We got into Fethiye around 9PM on Monday November, 21st. The bus ride was quite the cultural experience. When we left Aphrodisias, there were only four people on the bus. So, the bus driver would honk at any pedestrians along the way, slow down, and see if anyone was going to Fethiye. We picked up a half dozen more people this way in the first half hour. Eventually, the bus got pretty full. Every time he passed or was passed by a mini-bus, they would honk horns at each other. The strangest thing that he did was randomly stop by the side of the road where a guy had a bunch of gas cans, get gas with the mini-bus still running, and smoke near the gas pump while all this was going on. It wasn't a normal gas pump either. It was a mechanical pump with an improvised funnel and a hose that went into the mini-bus. In addition to this, his cell phone was never out of his hand. He was either texting or talking the entire time. That is whenever he wasn't flirting with the girl sitting up front. At first it was frustrating, but then all we could do was laugh at the absurdity of it all.
When we finally got to Fethiye, we went straight to the hotel (see Alis Hotel Review). The next day, we got up, showered, ate breakfast, and went about wandering around the town. The very first thing I did was get a barber shop shave. It was the first time I had done it, and I was a little nervous. They move pretty fast with that sharp little piece of metal next to your throat. I can definitely say though that it is the closest shave I have ever had. It was worth the $6 I paid, and I'm hoping to do it again before we leave Turkey. Perhaps I'll get a Turkish shave complete with fire and threading.
After that, we walked along the waterfront. They have a lot of very lovely cafes lining the harbor. We stopped in a couple for tea and pomegranate juice ($1.50 for a large glass). We also saw the tourist boats, but it is low season, so they were all docked and not in the mood to try to lure us in for tours. We did a little shopping in the old district and ate lunch.
This is where the Mediterranean diet part comes in. We decided we should take in some of the fresh caught fish while we are here. For lunch we had sea bass for the rock bottom price of $11. It was accompanied by a salad. It was in the middle of town near the boats, so it was “expensive.” Dinner is where we got a really great deal. Emily got moussaka and I got swordfish steak. The swordfish steak was also $11, but it was the size of Emily's face, about an inch thick, and came with fries and a sizable salad. This was all accompanied by fresh baked flat bread, naturally. Emily's moussaka was the size of a football, and came with a separate dish for sides at the bargain price of about $9. We were absolutely stuffed after, but managed to squeeze in some baklava and Turkish coffee. We're trying not to gain too much weight, but that will be a difficult task over the next week or so as we eat make our way through the Mediterranean.
When you talk about the culture and the mini bus takes me back to when Dad and friend Jones were on the Independence and docked at a port. Remember Dad stated they rented out a little car and went into the mountains to meet the people. Remember him describing the people who used sign language to converse. Yes, enjoy the people as well as he did.
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