Bodrum Penisula

Bodrum: Eastbound and Down

Miles Traveled: 5,619

Countries Visited: 3

Cities Visited: 6

Number Durum Doners Eaten: 16

On a whim we decided to take side trip to Bodrum, Turkey to get some R&R and soak in some sun after a dreary trip through Romania. After a stressful connection at the Sabiha Gokcen airport and a long and expensive taxi ride to the city center - we finally arrived to this very touristy beach town that looked more like Greece than Turkey. Bodrum is on the southern end of the Bodrum Peninsnula which includes the towns of Bodrum (the largest), Turgutreis, Ortakent, Türkbükü, Yalıkavak, Gümüşlük, Bitez, Konacık, Yalı and Mumcular. All of these small towns have their own distinct qualities and made our 4 days there a lot more interesting than we expected. To be honest, we weren't as diligent in our travel planning for this place and didn't expect to find a Turkish version of Cancun. But after doing a little exploring we discovered that this place has a lot to offer if you are willing to venture of the beaten path just a little bit.

Enjoy!

Bodrum

Bodrum is the main hub in the peninsula and is a hive of activity with tourists and the Turkish party scene. The town has two main sections, the quieter Marina which has the best restaurants and boardwalk area which has the party scene popular with the youths. Bodrum is a great home base for exploring the peninsula since is connects to all of the towns by bus and offers many ferries to a few Greek isles (Kos and Rhodes). It also has a very interesting museum of underwater archaeology built on a former fortress in the middle of town. But if you want to escape the corpulent tourists, mediocre beach, and insane prices you are better off jumping on a bus and booking it to another town.

Bodrum Beach. One day's budget blown on wine and appetizers.  Three words - Treat. Yo. Self.

The Marina. We considered hiring a small boat for a day trip to some nearby islands but we needed 8 other people to  book the boat. Anyone interested?

The fortress and underwater archaeology museum. Great views of Bodrum and thousands of recovered amphorae. Which are ceramic jugs used to transport cheap wine by the Greeks and Romans i.e. the Two Buck Chuck of ancient times.

The marina was a great place to chill at dusk and to get away from the non-stop Robin Thicke playing on the other side. This is where I realized that Blurred Lines is like a crappy version of Marvin Gaye's "Got to Give it Up", look it up.

Halikarnas. The largest club in Bodrum with the most impressive laser setup we've ever seen. Every night, they have a truck with dance platform that drives around town with a dancers doing a routine. Tonight's theme, dancing ninjas. Sunday is dance ninja night.

Underground cistern used to collect water in ancient times. It was fun discovering relics like these throughout the peninsula, like ancient amphitheaters and wind mills used to grind grain.

A municipal cafe. The Turkish take their tea time so seriously that it has become a government service. It was a sixth of the cost of any other cafe in Bodrum. Are you taking note America? Governments are capable of providing similar services that are cheaper than private institutions. 

Down with the Dolmus

The most efficient and cheapest way to get around the peninsula is to hop on a Dolmus (pronounced dolmoosh) which are mini buses that can drop you off and pick you up anywhere along a set route. The prices and the final destination is marked on each bus It was a little intimidating at first but we quickly got the hang of it.  

Gümüşlük

After randomly hopping a dolmus, our first destination was a small fishing village on the western side of the peninsula called Gümüşlük a.k.a the ancient city of Myndos. This was the our favorite place during our stay in Bodrum. It seems to be geared towards the locals and has a relaxed atmosphere with many family run restaurants. The beaches were also more pleasant (and sandy!). A good place to try some golzome (like a stuffed crepe), seafood and catch the sunset. A word of caution however, they sell seafood by weight here and it could a lot more expensive than Bodrum. 

Gümüşlük bay with Rabbit Island in the center. This city seems to have fought off the over development seen in other towns in the area.

The Rabbit Island archaeological dig in the background. During low tide one is able to walk on an ancient road that leads out to the island.

A proper beach with no one hounding you to buy more drinks.

We took a hike out to the cliffs on the southern side of the bay. After hanging out for a while, it was hard to convince Janelle that we had to leave.

Greek Isles in the distance.

The most expensive seabass we've ever eaten. After bragging about my haggling skills I paid 60 TL (about $30) for one fish and later found out I could have gotten two for the same price in Bodrum. This was moment I realized I had sucker written on my forehead.

Dare I say - a more beautiful sunset than San Diego?

Turgutreis

The next day we hopped on another dolmus to Turgutreis, again, chosen at random. Strong winds (20-30 mph) made our day at the beach less enjoyable but it was still an interesting place nonetheless. Turgutreis has an expansive fine sand beach that would've been a great place to relax on any other day. It is also seems to be home to a large British expat community judging from the number of restaurants offering English breakfast (blood sausage anyone?) and playing premier league games. Turgurtreis is a larger town than Gümüşlük that seems to be geared towards more affluent westerners.

The beaches just kept getting better.

The winds made a mess of the place but some people were unfazed by it, including an elderly man who had me help him replace his sim card in gale force winds.

A peace and friendship moment symbolizing the Aegean sea and Janelle, the friendliest person humanity has ever known.

Back in Bodrum - a small taste of home and wifi before we head to Istanbul.

Some Logistical tips:

Getting to/from Mila-Bodrum Intl Airport - the airport is about a 45 min drive to the Bodrum city center and there are limited transportation options. A cab will cost you about $50. A much cheaper option is to take the Havas bus which drops you off in the Bodrum bus station (only $7) and is just as easy. The bus times coincide with the plane arrival and departure times (leaving 2 hours before take-off)