Luvelly Jubeeley

All our usual blog followers will know that I generally write about all our daily trials and tribulations in 2 or 3 postings over the course of a week but when we are away it is usually Phil that records our travels. Normally he is very disciplined and will download the photographs on a daily basis and write his journal every evening, but not so on this trip. Since we’ve been in Marmaris I think he has only managed 3 postings and one of these he drafted before we left home. There are many reasons for his absence; first up, we have no broadband connection at our hotel. We tend to publish at our local, the Hotel Aloe www.hotelaloe.com.tr which is just down the road but even the internet connection there is a bit ‘hit and miss’. Technical excuses aside, probably the main reason for not updating is this hot weather, with temperatures in the 40’s some days it’s hard to get motivated to type, when instead you can be sat in a bar with a bottle of cold of beer.

We’ve spent quite a lot of time with Sharon & Danny. They’ve been to Turkey many times and have gone out of their way to show us the markets and bus routes; they’ve also been good enough to take us out to some of their favourite bars and restaurants. I haven’t had chance to read Phil’s last few blogs so forgive me if I repeat myself. He tells me he has got up to last Wednesday. I’m struggling to remember all of the stuff we’ve been up to since then so my blog today will be a hasty summing up.

Before we left the UK, Phil briefly emailed Lynn & Mick from Byron Bay in Oz, just to ask what they’d been up to and to tell them about our last minute trip to Turkey. Lynn emailed back almost straight away to say that she & Mick were currently touring Turkey and maybe we could catch up. We thought it was a weird coincidence that they would be in Turkey at the same time as us and were delighted at the chance of catching up with them again. Lynn said that were travelling in the mountains having flown into Istanbul and were at some point making their way down to Marmaris to en-route to the peninsular. Anyway, having arrived in Marmaris last Monday, we didn’t have any other communication until we picked up an email on Friday morning, sent from Lynn the day before to say they were arriving in Marmaris on Thursday evening. As we didn’t read her email until the following morning Phil replied telling her where we were staying and hopefully we could meet up on Friday night. I am making it sound more complicated than it was, but to cut the garbling, Lynn, Mick & their friends, Barb & Al turned up at the Hotel Aloe on Friday night. It was wonderful to see our Aussie friends and Sharon & Danny also joined us. We ordered food and drink, caught up with news and watched the belly dancing. It was a good evening and I know we will cross paths with Mick & Lynn again. I don’t know when or what country but they are like minded travellers so it is inevitable.

On Saturday morning Phil got up at 6am because we had a day trip booked over to the island of Rhodes. We didn’t get to bed until 2am so we struggled to get out of our room in time, just getting a quick window to slurp a cup of tea from the night watchman before getting picked up by the bus at 7.30am. When we got to the port we didn’t realise that we had to pay £30 port tax. We weren’t happy because we’d already paid £60 for the trip but they wouldn’t let you on the catamaran unless you paid up. There was a bit of waiting around but the catamaran eventually left at 9am and we were in Rhodes just before 10.30am. It was another boiling hot day and we walked from the port into the old town of Rhodes. It was pretty enough with lots of shops, bars and restaurants within the town’s ruins. After 2 hours of walking around which included a beer and a lunch stop we’d pretty much done Rhodes centre which meant we had 3 and a bit hours to kill before catching the catamaran back to Marmaris. It was a shame that we hadn’t done our research and hired a motorbike from the port so that we could explore the villages and sites outside of the tourist centre. We killed time by walking, doing 3 more circuits of the centre ruins before going to the port at a ridiculously early time. An expensive day out and I wished we hadn’t bothered. It was half past six by the time we got back to our hotel, so a very long, hot and tiring day.

Yesterday it was my birthday. I did very well this year, normally Phil doesn’t bother with presents, booking us a holiday instead. But this year, as well as the holiday, he brought me a new travel kettle, a bottle of perfume and a Clinique mascara. He’d also had the forethought to buy me a card from home and had a couple of other cards from family and friends that he remembered to hide in the case. Not only was it my birthday (my 45th) but also my twin sisters birthday; by some freak coincidence they were born on the same day. But they’re a year younger than me, something they are always reminding me of!

We went down to the beach for a couple of hours then went to the Aloe Hotel for a beer. Sharon & Danny came up from the beach and they stopped for a beer and we had a full English breakfast. The food at the Aloe is not what I would call amazing but it’s all very well presented and they do a fabulous full English. Probably the best that I’ve every eaten away from home. Phil was desperate to watch the Silverstone Grand Prix so the waiters fiddled with the remote and EVENTUALLY they found a channel that was showing the race. Unfortunately the commentary was in Arabic and the picture was very faint but at least the boys got to see it live.

Sharon and I left the boys watching the racing and walked down the road to a beauty salon that Sharon know of that was offering a manicure and pedicure for £12. The salon was busy with a bridal party who were getting curls in their hair and makeup. We took our turn in line and it was obvious after a while that it was going to be a long process as there was only one beautician and naturally the wedding guests had to take priority. Some 2 hours later we met back up with the boys in the bar. I was really pleased with my hands and feet, they looked the best they’d looked for ages and it was well worth the money.

For my birthday meal we’d reserved a table back at the Aloe. You don’t have to book but Phil & Danny wanted the nearest table to the telly so they could have prime seats ready for the cup final. When we arrived, David, the head water, had decorated the table with flowers & other stuff which was really sweet. I wasn’t too surprised because he’d told me earlier that “I make you sexy table tonight darling, especially for you”! We all ordered the special and Phil treated me to a bottle of wine. A bit later, the staff did their usual dancing, dragging me with themand then serenaded me with a cocktail and sparklers. This did surprise me and embarrass me a little but again a sweet gesture from the staff. We stayed to watch the cup final and then it was back to the hotel at midnight.

This holiday was a last minute cheapie and I had no great expectations of Marmaris. I knew that it would be touristy of course, I had visions of tacky foam parties and high rise hotels but really it’s not as bad as I’d imagined. Lovely Jubley, a saying which you will hear on the lips of every waiter in any bar you visit, are probably 2 words that sum Marmaris up for me. The waiters are pretty and helpful and if you can laugh at their repetitions of English phrases & sayings copied from tourists and their over the top, and totally insincere declarations of love, then you’ll be fine. Marmaris is what it is, no more and no less. Yes, the beaches are packed and they do have foam parties, English breakfasts and roast dinners on Sundays; they are there if you want them but you do have other options. Our little hotel is two or 3 blocks up from the main drag and the sea front which I am pleased about. I wouldn’t want to be staying in the centre right amongst the nightlife. I couldn’t help comparing Marmaris with Kalkan, where we went last year but this is unfair, as the 2 places are completely different. I much prefer Kalkan of course but Marmaris has some of the same delights such as the sun and the sea, the food, the many boat trips and the Turkish baths. There is so much that I still want to fit in before flying home.

Today Sharon & Danny flew home to Wales. We met them for coffee first thing this morning so we could have a chance to swap addresses and say our goodbyes. They’ve been good fun this week, laid back and easy to spend time with. We’ve shared many bottles of Effes over several days and it was sad to wave them off on the bus. Hope you had a safe flight home to Wales guys and maybe we’ll see you for a reunion back in Milton Keynes???