20 Nov 1985, Posted by Scott An Chora in Travelogue, No Comments.
11/20 Marmaris, Turkey
Kate joined us on the walk into town that morning. She needed to stop off at the post office while the two of us procured tickets for today’s journey. Kate was a very sweet lady and this was a pleasurable visit. We said our goodbyes over lunch and she saw us off at the dock. We met up with the same American gentleman we originally asked directions from when we first arrived. While waving goodbye from the ferry I noticed that he was giving Kate a ride back into the city.
The water was a bit choppy and the breeze brought a chill. Jenni was catching up on some sleep while I just took in the approaching landscape. I went to the front of the boat to get a better view of our destination, to get a little more wind in my hair. A young lady had joined me and we struck up a conversation. She was from the state of Washington and explained that she was currently living with her boyfriend who was a resident of Marmaris. Assuming she knew her way around I inquired if she knew a nice place where we could find a reasonable priced room. She explained that her boyfriend owned a hotel and that she’d call him when we reached port. Those boats apparently were never on time so her boyfriend was waiting at home for her call. He agreed to accommodate us for a dollar per night and would be arriving shortly to pick the three of us up. It appeared that our conversation had distracted our new chaperon beacuse she had forgotten to retrieve the bottles of alcohol her boyfriend was waiting on. There must have been a huge delta between the duty free and local prices, because he was absolutely furious. He flagged down a taxi and the four of us headed across to the other side of the bay.
About half way down that dirt road almost directly across the bay sat “Njotel Selan”. It wasn’t a hotel but rather a one bedroom house with a kitchen, a toilet and four separated single bedrooms behind the main house. All very small. Those rooms had no electricity and no hot water but candles provided light and blankets warmth. Once we all had gotten settled in the four of us boarded a small motor boat and headed into town. Their friends had just opened up a restaurant along the waterfront and they were eager join the celebration. We were seated at an outside table in front overlooking the bay. We drank, talked and watched the foot traffic. After the meal we wandered through a couple of the local bars until it was time to call it a night. In one of the bars there were five girls at one table that I had met earlier in Israel and I noticed Jenni giving eyes to one of the guys from across the room. Since we went there on their boat it kind of put a damper on the possibilities of freedom. It was beautiful out there on the water under the midnight moon. After a cup of tea it was off to bed via candle light.
