David's Diary: Wednesday, July 2, 2003

From Istanbul to Bodrum, Turkey

We are up, have breakfast, and on our way by 8:00 AM. It's only a short drive to the ferry terminal and by 8:30 we are onboard. At 9:00, the ferry leaves the dock. The ferry terminal is located in a harbour that is also home to large fishing boats. It only takes a few moments before we are quickly pulling away from Istanbul.

Fast Ferry

All four of us have breakfast and then we all fall asleep. When I wake up I look out at the flat Sea of Marmaras. It seems like we are hardly moving as I take a tour of the ferry. When I peer out a window at the stern of the ferry I suddenly realize that we are indeed traveling very fast as I watch the wake boiling out from the twin hulls. We arrive in Bandirma by 11:30 and we point the car South.

Asleep in the Car

We drive all day, returning along most of the route we followed during our drive to Istanbul. Because we stopped at Ephesus on the way to Istanbul, we had avoided Izmir. Today, I pass through the large seaport on our way to Bodrum, but I get turned around on the highway system and end up going the wrong way. It takes some time to get turned around and we end up on various streets before finally finding the right highway to take us further South.

Back in Bodrum

Jocelyn and Nabiha slept during most of the drive. Kevin had a bug in his stomach and ate almost nothing all day, a sure sign that he really is not feeling well. We arrive back in Bodrum at 7:00 PM, but Allen and Karalee had thought we would spend one more day in Istanbul, so they were not exactly excited to see us. They had really been looking forward to one more evening and day together with just the two of them. Kevin headed off to bed while Nabiha, Jocelyn, and I go out to a local restaurant for dinner. It has been a really hectic four days, all the way to Istanbul and back.