Bodrum excursion

On our third day in Bodrum we met Malecka's father, Norayi, and step-mother, Gilman, a retired high school teacher of Turkish literature. She speaks a fair amount of English and he speaks a little, so between sign language, pictionary and sheer determination we got along famously. They both grew up in Muslim households, but have travelled extensively throughout the world and have converted to Buddhism. There was an immediate connection between the four of us, as if we had travelled similar paths in life, but in different countries. Norayi and Nabil even resembled each other, with broad backs, meaty hands, and similar facial structure. Norayi is a renowned architect in the region, who designed may of the commercial and residential buildings nestled in the hills and coves that dot the peninsula. He is now retired, and has turned to art and gardening as his creative outlets. He lives with Gilman in a small village not far from the hotel. Their home sits behind a worn wooden gate inset in a concrete and stone wall in a village of cobblestone streets and decaying homes from an earlier era. When the gates swung open to welcome us, we crossed the threshold into a lush garden populated with fruit trees, vines, flowers and cacti. The focal point of this tropical getaway was a huge stone Buddha shipped back from Laos and a water sculpture crafted from an archaeological find in the Himalayas. Here was an oasis of calm and beauty blossoming on the other side of a pocked marked dirt road patrolled by stray dogs finding shelter in the open doorways of shabby homes with flaking whitewashed walls. A far cry from the manicured gardens of Daniel Island and the gated communities of Park West! The home had been refurbished, but retained much of the character of a village home. It was overflowing with relics and collectables picked up along their travels. We drank Sangria in the garden from cups purchased in Bolivia while munching almonds and figs and trading travel stories and jokes in our improvised Turkenglish under a night sky decorated with an orange crescent moon. The following day they picked us up at our hotel and mapped out a touring program of some spectacular ruins that were off the beaten path, but no less spectacular than other more popular sites we had visited. The ruins of Miletus were extraordinary. Remnants of the harbor and the pedestrian walkway that encircled it were still intact as was a huge Amphitheater. The baths, market place, temple foundations, store rooms and a host of other city buildings were scattered over acres of hard packed earth tucked between the mountains and the sea. Many of these ancient cities were abandoned as the silt from the rivers filled in the harbors and destroyed the sea trade that had created their wealth. We also visited the temple of Apollo in Didyam and the temple of Zeus, both more than 4000 years old. While earthquakes and war had taken a toll on both, the scale and beauty of these temples can only be appreciated when viewed up close. On the steps of the Apollo temple, where spectators cheered on their favorite athletes, orators and artists who travelled there to compete for awards and recognition, we found the names of sponsors and VIP's etched in stone, laying claim to the best seats in the house. During our hotel stay, much to Nabil's irritation, several guests got up at the crack of dawn each morning to place their towels on the prime positioned ocean view chaise lounges, thus reserving them for the entire day. Whether it be through towels or stone etchings, greed and entitlement are alive and well in Turkey and have been for flourishing for thousands of years! After trekking through the ruins for several hours, we shared lunch under a grape vine arbor that shaded us from the blistering sun, then snaked back to the hotel on mountainside roads that offered spectacular views of the sparkling Mediterranean. We arrived at the hotel feeling full...full of gratitude for the rich life we enjoy, the friends that have shared their lives with us and the good health that allows us to partake in it all!