By the time i got up the next morning with quite a sore head, we were already out of the bay. To my surprise, we were actually not sailing. When i checked out the sails, it was a good idea though. The boat we were on, and all the boats there, that make the same type of journey, are kitch boats, but all go by motor and not sail. It was a beautiful boat, and even with the two families on board there was plenty room.
Every day was spent sailing from spot to spot having lunch and then dropping anchor for night in a different place. We got to see so much. I was in the water at every opportunity. It was so much fun. I never saw a could. Every day we went snorkelling, fishing, played backgammon, chess, and every other game we had, there was also a load of cards played. I noticed by the first stop, and then saw it wherever we went that the water was so unbelievably clear. It was so nice and salty, something i had missed in Austria, yes i miss salty water! I couldnt get my kit off quick enough every day, and at every opportunity to jump in the water. We saw new stuff every day. When we weren't swimming we saw lots of great scenery and sat around on the boat talking, playing, and eating. The food was excellent. It was not typically turkish, but not western. We ate fish, meat and pasta and other things, but always with heaps of spices and turkish flavourings. It was fantastic food.
I became really good mates with the crew. There was Asim, the cook, and one of the crew, then the Captain, i think he was called Mohommed, and the other guy, who never spoke, well at least to me, because he didnt speak much english, so i never got his name, but somehow we managed to have heaps of fun, joke and get along really well all the same. I asked them questions all the time about Turkey, being Muslim, and everything else to do with them. I wanted to learn so much about this country. They were the most open and friendliest guys, and i told them heaps about Australia and my home, and then my new home in Austria. I almost spent as much time talking to them as i did to my family and Austrian friends, but that was ok, they were nice guys, and i wanted to hear so much about them. I asked them as well about the EU and Turkey and so on, it was interesting to hear what they had to say. For them, it was not so much of a problem. It was just the daily grind that they were worried about, and if joining the EU would affect that then they were worried, but until then, it was not their problem.
It is hard to put down on to paper (or website or whatever) the experiences i felt there. Somehow, being in a land that i knew so little about, who we had fought against in the first World War, who you never heard news about, whose people followed a completely different religion to at home, which lies on the border of Asia and Europe, in the middle of nowhere, and who's most famous export is weightlifters and kebab, i felt so at home.