Bodrum, Turkey

Day One

We arrived in Bodrum after a twelve hour bus journey from Istanbul. Not a bad trip, fairly comfy, TV’s in the head rests, WiFi, and free drinks and snacks. The only real downside was the fact that there was no toilet on the bus, and some very strange smells from other passengers that are best not mentioned, and it was a tad too warm for our liking. On a night bus it is good to have some kick-arse a/c so that you can wrap up and sleep. All in all the Metro Bus was very good, clean, and arrived at our destination one hour before scheduled.
Not having had much sleep during the night, we still managed to explore a little of the town, just the tourist streets, and a quick look at the harbour before tiredness got the better of us.
Whilst wandering the streets of Bodrum we engaged in a little retail therapy. I picked up a new pair of sunglasses for 20 Turkish Lire, my fifth pair during this trip; not sure why I can’t seem to make them last, although in my defense I did give one pair away and others simply vanished into thin air. We also purchased a couple of deodorants; much needed in the scorching temperatures, and a pair of nail clippers; one of dozens we’ve purchased during our current travels, because every time we fly we only travel with cabin luggage so we have to throw them away.
Agh, such extravagant shopping, it sure is great living the high life.
We had a late breakfast/early lunch in a cafe by the marina. The food was not that great, and it was way overpriced. After we’d eaten, to compensate for the disappointing grub, we sat at a beachside bar watching life on the narrow Bodrum beach, with Bodrum Castle in the background. Very relaxing. Then it was back to our hotel for a much needed siesta.

Day Two

In the morning we visited Bodrum Castle (blog post HERE), then stopped for a drink before wandering round the shops, looking for a hat for Laura. Shopping was a failure so we gave up and had lunch at Dinc Restaurant. A good meal of chicken shish kebab, a mixed salad, and aubergine with yogurt.
In the evening we headed down to the shore line, stopping in Temple Bar for a drink, which we enjoyed on the beach while watching the sun go down and admiring Bodrum Castle in the twilight. Our enjoyment was only spoilt by the bill. I’d had a couple of beers, Laura had a Raki. The beer cost Turkish Lire, Lauras Raki was a whooping 13 Turkish Lire. Laura was outraged, not surprising considering we usually pay between 8-10 Turkish Lire for it.
After our beach drinks we visited the restaurant next door to Dinc restaurant. We shouldn’t have bothered. The food in Breeze Restaurant was terrible. Even the seasonal salad was dire, and don’t get me started on the Turkish Meze platter. It was nothing more than a plate of slop. Even pigs would turn their nose up at it.

Day Three

Up bright and early we headed to Bodrum Port to catch the ferry over to the island of Kos, Greece (blog post HERE).
We were exhausted on our return to Bodrum, so we had an early dinner at Curlys Bar, just a stones throw from our hotel. We ordered a lamb shish kebab, seasonal salad, and aubergine, all washed down with a few pints of ice old Efes beer.

Day Four

Deciding on a day of rest, we ambled up to the bus station to purchase a couple of tickets to Selcuk, then we found a tailors shop where we got the flag badges we’d purchased during our recent travels sewn on to one of our bags.
Then it was back to Curlys Bar for a couple of beers and lunch. The food was ok, we both fancied something other than the usual grilled meat and salads we’ve been enjoying lately, so I chose egg, bacon, chips, and baked beans, and after much deliberation; beans on toast, spaghetti Neapolitan……. Laura finally decided on a jacket potato with tuna and raw onion.
In the evening we headed down to the marina for a drink, and dinner, but neither of us fancied anything to eat, so we just picked up a snack of nuts and olives, which we took back to our hotel to eat.

Day Five

Deciding on another day of rest, as we’re still suffering from exhaustion, we spent most of the day relaxing in our air-conditioned hotel room. We weren’t completely lazy though, we managed to get several blogposts written and videos edited and uploaded to YouTube. Oh, and we also made a decent start on a bottle of Meoapiavo Wine that we picked up on our day trip to the island of Kos, Greece.
For lunch we revisited Dinc Restaurant, and thankfully the food was still good. We had grilled chicken, a mixed salad, and aubergine with yogurt.
After an afternoon siesta we popped down to the sea for a beer by the boats in the harbour. Then we regrettable thought we’d try a bar along the beach for one last nightcap. Big mistake. We both ordered a Gusta beer. What could possibly go wrong ordering a nice cold beer? Unfortunately everything. The beer wasn’t cold, it tasted like soapy cheese, and worse than that it cost £5 for a tiny 33cl bottle.
And so ended our stay in Bodrum, Turkey. Despite the Gusta beer, we enjoyed the sun, sea, and snoozing.

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