While we'd been at our resort, Karen had been in touch with an old friend of hers who lived in Turkey itself apparently in a resort not far from us. Now Karen had already informed us of what they used to get up to on her last holiday and when she suggested her friend came over to visit us ................... we did politely excuse ourselves and say that it probably wasn't a good idea as there was nowhere where she could sleep - besides the resort was very quiet and her friend would really find it too boring for her. So Karen texted her to say that it would probably be better if she went to her friends. Why don't people just use the phone for what it's supposed to do - make contact directly with each other? Anyway after what seemed hours and countless texts she found out that her friend was living a long way away [hence the need to stay here for a couple of nights].

Karen then asked us if she could go by bus there, and how much would it cost, and how long would it take etc etc. As we didn't know the answers to these questions we said that we didn't know and it would be better if she was to go to the bus station which was directly behind our hotel and ask someone there. She didn't but planned her excursion or "adventure" as she called it. I must say - she's got a lot of bottle, just going to a strange place on her own in a foreign land.

Anyway on the Friday she left very early in the morning to catch the bus. Her friend had said that it would only take about a couple of hours to get there!!!! So off Karen went into the unknown. We made her promise to ring us if there was anything wrong or if she got into any trouble.

That evening, Dogan insisted on taking his wife and mother-in-law out for a meal and we went to another hotel with live music. What a fantastic atmosphere there. I had visions of it being all Turkish music but no - they played modern music and Spanish and a lot of Latin American which meant that people were up on their feet dancing away and even the waiters joined in some times.

Dogan asked Mandi to dance and it was the first time they'd danced together since their wedding day. Oh it was so lovely watching them dance together. They smile and laugh with each other all the time.

We had a strange kind of bread, which looked all puffed up with a sort of "mezze" to dip it into. It wasn't my kind of dish as it was very spicy and a lot of garlic was in it too.......

Strange bread, as soon as you touched it, it sank

This was what it looked like when it arrived then.............

Collapsed bread

Oops where did the middle go???
A sweet cheese and baklava dessert

Our dessert was really strange - a speciality of the hotel apparently. Now if Dogan had told me that it was made up of a base like Shredded Wheat, honey, nuts and a sort of sweet cheese ontop, sprinkled with spices and pistachio nuts - I would have probably said "No thanks" as cheese and ice-cream don't go together in my mind. Not to upset Dogan because he's asked them especially to get it for me - I tried it and ................. it was really lovely. Strange but very tasty. Mind you the home-made icecream just topped it off.

Mandi and Dogan

The following day the wind dropped and the sun was gorgeously hot. Needless to say - I got sunburned, I also got bitten a lot too. Then a friend of Dogan's offered us a lilo to lie on in the sea..............Did he know that it had a slow leak I ask myself????!!!!!! Thankfully I just sat on it at the waterfront, so as it gradually sank, I wasn't in danger of drowning or floundering in the sea to my shame. As it was, I did get up rather ungainly with my son-in-law doing the grunts as he hauled me up from the sinking lilo and sinking sand!!!The late evening brought Karen back and apparently the bus had taken nearly 5 hours to get there, and her friend didn't turn up for another hour, so she'd sat on her own in the bus station waiting for her. Then the evening was spent out getting "hammered" which funnily enough Karen didn't fancy doing and she just couldn't wait to get back to the room to sleep. That didn't happen until 7am so she was absolutely exhausted when she arrived back at our hotel.
She said it was a good thing she went though - she now knows what kind of holiday she wants as well as needs - a quiet one like we had. So she spent the rest of the time there thoroughly enjoying the peace and quiet and the sun.

Mandi and I all tanned

This was taken on our last complete day - all bronzed and all smiles.

Right that's got us up to the final day, but I'll do that another day..............