We sort of sneaked into Turkey in the evening of November 2, 2001, after we had checked out from Greece at Kos. Because it was already late in the afternoon, we never made it up to Bodrum to check in officially, but instead we anchored in a bay on the Turkish coastline during the night. Since we flew our quarantine flag, plus the Turkish courtesy flag, we figured we wouldn't have any trouble. We figured right, as no one bothered us! The following morning, Saturday November 3, 2001, we got up and got ready, and by 0845 both Stress Relief and XTC pulled in their anchors and headed towards Bodrum.

Along the coastline from Aspat Koyu, the bay where we had anchored overnight, and all the way northeast towards Bodrum, were holiday villages, large hotels and villa/apartment complexes. All were white and all looked alike! Maybe it was easier and cheaper to build everything the same, but it didn't distinguish one village from the next, and it looked kind of boring. As we got closer to Bodrum we saw a row of windmills to our port and straight ahead we noticed a huge castle. That was St. Peter's castle, which we never had a chance to visit! The entrance to the port at Bodrum was immediately west of the castle and a bit hard to see, until we were very close. Once we had gone through the narrow entrance, the port opened up to a huge area. Rows three deep of Turkish "gulets", and fishing boats of every size tied up to the town quay, and both power and sailboats of every dimension in the marina, didn't leave much room left over to manoeuvre. We called the marina to find out if they had space for us, and soon two men came in a dinghy to help tie us up to their docks. As soon as we were secured, we had to follow one man into the marina office to check in. First of all we had to buy a "cruising permit" for Turkey for about $30.00, and in order to pay for that we had to obtain money from the nearest ATM machine. We walked away from the ATM machine feeling like millionairs, as we carried 400 million Turkish lira in our pockets; too bad it only added up to about $250! We could now obtain the cruising permit and pay for the first night in the marina, which cost us about $24.00. Then the question arose if we wanted to hire an agent or not to help with the lengthy check-in process with the rest of the officials? The agent wanted $60 apiece for Stress Relief and XTC, so Dan and Tom decided that they would do it themselves. The first stop was at the Health Control office, from there to passport control, customs, harbor master and last to customs patrol. Both Dan and Tom needed Turkish visas, which they obtained without any trouble and with a payment of $47.00. The boat's cruising papers and Dan's visa were good for three months, so before March 3, the boat and Dan have to leave Turkey for at least 24 hours before they can check back in! Since I have a Swedish passport, I didn't need a visa. After four hours Dan and Tom returned to our boats with all five of the required stamps on our cruising permits. It had been a lengthy process, but only because they had spent time in each office to get information, as they were the only ones checking in. Dan had filled out the cruising papers before they left, but not one of the officials looked through the pages nor asked any questions. We had been concerned about our gun and Duke, since we had read a booklet about rules for entering Turkey. One local man, who was helpful to Dan and Tom, said that in Turkey they have lots of rules and regulations but no one to enforce them! Anyway, we felt happy about being checked-in properly!

We spent Saturday and Sunday in Bodrum marina, and had a chance to go ashore to look around a bit. The town was definitely geared towards tourism, and the prices in the stores were not that cheap. The young man, who had helped Dan and Tom with information about the check-in procedure, had told them that normal Turkish people couldn't afford to come into Bodrum. Only rich Turks from Istanbul and Ankara can afford to come there, along with Europeans, and to them the prices probably didn't seem that high! We had to buy groceries for our upcoming departure, and that we did in a store close to the marina. The only thing that I thought was real cheap was Dan's carton of cigarettes, which cost about $12.50. A fresh loaf of bread was only 11 cents, so I can't complain about that either! Since we didn't leave the town and headed out beyond in the country, we didn't think Bodrum was much to see; maybe it was different in the summer and with more time spent there? Seing we were heading for Fethiye, where we planned to spend our winter, we wanted to leave Bodrum as soon as the weather permitted.

On Monday, November 5, we powered back to the bay, Aspat Koyu, where we had stayed the first unofficial night in Turkey, and there we spent another night. The following morning we set out, under sail in northerly 20 knots wind, south towards any good anchorage on the south side of Datca Yarimadasi. Crossing the Gokova Gulf we had nice sailing weather and crossed the 19 miles in three and a half hours! By the time we rounded Cape Krio, we decided to continue to the Greek island of Simi instead of stopping early; when the weather is good we try to go as far as we can in daylight! Before nightfall we had made our way up to Simi and into the bay at Panormittis, where we anchored for the night. By then we had exchanged our Turkish courtesy flag for the Greek one, so we didn't stand out like a sore thumb! That day we had made a 41.5 miles passage, and we had had a great sailing day, which is not usual in the Mediterranean.

Our next leg towards Fethiye was planned to take us up to a bay, Gerbekse, on the mainland of Turkey. We had very light southwesterly winds all day, so we were able to use our jennicker, and by late afternoon we arrived to our planned stop. The bay at Gerbekse was very deep and narrow. With one fishing boat already anchored at the head, we were forced to drop anchor towards one side, back down and take a line to shore on the other side to hold us in one spot, as it was no room to swing! XTC did the same, and we both were safe for the night. Thursday morning we were under way again, as soon as Dan had retrieved the ropes going ashore and hoisted our dinghy. As soon as we left the bay behind and came out into open water, the wind blew up to 20 knots from south-southeast; that didn't look good for going towards Fethiye. After we had been pounding along for some time, we discussed our options with Tom, and it was agreed to change course for Marmaris instead. That meant we could head north as soon as we had rounded the point at Kadirga Burnu. From then on and all the way up to Marmaris we had following wind and sea, and it was very comfortable sailing.

The entrance to Marmaris Limani is pretty straight forward. A huge peninsula sticks out from the shore on the right, and to the left the smaller island, Keci Adasi stops a lot of waves trying to come into the big bay. We could have passed on either side of the island, but since the winds were favorable, we opted to sail through the "normal passage", which took us between the island and the peninsula. From the light at Ince Burnu, on the northwestern point of the peninsula and up to the port at Marmaris, is about two and a half miles. There are several anchorage areas in the big bay, but we wanted to get as close to the city as possible, so we continued all the way across the bay. Outside the Marmaris Marina and before Albatros Marina and Boat Yard, we saw a few other sailboats lay on anchor, and that's where we also put ours down. It was quite deep, 30 feet of water where our anchor dug in, and it seemed to be good holding. We stayed in that area on anchor for seven days. When a big blow was pounding us from the southeast, we moved closer to shore and farther up on the side of Albatros Marina, in only 12 feet of water, and both Dan and I felt much safer then with our 120 feet of chain out! Marmaris was just another city geared for tourism, so of course we found everything we were looking for. Once we found one Internet Cafe, there were several right next door, and that we couldn't understand. All of them charged 1 million lira per hour, about 70 cents, so the price was right, but the connection very slow! I located the post office, while Dan and Tom sat patiently and waited for the computer to do something. Several grocery stores I also found, and in my wondering through the covered alleys, I walked by numerous clothing stores, where they sold brand names! I stopped to talk to one young man, and he of course wanted me to buy something. I told him, I didn't need anything, so instead we started talking and had quite a nice and long conversation. According to this young man, Turkey is number two in making forged copies of brand name clothing, Thailand first! You could buy brand names like Nike, Adidas, Armani and everything in between! We spent most of the time onboard, doing odds and ends, and waiting for the right weather, so we could continue to Fethiye, another 50 miles or so farther south. In our anchorage we met some nice people, a young couple from Australia, and another nice couple from Fethiye, the man was English and his wife was Turkish. Once we reached Fethiye we met them again! In Marmaris marina there were quite a few foreign boats, and they were holding up there for the winter. We got prices for our boat, and it was not cheap; about $350 per month, water and electricity included. The marina was very nice, and it would have been great to stay there, but since we had only heard good things about Fethiye, that's where we wanted to go and find out if it was true!

Early in the morning on Friday, November 16 we got ready to leave Marmaris and try to make Fethiye by evening; if not all the way to Fethiye, at least to a bay in the beginning of Fethiye Korfezi. We motored across Marmaris Bay and out beyond the peninsula, before we could shut the engine down and use our sails only. The wind cooperated and came from northwest all day, between 15 - 22 knots, so it was another great day for sailing. The sun was shining also, but even so it was a chill in the air, and it definitely didn't feel like summer any longer. We had made great progress all day, so by 1400 we had reached all the way to the point, Kurdoglu Burun, which was the southern most piece of land we had to round before going up Fethiye Bay. Since it was only about 12 more miles up the bay and into Fethiye, we opted to continue. A very high and steep mountain sit on the piece of mainland that sticks out to Kurdoglu Burun, and when it's windy, the wind pick up speed over them and hurl down the other side with much stronger force. This we got a taste of! We had just altered course to a more southeasterly direction, when we heard the wind started howling and slammed into us on the port side. Of course we had the main and genoa out, and that was too much sail area in 41 knot wind. It was no time to reef the main or roll in the genoa, so Dan threw the wheel to port and tried to point our boat into the wind to slow us down. In so doing, Duke and I had a hard time holding on to our seat and almost flew across the cockpit. What a scare! It didn't get much better until we finally were able to get away from the mountain influence on the wind, and even then Stress Relief hurried forward unusually fast. As soon as I had calmed down from the scare, I called Tom on XTC to warn him about the strong winds. He was going farther away from the point, before he changed course! Pretty soon we saw Kizil Adasi in front of us, and since we were heading to Fethiye, we would stay between the island and the mountainous mainland to our starboard. We had to pass between another smaller island farther up the bay, Fethiye Adasi, and the mainland, as it is very shallow on the other side of the island and towards shore; the salt marshy land reach way out. From the sailors we had met in Marmaris, we knew where the best anchoring spot was in Fethiye, so all we had to do was round the sunken ship and make our way up and into the bay the "yachties" call Hyde Park! We had come a little over 46 miles and it sure felt good to know that here, whether it would be on anchor or in a marina, we would be spending our winter. We had finally arrived!

Since we hadn't made any reservations in any marina in Fethiye, we set out to find out if any spots were available. We stopped at The Boat House, which we had heard was the least expensive place, and charged the least for electricity! Probably because it had a reputation of being cheap, it was full. Even though spots still were available, more boats would be arriving by December first. I wouldn't call The Boat House a marina, as we think of a marina well protected from any wind, and having nice sturdy docks with all kinds of facilities available! This place was nothing like it; a rickety jetty on very skinny and wobbly steel pipes driven into the bottom that made a L-shape, and on top some thin wooden boards. No protection at all from winds blowing from northeast to southeast; from any other direction is was protected by land! They did offer water and electricity! In a way we were glad they didn't have room for us, as that night a pretty fierce southeasterly storm blew, and quite a few boats got damaged on that jetty. Since all the boats were tied up to the same mooring line, with the strong winds blowing up huge waves and making the boats rock up and down, the mooring line moved back about nine feet. Everyone onboard thought the line had let go, so in the confusion one boat tried to get away from the jetty. In the dark and with the winds and waves battering them, the sailboat's propeller wrapped around a line and couldn't move. By then the sailboat was halfway out from the jetty, and was blown sideways up against the rest of the boats and caused some serious damage to itself and the others. People at The Boat House were not happy! After we heard all that, we decided to stay on anchor for the winter, as our boat is set up to be totally self supporting. We did move farther up towards shore and behind the point some more, where we threw over our three anchors in about eight feet of water, backed up towards shore and brought a line ashore. Dan wrapped our longest docking chain around one sturdy looking tree ashore, and to it he tied a long line out to our boat, pulled the line tight, and our boat stayed pretty much in one spot. That was going to be our winter home! XTC stayed next to us for a little while, but since Tom didn't have any heat onboard, he soon was forced to move over to Yes Marina, straight across the bay from us. Behind us on shore is a picnic area, where the Turks come to enjoy the outdoors. Only one house sits off to one side, otherwise it's all wooded, with lots of fluffy pine trees, laurel and other scrubs growing in the red earth. When it rains, the red dirt washes down into the water, and we can see the brown line slowly make its way out from shore. How much it rains, depends how far out the brown line will go. Sometimes we have seen it way out in front of our boat, and that means it's been raining cats and dogs for quite some time. Dan found a wooden jetty where we could go along side and remove his moped, and when it's not being used, Dan ties it to the chain around the tree also. We have quite a distance into town, as we have to go all the way around the bay, but with the moped it goes pretty quick. It takes 45 minutes for me walking, but it's a very nice hike!

Little by little we found out where to go and get parts or have parts made for the boat. Since it was getting pretty chilly in the evenings by now, it was becoming a priority to get our gas bottles hooked up. Dan had a Turkish fitting made up that fit into their propane bottles and could be connected to our gas lines; soon we had rented two 25 pound bottles of propane. Dan rigged them up in our cockpit with a valve in between, so when one is empty, we just switch over to the full bottle, and have the empty one replaced. Actually, when one propane bottle is empty, Dan has to go and pay for a new one, which cost about eleven dollars, and the following morning a full propane bottle is delivered by moped all the way out to the land behind our boat! Repairs needed to be made to our roof, as somehow the water had found its way in under the solar panels and eventually dripped quite heavily into the cockpit. To have a dry cockpit was the whole idea behind the hardtop! The three inside panels had to be removed so we could see from where the water dripped. A few bolts had loosened up, some old bolt holes not being used, and a hole Dan had cut in the fiberglass were the culprits. Dan ended up grinding small passages through the fiberglass roof and into the solar panel frames, so the water could run between the frames and out on the sides, where small drain holes were drilled also. Before, any water that came in under the solar panels got trapped there, as we didn't have any way for it to escape. Once Dan saw it would work, he smoothed corking over the grinding holes in the fiberglass, but left the passage in the solar panel frames open. Testing with salt water showed we had forgotten one hole, which was hidden under the aluminum frame, but every other hole seemed to be dry. Dan had installed all the bolts with corking again to seal them! We were just about to re-install the ceiling panels, when out of the corner of my eye, I thought I saw a drip! Could it be? Yeah, it was, and once Dan removed the bolt, a long stream of water ran out. Come to find out that the solar panel frames were double sided, and Dan had only drilled through the first wall; good thing we noticed before we had installed the panels again. Eventually we could not find anymore leaks, and the three ceiling panels could be reinstalled. Of course the horn, the VHF speaker, the cockpit light and the two stereo speakers had to be soldered and put back also so it was a long drawn out process! It was worth the effort it took, as not one drop of water has found its way in since it was fixed.

When we sat on anchor, we started seeing drops of oil in the water again, and it looked like it came from the back of the boat! Dan removed the cover over the hydraulic steering piston and rods, and yes, the piston was leaking again. The seal on the other end had started leaking! Dan was able to find the exact o-rings in town, and he bought some for spares. Once again everything was taken apart, but Dan had experience how to do it this time, and it went pretty smooth. Not that we needed it, but we had steering again! Our rudders move back and forth with the waves and the water, and sometimes they can be quite loud, especially in my cabin. Dan had tried before, while we still were at home in RI, to tighten them up, but it didn't seem to help any. After removing everything from my cabin and our utility room, so Dan could get way back in the small compartment where the steering connects to the rudders, he again tried to tighten the thick bar around the square nuts. No way it was going to work, so he eventually ended up taking the short arms off. Then he noticed big cracks in the steel where the bolt sticks through; by tightening it up, it had started to crack rather than close the gap around the nut! Off to the industrial area of Fethiye, where Dan got the pieces welded and ground out some more, so they would be able to close. Once the arms were reinstalled, the rudders seemed not to move as much, and neither were they as noisy as before.

Our batteries were the big headache, as the glass-mat batteries we had bought just before leaving the US, wouldn't hold the charge very long anymore. During our summer sail, our "smart" regulator had broken, and even though Dan installed one of our regular back-up regulators, it didn't perform as well as the "smart" one and overcharged the batteries. We used to have over 300 amp hours of usable electricity, but now we were lucky to have 100! Every time we used the toaster, microwave or ran the refrigerator, we had to start either the generator or the main engine to help charge the batteries. Little by little the batteries seemed to be getting worse, so Dan started checking into getting new deep cycle, 6 volt, lead acid batteries here in Turkey. That was easier said than done; if they were available, they were very expensive! Dan located a battery supplier in Athens, and he had suggested two volt batteries, so now Dan started rethinking what he needed. Six of the two volt batteries would hold seven hundred amp hours, but they would be quite heavy; the cost was about the same as the six volt batteries here in Turkey. The only negative about the two volt batteries was, that they had to be shipped from Athens to their supplier in Rhodes. We would then have to sail the boat across 50 miles of dangerous winter seas to pick them up; not what I wanted to do!

The land around Fethiye is spectacular! The day we arrived, we could see snow capped mountains south of the city, but as the winter progressed, we could even see snow from our boat. The tip of the mountain immediately behind Fethiye is sometimes dressed in white; when it rains on us by the sea, it snows higher up. Fethiye is surrounded by high mountains, and from the road along the coastline on our peninsula, we have a magnificent view in almost all direction, at least the ones that count. To the north, to the east and south one mountain peak after the other rise higher than the one in front, and all have a white hat on this season. When I look at the city from our boat, I definitely get the feeling I am in another part of the world. The round cupolas on the mosques and the high, skinny minarets that are visible, as often in this city as a church would be in our country, reminds me that we are no longer in Europe. The wailing from the minarets and loud speakers mounted on telephone poles, so everyone would hear the call to prayer, was very much in evidence during the month of "Ramadan", which is the Muslims month of fasting. This year it started November 16 and lasted for thirty day, after which they celebrate four days of "sugar" or "sweet days". Sometimes I woke up at 0300 by someone beating on drums in the city! I found out that the drumming was a wake-up call to the Muslim people, so they would have time to eat before the sun rose. All during the day the Muslim people fasted, and shortly before 1700 someone lit a loud fire cracker signaling that the fasting was over. Five times a day the Muslim is supposed to go to prayer, and many times we saw lots of men preparing to enter their mosque. Before they can enter, they have to cleanse themselves, so outside the mosque water is made available. The men wash their face and neck, their arms up to their elbows and last their feet. Nowhere did I ever see a woman doing the same. The women are not allowed to pray along with their men, but instead they can go upstairs in the mosque or stay at home and pray.

There are several large grocery stores in town, where I can find almost everything I need. Prepared food is quite expensive, as a very small jar of spaghetti sauce run as high as $2.60. Anything imported is expensive, but then again fresh vegetables and fruit in season are very cheap. For five pounds of tomatoes I paid approximately 55 cents; the same for yellow squash (almost like the butternut squash); $1.40 for ten pounds of potatoes; and for small bananas 55 cents for about two pounds. A regular fresh baked loaf of white bread cost 150,000 lira, which is about 11 cents; the bread is delicious and we eat a lot of it! Cereal, the few assorted boxes the stores carry, is not cheap. The Turks do not eat cereal; I think that's for the foreigners like us who visits their stores. No pork is available in the grocery stores, as the Muslims do not eat pork. Instead, there is an abundance of beef, chicken, lamb, sausages of different varieties, cold cuts, and cheese. The Turks are famous for their kebabs, and you can buy cubes already cut up for grilling. I can buy fresh vegetables and fruit at the local market every day, but on Tuesday and Friday there is a big open market in Fethiye. Numerous tables, and cloths on the ground, are loaded with fresh vegetables and fruit from the individual farmer. There they also sell cheese in various forms, but I haven't been brave enough to try any yet! Particularly on Tuesday, along with the fresh produce market, there also is a clothing and everything else market, which is fun to walk through. Along the passages, women have their fast-food stands set up, where they sell bread grilled on top of a round drum. On top of the bread they put potatoes, vegetables or cheese in any combination, and the bread is flipped in half and eaten like that. Tom tried one, and he said it was ok!

We have found the Turkish people to be very friendly and helpful, and much more so than rest of the Mediterranean countries, English is spoken by a lot of natives. Dan and I have made friends with Aglim and Kian, a native Turk and his wife, who comes from Thailand. Aglim owns his own business, where they make and wholesell souvenir items and imprinted tee-shirts. His business is in full swing from March till end of October, when they have five month off and usually go traveling to the Far East. We are now the proud owners of specially made Turkish tee-shirts! Aglim has been more than helpful in finding out information about boat matters for us, he lent us his pick-up truck, and we have been invited to dinner at their house several times. One Sunday Aglim and Kian brought us along to some old monastery ruins, that sort of hung on the steep cliffs, and from there we had a magnificent view all the way across to the Greek island of Rhodes. Aglim had bought Turkish sausages, which we grilled over coals, while we relaxed and enjoyed the nice weather and beautiful scenery. Once the sausage was properly grilled, we ate it in half a loaf of bread. Very delicious! Aglim and Kian have bought a Prout Quest 33 like ours, very recently. They are in the process of preparing it for their upcoming circumnavigation, which is planned to begin in the summer of 2003. They were interested in finding out what we had done with our boat, and which problems they possibly could avoid, as we all know that boats eat money!

Ever since we arrived in Turkey, it's been raining a lot. Unusual, most people tell us, as the months of November and December are usually warm and only a tee-shirt is needed. The rain is not supposed to start until January and February! Well, it seemed we spent so many days onboard, but of course things that had been put off, now got finished. Like my stories for our web-site, which I wrote and uploaded by the end of December. When the sun finally showed it's round sunny face, we hurried off on our moped. One of the first places we visited was Kayakoy, the Ghost Town. Another day we explored some very bad roads, that finally led us to Oludeniz and Kirme and some very nice people high up in the mountains. When Tom rented a moped and went with us one sunny, but chilly day, we drove to the ancient city at Tlos, which was worth every frozen finger and toe! A one-day trip back up to Marmaris we went in Aglim's truck, as he thought it was too far and too cold for us to go on the mopeds. Tom needed to check out of Turkey, which he did one day here in Fethiye, and a few days later he checked back into Turkey in Marmaris. Our boats, Dan and Tom have only three months permission to stay in Turkey, so Tom needed to extend his visa, before he went back to Florida for one month visit in January. After Tom left for Florida, Dan and I got on the moped one afternoon and drove up to Gocek, to see what that port looked like. It was very desolate this time of year, as it seems the entire town is dedicated to the hustle and bustle of the summer season. Of course there are local people who still live there, and some who live on their boats, but Fethiye is much more alive the entire year, and I am glad we choose it as our winter port! Coming back from Gocek, I made Dan stop several times, so I could rig up the digital camera and take pictures, as the scenery was gorgeous. My digital camera only works with electricity. We take our small inverter with us, Dan connects the wires to the moped's battery, we turn on the inverter and the camera works. Of course I can't stray too far from the moped, so I have to plant the moped in a good location to begin with!

Well, the battery situation did not get better, so on Wednesday January 23, 2002, we woke up bright and early and pulled up our anchor, and headed out from Fethiye and Turkey with Rhodes, Greece as our destination. That previous Monday, Dan had checked out us and our boat from Turkey, and since then we had waited for suitable weather to make the trip across to Rhodes and pick up our new batteries. The wind came from north-northeast at 15 knots, so we were able to motor-sail and made the 43 miles crossing in nine hours. We were headed for Mandraki harbor in the town of Rhodes, and according to our cruising guide, it is a very small and crowded harbor. Small it was for sure, but not crowded this time of year, so we had no problem finding a spot to go stern-to along the quay. The rest of Wednesday was spent checking into Greece again, Thursday the new batteries arrived and were installed, Friday we spent sightseeing a bit in the "old town", and Saturday we decided to try and make it back to Turkey and Fethiye. The weather was not very nice to begin with, but the farther away from Rhodes we went, the calmer the wind and sea became, so by nightfall we started seeing the Turkish coastline again. We never checked out of Greece this time, as we knew that in a couple of months we would be coming back this way again. I was a bit concerned to begin with, as Dan had told the Coast Guard that we were heading for another Greek island, Kos! Every minute as we were heading for the Turkish mainland, did I expect to see the Coast Guard boat come zooming out of Mandraki and chase us down, but I guess we were small fish and they never bothered. The reason we didn't want to check out of Greece, were their new "boat tax", which was 2000 drachmas per meter and ended up costing us about $52.00. The travel log we got was good for six months, so we have time to cross through Greece on our way out of the Med later on, without having to worry about being in their waters illegally! Anyway, when we started getting farther up Fethiye Gulf, we got a phone call and then VHF calls from Aglim and Kian. They were anchored in a bay south of Gocek and wondered if we wanted to join them? It would have been very nice, but since I was heading home to the US in a couple of days, I needed to get things organized and done, so it was better to bring the boat all the way up to our usual anchoring spot in Hyde Park. How good it was to be back!

After dinner on "My Chance", Aglim and Kian's boat, on Tuesday evening January 29th, we loaded the rental car with my bags and set off for the airport in Antalya, which is about three hours drive south from Fethiye. Too bad it was dark during the entire trip, but even so we could see some of the beautiful country we traveled through. To begin with it seemed the road kept climbing higher and higher and soon we came out on the "high lands", where there was snow along the road on both sides. Only small villages appeared in the moonlight very far apart, and no people were seen. Of course it was getting late by then! Once we started getting closer to Antalya, the road started to slope downhill, so now we twisted and turned with the road. The sharp curves had to be maneuvered with care, and they didn't stop until we almost reached the city. Just to be sure where we were going, we found our way out to the airport, where I found out that my check-in time was at 0400 at the International building. Once we knew where to go, we headed back into the city and found a coffee shop, where we enjoyed a cup of Nescafe' coffee and some very sweet and sticky pastry. We still had almost four hours to kill before I could check-in, so we drove down to the beach and parked along the road in a designated parking area. Dan were able to get some rest, but every time a car or truck thundered by, I sat up to have a look, so no sleep for me. Obviously I was excited about going home to see my big son, my daughter-in-law and my little grandson! Eventually the time crawled along and we could return to the airport, where I checked-in and got rid of my bags. At 0515 on Wednesday January 30, 2002 I said bye to Dan the last time, headed through the passport control, and soon I, along with all the other passengers, had boarded the plane, which was to fly us north to Istanbul. In Istanbul I changed planes, an eleven hour flight brought me to JFK in New York, and from there it was only a hop, skip and a jump to Logan, where I was met by Chris, MaeSue and Tyler! How great it felt to be back in the USA again!