just as soon as I get home. On their last day, Sharon commented that things should get better in 4 weeks and Danny butt in to say “more like 4 years” and he is right. Phil tells me that this hotel used to have crap rooms but a brilliant restaurant. He has read that was an incident involving child abuse by a waiter involving a 6 year old daughter of a holiday maker. I hate this sort of stuff but our guess is that the previous owner decided to sell up. The new owner, and I don’t know who he or she is, have refurbished the hotel and the restaurant. The rooms are okay but very small, magnolia inside with decent balconies. Plenty of hot water but there is no room to swing a cat. The restaurant is lacking as is the service. The waiters are willing but there is a hierarchy in the management not trusting the staff, who for the most part, don’t speak English. We have paid for drinks that we’ve not had, we’ve been served warm beer and we have waited, what seems a lifetime, for food and drinks that have been wrong when they’ve eventually turned up. The biggest problem is the management. The young waiters thing they are gods gift to women (and men) and when they address Phil as ‘Big Papa’ it pisses me off. The senior members of staff, who for all I know, may be part of the management, are not much better. I call them the mafia. The blaring music all hours and the constant hassle to eat and drink in the restaurant every time you come in and out is relentless. It’s a bit like Faulty Towers and Ibiza town mixed in. The trouble is My Way is aspiring to be something it’s not. As the tour operator says who works and lives across the street, My Way is a restaurant and not a night club. At the end of the day it’s a modern 2 star basic ‘Otel’ and they should concentrate on getting the basic customer service right before going on to better things. I could say more but I won’t, suffice to say, that we won’t be coming back!

It’s getting late so just time to do a quick edit and sign off. Phil hasn’t been ill for at least half an hour so the plan is to take the bike back, get some cash out of the hole in the wall and then ack the cases. Talk about last minute. If Phil is up to it, we shall grab a quick bite to eat and then come back to the hotel for a few hours sleep before our bus transfer at 1.40am. Somehow me thinks it’s going to be a long night…………..