David's Diary: Sunday, July 20, 2003

Exploring Gocek, Turkey

The marina in Gocek is picturesque. Run by Campers and Nicholson, the marina is really a resort. There are hotels, restaurants, a grocery store, and beaches. The location is just outside of the main part of Gocek. It takes no more than five minutes to walk into town.

Fishing Boats

We have a few errands to do today, so Kevin, Jocelyn, and I head into town. We pass fishing boats moored on their own dock and out in the bay is a 40m (120 foot) white super yacht at anchor. As we follow the waterfront we pass numerous Gulets moored across from restaurants and bars.

Kevin Gets A Haircut

Kevin has been asking for a haircut so our first stop in town is the local barbershop. Getting a haircut in a foreign country is always an interesting experience. In Turkey, most people, including the barber, speak English, so telling them how to cut your hair is not a problem. But in places like France, Spain, and Italy it can sometimes be a challenge. There is an old man sitting outside the barber shop with a set of dominos. He doesn't speak English, but he invites Jocelyn and I to sit with him and we play a few games of dominos. His facial expressions when Jocelyn won were well worth the fact that I lost all the games we played.

Interesting Wagon

We wander through the town which features many shops selling tourist souvenirs. After our tour we meet Karalee and Allen who have arrived by our dinghy which is loaded with laundry. We find a place to do laundry and drop everything off for pickup tomorrow. We next find a grocery store, butcher, and bakery and stock up on lots of supplies. This was our first chance to shop since we left Marmaris six days ago. Keeping five people fed and in clean clothes keeps us busy, especially when we have to find new shops in every village we visit.

Karalee Out for Dinner

Karalee and I ready for a break so we leave the kids at dinner time and head into town. Earlier in the day I had found a local place on the edge of town where lots of locals go to have a drink. We have learned that often the best place to eat out is where the locals hang out and we take a seat on the edge of the quay. We have a nice dinner and the bill is much more reasonable than at the "tourist" spots in the center of town.

Bracelet Salesman

After dinner Karalee and I take a stroll into town. We do some window shopping and some bracelets at a jewellry store catch our attention. We go into the air conditioned shop and meet a young Turk salesman. We looked at many different bracelets for Karalee, but there were two that caught our attention. We were patient and let the salesman describe the workmanship while he slowly started lowering the price. After three hours and four or five cups of tea we finally struck a bargain. We're still not certain just how good a deal we got, but we know that we're doing much better at bargaining than when we first arrived in Europe. Karalee and I both really like her new bracelets.