Bodrum

I had a really good sleep and it was easy to get up in the morning, which is nice for a change. :) So I wasn't rushed with packing, breakfast, and the checkout and got to the ferry terminal in time. It was a pretty big chaos there actually since multiple ferries were about to depart but all passengers going to Turkey had to pass the same border control check point and were gathered in the same crowded waiting area. Not much fun with a bicycle. 😅 The ferry ride took only 25min but again we had to queue for a check point once we arrived in Bodrum. They let pass without checking luggage or anything at all.
I then cycled into town and searched for a Turkish simcard. Since prices for the tourist packages vary depending on the shop, I asked around multiple stores and ended up getting a vodafone 25GB/4 weeks free whatsapp usage package for around 17€. The people in the store were super helpful and friendly. Once everything was set up I went to marina for a second breakfast/lunch, I was pretty hungry. I was sharing the bench with a guy, who I eventually asked where I could store my bicycle safely while I'm off sightseeing. Via google translater he recommended me to ask the people working in a supervised parking lot nearby, which turned out to work fine! 😁 I'm usually not into museums that much, but there's an underwater acheologic museum in Bodrum!! That's where I spent the next two hours, looking at 2000 year old sunken wrecks that they've recovered and stuff they found with it! It was certaiy worth the visit. After the museum, I strolled around the bazaar area and got some amazing bakery goods that I'm still trying to find elsewhere again. :D I then picked up my bicycle and cycled to the mausoleums and theater a little outside of Bodrum. The mausoleum is one of the seven old world wonders and it's probably the only one where you can wander around between its remains and actually touch the stones!! It was pretty cool. :) I also met a Brasilian guy there and we talked a little, which was nice.
Around 7pm I arrived at my couchsurfer's place Onur. He accepted my last minute request the day before since my former couchsurfer got sick. Just after I dropped my stuff, we were almost immediately heading to a batchata/salsa dance class that he's currently taking. It was so much fun and luckily only the second lesson, so it wasn't too hard yet. We were around 9 people and the course was held in Turkish, of course. 😅 Such a fun experience. :)) After the dance class we went to a bar together with the dance class people, where some of them were participating in a darts competition.
Around 11pm we took a taxi back home, we both had to get up early, Onur for work and me to get out of the building. 😅 It was a really fun time with Onur and his friends and the best first day in Turkey I could have imagined!! 😁Read more