Keith, one of the lovely guys on our trip, is a bit of a sports nut and an avid swimmer. I wanted to go for a dip in Mediterranean sea before breakfast, and I was feeling a little uneasy about going on my own. So I decide to call Keith from the front of the hotel up to his balcony. It was very funny as everyone could hear except Keith. Finally we head down a kazillion steps and you walk through the cafe which has steps directly down to the sea. The water was so deep and the most incredible deep turquoise blues. We jump in, and it literally took my breath away and I got panicked but could still swim towards Keith. Strangely he didn't seem to take to the idea of me insisting on him coming towards me to share the warm spot!! What a great way to start the day. The Hotel Linda has an automatic coffee machine and I work out if you put in a cappuccino and an expresso in the one cup, it is perfect. I really sound like a coffee addict!! Today is another casual day where we will spend the day cruising on a Gulet over the sunken city. We have this running joke about Ozan as he tells us quite a bit to clear our minds re the sunken city and not to think it's like Atlantis. We spend the day just cruising and they have these large yoga mats where you can lay on the top deck and rest. We pull into a few different swimming spots and we jump off the boat and swim in water that is so clear I can see the freckles on my toes. Mum is concerned about being on the boat all day as she suffers afterwards with the motion after the ship has docked. She looks like she is enjoying herself and that's what I love about Mum - she pushes through and gives it a go. We share many stories and a wonderful lunch on board, and yes, we did go near the sunken city. Tonight we enjoy a slow shopping time and I pick up some Turkish bath towels, and Booka bought me a lovely string and silver necklace. Kas has been so great and so easy - I could spend more time here. We will head to Kayakoy (population of 150 people) today, and Keith and I decide to take another dip in the sea before breaky and our short 3 hour public bus trip. This is a small village and intially a ghost village. As the result of the Greek Turkish War of Independence, the largest forced migration of about 2 million people followed. The Greek christians went back to Greece, and the Turkish muslims had to leave Greece. So people went back to countries where they didn't know the language and sometimes left great wealth to start again. The highlight of our stay is the place we are going to stay for 2 nights called "Villa Rhapsody" with our hosts Atilla and Sharn. This is an oasis in the middle of nowhere, and when we arrive, we are served up a a beautiful salad, sitting around the bar by the pool. Atilla announces that if we want to have dinner tonight, they will be preparing an African roast lamb dish with plums. Oh ok, let's stay for dinner. Mum and I catch the local bus that speeds by us to the local beach, and enjoy a Nescafé coffee and icecream while writing postcards. Mum has a realisation that somewhere along the way on the trip her Simone Perele bra and knickers have disappeared. We meet for dinner which is on a long table, beautifully set for the 13 of us, next to the pool. The food was magic and the lamb certainly didn't disappoint. Ozan has the guitar from the villa and he plays us some of his own music which was superb. He had written a song to his girlfriend who became his wife when he did his military service, and the other songs were so lovely, as we all listened by the candle light. The villa has all these lovely cats and dogs that were once strays and now they are a part of this wonderful family. The dog jumps up on the lounge where the cat is sitting and the two spar with each other. We all hit the sack, as tomorrow is our big hike!!
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