Fethiye, my lucky place
People say you need money to travel. They also say you need company to travel. They point out that only those who speak languages are able to communicate with ,,strangers”. You can travel only once a year, during a holiday. I hear it all the time. I hear it and I do not believe it. If I were them, I would never have become myself. I would never have discovered this beauty around me. I would never be an explorer. would just be repeating safe spaces. So what I say is that all of the statements mentioned above are bullshit. They come from a place of fear.
Enjoy my Fethiye trip, on which I spent around 20 euros in total and on which I didn’t use the language.
The morning hitchhiking. Hell yeah, let’s go. This adrenaline, this rush of energy, is something that I am chasing. The May holiday dropped some kind of challenge on us. Wasn’t it so fast and easy as always? It was not. But it was free and crazy. We managed. The last car actually almost broke down on the road, but we survived, and with smiles on our faces we put our first steps in center. Fethiye is my happy place on the Turkish map. I always find there the best adventures, and I meet the most amazing, unique and creative people.
This time, unexpectedly, we were discovering the city from the water, a sea perspective. Our friend from Couchsurfing recently bought a beautiful medium-sized yacht in Istanbul and invited us for a little expedition. We were catching the waves, wind in our hair, lying on the hull, looking like sea lions. We were sipping cold beers and coke. We were observing animals, sunrises, and the open sea. The city looked even better from this perspective.
For lunch, we chose our favorite lahmacun in Lavmacun. So cheap, tasty, and just refreshing. The best combo with ayran. We met another friend from Couchsurfing and sat down in a bar with a perfect panorama, Cafe Park Teras. Something breathtaking, with the sun bathing the whole city, calming the people down. We were sipping our Tiki cocktails in a Hawaiian style, letting the island vibes mix with the Turkish coast.
We were driving a car with party lights around special viewpoints. Everything was led by local Turkish people, actually Turkish officers. We were diving into blinding lights, disappearing in the sleepy city.
The last point on the Friday list was a flea market with its cute little shops and fruit stands. We didn’t have a place to sleep because someone from Airbnb canceled our stay. We went with the flow, not knowing if we would have to come back to Muğla or not, we let destiny guide us. Our friend from Couchsurfing, as well as another friend who was a Turkish police officer, offered us a place to sleep. It was kind of crazy, because one of them was even driving around on his motorbike searching for us. Turkish people are extremely hospitable and always try to help and show their culture from the best perspective. Meanwhile, others were also offering us a place to stay. You see, this is what I was saying: no money, hotel canceled, no problem. The world is our place to sleep. There is always some solution waiting. In the end, we stayed at our new friend’s mother’s house, but beforehand we spent time with both of them, sipping a nice black iced latte in Gloria Jean’s Coffee.
Saturday started with an amazing Turkish breakfast on the balcony, some crunchy pancakes, simits, and eggs from a happy chicken. Little walks, handmade clothes, cold coffee in hand and then a ride back to Muğla with BlaBlaCar. Not always lucky, this time the guy was driving crazily fast, smoking and texting on the way. Not every ride is perfect.
It was an amazing, almost free trip to Fethiye. Hitchhiking, a ferry ride, BlaBlaCar, Couchsurfing, incredible food, viewpoints, a sip of cultures, a bit of shopping and lots of laughs included.
