I Can't Turn it Off in Kusadasi!

After a couple of flights back to Istanbul and then out to Izmir on the west coast, we arrived in Kusadasi.  It reminded me a lot of Tenerife in the Canary Islands.  This is where the Mediterranean cruise ships stop on their Turkey leg (haha, see what I did there?)  It has lovely shops and beautiful restaurants.

We dumped our bags and headed to the bar next door for some well earned beers for Rol and I and cocktails for the ladies.  We sat and watched the big cruise ships come in one by one.  There were 4 in total.  Apparently they are there every single day which is great for their tourism, but imagine being overrun with backpack toting tourists every single day.  They don’t get too many tourists in the winter time though as it’s cold to the extreme, so you could say they have a 6 month on 6 month off rotation.

The cocktails were very uninspired at this place, which was being kind.  The guy who made them was standing behind us trying to photo bomb when Madds, unaware, said “Ew, this cocktail is shit!”  He made it up to us by making a different cocktail..... I think we paid for all of them, so it wasn’t really a gesture of good will.  This cocktail making gentleman seemed to take a liking to me and was showing me his secret handshake (why me?) He was very keen to show me the statue of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the Father of Turkey who all Turkish people adore and the tattoo of Ataturk’s signature on his forearm, but then again he also had mother written down one arm and father down the other, and on the side of his thumb he had Jack Daniels - so all his favourite things covered there.  Anyway, I had my posse at my back and we moved on quick smart!

When we were in Istanbul, Lu and Madds went off to check out the Basilica Sisterna which is where the James Bond film, From Russia with Love was filmed.  Anyway, she took control of the map and insisted that she knew the way home....... After walking 15 minutes in the wrong direction in the scorching heat, the map was taken away from her and she was given the compulsory 24 hour ban from all map reading.

We got a restaurant recommendation from the guys at the front desk of our hotel and we were wary as he was giving Madds the directions, both verbal and on a map.  So we set off in the right direction, but instead of consulting the map as to where and when to turn, she just went off the one verbal direction of “Its just past the Police Station”.  So when we walked straight past the Police Station without seeing it, we just kept on walking.  “It’s just up here.” she kept saying.  “Are you sure?  You haven’t got the best track record.”  So after 20 minutes of walking along the esplanade, the map was seconded and Madds was given an extra ban of 62 hours from all map reading and direction receiving.  Let’s say that she wasn’t happy about it at first.

The food at the restaurant was lovely.  All traditional Turkish fare.  We were served by the jockey, Glenn Boss’ father’s Turkish lookalike, Ahmet, who at the end of the meal came out with a makeshift fruit platter and wine glass tower extravaganza with 2 sparklers coming out the top.  He placed it in front of me and declared it was my birthday.  He then sat beside me and asked all sorts of questions about when I would be returning and kissing my hand..... honestly peeps, I can’t turn it off in Kusadasi!  Lucky we’re only here one night.

Madeline is trying out a Turkish coffee and I'm helping my new friend Ahmet to read the coffee grains - cause I'm fluent!

Lu and I headed back to the hotel first, leaving Madds and Rol to do a spot of shopping.  We purposely avoided the bar and the waiter who as we left earlier called out that on our way back he would make us free cocktails - it takes more than a couple of free cocktails to sucker us in buddy!  When Rol and Madds went past, he bailed Rol up and asked him all sorts of questions about where we were and if we were coming down for the terrible cocktails and when Rob said No, he asked what room number we were in!  Honestly..... luckily Rob is a top bloke and punched him..... no, I’m kidding, he told him politely that we he wasn’t getting that information.  

We were however treated to an all night music marathon from his bar until the wee hours of the morning and at about 1am when he was blaring Meatloaf’s ‘Bat Out Of Hell’ I realised that I was old!