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Just a quick note to let you know that I made it home safely after an incredibly long and tiring journey over some 40 hours. I haven't really processed the fact that I'm back in Montreal. Not sure it will really hit me before a little while.

Also, I feel compelled to make something clear: when I said that we had been offered cocaine I did NOT mean that we had accepted it, hell no. I can't believe some of you actually thought that :P My "I wish I was kidding" meant that I wished we hadn't been offered these things.

All good?

See you soon (maybe even face to face)

So Sorry

Hey everyone! First off I am SO sorry for having gone M.I.A. Internet access has been a lot harder since we left Bodrum for Oludeniz and there were so many emails to answer and things to figure out that I never got around posting here until now.

Big news (for those who do not know already): I'm heading home, starting today at 9:00 PM Turkey time. Yep, that's right. Karel left early this morning and flew to Vienna, from where she'll head back to Budapest and then who knows where.

Let me explain so I make a bit more sense. In Bodrum, there really was not much to write about. We went to the beach everyday, had people give us free stuff (among which were food, drinks, and cocaine. I wish I were kidding) and grew more and more weary and uncomfortable with the place and the people, until we both hit our limit. A mini breakdown ensued, in the form of spending the day at the mall, going to watch The Hangover  Part II, having fries and ice cream at Burger King and going hunting for a Starbucks until we could have our frappucino. Yeah, it was bad. We felt horrible as we were doing this, but I cannot, repeat, CANNOT stand to have another Turkish man wolf whistle, make inappropriate comment as we walk by or say "Yes please!" in that unbelievably irritating way of theirs. I could've dealt with it if we had been here for just a week, but when it's been more than three...

Moral of the story: 5 weeks in Turkey is just too long. The reason I decided to head home early was that I didn't to bring back nothing but bad memories about this wonderful country. It also felt right to me to go home instead of continuing on to Europe. I have a few other opportunities for the rest of the summer, so this blog will not be entirely dead.

I'll post more when I get home, about Oludeniz which has the most beautiful beach I have ever seen and more thoughts on getting home and being home. But for now, I need to pack and figure out my airport transfer.

We've had some amazing times here.

xoxo

Party town

Aka Bodrum.

Please let me introduce you to the Lonely Planet's description of the place: Today it's known throughout Turkey and beyond as a posh paradise where sun-kissed travelers dance the breezy summer nights away".

And being here is totally what it feels like. This city is absolutely wonderful, and so is our hotel. We are 1 minute away (I kid you not) from the beach/restaurants/anything our spoiled little hearts could desire. All this for 25 Turkish Liras a night. We got quite a deal, thanks to Karel's extensive research!

The view is absolutely stunning here. You want to take a picture of everything, because it's all so beautiful -and it doesn't stop. Examples:

Yup. You know you want to be here. I have succeeded in my getting tan mission! This hasn't happened in years. I must say, it is nice that here, we can wear whatever the hell we want and not care. I mean, men still look at all the girls that are passing by, but it's completely different from everywhere else we've been in Turkey where you are likely to be harassed if skin is showing. I completely understand that it's a different culture and will always strive to act respectfully, but it's also nice to be able to let your guard down every once in a while.

We sneaked inside a resort today to enjoy their sandy beach. We even got a second round of drinks for free! We keep on getting things for free...it's kind of funny. But also weird -we're pretty convinced it's because they take pity on us. Or because we're young (this city is rich, but it's a lot of older people too) and they want to make their place look more 'hip'. Who knows!

Free daiquiri!

I got too much sun though, I feel dehydrated, hot, and I have a headache...off to bed! We might visit the Underwater Archeology museum tomorrow. Karel is so excited!

xoxo

Change(s) of Plan(s)

Quietest beach I've ever been to.

Yesterday we went to visit the Roman ruins of Ephesus with a few people (very cool people too, so many Canadians here, it's incredible!) from the hostel. It was stunning, the library was awe-inspiring, but there were thousands of people there, often more concerned about kicking you out of their picture than enjoying the beauty of the city and appreciating the fact that so much of it is still standing. The heat was difficult to bear too, there was no shade to be found, and so when we were done, we all went to the beach at Pamucak. It's on the Aegan coast, and it was beautiful! It makes me look forward to the Mediterranean beaches, which are supposed to be a lot more impressive. I tanned/burned a bit too. That was to be expected. 

The Library from afar

Speaking of which: things have been moving a lot in the past few days. It's almost certain now that Karel will be extending her trip for at least another month. Don't worry people, I will be coming home! I do not have the financial means to survive abroad for that long, and I also feel compelled to come back on time. I know there are people waiting for me. I owe that to my family too, who has been supportive in their own quiet way, by not putting any obstacles and trusting me, even when I didn't trust myself. 

I guess it would make more sense if I started explaining things from the beginning. Early on (as in, while in Vienna) we realized that we probably wouldn't make it to Eastern Turkey. I was heartbroken at first, and didn't want to accept it (this was what I was really looking forward too, the Western Coast not so much). However, I slowly came to accept things for what they were, and my level of exhaustion convinced me that I could use the time on the beach. When we were staying in Istanbul, when the hostel owner heard that we had at first planned to land in Trabzon, his immediate reaction was: "Don't go there. They will kill you. They're extremely patriarchal over there. They'll adopt you or something, but two girls alone, that's not going to work". I doubt it's that bad, but honestly, I think that when I do go, I will need to be travelling with a man (and pretend we're married because otherwise, that's not going to fly either). 

Considering all this, we decided to stick to the Western Coast. Problem is, we realized through conversations with other travelers that 5 weeks is a long time in Turkey, especially since we're cutting out a huge part of the country. As a result, we've started talking about our possibilities, as well as at what point we'll want to split up. We might head to Bulgaria (from where Karel would continue on to Romania, back to Hungary and then who knows), or maybe I'll go to Greece/Greek Islands on my own for something like a week. We're slowly trying to figure it out.

One thing I have learned is that, next time I travel in Europe, I'm not getting a return ticket, I won't even have a plan! We've been going on a straight line since the beginning and restricted ourselves too much with dates and things to do. I feel like I've been on the go for almost a month now, and my body is exhausted to be honest, especially since I know the food I'm getting, no matter how delicious, is not giving me all of the nutrients/energy I need.

Don't mind my face. Cool people from the 'resort'!

I'll upload a few pictures later, and start packing too. We're leaving for Bodrum tomorrow at 7:30 AM. Ew. Hopefully I can get out of bed...

xoxo