Kubra

Blogging from aboard the Turkish Gullet Kubra. Traditional Turkish music plays in the background as the sun begins to set over an azure sea. The guidebook pictures simply don’t do this scene justice.



We have been aboard now for a bit more that 24 hours and I can honestly say that it is exceeding our high expectations. The “Blue Cruise” has become an important part of the Turkish travel experience. Basically these wooden ships about 30 meters long with 6 or 7 cabins ply the Aegean and Mediterranean coasts for days at a time. A simple crew – in our case the Captain, his wife (ships mate and cook) and their daughter take groups of up to 12 people.

Our Boat - "The Kubra"

We have been most fortunate in all dimensions. The crew is great, the food fantastic, the scenery magnificent, and perhaps most importantly the other travelers are fun and interesting. We are a virtual floating United Nations with representatives from Turkey, France, Germany, Australia and the USA. We range from the 18-year-old French son of one couple to the headscarf wearing elderly mother (we all call her Tezah (“Aunty”) of one of the other travelers. There is also a wonderful mix of languages and cultures aboard. Interestingly (and fortunate for us as well) English is the universal language so the conversations have been lively and fun.

The real lesson is tolerance and understanding. Everyone is considerate and helpful to each other. Of course, as Beth has observed there is a “selection bias” in that certain types of people will choose this sort of adventure while others will avoid. But I think it is also true that one quickly comes to understand that many elements of humor and good times are universal.

We left Fethiye yesterday about noon and after a short sail found ourselves anchored for lunch. A bottle of white wine was produced and then an array of salads and vegetables – all fresh and freshly made onboard – Fantastic.

It just got better from there. We sailed to a series of stops – little deserted coves, small beaches, ruin-scattered cliffs, and a resort area with other boats and services. Small boats zip between the gullets offering everything from tube rides to ice cream.

My personal favorite was a small wooden boat rowed by an old Turkish man. An old woman, his wife I assume was preparing freshly made Gozeleme (a Turkish crepe) by rolling them out, adding a filling, and then cooking on a gas fired metal plate. I dubbed this “Gozeleme Express” which got great laughs from the Turks onboard our boat.

The “Gozeleme Express”

Overnight we anchored in a breezy cove with several other Gullets. Dinner was a reprise of lunch only better and more extended. Beth and I slept on foam mats on the deck. The temperature dropped and we had to haul heavy blankets from our cabin to the deck. The sky was filled with many stars and the Milky Way was incredible – I have only seen the sky like this in one other place – the Grand Canyon.

Waking up "on deck"

Each day the pattern repeats – swim in the morning, breakfast, sail, swim, eat, sleep, hike, read, sail… well you get the picture. I read one travel writer who described sailing on a Turkish Gullet this way: “It’s a dog’s life. We are fed, watered and occasionally taken out for a walk”.

The scenery defies my powers of description and the pictures will help some but still…

The Ruins at the underwater city near Korkova.
Notice how the foundation extend into the water
as a result of an ancient Earthquake.

At times it reminds me of the Caribbean, at others it looks just like southern California. The sea is as blue and clear as any I have every seen. The pictures in the guidebooks don’t do it justice.

Time slows and we begin to relax at a whole new level. I catch myself sighing regularly and it’s as if a whole load of stress and worries are exhaled each time. I have barely thought of home and then only the good things I miss – our children, our home, our extended family, my music, garden and kitchen. The part of my brain that constantly thinks about and worries about work has finally turned itself off. This is our “vacation from our vacation” and after the crush of crowds and the noise in the markets of Istanbul and the long, hot dusty hikes through the ruins of Ephesus, Aphrodesias, and the Hieropolis it is a well timed and welcome respite.