I arrived in Dalaman airport and was greeted by the Solos rep. It was all a bit confusing because we were mixed in with the Solos sun group, however when I met Sarah we were both relieved that we had got on the right plane, and were with the right age group. We were taken by minibus to the Hotel, I spent most of the journey talking to Nigel who was in the sun group. At the hotel we were introduced to our Solos Guide for the week, We couldn’t pronounce (or remember) his name so we called him by his nickname “Awesome”. Awesome introduced us to the rest of the group. Including the Sarah that I had already met at the minibus there were four Sarah’s in the group which was confusing but this led to some interesting nick names developing during the week. I spent the rest of the afternoon having a few beers and getting to know everyone.
The first day of activities was a Jeep Safari day. It was a really good way to explore the ruins and sarcophagi of Tlos. There was lots of photo opportunities. We then headed over to a beautiful restaurant in Yaka Park full of fountains and waterfalls. We stopped there for a few drinks. The next stop was Saklikent (The Gorge). We were given the option to cross the gorge river using only a rope to stop us from being swept away by the water. Sarah Jeffrey and I jumped at the opportunity, I went first and apparently made it look easy, although I must admit I think I was lucky to not lose my footing as the water was very rapid. Sarah earned her nickname for the week “Zenna” as she crossed the gouge river like a warrior princess! After the gorge walk we had a really nice piece of trout for lunch. I usually don’t like small fish because of the bones, but this trout was barbecued so well, and the meat just slid off the bone. It was delicious. Some of us had signed up for a paddle down the river on rubber rings, so after lunch we got on the rings while the others took the Jeep down to the point where they catch us. Fortunately they did catch us otherwise we might have ended up in Egypt. The next stop was the mud baths, they were nothing fancy but we all got into the spirit of things and slapped some mud over ourselves, apparently making us look ten years younger. Finally on the way back the Jeep stopped off at a Petrol station which had a swimming pool, quite an unusual thing to find at a patrol station but it was nice to go for a dip before heading back to the hotel.
- Wednesday – Quad biking – Mese and BBQ chicken – Water slide – Turkish bath – Sunset Cruise
Our second activity was a half day of quad biking. We were picked up by bus and taken to the quad bike training course. We were given some simple safety instructions and shown how to use the quad bikes. Every driver had to then do a quick test around the training circuit. Not everyone on the trip was driving the quad bikes and I had Ke as a passenger on my bike. The quad bike course took us round some scenic village roads, then into the forest for some off road action, this was my favourite part as the terrain got progressively more challenging. Sarah Holton was really good at quad biking and so she earned the nickname “Dr Quad”. After we had finished the off road part of the course we rode the quad bikes down into the cove for some refreshing drinks by the bay. After we had ridden the bikes back to the start point we were taken off for lunch in a local restaurant. Lunch was a Meze and barbecue chicken. In the afternoon when we got back to the hotel we thought we would give the hotel water slide a go. It was actually quite fun although a little short, it was nice to just relax by the pool and dry off in the hot sun whilst having a few more beers. In the evening Awesome told us that we could all get a free Turkish bath at Sanctuary, so some of us that had previously turned down the idea decided to go. It was an unusual experience, but good, I felt very clean afterwards and smelled like Turkish soap. While I was there I also had a haircut, and a straight razor shave which was a new experience for me.
- Thursday – Canoeing – BBQ – Karaoke – Dancing on Bar
- Friday – Boat Trip – Sunbathing – Back flips – Fishing – Feeling ropey
- Saturday – Hiking – Chicken Baguettes – Blue lagoon – Bartering – Dinner still mooing.
- Sunday – Paragliding – Shopping
On sunday we went paragliding
- Sky Sports
- about half way through the flight the pilot asked me if I would like to take control
- Tricks!
- Monday – Traveling home
Giles Bathgate 