I had a bit of time in Bodrum this morning, so I checked out of my Hotel and walked around a bit. Bodrum is pretty for a tourist town. There were people from all over the world in the harbor area, but the locals refrained from bothering the tourists more or less.
The city has a large natural harbor and has been a strategic point since before the Ottoman empire. As such, it s most prominent feature is a large fort on one of the inlets. After escaping the main tourist streets, I found the architecture to be quite pleasant. There were some great backyard gardens that were visible from the street, and the city was very clean.
After a few hours, we boarded Serenity. We met the crew first: Alı, who was our host and primary contact leading up to the trıp; Lauren, a kiwi who recently graduated from high school and was travelling the world for a year before heading off to college; Adam, our captain and great guy, and Alphay, our incredibly talented chef.
Serenity is a modern take on a traditional Spanısh gullet. She ıs a mix of wood and fiberglass with an extra lounge area above the main cabin. We are in for fun times!
Our first stop was a secluded cove near Bodrum where we snorkled for a bit, dined on fresh leeks, pasta and salad, and worked out an itinerary for the next two days.
The travel finally caught up with me - I passed out for several hours. We sailed while I slept and arrıved in another cove where we spent the night. Dinner was fantastıc and consisted of samfıre (a local vegetable that grows on the rocks and is similar to seaweed), beets, dolmas, beans and potatoes, fresh fruit and Turkish coffee. Others had shrimp salad and fresh grouper.
