Mud Baths and Rain

It was a bit gray when we woke up this morning but we decided to take our chances on the typical Turkish seaside excursion. We started with a boat ride up the Dalyan river to mud baths. It was quite cool so a few of the faint-hearted decided to sit on the sidelines, but the hearty Canadians and a very brave Brit took the plunge. We donned our bathing suits and waded into the mud pool. It wasn't long before a slinging match began and we were soon all covered in mud. It started to rain while we were mud bathing so we didn't get the opportunity to let the mud dry on our bodies as is the proper protocol. We took a shower of fire-hose proportions and then jumped in the hot sulfur pool where we stayed for quite a while enjoying the heat.

Once dressed, we dashed to the boat for the next leg of our journey. It was raining but the boat is covered so we were able to stay a bit dry. We cruised down to the other end of the river and docked at Turkey's nicest beach on the Mediterranean. This beach is notable for it's loggerhead turtle breeding grounds which are protected during their laying and hatching periods. There are no turtles around at this time of year. Given that I don't know when I'll get back to the Mediterranean, I decided that I needed to swim. The water was actually quite lovely but getting out wasn't exactly a treat. Everyone else was waiting for me dressed in fleeces and rain gear and most of them were wearing hats and gloves. I got dressed and we headed back to the boat where a lovely barbeque lunch was being prepared. By this time the weather had turned into a full-on storm with very strong winds and torrential rains. Despite the flimsy roof on the boat, the rain was coming at us sideways and we all got soaked while we ate. Not exactly my idea of picnic by the Mediterranean. As soon as we finished eating we motored back to the hotel.

I immediately jumped into a hot shower and then spent the rest of the afternoon in bed with a book and napping. It is now actually quite mild outside but when the wind blows and the rains come it's very chilling. Hopefully things will clear up for us in Cappadocia.