Selcuk, Turkey Day 1

Selcuk,Turkey Day 1

Holy cow! It took some work to get to Turkey. We had to stay at Mykenos, get on the 2 am ferry, with a huge wait at the port, board, crash for a few hours, arrive in Vathy on Samos, get on small ferry to TK, get visa, pay port tax, get in town, find bus, get to Selcuk, and hike up road to hostel. But you know what? After arriving tired, hot, sweaty, hungary, it was totally worth it. We are staying at a little oasis on the top of the mountains in Turkey. The place is run by an Aussie Turk with his buddy. It started as a little house owned by his parents and now is a lush resort-like hostel for travelers. It's out of the main hostels of Selcuk and vicinity, and very peaceful. There are fruit trees all around with plums, apricots, and peaches that we are encouraged to pick. This evening there will be a provided dinner for everyone as well as a breakfast. The grounds are overlooking the Aegean sea in the distance with many mountain peaks visible. A natural spring feeds the swimming pool that has no shallow end. There is a bar, pool table, ping pong, showers, benches, bean bags, hookahs (called nargile in Turkish,) wifi, and comfy beds. What else could we want? .... Maybe a free massage, but that won't happen. There is an older Taiwanese woman that has taken a liking to us and wants to talk travel about the whole area. We ran into her on our way up here from the town walking. She is also doing a huge trip finishing in Berlin to see her son do the marathon there in the city. Good talk, and full of information.

So far, the Turkish people are very friendly and want to be sure that you are having a great time. After leaving the port we were walking through town and a man approached us on a bicycle. As in Greece, I tried to just say hi and walk the other way, but he wanted to see if we had a place to stay. He felt that we were a little cold to him and let us know that in Turkey not everyone is trying to trick you and take your money. So, we then agreed with him and tested his statement and asked were to go for the local bus to Selcuk. He provided us with good info and we were then off in the right direction. Good work dude! After a quick lunch in a hectic bazaar area of town, we headed to the bus station and came into Selcuk. Instead of taking the provided bus, we walked what we were told was 2.5 kilometers. After walking for a really long time with heavy packs, we got here. Thank God. The beating sun has now subsided and we are now left in a beautiful oasis in the Turkish mountains. Way to go team!