7/13/2000
Old City, Antalya. 11:55am.

Four hours on a bus last night from Kas to Antalya, stayed at the Hotel Alp Pasa because some Americans we met on the cruise we took yesterday who were also staying at Hotel Club Phellos had stayed there. But it was very expensive ($US90) and I didn't sleep well because the blinds didn't keep out much light, the sheets were weird (I think they were single bed sheets) and the pillows tiny.

Fraser's been riding the porcelin bus a few times this morning.

From Parmacak, dolmus to Sel¨uk, bus to Kas. Majorly hassled by little shoeshine boys at Aydin while waiting for the bus to Fetiye. 1 1/2 hour wait at Fetiye but was much better cos we had dinner and a beer once we'd gotten ourselves sorted. Minibus to Kas. Arrived late (10:30), called ahead to hotel from Fetiye. Town still going strong, partly cos of the heat but partly cos it's a beachside holiday town with lots of bars and cafes.

1:14pm, Tea Garden, somewhere along the old wall above the harbour, Antalya.

After our elma cay in the last cafe, I went through a lot of sign language and bad Turkish to ask where a pharmacy was while Fraser had another spew. [as it turns out, it was diarhhea, but hey, it's all fluid.] A guy from the cafe took us to a pharmacy outside the old city where we got an anti-emetic. Quick drink in a cafe with an annoying tout (we only got a water between us so Fraser could take the tablet, serves him right), then off to find the Turkish Airlines office. Fraser had to be sick again in a back street, guys from the shops around brought him water to wash his hands and to pour over his head and bandana.

He won't go to a doctor but eventually agreed/decided to go to a pansyon where he would lie down for a few hours. Went through a slapstick routine where the guy was really suspicious of the foreign couple who wanted a room for a couple of hours (can't say I blame him) but with sign language and very slow English managed to explain what we wanted - a room for Fraser to rest in while I did other stuff. We even had a laugh when he said something that obviously meant 'he should go to a doctor' and I said something that clearly meant 'that's what I said!'. In the end, they offered their foyer for Fraser to rest in, because it was dark and cool and they could see if he got worse.

So Fraser's resting in the foyer of the Alkan Pansyon behind the Cumhuriyet Caddasi [not that I was worried about losing him, or anything] and I'm out on the town til 3. Already been suggestively stared at a lot, just crossing the street to get to the gardens.

Incredible view though, down onto the Marina tucked into the old castle walls and the blue, blue Mediterranean. Big mountains fade into haze across the bay.

Oddly enough, the touts in the Old City aren't really bothering today, but the beggars and touts outside it certainly are. [The little boy beggers really scare me. I think it's cos they're very insistent and once they get wind of a fuss they crowd around you and it's hard to keep track of all of them.] It's very hot again so I'm going to have to be careful not to get too dehydrated myself, and damn, Fraser has the sunscreen, though we only put it on at 11 so I should be ok. I'm more worried about being hassled or robbed than anything else.

Looking at the map, this cafe is actually built on top of the old wall. It's odd to be in a country where historic things are just old and are built around or into. Storks nest in the old acqaducts at Sel¨uk and where they are more complete they have been built into houses - unique way to divide terrace houses, I guess.

[As it turns out, the waiter who I thought was casting disapproving looks my way (and I didn't even order beer!) was quite lovely. I don't know whether I feel very self-conscious as a white woman here or because cultural differences make it hard, but I keep thinking people are disapproving of me when really they're not, or they're only staring because they haven't seen anyone that looks like me before.]