Easy day

We decided to dedicate Monday as our recovery day or easy day. So Claire relaxed around the pool and sunbathed while I went shopping and prepared lunch. There is a nice little green grocer in town and while I have the bike I can nip out anywhere now. We had starters on the top balcony where the views are the best of olives, humus, Turkish salami, blue cheese, bread and balsamic and oil dip all washed down with a nice bottle of EFES bira. I had also prepared a nice mixed salad to have with our spit roast chicken that is prepared in the little cafe next to the green grocers. They charged me 9 Turkish Lira (TL), so at 2.5TL to the £ that’s £3.60. Not bad and saves slaving over a hot kitchen on your relaxing day and certainly cheaper than eating out. Especially as it will do us for 2 days; we eat the breasts hot on the first day and have the rest cold with more salad, new potatoes and sweet corn.

I love my little 150cc motor bike, especially the registration; all I have to do is move the last 0 to the front and it would be 007 SAS 1. How cool is that guys!!? It had only doe 270km when I hired it so that makes it the newest bike I have ever ridden; almost a virgin. Claire’s not as keen as she has to almost do the splits to get on the thing with that back box on. But we need it to put the two crash helmets in; we certainly don’t want to wear them, not in this heat. We will wear them when we go on the highway but not around town; you don’t see many others wearing them around town anyway and from India we are used to getting fined for not wearing them.

The young girls laughed when I was trying the helmets on; good job they had so many to choose from. I don’t know if you’ve noticed but I have a large head that is a very peculiar shape? This makes hat purchasing quite difficult, especially crash helmets. I tried several on but couldn’t get them properly on; either I could get them over the back or the front, but not both. The girls found it embarrassingly amusing but one of them had a great idea and passed me one of those old fashioned ones that just sit on top of your head without coming over your ears or chin. I remember my Dad had one when we had the old 650BSA and side car. He looked just like Biggles looking out of the plastic windows of the side car with his goggles and white scarf waving in the wind. I remember the smell of that side car; I used to be sick every time we went in it so you can imagine what I was like the first time my Dad drove us all the way to Germany in it after the Salvation Army found his parents when they had been let out from behind the iron curtain. I had my third birthday while we were there but can still remember it vividly. Strange, because I can’t remember what I did last week most of the time.

We had another laugh walking around the shops here yesterday browsing for bargains. We had just been in the hardware shop and bought one of those long handled dustpan and brushes and a mop bucket to aid with the cleaning. Claire had given me them to carry around whilst she was browsing and most of the shop keepers thought I was after a bit of work with the dustpan and brush over my shoulder and the mop bucket in my hand. The owner at BarBQ even tried to take them away thinking one of the cleaners had left them out. She had been left money after her Father had died and decided to make a new life for herself in Kalkan, buying a villa on the hill and the restaurant in town. She even met her new husband here and now they run the place together.

After lunch we had a walk down by the beach close to us which is called Kalanar Beach. They have sun beds for 12.5TL which at first site seems expensive but it includes a taxi there and back, sun bed for the day, use of pedalo and canoes and a go on the water trampoline free internet and an umbrella. So not as bad as at first sight, especially if you needed a taxi to get there and back. We had almost decided to have another lazy day tomorrow and we walked down to the dive centre to get prices. Wherever you go the price for open water training is about the same £200 to get your PADI certificate for up to 18 meters depth. It was cheaper in Koh Tao when we were there but we weren’t staying there long enough to do it. I have always wanted to do it since a boy when I belonged to the Melton Mowbray snorkelling club but never had the money to do it. Well tomorrow is finally the day, I have finally took the plunge, so to speak. Claire can have the day relaxing by the sea whilst I do first day of my training in the morning. I also have to watch a 2 hour video and read the first section of the manual before we start so better sign of now and get reading. There should still be time to catch up with my OU later.