Bikes, Baths & Bad Backs

It has taken me a few days but at long last I have started to relax and chill out. I hadn’t realised until now, just how knackered I was feeling, totally physically and mentally exhausted; a bit of hard work never killed anyone but I think sometimes you forget how stress and worry can impact on the body and the soul. Still, mustn’t complain, I am lucky enough to be on holiday so that I can take my time to recover.

Jill and Tony’s’ villa is fantastic, it has 3 terraces, 2 bedrooms and 2 toilets but the most beautiful aspect is the stunning views across Kalamara Bay. Every morning when I swing my short stubby lugs out of bed, the first thing I do, is pull back the voils and throw open the balcony doors to get my first morning fix of the bay; I’m kidding you not, the view takes my breath away, it is so beautiful. We have spent a couple afternoons by the pool where we have been the only ones there. Apart from one night when we went out, we tend to spend our evenings on the top balcony watching the ocean and doing nothing much. Phil makes us an evening supper of mezze and puts on some music on the laptop. I tend to read my book and Phil has been pouring over his open water diver manual in readiness for his Padi examination. I am really glad he is doing the diving certificate; he has been wanting to do this for many years. He nearly did it in Thailand and he’s had opportunities in Sri Lanka and India but we have just never stayed long enough in one place for him to do it. Fingers crossed he passes. He didn’t have such a good lesson yesterday but already he is talking about doing the advanced course so it can’t be as bad as he is making out. Also, I think he looks very sexy in his wet suit!!

Kalkan is really quite posh, not in a snobby, ‘ up your own arse’ type of way but in a more subtle, understated way. Many years ago we had a week in Ole Deniz which is about an hour and a half drive from Kalkan and we didn’t like it. We found the heat unbearable, the kids (ours) were a pain in the arse and we found the resort really touristy/fakey. Kalkan is like another world altogether and although I would say 90% is holiday homes both Turkish and English owned, there is a sense of a community. Also, you don’t have to travel too far out of Kalkan before you stumble across the already established Turkish villages. It has similarities of Northern Cyprus to me but Turkey really is much further advanced with proper roads and infrastructures similar to those we have at home. The people are really friendly and genuine; Phil knocked over the scooter outside a supermarket the other day and the owner opened a pack of superglue and stuck his indicator back on. It took him about 20 minutes and he made other customers wait while he sorted us out. This wouldn’t happen in the UK. Phil blogged that it’s expensive here but it’s not OTT; I think he is comparing prices here to those in India which isn’t fair. I would say that prices are akin to those at home. Also with Turkey being independent from the EU they still have their own currency (the Turkish Lira) so it’s much cheaper than Europe and the euro. We spent a fortune last year when we travelled to Germany, France , Portugal and Spain.

When I was young, I would spend from morning until night in the sun but these days I can only manage a couple of hours. And even then, I have to have a good book or a good people watcher view and even then, I am restless, as Phil says “fidget, fidget, fidget”. If I am honest, my best times are on the back of the scooter, especially in Turkey. In India, every journey on the bike is one of pure terror, unless you’ve had a shed load to drink. Here in Kalkan, it’s a different story. The added bonus is that you don’t need to wear a crash helmet. I particularly enjoyed the ride out to Saklikent on Wednesday where we walked the floor of the canyon or at least some of it. It was a bit scary in parts, being waist high in water finding your own way across the rocks but Phil likes us to have a life threatening experience whilst we’re away and this holiday is no exception. Normally the threat is to my life but I am pleased to say that I survived the gorge with no injuries whatsoever. Actually, the spectacular limestone walls soaring above you, was well worth the risk to life. After the canyon we drove to see some ruins then went on Pataya beach which was very pretty. It reminded me of India oceans for a moment but it was busy and touristy and I resented paying 5 TL to get in. Don’t think we will be going there again.

Phil went for his second diving session yesterday and I went to Le Sera for a Turkish bath and massage. I’d never had one before so I was curious and not sure what to expect. Also I came away from the UK with a bad back, I think, as a result of heaving a clump of concrete out of my car at the tip and also lifting some paving slabs from our garden into Derek’s new pathway. I had a really bad back a few years ago which cost me hundreds of pounds to cure. It’s not as bad as it was then but almost 4 hours on the plane followed by a 3 hour taxi transfer didn’t help. Also the hills are so steep here every step I take up or down I can feel a sharp pain in my right lower back. Luckily we have the scooter, which is just as well, because without it, in my current condition, I would be villa bound.

When I got to Le Sera I found that I was the only client and the lady gave me some slippers and to start, put me in the sauna for 15 minutes. I am not that fond of dry heat and the most I’ve ever spent in a sauna in my whole life is 5 minutes but I didn’t want to look a wimp so I sweated it out. I was relieved when she came and got me and took me to the Turkish bath room where she laid out a towel and got me to lay on my back on the hot stone. She then got out a rough sponge and started to vigorously brush my whole body, presumably to get rid of all the dead skin cells. She took great delight in showing me a pile of dirty skin on the hot stone. Very pleasant (not)! Next up, she threw dozens of bucks of hot water over me and then followed this up with a light massage. Now the next bit was a bit weird, with one eye open I could that she fanned a pillow case in the air and then laid this on my body which produced thousands of bubbles of soap. It felt delicious and I think I had an ‘out of body’ experience. My Turkish girlie lathered in the soap and even did behind my ears and finished off by doing my hair. She got me to turn over and did the same thing on my back.

When I was totally scrubbed clean she threw a few more buckets of water over me and then made me lie down on a sun lounger by the pool outside. She got me a glass of water and I read a copy of Heat magazine, very relaxing but a little lonely all by myself and it would have been better if I’d had my reading glasses. I wasn’t sure how long I would be there but just as I was contemplating going to get changed, my girlie came out and administered a mud face pack. Twenty minutes later she came and cleaned it all off and then took me into a massage room where they were playing classical music. My massage was not gentle and I am not a good relaxer, also I hate my feet being touched but I have had loads of massages in various countries and I knew that my girlie was good. After it was all finished and I went to pay, she told me I had a serious back problem and said she would give me 6 medical back massages with one for free. Funnily enough, I know my back is not right but the area she said that is a big problem is not where it hurts! I said to her, that I would think about it but I don’t think I’ll take her up on her offer. I will however, probably go back though if we have enough liras left at the end because Phil has said that he would like to try a Turkish bath and I like the idea of us having a Turkish bath together, plus I can take in the camera!!

Phil and I met up at lunchtime back at the villa after our separate activities yesterday and decided to drive into town and have lunch by the harbour. We’d previously headed down towards the harbour but hadn’t made it quite down to the harbour itself. So we were pleased we made the effort because when we reached it, the view was S P E C T E C U L A R. We crawled up and down the cobbled streets at a snails pace and eventually decided on a little restaurant called ‘Korsan Kebap’. The card I took away and which I have only just read says it’s described by The Times as being ‘one of the most fashionable watering holes on the Mediterranean’. And what a find it was!, I had the lamp chops with fresh mint sauce with mustard mash and roasted peppers and Phil went for the local dish, a sort of chicken casserole. Lunch came with a free mezze, a tomato dish and a yogurt-cucumber-cum-garlic dip with a basket full of flat bread. Perfect, we washed it all down with an EFES, plus a glass of house red whilst look out over the curved beach coast whilst watching the boats sail in and out the harbour. What could be more perfect????

We had a quiet afternoon by the pool, then afterwards we retired to the top balcony for V&T’s and Turkish nibbles and spent a pleasant evening watching the sun go down over the bay. Of course, it can’t all be 100% perfect (well, what would else would you expect from us Krause’s?) and there are still problems at home. Phil picked up an email yesterday morning from Adam at Morgans to say that the shower head had broken at the GP house and also the toilet was leaking. Another example of David’s crap plumbing and cheap plastic pipe work and an additional cost to us, that we shouldn’t have to pay. But as I said to Phil, “what the heck, we’re on holiday, just give Adam the go ahead, and we’ll worry about consequences when we get home. This girl (and this boy) and indeed, everyone needs a break sometimes.