Like many, my acquaintance with "abroad" began in Kemer, Turkey, in my youth in the last millennium. I remember the name of the hotel — PHASELIS ROSE, I remember the elixir of eternal youth from the same roses, I remember how hard I fell back on the step in the SPA area, how I couldn't breathe and the saving "express" massage from the Turk working there.
Years later, traveling on my own, for some reason my route and Turkey did not intersect in any way. It seemed that Turkey was banal, that tourists went on cheap tours to five-star hotels to eat and drink like savages from the hungry north. I thought that I was not a pensioner to seal by the sea and not a child who needed animators.
In early 2014, I was invited to my first ISUZU automotive brand conference in Istanbul as a dealership director. Then the stereotype that "Turkey is only about the beach" disappeared during warm March walks through the city center and its curious historical part. At that time, I could not even imagine how the ISUZU brand would affect my life, mark the beginning of my professional growth and give me the opportunity to write this story about one of the 60 countries I visited, sitting on the balcony of a two-hundred-meter apartment in one of the most expensive areas of Dubai.
So. A conscious desire to relax in Turkey came in 2022 and the first target was a prestigious resort in the Turkish city of Bodrum by flight from Sochi. After the debilitating restrictions imposed due to the pandemic, and after the geopolitical discord, the appetite for travel has played out in earnest.
Bodrum is considered the "Turkish Nice" and a place of luxury. I admit, I was not enthusiastic about either the infrastructure or the prices, but most of all I felt discomfort from the constant wind. The discomfort was added by the fallen off domestic bank cards from the global financial system, cash payments and the lack of easy ways to transfer additional money to yourself. The trip was reminiscent of the issues of Heads and Tails, where one of the presenters has cost restrictions. I wanted to get out of Bodrum as soon as possible. And we took off, to Marmaris.
Marmaris is fiery. Fiery — because it is beautiful, green with mountains perfectly combined with the sea. It pleased the eye and filled the heart with warmth. I wanted something else. Looking at the boats and boats, we wanted to go on a yacht ourselves. It was the best solution that could come to mind. It was a small matter to find a way to pay for a luxury yacht without money. Turn out. Thanks to those who invented alternative digital currencies.
We took a taxi from Marmaris to the port city of Fethiye and implemented our plan. Traveling on a large modern yacht is an unforgettable magic. Transparent turquoise sea, sunrises and sunsets on the water, no one but us and the team. One of the most striking impressions was the opportunity to see fish at a considerable depth directly from the boat. Fethiye itself also turned out to be a very beautiful city in which I wanted to stay for a few days.
We returned to our homeland via Antalya, where, judging by what we saw, nothing had changed for many years.
My conclusion: definitely a green light for Marmaris, Fethiye and yachting trips to the local lagoons.