I feel as though I have been on
holiday again – in Çalış, Fethiye. My
lovely friend has been out here with her two beautiful daughters. We have known each other since we were 18
(just a short time ago!) and though we only see each other these days for a few
days a year – sometimes not even that – we have managed to stay close.
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| playing with my new camera! - panoramic shot of POPPY |
Last time they came out here was
about 10 years ago and the girls were still quite young. Now they are 18 and
nearly 17 so it has been nice to show them around properly and for them, like
discovering a whole new place.
We went diving last week. They hadn’t really been planning it but when
I suggested it they were keen and they turned out to be naturals! The girls both did their skills so they can
add to that and do their PADI open water diver course if they want to. It was a lovely lazy day with about 10
beginners on the boat and a couple of people doing courses – so different from
last year when the ‘experienced’ divers on the boat drove me demented with
their non-stop-and-very-loud stories about ‘When I was diving in Sharm….blah
blah blah!’
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| Morning talk on European Diving Centre boat as we head out to dive sites |
We also spent a day at the Surf Café
in Çalış. For those who want a sandy
beach this is better than the main bit of the beach as there is sand – and
sunbeds, umbrellas and a man to bring drinks and food! It is also nice to watch people kite-surfing,
sailing and generally being active. The
most active we got was late in the afternoon when we moved to the bar area and
lay on large cushions with some cocktails!
On Sunday we had a Turkish bath and
massage, then a lovely meal at MOD in the marina in Fethiye but the major event
on Sunday was the boat actually went back in the water – hooray!! Even better, it floated and took in very
little water; there can be a problem
with wooden boats when they have been out of the water for while – the wood
shrinks and cracks open. Anyway, the new
improved SUNTRAP has now been refitted with its overhauled engine and is ready
to take us out for a little trip this afternoon.
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| SUNTRAP just before it slid went into the water |
And on Monday we went to
Ölüdeniz. Whilst I agree that Ölü is a
stunningly beautiful place, I am a little deterred by the crowds and the crush
of sunbeds and umbrellas. Still, when we
got out on the lagoon in a pedallo (girls) and canoe (Kaan) the water was
gorgeous and the ‘rock’ that I tried to steer to avoid turned out to be a
turtle who swam round us for a while.
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| sunset at the beach last night |
Last night we had a meal at Şat –
the restaurant situated on the point looking across to Fethiye. Since it opened about 5 years ago is has been
through several owners and various incarnations. Finally, it seems that somebody has got it
sorted and everything was very good from the menu to the service, the music to
the food. On evenings like that,
watching the sun set over a silvery sea and the lights come on across the bay I
remember why I fell in love with this place.
It’s so easy to forget how lovely it is but I don’t often get time to
‘holiday’ here any more!
