Now, I know Baz isn’t one for sabotage, but when I stood filming Barry having his head, arms and back massaged, I had to wonder, did he lose our video footage just so he had an excuse for a second pampering experience at the Turkish barber shop? Well, he probably wouldn’t go that far, but he did seem to benefit from what could have been a major loss.
As I told you last week – and Baz outlines in his blog this week, we lost all of our footage for this week’s video. That wasn’t too much of an issue, because we did have a lot of completed past projects that Barry was able to share. The only great disappointment was that the footage of Baz’s experience at the Turkish barber’s was also missing. Every cloud has a silver lining though and he had the opportunity to go do it all again – haircut, shave and oh dear, massage. Lucky boy.
Oktay the barber was happy enough to let us film the experience again, and later in the editing room (A B Sea’s saloon), I got to have the fun of editing it together. Baz looked as if he had the best experience, as of course anyone would if they were being pampered for the best part of an hour and a half, and we think you’re going to enjoy ‘being there with him’ when you watch this Saturday’s video. I particularly appreciated watching Oktay flash the hairs off Baz’s ears with a naked flame, and you’ll get to see this close up too! The full package was very reasonable as well, costing 80TL, which works out to be around AU$20.
Loving being in Kaş harbour
I have to admit that while I do love sailing – with the freedom of travel, feeling the sun on my face and the wind in my hair as our beautiful yacht rides the waves like a literal sea horse – I very much value being tied up alongside the dock in the harbour of Kaş town.
Simply being able to take one step from boat to shore for the regular events such as going to the loo is so much easier than having to organise the dinghy. I also appreciate being able to go for a daily walk and exercise is an enjoyable pastime as I explore the quaint streets around Kaş.
There’s also a fabulous restaurant at the entrance to the harbour, called Smiley’s Restaurant, owned by Ismail, aka Smiley, who made the arrangements for us to stay in the harbour for the winter months. Smiley is a generous host, along with his wife, and his staff are very attentive. The food offered is mainly Turkish and their speciality is fresh fish, which Smiley buys fresh from the fishermen each morning as they walk past his restaurant to sell their catch in town. He gets first pick of the daily catch and displays it in his restaurant for customers to choose for lunch or dinner. Baz and I enjoyed a delicious fresh tuna recently.
We chose to have it fried and it came served on a platter, lightly floured and fried and was absolutely delicious with the accompanying salad and French fries. We’ve also just discovered that Smiley sources bacon in Fethiye and serves a full English breakfast. That’s something we’ve yet to try, but if our past experiences there are anything to go by, one morning soon, we’re going to be in for a treat!
Passing Smiley’s we’re in Kaş town and can access everything we need within a few minutes’ walk. Mike and Elaine took us on a whirlwind tour of recommended shops, boat supplies and mechanical workshops, so we’re pretty much set for everything we need. The shopkeepers we’ve come to know are helpful and friendly, and tradespeople such as the local laundry have offered special deals once they’ve discovered we’re here for a few months.
Going to the market on a Friday is also a breeze now we’re moored, as it is literally just up the hill and around the corner. I’ve found it’s become an enjoyable weekly event to walk up there, and return to the boat with backpack filled with fresh fruit and vegies and perhaps some locally made cheese. The food is obviously farm fresh and lasts for ages, as well as being super tasty and very reasonable.
Delights to come
Along with running the town’s most popular restaurant, Smiley is a font of information. He’s advised us to visit Big Pebble Beach which is just a 2Km walk due East along the harbour road. It’s been raining for a few days, with more to come, but when there’s a sunny weather window, Baz and I will definitely be making that trip.
Other places to visit include the Hellenistic Amphitheatre which was built in the first quarter of the 1st Century BC out of local sandstone. There are also ruins of a Hellenistic Temple tucked away down a back street in Kaş that we plan to film with the drone as soon as we get a good weather window – and also have the phone fixed which we use to access the drone controls.
There’s a bit of a story about the phone though, but I’ll tell you all about our journey to Fethiye to rescue my Samsung Galaxy edge after six weeks, in next week’s blog.
In the meantime, you have a fantastic week!
