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On the boat again...here
we are, on the boat again!
We left Orlando
International on March 29 with the help of our son, John. We had
six large items to check, two of which were the hard plastic snap
lock containers full of boat parts, spares and replacements including
raw water pumps, gaskets, filters and of course new
books, CDs, and video tapes. The carry on baggage contained the
two lap-top computers we carry as back-up to the desk top aboard.
. Our flight was scheduled
to leave at 2:05 but did not leave until 2:25 which cut our connection
time, at Kennedy in New York, down to about twenty minutes. I spoke
to the pilot before we boarded. He knew he had a lot of people with
connecting flights so he announced that he had extra fuel on board
and would put "the pedal to the metal." We not only made
our connection but so did all the baggage. Yea, Delta!! What a nice
flight to Istanbul, upgraded thanks to frequent flyer points. Everything
was nice including our position in the small  cabin
in Business Class where we could stretch out and actually get some
sleep.
The Istanbul airport is
modern clean and easy to navigate. We collected our luggage, breezed
through customs with an official wave of the hand, and got our immigration
visa in record time. We rechecked our luggage with Turkish Airlines
and found a cab with an English speaking driver to take a short
tour of Istanbul.
Istanbul has been a place
of fascination for centuries.  East
meets West as Europe and Asiaintersect in a land of beauty, mystery
and intrigue. Istanbul is full of monuments to the passions of religious
fervor and the excellence of ancient engineering as demonstrated
in the ancient cistern we visited on our short tour. We also visited
the Blue Mosque and the Church of Sofia, now converted into a mosque.
Our four hours in the city was just a taste, enough to make us know
we want to return and spend several days.
Our flight to Dalaman
was fine but the people
from the marina were nowhere to be seen so we hopped on the bus
bound for Marmaris. As the bus went to the International Terminal
we saw a Gino Van pull away. We found later that is where they were
waiting for us. The bus was fine and the only casualty was Charlie's
Swiss army knife that was taken from him in Istanbul. We found later
they were trying to return it to him as we got off the plane but
we got off the rear exit and the lady with the knife was in the
front. The pocket knife has not been questioned before, except to
get through the metal detector. Mine went through for it was in
my purse. We had someone from the marina call but it looks as if
the knife is lost to Turkish security.
We got a cab from the curb
where the bus unloaded to our hotel, the Sariana.
We were very pleased with
our accommodations. We were the only guests and the employees were
in the throes of preparing for "the season" when all the
tourists arrive and swell the population by the thousands. Marmaris
was at one time a playground for the rich and famous. Now it is
catering to working class Europeans who seek sea, sun and bargains.
Our hotel room was actually
an apartment, with a kitchen, which was never used by me. Breakfast
was included in the price of the room and consisted of fresh bread,
olives, sliced tomatoes, jam, cream cheese and butter. The jam is
a local marmalade that is delicious. The same woman doing much of
the cleaning would stop and prepare our breakfast when wecame to
the dining area, then go right back to work.
Since
we had a free day we rented
a car and drove to another seaside town called Datcha. The drive
was interesting and gave us the opportunity to see some of the country
side. The highway travel was an adventure in itself because of all
the repair work and occasional goat herds. When we arrived in Datcha
it was time for a late lunch and we stopped two older women on the
road and asked if they spoke English. "We are English!"
They exclaimed. We had a nice conversation and found they have lived
in Turkey for seven years. They sent us to a restaurant downtown
where we had a nice lunch and where the owner sent over a complementary
dessert which of course we consumed even though we have been trying
to steer clear of the "Turkish Delights," very rich, sweet
pastries.
Sea Gem was launched on
Tuesday, April 3. We moved from the hotel on Wednesday
morning with all the junk
not already turned over to the mechanics working on the boat. While
it was being launched the same woman who helped us clean the boat
when we left her in August, was on board cleaning. The yard took
excellent care of her while she was there. They cleaned and painted
the bottom, sanded and re-varnished the teak and have done necessary
engine work. This marina is large, well equipped and extremely well
staffed. The only drawback is the earth work being done in the marina
that adds to the dust in the air that settles on everything and
seems to work its way through the hatches into everything. Now we
are in a slip and away from most of the dust. We have had a sprinkle
of rain and gradually we are getting everything cleaned. We have
been organizing since we arrived getting ready to leave to join
the East Mediterranean Rally in the northern part of Turkey.
On Friday we went to the
Supermarket to provision. The selections are good and thank goodness
for pictures on cans. Tomatoes and peaches look the same the world
over. The meat selection was good and we have already tried the
beef that we had ground. We bought a small beef tenderloin for about
seven dollars and will probably go back and buy another before we
leave. Food, along with everything else, is very reasonable. The
exchange rate is over one million Turkish lira to one US dollar.
 We
have a glitch with the new receiver to the Single Sideband Radio
as the new antennae wires do not match the old receiver. With just
a few more trans.-Atlantic phone calls we hope we can get it connected.
The Turkish people are extremely friendly and helpful and hospitality
is key in the culture. I am really glad we are here before the rest
of the world finds out what a great place this is to visit.
Until later aboard Sea Gem in the Marmaris Marina . . . .
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