Photos: Cleopatra’s Baths, Driving the dinghy, Rudy’s fish

Oct. 29, 2022- Cleopatra’s Baths What do you call a semi-submerged ruin from Roman times if you want to attract tourists? Cleopatra’s Baths did the trick. We dinghyed over to the shore and walked on a wobble-wobble floating dock to the hilly, rocky, tree rooted obstacle they call a path. It led to the aforementioned ruin. Semi-interesting, but here’s what we learned about carob trees at the site. Rudy picked up carob seeds called karats. He said that recent testing confirmed the knowledge of the ancients. Each carob seed, wherever found in the world, weighs .2 grams. Whether boiled, soaked, or frozen, they retain that weight. They were used as a reliable weight in measuring gems through the ages. We use the term karat in valuing gemstones to this day. On the way back to the boat I jokingly asked to drive the dinghy. Mohammed agreed. So fun. He took over as we approached the boat. No way he was going to let me try that maneuver. Most of the rest of the day was taken up with sailing 3 1/2 hours to our overnight spot, watching Rudy not catch fish as seagulls dive bombed the school, reading, and relaxing. Turned out to be too much down time for me. I’ll give you a rundown on boat cuisine. Everything is served family style. The only meat protein is served at dinner. It varies: fish, chicken, lamb, beef. Breakfast and lunch are veggies, fruit,cheeses, bulgar, and anything that can be mixed with yogurt. That would be anything: garlic, squash, purslane, peas, carrots, etc. The vegetarians are very happy. The bread has been average, but toppings are homemade jams, honey, butter, tapenade. We’re not suffering. Rudy talks in threes. When he explains things about what we’re seeing, tells stories, or gives instructions he rewords it three ways. That’s supposed to make us remember, but he still has to repeat times of departure, dinner, etc. He’s very patient. And his patience paid off. Most of us were dozing or reading when he and the captain erupted in loud Turkish exclamations. He’d caught a fish! It was bonito. Then he caught another. We pulled into our overnight cove and were greeted by an OAT boat going the other way. Rudy hailed the guide and we acted as if it was old home week. Soon they sailed off and we were left with a private beach (rocky) and isolation. No one swam today. In preparation for tea we made feta stuffed cigar rolls. The cook demonstrated, we mimicked,they fried them, and we ate. Delightful with afternoon tea. Our companions and we sound like pubescent boys. There are varieties of rasps and squeaks. Occasionally, they’re punctuated with a cough. No one is sick, but we sound awful. Tomorrow is a river boat ride to Dalyan Toby