“Ten at night is a time for rest. Midnight is a time for conversations. And anytime after one in the morning is a time for unwise indulgence.” – Old Sean
Gracious Host
After spending a day enjoying a vast array of outdoor activities in Olympos, I arrived in Antalya to seat myself at a coffee shop while awaiting for my Airbnb host to meet me. While seated, I enjoyed a cookie shaped like Cookie Monster and spun a giant wheel which told me my mood. When my drink came out, I got a sticker depicting that mood on my cup.
I’m apparently in a crazy mood at all times.
This is not enlightening.
My host, a lovely girl named Ekin, arrived a few minutes later. We spent some time talking before she led me to my Airbnb apartment. Once there, she asked if I wanted to join her as she went out to meet some friends.
Knowing that the bus system is a bit of a hit-and-miss in Turkey, I offered to drive. And soon, we were inching through twilight traffic.
English-Centric
Luckily for me, Ekin spoke fluent English. And luckily for me once more, her two friends, both Ukrainian, only spoke English as well. So by sheer chance, in a room where people spoke English, Turkish, Ukrainian and French, English was the only language all of us had in common. So I had a lovely evening of chatting in my mother tongue.
Our night was spent talking about the various music gigs that the group worked in, talking about their upcoming performances and inter-band drama. They seemed to really love whenever I spoke in a Texas accent, but I get why it sounds mildly hilarious. Dinner turned out to be coffee and sandwiches.
We eventually left when it got late. Our small group bought balloons and bubbles for reasons I can’t entirely understand. But thusly armed, I drove everyone to their respective homes. The last hour of my night was spent playing chess in a cafe before settling down to sleep.
Gatewalker
The following day, I awoke early. Antalya was meant to be a simple waypoint on my journey. Despite this, I made sure to have a hearty chocolate-covered waffle breakfast complete with a walk past Hadrian’s Gate and a quick trip up to the Duden Waterfalls.
Afterwards, I turned my vehicle west. It’s a little astonishing how much traveling I managed during this vacation. I was ready to visit a friend in Izmir before wandering back home. For now, I’m going to end this short post here.
I’ll discuss the strange, beautiful drive home in another writing.
So until then,
Best regards and excellent trails,
Old Sean
Written April 13th, 2024
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