Our last day aboard the cruise ship was the usual; haste packing up our things, temporary loss of vital documents, confusion. Our ship arranged a ride to the airport. The flight was uneventful.
I decided I had imposed on Aylin long enough. I thanked her for all her help and found a hotel for my last week in Turkey. It is closer to the marina where the dive boat is. I felt like my old self, glad to be on my own again. I also booked a hotel in Istanbul near the airport for the day before my flight back to Seattle. With that out of the way, I could relax and focus on diving.
After dinner, I bought snacks and water for the dive boat tomorrow. I set up my dive camera before going to bed. It was late.
Suddenly I heard loud noises. I was on the ground floor, and I thought someone was outside. I checked the windows and the door.
Then I realized my bedroom wall was also the kitchen wall. The cook was prepping for breakfast. Pots clanged, the water faucet turned on and off. It sounded like a wrestling match.
After the sleepless night, I had to call and cancel my dive. Then I went to the front desk There was no other room until another guest left, so I spent the morning in the pool. After lunch, I transferred my things to my new room, far from the kitchen.
There was no dive shop. Everything happened on the boat: instruction, sales, and equipment rentals. It was a little out of the ordinary, a first for me.
I observed the class for new divers on the way to the first dive site. I was impressed. It has been a long time since I took my Beginners Class. Instruction was thorough, information well presented, and it was fun. I learned a few things, too.
did six dives. They were interesting. Depths varied. We dove on sunken ships, airplanes, and reefs. Some dives were in rocky caverns with Photography was a pleasure; we had unbelievable visibility for two days. On the last dive day, the water was a bit murky.
On land, I explored the area near my hotel. I found several restaurants with good food and ambiance. My favorite was Dennys. It still makes me smile. I went to Turkey and ate at Dennys, on the beach. The food was and presented like a restaurant. I am embarrassed to say that I dozed off after a long day of diving and a good meal. The head waiter began removing my dishes and quietly told me the restaurant was closing. I was the only customer still there.
I also found time to return to the baths. It wasnt the same without Aylin, but the massage was perfect.
On departure day, I took a taxi to Bodrum airport. After a short flight to Istanbul, I took a long taxi ride to my hotel. I wasnt feeling adventurous, so I didnt see much of Istanbul.
Resident eel. Unfortunately, he was not still. He was very fast. I wasnt prepared to get the photo as he made his
The next day I took a taxi to the airport. It was a long, long taxi ride. So much for getting a hotel close to the airport. The airport in Istanbul is sleek and modern. I love to take photos in airports.
Everything went smoothly on the flight. I watched two bad movies and part of another. When the plane landed in Seattle, my family was waiting for me.
(My trip began May 28, 2019, and ended Aug 6, 2019; 70 days in all. I traveled to fifteen countries. I dived in four.)
