Mudbath! (The Ultimate Day Trip Of All Possible Day Trips!) by Alfred N. Muggins (from his recent holiday in Marmaris, Turkey!) Part 3

(The events and feelings described here actually occurred in May 2022)

16/7/22

     Winding through the streets of Marmaris in the minibus, a couple of couples were picked up from other hotels, then down to the port/ seafront area where they were led and invited quickly onto a large boat covered in sunbeds, gradually filling up with tourists of all ages, but there was plenty of space. The first thing they did, despite the early hour (it was breakfast time, nearly nine o clock, but Alfred didn’t feel hungry yet, as they had already had some cereal before leaving the hotel apartments.) was to follow the lead of others and put their towels on some of the rows of sunbeds. Typical of tourists, they copied the actions of others, and yet having just arrived and in expectation of a trip, the last thing Alfred actually felt like doing was to lie back and sunbathe in the already hot sun. (he had only just recently got up from his night in the lying down position!).

    Already, as they split up and sat on different parts of the big boat, looking out at the other boats in the harbor, and the beautiful views of Marmaris and the surrounding mountains and turquoise sea (which someone recently said means ‘Turkish’ in French!), the sun was beating down and they were forced already to start applying their sun creams on exposed bit of flesh. Alfred, as always in a hot or sunny country wore his sun hat. He didn’t want his bald patch becoming inflamed with sunburn or to get sunstroke!

22/7/22

     Some of the ‘yachts’ in the harbor of Marmaris, nearby looked very plush! Indeed they looked to be exactly the kind of boats the western governments had been taking possession of from rich Russian oligarchs on the suspected pro Putin lists! Alfred presumed the Turks were not doing the same, and a number of boats like this could be seen, here or in the area. It looked as if the Turks were playing a more diplomatic or intermediary role with the naughty Russian establishment than the other NATO states, and had already hosted some talks between the callous invaders and their victims in the Ukrainian State, which were obviously not ‘going anywhere soon’ while Putin believed he could get away with his barbarity!

16/7/22

     Actually Alfred had been rather surprised when the minibus dropped them off so quickly at the port. Although he had known it was a possibility, he had rather envisaged their trip to Dalyan and the Mysterious Mudbath might be by coach or by road, as it was back towards the airport they had arrived at, and was shown as inland on his phone map which had at least shown him something of the map through the unreliable hotel wifi!

Admittedly Alfred himself had done almost no research for this trip, and Mrs Muggins and her second son had been the ones to organize and discuss the details of the trip with their waiter, so he was quite open to being surprised about what the tour would entail. He was just very relieved and reassured that the trip was to be real, and that they would get to see some of the local sites which would include the mysterious Mudbath and some kind of tour or viewing of the ancient Tombs. It looked clear to him now that there would be a voyage up the coast rather than travel by road, which suited him and all of them perfectly well.

17/7/22

     After quite a long voyage along the beautiful rocky coastline of the Turkish Riviera between Marmaris and Dalyan, passing uninhabited rocky islands, and a mysterious bay which the map said was a military bay which was out of bounds! Alfred, with his fertile imagination, and his pessimistic skepticism wondered if this was where the Turks were keeping their nuclear arsenal, or, much worse, might have leased it to Russian oligarchs so Putin could hide his expensive yachts with their hidden special weapons!

     Eventually after a few hours and a tasty lunch in the inside room of the large boat, they came towards the mouth of the Dalyan River, the mountains opened up to reveal a wide plain and valley, and a sandy beach. They docked at an island in the bay, and it was time to leave the large boat, which had been their home all morning. As always with crowds, some rushed to get off the boat onto the few small covered motor boats moored on the other side of the wooden quay. There was an attempt to organize tourists of different nationalities onto separate boats, so the guides on each boat would not have to do too many languages on each boat.

    Being one of the last to leave the big boat Alfred was directed to a boat where a few of their own party were, split up between the ranks of different nationalities. Of course you couldn’t tell which nationality everyone was just by looking at them, unless you knew their languages and could recognize them when they opened their mouths! Of course, being British, Alfred was privileged to belong to a nationality which did not have to work hard to be understood in most foreign places. English had become, by Imperial and colonial means, and by natural advantage, as the Americans spoke it, and as much of the world was keen to encourage many of their people to learn English as a language of modern communication!

     The small boats crossed the bay to the mouth of the Dalyan River, behind a sandy and expansive beach. The River was flanked by reeds on both sides, but they came to a busy quay and were invited to disembark and follow the wooden walkways towards Turtle beach (or Iztuzu beach, meaning Turtle beach in Turkish!)

22/7/22

     Apparently Turtles did actually come here to leave or hatch their eggs, although he did not read the explanation on the sign too closely. The beach also existed as a melting pot for the many nationalities on these trips. They all had just less than an hour to explore and ‘feel’, or experience this admittedly beautiful beach in the wide estuary and bay. All felt, despite the crowds of their own multinational species, a closeness with nature and an appreciation of the beauty of the land (and sea!) in which they were. There were Brits, Germans, probably Europeans of many nationalities, and very likely Russians here too (probably not Ukrainians sadly! As they were busy fighting, and fleeing from a war they did not want, and did not create!).

    There were, he understood, Iranians here, as there was a large family and friends contingent of them on the big boat, who had been dancing and celebrating at lunch time on the big boat, only a while before! (He presumed they were actually from Iran, and were not Iranian exiles, although not being an actual journalist he was under no compulsion to actually know all the facts pertaining to all the various people on the big boat, or the now smaller boats! (At least he had the freedom to speculate, or surely believed that he had!))