Patmos

We are on Patmos, which is the island where the apostle John experienced his Revelation.  It is a quiet island with an older crowd - it is a site of Christian pilgrimage.  It is interesting to get to know what that book is about, after all, it is such a strange part of the Bible.  The best explanation of the Book of Revelation around is that John was writing to early Christians to encourage/fortify their faith, but he was writing about places and events of his time- such as Nero whose name translates to the infamous 666 number in Hebrew, Rome being known as the city of 7 hills, etc.  Even more intereting is that we have been to several of the '7 cities in Asia' being the 7 cities in Asia minor (now Turkey).  Anyway, we're off to see the cave where John (who now seems like less of a madman) recieved his revelation, and there is a very famous monastary to go see, too.  Glad it it isnt too hot to 'dress modestly'. 

 

I have to say that the most interesting part of this year is the time in Turkey and Greece learning about early Christian history; it makes the bible more comprehensible and real from an academic and historical perspective, but no, we have not become 'believers', but you could call us better 'appreciaters', that is to say, we do appreciate the history of the bible, what the religion is about (and I do agree with it philosophically) and the politics of time time, it is fascinating.   I would have never have 'gotten it' if we hadnt been here to see it and have time to digest the history piece by piece.

Off to the Greek Islands, westward!

This looks like it will be our last day in Turkey.  We have been here just over 6 months...wow!  The weather is sunny and warm (but not yet hot) and if you ever get to this part of the world, May is the time to do it.

Code has been plugging away at setting up shop in Ottawa.  We wont be there 'for sure' until he gets investors to sign on the line, but so far, it looks like it will happen.  The kids and I look forward to a new adventure, Ottawa is supposed to be a very livable city, and I am far happier being on the east coast (I am glad he did not find something in California!!!).  We will always have DC as a back up. 

It looks like we go home in about 6 - 8 weeks from now, which feels as surreal as the thought of sailing for a year.  Honestly, it feels like we just got started!  One thing I have learned...we all have learned...is to be more comfortable with risk.  What would we have missed if we didnt take on the risk of sailing this year?  Every new port is a risk, because it means we leave the familiar one that we're in.  Not that the new is always better than the old, but it is guaranteed to be different and to have something new to show us, for better or worse.  I think we have also learned that while rewards dont always follow risks - we manage to recover from 'failures' (for lack of a better word)--and we've learned some along the way.

Code has always been more comfortable with risk than I, and I do toss and turn at night wondering if a move to Ottawa is the right thing, or how exactly will we get our boat home from Greece.  He is less prone about worrying about the little things.  He does fret, usually when we get unexepected expenses (usually occurs when I want to go shopping).  Even so, I am glad the fear doesnt keep us locked in.

So, I hope Ottawa works out.  My hope is that we can earn enough money to get back out cruising again.

Hanging out in Marmaris, again.

NOTE: 

This post is older (written April 10) than TURGUTREIS (written on April 28), but I had trouble posting for some reason. 

I think I should win a prize for ‘smart decisions of 2012’.  We were not sure whether I should push on westward while Code is back in Canada or stay put in Marmaris Marina.  We’re pretty tired of Marmaris and the temptation to go to Fethiye or another anchorage was tempting…but that would have been a bad idea.

Turns out my power supply cable to my PC broke yesterday, and I have spent the last 24 hours chasing down cables to borrow.  While I can handle any wall outlet plug with my adaptor, the actual converter on the power supply is computer specific, as far as I can tell.  Being in the Marina with hundreds of sailors, I put out the ‘distress call’ (not literally) for a cable and within minutes I had a ½ dozen  offers of help, but no one seemed to have the right one. Meg once asked me how I manage to get people to help me out when I am in need…she laughed when I told her that I basically run around saying ‘help help help’ until someone helps me!  Its true!   Going on the VHF with my pleas for assistance pretty much ensured that every English speaking person in Marmaris bay listening to the morning VHF marina broadcast were heard.

As I write this, I am sitting on the dolmus (a little bus) on my way back from town where I ended up purchasing a new power supply at a computer store.  Now that is resolved, it seems like no big deal.  What is the ironic thing is that what would be a minor hiccup when Code is around feels like a huge crisis of catastrophic proportion when I have to handle it alone.  Even if I go through the same exact steps, having him around just is reassuring that it will all be OK… or it is because he does such a good job of making things OK.

Kids are showing up here at the marina, and Aethan is very much in the fray, even though he is the youngest.  Others are 14, 12, and 11.  They love to hang out and play pool, go swimming, and play cucumber.  It is really a nice nice group of boys, and Aethan is eating it up.  Graeme and Johanna have finally bonded, but she leaves tomorrow, sadly.  Fortunately, I think we can swap out one blonde 6-year old girl for another-I wonder if he will even know the difference.  It is really nice (and very cute) to see them playing together.  He has such a sweet and special way when he is playing with kids his age.

It is warm and hazy sun today. Not yet hot.  The new Tansas is open, flowers are blooming, and the Dolmas starts running every half hour next week, and the marina is filling up with loads of people.  It is feeling like a very different place than in the winter.

Debbie and I are going out for dinner tonight (steaks, of course).  I am already hungry, and there’s another 1 ½ to go.

After all that, I am back on line, with power, and very happy that we’re staying put where there is plenty of help when I need it.

Tour of Turkey in Turgutreis

We are in Turgutreis, which is a nice little spot, it is worth a little extra money to stay at the fancy D-Marine Marina. We usually anchor out, which is free of course, so a splurge is OK to do now and again. Kids are loving the pool (which is warm enough to get in) and we're catching up on laundry, saunas, and fresh water.  There is a supermarket right across the street and a great little shopping mall with Turkish clothing, homewares, and sailing stores and other fun stuff.  

 

We're' camped out' here for 2 days so both Code and I can work.  I had great feedback on my report, but also lots of things to address by Monday.  Then I will get a chance to slow down a bit.

 

Oh, and we saw the Cycling Tour of Turkey, which is an international bike race around Turkey.  Very exciting indeed.  We were right at the finish line and the kids were so excited to see the finish and all the hubbub of race finishers, too.  They have a huge screen set up to watch the cyclists on their way in, too. The stage we saw was from Marmaris to Turgutreis, which is 178 km.  They also show scenes around Turkey and shots from the helicopter above...it made Turkey look so beautiful...which it is.   A funny moment was when we looked up at the screen, the camera was focused on Graeme.  There we was, bigger than life with his cool shades on, watching the race.  Too hilarious.  Aethan just rolled his eyes as usual. 

 

We’re turning around

We’ve reached our furthest point east on our trip today in Fethiye, Turkey so you can now say we're on our way home.  It is a breathtakingly beautiful bay with snow-capped mountains in the distance,  orange trees filling the valleys,  and clear blue-green water beneath us.  It feels to me like an exotic place.  It has the distinctive feel of early spring.  The plane trees (which look to me like maples) are just getting their early leaves, flowers are budding, and the businesses here that make their livelihood from the 6 months of tourism trimming, sprucing, organizing, and furnishing their wares. 

 We left Marmaris on Wednesday morning for Gocek, where we spent a night at anchor before meeting Code’s dad and Mya. I hadn’t realized how much noise we grew accustomed to in the marina until we sat quietly at anchor.  What is so beautiful is that the bottom drops off very quickly from the shore, so it is possible to anchor and then tie a stern line to shore, securing the stern of the boat just a few feet from shore.  All morning long, the boys paddled, practiced dinghy anchoring, and played cast-away on shore.  Code went for a hike and I worked (I got a big project just prior to taking off from Marmaris).

We spent 2 nights in the lux town of Gocek.  It is very upscale, even by American standards, with manicured lawns and shops are full of ‘real’ (versus counterfeit) brands.  Code and the boys were impatiently awaiting the arrival of his dad and Mya.  They tried to stay busy, but they were always checking the time, the taxi stands, and the internet for signs of their arrival.  We have heard so much about Mya as she hasn’t met any of the family yet, and here she was ready to jump aboard and spend a week with the four of us near strangers on a 36’ boat for a week.  Needless to say, she has an adventurous spirit, which makes her OK in my book.  I love having another woman on board.  I believe that women offer something unique and special, and maybe too often we forget that about ourselves.  With the kids, it sometimes gets hard to finish a conversation, so it is good to have a week to try to finish the conversations that we start.

We’re now off to Dalyan, which is an ancient city of the Lycians (an ancient Anatolian tribe) where we will spend the night on the hook (anchored) for 2 nights.  In Dalyan, we’ll see not just the ruins, but graves that are unique to the Lycians.  They carved tombs out of the rock cliffs.  Much like you see in pictures of Petra (Jordan), they carved beautiful facades with Greek-influenced columns  into the sandstone cliffs. 

I think we would have stayed in the Marmaris marina forever…or certainly I could see how people put down roots and stay.   As much as it was getting old, we made some lifelong friends, had established our routines, and put down just enough roots to make us feel uprooted at the thought of leaving.  I am amazed at how quickly that happens.  I think that the only way we could deal with the sad good-bye’s  was to go out for a week long sail and then return for a week.