As I mentioned in my last e-mail, I was talking with a
local over a cup of cay (tea) when he mentioned the
nearby town of Sirince.  Supposedly, it's comparable
to another quaint town I wanted to visit - Safranbolu.
 

My travel books don't mention Sirince in any
itineraries, but I trust my source, and I really like
quaint towns.   So this morning I change my plans, and
decide to head over there.  I catch a dolmus (local
mini-bus) at the bus station and make my way there on
board with other residents.  

The ride through is scenic and scary at the same time.
 The narrow, rough road winds through scenic
mountains, running along cliffside, noting that there
are no safety barriers.  My heart skips a beat when
the driver inches right up to the cliff edge as
another bus passes by.  The drive almost guarantees
that I will be seeing something good.

And it is.  Traditional white houses with red roofs
adorn a steep hillside nestled amongst mountains. 
Sirince means "charming" in Turkish, and this town is
an authentic Turkish village.  The town is surrounded
by olive and cherry trees, and olive oil and wine is
made here.  You'll like Sirince if you like Cinque
Terre, Cesky Krumlov, or Dubrovnik (check the pictures
on my website if you've never been to these places)

Funny enough, I pass by a trio (of Americans?)
shooting what I guess is a Lonely Planet type of
travel show.  Hmmm... it kind of loses its "solo
travel" authenticity to me now.  The charming girl
(star of the show) is actually accompanied by two
burly cameramen who carry much of the heavy equipment.

It is a little touristy at the entrance, but with a
twist.  Old ladies trying to sell their embroideries
and lace work alongside local wine vendors.  But most
tourists end their journey here and don't have it in
them to venture up the steep cobblestone lanes, stray
away from the tour group, and get lost in the town.  

I do.  What I'm rewarded with is a slice of local
life.  I take pictures of willing locals, watch
shepherds walk their goats, and see a farmer come back
from a hunt and firewood gathering with his donkey. 
The streets have roaming chickens, dogs, and cats,
some of whom follow me through my wandering.

I enjoy a local glass of wine and cup of apple tea
with a resident, and he helps refine my weak Turkish. 
Eventually, I wander to a restaurant with a great view
of the town.  I have lunch under a shade of grape
leaves, and am invited to watch three women skillfully
make their specialty - gozleme.  It's a thin crepe,
typically stuffed with cheese or spinach.  Here, they
stuff it with their local "grass" - I'm guessing it's
a type of spinach.  

The gozleme is baked in an open hearth in the middle
of the restaurant, and it's quite good.  What I really
enjoy is the dolma, stuffed grape leaves, with the
grape leaves extracted from right above me.  In fact,
all the ingredients are freshly picked from the
region, as I see them laid out in pans on one end of
the restaurant.  To be honest, most Turkish
restaurants use fresh, in-season, local ingredients,
which I really like.

Eventually, I have to leave.  Back in Selcuk, I get a
quick snack of gullac, a nice custard dessert served
only during Ramazan/Ramadan.  I have yet another glass
of cay with a local who started chatting with me while
I was sitting outside waiting to use the Internet. 
It's neat.  Whenever I make small conversation with a
Turk, he usually invites me to have cay with him.  And
in Selcuk, a person appears out of nowhere within
moments serving a hot glass. I think because so much
cay is consumed there socially, he just makes rounds,
and someone will always need it.  It's always free
too.

Finally having to leave, I hop on a scenic 3-hour bus
ride along the coast to Bodrum, accompanied by some
Brits and another Canadian, whom I make conversation
with to make the journey shorter.

Arriving in Bodrum in the early evening, I'm
surprised.  I am not hounded by anyone to go stay at a
hotel or pension.  My backpack always makes me an
obvious target.    And walking on the street, no
vendor shouts out "Hello", "Korean?", "Konichiwa", or
"Where are you from?" to get my attention.  It turns
out that Bodrum gets tons of business, and there is no
need for aggressive sales tactics.  Finally, some
peace.

I make the short walk over to find a quaint pension,
complete with a covered grape-leaf outdoor dining
area.  Walking around in Bodrum, it is noticeably
touristy.  There are more foreign tourists than in
other places I've been to, fancy clothing stores open
late into the night, bright streets, and locals
driving around pumping out loud Turkish pop/dance
music.  It's a very well-known resort/party town, and
it looks like one.

I pass by the massive St. Peter's Castle on the
waterfront, see the beautiful wooden cruise ships
(gulets) line the marina, and glance at the clear
waters of the Mediterranean.  

I don't know what lies ahead tomorrow, but I can't
wait to discover it!

(OK, well I do know I'll be wearing my swimming
trunks)


Quick Tip for the International Traveller - Pressing
Alt+Shift changes the keyboard layout to US, so you
don't have to search all over for the right character.
 You have to know how to type without looking at the
keyboard though.