tips for lovers of excursions and outdoor activities
Hello, dear compatriots, vacationers, Russian-speaking tourists.
I hasten to share, hopefully useful information, with those who are going on vacation to the wonderful Turkish resort town of Bodrum and at the same time are not a representative of that class that is lucky not to count money. In general, information for those who decide to make a trip, as it is widely spread in Russia, with all the money they have in their pocket and at the same time, like all normal people, want to visit historical places and touch all sorts of antiquities with their working pens.
If this is your first trip, then most likely you will go on a ticket purchased from one of the tour operators, of which, as you know, there are a great many.
Any operator, as it turned out, will not want to stop at the fact that he sold you a ticket and will hasten to force the purchase of all kinds of excursions to historical places, accompanied by a highly educated Russian guide. Of course, you will need to buy them immediately (for reflection, a maximum of 2 hours), and, of course, the price for them will be too high. They will scare you with unlicensed agencies, a huge hype with a lack of seats on buses, a lack of insurance, and who knows what else. But after all, we are the wisest people and will immediately feel the catch? Rest assured! Let's feel it. Since they drive over the ears, in most cases, not too professionally. By the way, insurance is issued when buying a tour in your native (or for someone conditionally native) country and is valid throughout the territory of the host state, wherever you go. Insurance only does not provide assistance in case of sunburn. I would not be surprised if such a restriction applies only to our citizens. Because I saw the shabby scarlet backs of fellow travelers already on the third day.
However, back to the guide from the operator, who grabbed a stranglehold on your credit cards. Kick back as soon as you can. Hang noodles in heroic portions, do not be shy and do not be greedy. You still take it off your own ears. Say that you have friends in the city, and they themselves will take you where you need to and show you what you need. That is, of course, if you don't have too much money. Save an average of 20 american tugriks from each excursion. It is much more pleasant for the saved money, during the same excursions, to buy a lot of useful goods that the guide will advise you to purchase (which will be discussed later).
Please understand me correctly. In no case do I doubt the quality of paid tours from operators. But still, the addressee of my message is a representative of the working class, which means that we are talking about how to save money and nerves on vacation.
The next interesting point. Ladies and gentlemen, please do not be fooled by a free city tour from your operator. Five minutes will give you a look at the mills, in which in ancient times the virtuous predecessors of no less virtuous contemporaries were engaged in the production of olive oil, and then for five hours they will roll around the centers selling all kinds of leather and jewelry. If you, purely in Russian, are terribly tired of the fact that someone is obsessively trying to sell you something, then you will return to the hotel without hind legs, with mental fatigue that is irreparable for the current day, and even stay without lunch (if you it's all inclusive). One day of rest will be irretrievably lost. Believe me, you will be very sorry for this day, not only until the end of your vacation, but also after returning home. If you are really interested in goods, then you can make a trip to shopping centers at a convenient time for you. Moreover, no one will limit it to you, you can choose at least a whole day if, for example, you are used to giving yourself up to this process with inspiration.
When you manage to rescue your wallets from the ardent embrace of your so-called guide, feel free to go to the city. There you will find many travel agencies kindly offering excursions to such wonderful places as, for example, Prices will be different everywhere. At too low a price to rush, I also do not advise. Free cheese has been known to get stuck in the throat. For a discount, you can be voluntarily-compulsorily brought to jewelry and leather centers already familiar from the sightseeing tour (if you still didn’t listen to me and went), and they will also kindly provide a “Russian-speaking” guide, whose vocabulary in some cases can be seriously inferior to that , which was owned by Ellochka the cannibal from a masterpiece dozen of chairs. We almost ran into a couple of such trips out of spiritual greed, but we figured in time that we could even go from the tour operator and lose a lot of money for nothing, so we dealt with the toad that had perched on our breathing apparatus, and went in the direction of the council of the Slav brothers, staying at the same hotel as us.
Despite the topographical cretinism, horrendous English and simply no Turkish, we nevertheless found the office of this very agency, whose name is Director tour, without any problems. Or rather, we didn’t even find it ourselves, but found us. An employee named Olga noticed our lost faces right across the roadway, said hello and waved an advertising booklet. By that time, having bypassed a bunch of travel companies, we no longer expected to hear Russian speech, so while Olga told us about the offers, we just smiled rather stupidly and blissfully, enjoying the sound of native suffixes and endings. I do not advise you to relax at this moment, because Olga gives information about what you need to remember to take with you on a trip and dedicates to some equally important nuances.
The time has come to make a decision, but our Soviet genetic distrust, of course, took its toll anyway, and we decided to buy a ticket to start with only one excursion. It was a two day trip to Ephesus and Pamukkale where we were accompanied by a Russian speaking guide named Alena. Alena, a teacher by education, with an excellent voice, conducted such an interesting excursion that we were dizzy from an excess of emotions and information. I was especially pleased with her responsiveness and dedication to her work, driven by which Alena also provided a lot of useful advice and interesting facts about the peculiarities of Turkish culture and people's relationships. As I mentioned above, Alena drew our attention to some types of goods that can be purchased at branded outlets during bus stops. We decided to take a chance and buy. The quality of everything we bought pleasantly surprised us and we regretted that we did not buy more. Some (in particular, cosmetics and olive oil) will now have to save until the next trip. )))
The second excursion (Dalyan) also pleased me a lot. A guide named Olga charmed us with her spontaneity and humor. The trip was like in the company of best friends.
We also went on a short trip called "boat trip". This business is carried out for seven hours around the island called Cherny, with entry into picturesque bays with clear transparent water, where you can dip overheated bodies, in between sunbathing, and photographing on the bow of the boat in the style of “every night in dreams I see you I hear you…” for the subsequent placement of the results in the notorious social network; ). By the way, we went on this wonderful excursion twice. Firstly, we decided that it was much more interesting and pleasant than sitting in a hotel or playing kebab on the beach (with similar consequences in many cases). Secondly, at night in a dream, we were haunted by the enthusiastic sighs of tourists who guessed to take a diving mask with them and saw what kind of beauty is hidden under the water surface. So I advise you to grab this useful invention.
If it were not for the day lost on a sightseeing tour, we would have gone to the islands of Kos or Rhodes. But on the other hand, next time we will not waste time and will go by the already familiar path to already familiar people for further exploration of the Turkish lands.
In conclusion. Dear comrades. In Turkey live, for the most part, very friendly people. Your good disposition, sincerity and positive attitude are of great importance to them. I perfectly understand that our traditional gloomy one is this (khe khe... well, you understand))) it’s not too easy to stretch into a radiant smile... On the fourth day of rest, I myself had a nervous tic in the form of a twitching of the corner of my mouth, from such incredible strength exercises (After all, even in Russia I am not one of the most friendly people). In general, smile, dear fellow citizens. Be glad, at least, that you spend your vacation in Turkey in the summer, and not in Russia in the winter))
And, if this is your first trip to Turkey, please try to learn a couple of phrases in the local language in advance in order to be able to greet and thank the hospitable hosts and this sunny country, which many have to leave with tears in their eyes and a promise to return.
With best wishes for a good rest, vivid impressions, pleasant acquaintances and profitable purchases.