Mudbath! (The Ultimate Day Trip Of All Possible Day Trips!) by Alfred N. Muggins (from his recent holiday in Marmaris, Turkey!) Part 2

May 2022

(Written 11/7/22)

    They had been picked up on that fateful morning at the allotted time, about 8.15 if he recalled correctly. This would be crunch time, Alfred had thought, to see whether the waiter had sold them a dud trip or an actual trip? Alfred assumed that on the balance of probabilities everything would be okay and the trip would just be a normal tourist trip. Perhaps the waiter would have earned a bit of commission, and maybe they had paid a little more than they should, but to well off Britons like them (I am joking!), what would a few Lira, paid in Pounds Sterling actually matter.

    The tour shop man down the street, who they had walked past a few times now, had been very critical of a waiter organising a trip for them, when there were proper tour shops who would sell tours to the tourists at fair and competitive prices. He had insisted the waiter must be taking a cut and was not necessary. Alfred had thought everything would probably be fine, but if it had been left to him he would have bought a tour from the tour shop, because there would have been less risk. Nonetheless he liked the waiter, and imagined it should work out, but they were strangers in a strange land, and coming from scam ridden Britain he was not as trusting as he would once have been when younger. A lot of people were out to get tourists, he imagined, or at least to rip them off, or British people in particular, because we were so gullible generally. At least the transaction had not involved the internet, so perhaps it would contain a modicum of trust after all?

     Of course it had been Mrs Muggins’ younger son who had revealed to the Tour Shop man, who spoke good English, that they had already arranged a Dalyan Mudbath and Tombs tour with one of our waiters, thus letting themselves in for a deluge of questions and persuasions to reveal the waiter so he could be got into trouble for straying from his waiterly duties into tour sales territory, and to persuade them to book tours through him in future! Alfred could not imagine anything worse than getting their poor waiter into trouble, even if he had strayed beyond his normal role, or trying to get their money back, or rebooking with the tour operators. He had not come on holiday to get embroiled in contractual issues and arguments between tour operators and waiters, and dealing with hassle. If the tour went ahead that would be good, if it did not then maybe they could consider getting the waiter into trouble, and only then. But Alfred considered it would have been far better for Mrs Muggins’ younger son not to have mentioned anything about that particular tour, or the waiter, to the tour operator in the first place. It left a nasty taste in Alfred’s mouth so to speak, and caused him disquiet until the actual tour took place or not, as the case may be!

     Anyway to experience the Tour, they would have to be ready for pick up, in the right place, at the allotted time., and for that to happen they would all have to be ready with their bags and whatever they needed for the day trip. They had struggled to eat their restaurant breakfasts on time for the previous boat trip they went on three days before, but had still not missed their pick up (only just!). This time, for speed Mrs Muggins wisely decided that this could be one of those mornings when they did not have the hotel breakfast, and they would have cereal and milk, and or toast in their own apartments before coming out. There would be a lot less hassle with the two young grandsons this way, who were not always very good at sitting still for breakfast, and even less good at actually eating it anyway, but they would probably have some cereal and possibly even some toast in the apartment. Even so as usual it was a bit of a struggle to get everyone there for pick up at the right time just beyond the hotel security gate. As Alfred got there just at the right time, and was pleased to find the correct driver to pick them up, he was able to claim their places while the stragglers caught up. It looked like the trip was real, their sterling had not been wasted and there was a real trip happening, Alfred began to relax perceptively as fate (or the minibus driver) took them on this trip, which might even end with him achieving greater longevity in the mudbath, or even gaining eternal youth if he was lucky!