Oh, The People You Meet

Tea Chest Tidbits – short posts with lots of delightful photos of our time in Turkey.

One of the great things about travel is that you find out how many good, kind people there are

Edith Wharton

Oh that quote! Hundred percent agree with it…the people we have met here in Turkey have been good, genuine, kind and so helpful. We feel truly blessed to have met so many wonderful people along our journey, they really have made our experiences heart warming and memorable. We have made some lifelong friends here in the marina, both other live aboards but also the team of people that work here. We have come across some incredibly generous and friendly people while living here, can honestly say the Turkish people are some of the hardest working, most genuinely friendly people we have met. Out on our walks through the town and out in the countryside we always make a point of waving out and saying “Merhaba” which is Turkish for “Hello”. Generally we get a nod, wave or a response but quite often they will launch into a conversation, showing us their gardens, produce, animals, asking us where are from and even stopping what they are doing to offer us a Turkish tea or coffee. It really is a wonderful feeling to be made to feel so welcome.

Some of our most memorable encounters with the people have been while out walking, one day in particular there was a man traveling along the main road on a horse and cart. Now being the shutterbug that I am, I stopped to take a photo as he was coming down the road. He saw us, smiled, waved and then proceeded to stop along side the road to chat and have photographs taken with us. He was such a delightfully colourful character.

Another time we were wandering along a back street and I saw a chicken with some tiny chicks. I once again went to take photos when a young teenage boy came over and signaled for me to wait. He then proceeded to catch a wee chick and bring it over for me to hold. He was a lovely young boy with an engaging smile and who once again took time out of his day to make my day.

We have had people come up to us in the street and give us food, breads freshly cooked on an outside fire, oranges freshly picked from a tree and one man gave us six cucumbers!! The Turkish people love to share and food is such an important social part of their lives. Lots of the local shop owners will encourage us to taste something if we are taking an interest in it. The cheese shop owner and market stall holders are happy to provide you with several different varieties of whatever they are selling. It is a fun experience.

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While trekking along in Limyra which is about 7 kms out the back of Finike we smiled and waved to some small children. Next thing we were being asked to come and see what their family was doing…we were greeted by a large inter-generational family sitting in the front courtyard of their home preparing a mountain of peppers. They were so intrigued by us, wanting to know where we were from and what we were doing so far away from home. Their smiles in the photo says it all.

While relaxing on the beautiful Finike Beach one evening we were happily surprised to see a man come along selling Simit, a sesame seed covered bread which is totally divine! We had just been for a swim and this was the perfect way to finish off our time there. He was another character who happily had his photo taken and had some of the best Simit we have tasted.

One of our most memorable and special times was when we were invited to a Turkish friend’s home in the mountains to spend the night there. It was magical. We arrived after a two hour car ride through the beautiful and rugged countryside, had a delightful dinner of fresh fish and salad, and slept like logs in the cool mountain air. The following morning we wandered through the orchards before enjoying a delicious traditional Turkish breakfast. The chap and I still talk about this wonderful experience and how very blessed we feel to have had it.

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Catch us next time when we share with you some of the incredible foods we have enjoyed on our journey.
Happy Tea Drinking and Fair Winds ♥

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