No Shoes Allowed - a gulet diary

This diary accompanies the review of the same title which can be found at -

http://cruiseforums.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1792026

It may be of interest to those considering a gulet cruise.

Then again, it may not...

 

This was the Thomas Cook Aqua Cruise (15 October 2012 - 22 October 2012) sailing along Turkey's fabulous Turquoise Coast (sometimes known as the Lycian Route) between Fethiye and Kas. The itinerary was:

Fethiye - Kekova - Ucagiz - Kas - Kalkan - Olu Deniz - Gemiler - Fethiye

 

Monday 15/10/2012

 

A smooth flight to Dalaman, quick visa processing (£10) at the airport and efficient organization by the holiday rep precede a scenic 1-hour bus ride to Fethiye, with views of mountains and minarets, and glimpses of a turquoise sea. We switch to a minibus for the last section of the transfer and arrive in the late afternoon.

 

The tall masts of a myriad gulets are reflected in the calm, clear, blue waters of the expansive marina and at the end of a wooden pier lies the Harun Bey. She’s a modest-looking twin-masted vessel but looks to be well cared for. Leaving our cases on the pier (the crew will carry them up the gangway as the grab handle is only on one side) we step aboard and are exhorted to remove our shoes. There are eight cabins - some are doubles and some are twin. None are pre-assigned so it’s a free-for-all. JacqTar succeeds in claiming one of the doubles - cabin 3 amidships. It is relatively spacious (for a gulet) with a very adequate en-suite. There are electric sockets which don’t seem to work and enough storage and hanging space for our stuff - rather more than we expected, in fact. It’s hot in the cabin (air-conditioning is only available in the early evening) but there are two small sliding windows including one in the en-suite section. The covered, open-sided dining area is at the back of the boat as are two king-size lime-coloured loungers. There are lime-coloured sunbathing beds forward (enough for everyone) as well as a kayak and a box of snorkeling equipment. The week’s weather forecast for our late-season cruise is sunny with daytime temperatures between 25 and 36 degrees and nighttime temperatures about 10 degrees cooler.

 

Prices on the drinks list seem reasonable:

Small bottle of water - 45p

Tea - 45p

Nescafé - 90p

Can of lemonade - £1.80

Can of beer - £2.25

Bottle of white wine - £9

and JacqTar starts the holiday off by ordering two shandies which we enjoy on an aft lounger.

 

There are 15 passengers on this cruise - one short of a full complement. The travel rep comes aboard to give us a safety briefing and introduces Captain Mehmet. The other crew, acting as cook and deckhand, are Erdem and Okan. We’ll spend our first night in port, sailing tomorrow morning after breakfast. I let the crew know that I don’t eat meat, so fish or vegetarian for me please, if that can be accommodated. The captain asks us to hand in our passports.

 

Ancient Telmessos was renamed Anastasiopolis in honour of a Byzantine emperor and renamed Megri during the Ottoman Empire. In 1934 it was renamed Fethiye in honour of the aviator who perished along with his navigator in a sandstorm over the Teberiyye Desert. His statue by the marina reads, “Pilot Fethi Bey (1887 - 1914) the first aviation martyr / killed when his plane crashed / near Damascus”. Carved into the surrounding hills, the famous Lycian rock tombs can be seen - we’ll have a closer look at them when we return next week.

 

There is minimal hassle as we wander through the old town and Paspatur market where a firm but smiling “No, thanks” suffices as a response to dining invitations from the many restaurants. Amongst the wood, leather, oils, Turkish delight and craft stores is a Watch and Sunglasses store proudly displaying the oxymoronic sign “Genuine Fake”.

 

Dinner is served at half past seven. Plates of grilled mushrooms, ratatouille, chicken schnitzel and herbed yoghurt and baskets of bread plus lemon juice, vinegar and olive oil, and salt and pepper pots are laid out on the dining table. It looks appetizing, tastes even better and there’s plenty to eat. JacqTar asks for a bottle of dry white wine as we go round the table introducing ourselves. Amongst our number are an Exonian tax inspector, a Sandgrownun nurse and a Roughyed aerospace engineer turned ironing-board salesman. The call of the Muezzin reverberates from nearby mosques across the water. One of the criteria for choosing a Muezzin is the quality of his voice. It appears that one of the criteria for being on the selection committee is to be tone deaf!

 

This is a third gulet cruise for a couple from Wallasey. Their most recent trip (a different itinerary) was with a group of Germans with whom there was no bonding and so wasn’t at all enjoyable. One of their number was a fat middle-aged woman who insisted on bathing topless at all times and shouting “Geronimoooooo!!!” every time she plunged into the sea. The solo solo is originally from Hong Kong. His Irish wife is back in England - and apparently so fond of soaps that he doubts she’s noticed his absence. Everyone seems to have expected smaller cabins so we’re all pleasantly surprised.

 

Dessert is the simplest affair possible - plates of sliced banana. Might genuine delights such as baklava be served later on? I hope so. It proves to be an enjoyable, leisurely, al-fresco meal with warm company on a warm evening - a good start, indeed.

 

The marina is now very busy. Back in the market we buy a selection of Turkish Delight and a bar of pomegranate soap. The historic haman looks very inviting but we’ll save our “bath” for next week. There are no lights on deck when we return so I can’t ask for a cup of tea - not having it on tap will require a substantial lifestyle adjustment. A couple of bulkhead collisions reminds us (painfully) that we will also require a substantial posture adjustment. It seems our head-banging days may not be over just yet.

 

Tuesday 16/10/2012

 

I have a shower in bed this morning - the deck is being hosed down and I’m sleeping under the open window. The breakfast bell sounds a little after eight o’clock and the table is laid with hard-boiled eggs, tomato and cucumber, cold meat, cheese, melon, olives, honey, jam, margarine, chocolate spread, orange juice, bread, tea and coffee. Only after breakfast are we informed that orange juice is an extra. We make it understood that we don't appreciate such stunts.

 

The holiday rep, gives us a short briefing before we leave:

- Itineraries are flexible

- No jumping or diving off a moving gulet

- The captain’s word is final

- We’ll return to Fethiye next Sunday and spend our last night in port

- A tip of £25 per booking is recommended

She also teaches us a few words of Turkish which I try and note down although I’m uncertain about my transcription.

 

The anchor is raised and we drift away on a cool, calm, sunny day.

“Sehitler Olmez Vatan Bolunmez” is whitewashed onto a hillside. I wonder what that means - a political or nationalist slogan, I imagine. I shall have to ask the crew when they’re not so busy.

 

The captain leans gently on the wheel as he navigates blue waters surrounded by mountains. The day warms up quickly and most are relaxing on the forward sundeck and taking photos from the Bowsprit. Flying fish skim across the water ahead of us - but they’re too fast for my camera to catch them.

 

I ask the captain if there’s anywhere to recharge batteries as the sockets in the cabin don’t work. He has the deckhand show me where to plug in my recharger - in one of the gang sockets in the saloon.

 

We drop anchor after a couple of hours. Platters are laid out and the lunch bell is sounded at quarter past one. There are baskets of bread and platters of raw salad, cooked vegetables, and Kisir - Turkish tabbouleh cooked with tomato and pepper paste. It’s a vegetarian feast and absolutely delicious. I must be also because I’m in need of my sting-relief cream, having forgotten to apply insect-repellant. Lunch is cleared away and the captain lays out a map and explains the planned itinerary, which is the same as in the pre-cruise literature. He also tells us that next week is the last of the season, until next May.

 

The crew doze in the saloon whilst others swim and snorkel. JacqTar stays on board whilst I test the water. The current is rather strong so I keep close to the gulet. Snorkelling conditions are excellent - it’s so clear.

 

A basic afternoon tea comprising tea, coffee and plain packet biscuits is served as it should be - at four o’clock. Oscar shows us a plastic bag of squid he found amongst the rocks. We daren’t ask what he’s going to do with it but are beginning to suspect the real reason his wife might have preferred to stay at home.

 

As the sun starts to set we arrive in a sheltered bay where we’ll drop anchor for the night - and presumably avoid mooring fees. Okan takes out the motor dinghy to tie a rope around white stratified rocks. Another gulet, the Atlantis, is moored next to us. Air-conditioning comes on in the cabin but it’s so cold I turn it off.

 

Dinner, comprising grilled fish, potatoes, grilled aubergines and cauliflower, is served at half past seven. There are mosquitoes buzzing around and I forgot to bring pyrethrum coils. Conversation topics include cosmetic surgery and rag pudding - of which several of us have never heard. Dessert comprises plates of grapes. They’re too fiddly for me if they’re not seedless.

“What about the Turkish Delight we bought last night?” I ask JacqTar.

“Oh, I forgot about that. I’ll go and get it.”

We offer the lokoum around the table and it goes down very well - it must be the Bouncing Beat Water, a traditional ingredient in Turkish sweets.

“Do you have a backgammon set?” I ask the captain. “Shesh-besh?”

Excellent - he does. I show JacqTar how to play and after a couple of games she borrows a pack of cards and teaches me rummy - and is extremely miffed when I win at that also.

 

It’s blissful to lie on the forward loungers on a warm, clear night looking up at the countless stars. The quiet is wonderful.

 

Wednesday 17/10/2012

 

Today's breakfast specials are plates of omelettes and a plague of flies. The table is cleared at 9 o’clock, Okan motors out in the dinghy to untie the mooring rope and we’re soon underway on another calm, beautiful day.

“Dolphins!” cries the captain, and we all rush to watch them.

 

We’ve reached Kekova where we gently drift over the partially submerged town, sunk by an earthquake. It is a protected area where even snorkeling is forbidden so different colours in the water are the only real indicators of what is below the surface.

 

We drop anchor near the opposite shore. Kayak trains are criss-crossing the water to get a closer look at the ruins. Unfortunately we can’t use our kayak to do likewise because it was badly damaged by some twerp during last week’s trip.

 

Lunch is once again a vegetarian affair including an excellent warm, oily, aubergine salad with plenty of spaghetti to soak up the delicious sauce.

I share Indian travel experiences with Brian from Exeter. He isn’t sure whether to believe my tales of camel beauty contests, or that a “friend” tried to enter me for one such event at the Pushkar Fair a couple of years ago.

 

The captain has arranged for a boat to pick us up at two o’clock and bring us back a couple of hours later. It duly arrives to ferry us ashore. Gosh, it’s hot. We walk a little breathlessly, past tourist stalls and bars, up to Simena (present-day Kalekoy) Castle and explore around the walls where basil leaves, vanilla pods and Lycian sarcophagi are scattered about. Engrossed in my surroundings I nearly tread on a tortoise. We cool down by paddling amongst wooden piers and semi-sunken sarcophagi by a small shingle beach.

 

After afternoon tea we move just a short distance to our mooring for the night in a nearby sheltered bay. There are lots of flies although my roll-on provides some protection. Most of the passengers are a little unhappy with the captain - they think him too withdrawn and nobody has seen him smile yet. I’ve chatted with him a little but it is rather hard work.

 

JacqTar tries using a snorkel and mask and gains confidence when using a float, whilst Oscar’s latest expedition sees him triumphantly returning with a bag of oranges. What will he find next? It gets cooler as the sun starts to set so we come out of the water. Erdem is cooking burgers in the galley, I hang up some laundry on the washing lines forward and others repair to their favourite lounging spots

 

Dinner includes kofte and roasted vegetables - swimming in oil but delicious when mopped up with bread. JacqTar asks for a bottle of red wine. Dessert is sliced plums. We chat with the Exonian foursome about their previous gulet cruise.

“Was your captain the life and soul of the party like Captain Curt?”

“Well, I thought ours was taciturn until I met this one,” says Sue.

She tells us that dessert was also just fruit on that cruise although a birthday cake was served up one night. Their cabin on this cruise is more comfortable - their previous boat didn’t have the luxury of a shower cubicle, just a hose that you pulled out of the hot water tap to give yourself a spray.

 

Brian and Oscar want to learn how to play backgammon so I act as Brian’s second whilst Barbara looks after Oscar. They play to the soothing sounds of Northern Soul.

“Whilst your opponent is fretting about what to do, take a sip of beer and look uninterested,” is my advice to Brian on how to psyche out the opposition.

It’s a tight game but it works a treat - he finishes second. The experts then show the beginners how the game should be played, and I repeat my protégé’s success.

 

It’s a wonderfully clear night. The captain sleeps on one of the aft loungers and we stargaze again. It’s so quiet…

 

Thursday 18/10/2012

 

We awake to another beautiful day under a cloudless sky. After breakfast, as we sail across a smooth and shimmering sea, some of us join JacqTar doing her Pilates routine on the sundeck. That creaking sound… No, it’s not the boat. It’s me. Two hours later we arrive in Kas and the captain calls a conference in the saloon. What do we want to do tonight - stay in the harbour or drop anchor in a bay further away? The vote for the harbour is unanimous.

 

Atop hilly streets lined with pomegranate trees and bougainvillea, the Harun Bey with its distinctive green top is easy to pick out amongst the other gulets, dive-boats and fishing boats moored cheek-by-jowl. JacqTar buys a snorkel from one of the dive shops - a measure of how well she’s progressed this week. Small cafés and shops make for a pleasant area to relax by the water and in the adjacent Republic Square where a statue of Ataturk bears one of his quotes - Yurtta sulh, Cihanda sulh (peace at home, peace in the world). Watching fishermen repairing their nets, that peace is certainly evident here.

 

Almost everyone has returned for lunch. There is garden salad, cooked courgette salad, and Biber Dolmasi (gently-spiced stuffed peppers) which are so good that I have three!

 

Kucukcakil Beach is closest to the harbour but it’s very small and so sheltered and shaded that the water is very cold. We head on another kilometer to Buyukcakil Beach on a large inlet bathed in sunshine where the beach is a mixture of pebble and shingle. The Exonians have been here all afternoon and their return taxi is due in a few minutes. The water is still rather cold but there’s plenty for the snorkeler to see. I need to buy swim shoes - swimming in sandals isn’t a good idea, unless the idea is to ruin them.

 

The sun starts to set as we retrace our steps and creates a burnt orange glow surrounding hills bathed in shadow. It might have been even more evocative had we watched it from the first century Hellenistic amphitheatre where our arrival doubles the number of current visitors to one thousandth of its capacity. We test out the acoustics.

“Are you dancing?” I ask JacqTar from centre-stage.

“Are you asking?” comes her clear reply from the topmost tier.

“I’m asking.”

“Then I’m dancing.”

 

It’s chicken tonight whilst my vegetarian offering is a cheese…. something. Whatever it is, it’s delicious. There are side plates of salad, cauliflower omelette, and bulgur wheat and courgettes. Conversation includes such diverse and unconnected topics as massage parlours and Korean Air.

 

A fine evening is spent relaxing at Café Bey Bey, out on the patio decorated with lanterns and greenery overlooking the harbour. Are orchids out of season? I couldn’t get sah’lab in Fethiye and I can’t get any here. May organizes sporadic sessions of musical chairs to ensure maximum sociability. The general consensus is that the captain is a rather miserable soul. We think we’re a sociable bunch and wish he was making more of an effort. There’s no doubting his competence, though.

 

JacqTar and I are all talked out and leave to go in search of a café that might serve baklava, but our mission is a failure. We spread out on upholstered loungers at the Kirinti Café Bar in a leafy back courtyard, and while away time over a couple of apple teas. In desperation I buy a box of cookies from a nearby store - and then we encounter our shipmates swaying their way merrily back to the boat. We’re not ready to turn in just yet, though.

 

The music coming from the waterfront bars is far too loud but behind them up a hilly street is Papillon, a rather more civilised bar where the sound and quality of the music is more to our liking. We while away another hour over two more apple teas - and my tasteless, plain cookies - before heading back…and once again encounter our shipmates in an even more enhanced state of merriment. They got back to the boat to continue the party but the captain’s refusal to put lights on, on deck, prompted an impromptu conference along the lines of -

“What’sh the shensible thing to do?”

“Go….. to bed.”

“OK - let’sh go out for another drink.”

We take them up to Papillon for one last round and it’s three o’clock before we finally struggle back on board. The captain is sleeping on the aft lounger. Others are going to sleep on the sundeck….

 

Friday 19/10/2012

 

…and apparently it was very pleasant. We move off after breakfast. Why aren’t our sails raised or those on any of the other gulets? Is fuel so cheap in Turkey? After a couple of blissful hours we arrive at Kalkan - another picture-postcard town with a mountainous backdrop and a beautiful harbour and where we have a couple of hours to explore before lunch. We stroll along colourful alleys and streets, past boutiques, bars and bougainvillea, under a cloudless sky. Blue glass eyes set into the paving and walls watch our every step - and perhaps the para-gliders above.

 

After buying a pair of swim shoes (with a lime green strip to match the boat’s dubious colour-scheme), Sue recommends we try the ice-cream. My pistachio cone (that’s not a euphemism) is delicious and JacqTar’s blackberry confection (nor is that) is even more so. The Authentic Terrace Restaurant Café and Bar with its inviting outdoor shaded area covered in carpets and cushions is an ideal place to shelter from the sun and relax with apple tea and backgammon. Our stay is at least an hour too short, possibly even a day or a week.

 

Lunch consists of pea stew (a meat-free bowl is prepared for me), salad and bulgur wheat. A post-prandial air of exhaustion pervades the boat, moored in another picturesque bay. Afternoon tea perks us up enough to enjoy an hour’s snorkeling. The seascape is a kaleidoscope of rocks, seagrass and fish and the water reflects all the colours of the blue rainbow - azure, cobalt, sky, teal… but it soon turns cold as the sun disappears behind the hills.

 

On the adjacent aft lounger, some of the smokers are chatting. The smell of cigarettes doesn’t linger though, being carried away by the breeze to leave a not unpleasant mild hint of tobacco in the air. Okan is fishing portside but he doesn’t look to be having any success so I’m guessing there won’t be fish tonight…but I’m wrong because the main dish is trout. I’m uncomfortable with food looking up at me, accusingly, so content myself with the three salads - bean, potato and garden.

 

The wind is getting up and jumpers and jackets are donned. Backgammon, cards, music, drink and chat fills the night.

 

Saturday 20/10/2012

 

We set off at half past six to the sound of slamming doors. This is the first time we’ve encountered a swell. I reach for a wobble pill and eventually stagger up on deck to join the others. Erdem tells us we will be in Olu Deniz today and at Gemiler tonight.

 

We drop anchor at half past nine. The sea is calm and the famous lagoon with its tree-covered mountainous backdrop dotted with para-gliders is picture-perfect. An enterprising ice-cream seller pulls alongside as we get ready for a swim. JacqTar chats with Oscar, an experienced swimmer, who recommends a prescription mask rather than using contact lenses. She confidently swims to some rocks whilst I follow, successfully testing a waterproof pouch. When I come out of the water I find I have lots of little scratches, perhaps from being too close to the rocks.

 

After a fine lunch of courgettes, pasta, and a salad of purple cabbage, onion, lettuce, tomato and cucumber, it’s time to move on and head for Gemiler Island half an hour away. I chat a little with the captain while he fishes. He has one son, Harun, after whom the boat is named and who is at university studying German….and that proves to be an exhausting enough conversation and he retires inside.

 

More enterprising locals appear. This time it’s an elderly couple selling pancakes. JacqTar has sugar and lemon on hers (anything else just isn’t a pancake as far as she’s concerned), I have honey and lemon (just for a change) whereas chocolate and banana is the most popular choice with everyone else. They’re thin dough, rather than batter which is what a pancake should be, but they’re still tasty. Another water-borne entrepreneur approaches but there are no takers for a jet-ski experience. It prompts Little Dave and Lani to tell us about their wedding in Finland which included a forest skidoo expedition.

 

Okan will take us ashore in the dinghy whenever we’re ready but surprisingly only JacqTar and I take up the offer. Is nobody else interested in exploring the legendary island of Santa Claus?

 

There’s a small entry fee and we pick up a bi-lingual guide in English and Japanese (the latter having funded much of the excavation work). The route takes us along rocky paths and through church ruins, a graveyard and ceremonial passageways. The island used to be inhabited until the 12th century and was an important site for pilgrims travelling to and from the Holy Land. Today’s residents are a flock of farting goats. After an hour’s clambering and climbing we watch the setting sun from the highest point from where there are fine views. It’s quite dark when we arrive back at the pier. We wave to the boat. Can they see us? There’s no acknowledgement from anyone on board. Will we have to swim back? JacqTar goes looking for the island caretaker. Ah! We’ve been spotted. I can see the dinghy coming.

 

The dinner bell (I’m almost certain now that the same one is used for all meals) is rung at half past seven. The main dish is goulash whilst a very tasty egg and tomato hash has been prepared for me. There’s also mashed potatoes, yoghurt, salad, and leek in Mary Rose sauce. We chat about traffic planning and vegetarianism and then the discussion becomes particularly animated when Brian presents us with the well-known debt puzzle:

A tourist reserves a hotel room for 50 Euro saying he’ll be back in an hour to check in. The hotelier rushes round to the butcher to pay off what he owes for last week’s delivery, the butcher uses the money to pay the local farmer for the two pigs he recently bought, the farmer visits his favourite floozy to pay her for the previous night, and she uses the money to pay the hotelier for the room they used. An hour later the tourist returns and apologetically tells the hotelier he’s changed his mind, takes back his 50 Euro, and leaves behind a debt-free town…or does he?

 

Sunday 21/10/2012

 

Today is cooler with lots of clouds. Some of the others want to explore Gemiler Island before we set off but the captain says we have to go. They’re a bit disgruntled (surely an hour wouldn’t make any difference?) although I can’t understand why nobody came with us yesterday.

 

“I’m going to do something really courageous,” Brian announces as breakfast is cleared away.

“Going snorkeling?” asks Big Dave.

“No. I’m going to ask how much my bar bill is.”

“Oh, I think you should have a drink before doing that.”

A few minutes later Brian comes back and asks, “Lani, would you say we’re friends now?”

“Yes, why?”

“Will you go and pay my bar bill?”

 

The captain is more communicative this morning, telling us that we’re off to a nice bay for some snorkeling until lunch then we’ll head back to Fethiye. Brian is aft, piloting, whilst JacqTar is forward, pilate-ing. The scenery is as beautiful as it’s been all week.

 

Meat-eaters have chicken schnitzel for lunch whilst I have fried courgettes in yoghurt. My food is delicious although the chicken seems to be the first culinary failure of the week. It’s cool and breezy as we eat, with lots of cloud. A harbinger of what awaits us shortly?

 

I ask the captain if he’d like a game of backgammon. He advises me to ask Okan as he’s a better player. I would, but he’s not around. Maybe I can catch him later.

 

We arrive back in Fethiye at half past two and questionnaires are handed out. I temper JacqTar’s criticisms of the captain a little, and conclude positively with “Overall, an excellent holiday and would recommend to others”.

 

We set off into town where the fish market is an experience not to be missed - take your purchase from the central dias to any of the surrounding restaurants and for 6 Euros you’ll have a delicious cooked dish served with salad and lavas (flat bread). We’re not hungry but we have to try some. JacqTar buys red snapper and has it grilled at the Hilmi Seafood Restaurant. There’s plenty for us to share although I’m a little distracted by one of the TV adverts - for Arcelik!

 

We walk up to the Lycian Rock Tombs but there isn’t much to be gained from continuing on to the Grave of Amyntas (the ruler of ancient Telmessos) because there isn’t anything to see inside - but I wasn’t going to admit as much to JacqTar who couldn’t be bothered slogging up the dozens of steps with me.

 

An hour should be enough time to enjoy a good scrub-down at the historic Hamam. We sweat it out for half an hour before being thoroughly massaged and exfoliated. There are separate facilities for men and women, as well as for mixed which is our choice.

 

We’re a little late back for a dinner feast of roast chicken, tomato and cheese salad, cabbage, grilled mushrooms, grilled aubergines and courgettes. After a dessert of peeled peaches, we all decamp to the nearby Deep Blue Bar. Our cocktail of choice is a Tweety - pineapple juice, lemonade and grenadine. The accompanying bowls of peanuts and popcorn are irresistibly more-ish. By midnight we’re ready to head back so we leave others to revel on. The brewing storm provides a spectacular sound and light show.

 

Monday 22/10/2012

 

Those we left fairly soaked in the bar last night got another soaking on their way back to the boat. It’s cool and overcast - a marked contrast to the last few days.

“Does anybody know what the weather is in Manchester?” asks JacqTar. “It might be sunshine.”

After breakfast is cleared away, my incurably optimistic companion settles the bar bill which is rounded down to £50, payable in sterling.

 

Although most felt surprisingly uncomfortable with the very-reserved crew, they did take care of us and the boat throughout the week so I’m happy to give the traditional thank-you - for which they seem to be genuinely grateful.

 

Our departure is a jumble of handshakes and kisses. It’s been an exceptionally enjoyable, stress-free holiday and our karma remains undisturbed even when the airport bus catches fire…

 

Other diaries:

http://cruiseforums.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1770405

http://cruiseforums.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1669814

http://cruiseforums.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1584868

In case you never got the translation for the Turkish words you mention in your Oct 16 entry ... Martyrs never die; the Homeland is never broken up (or perhaps the homeland is indivisible).

 

Glad to have found your diary ... we have a gulet chartered for a family cruise next October, so we are enjoying reading about your experience.

 

Back to reading your diary.