Where the hell I've been.
Rhodes, Greece!
Sometimes you just have to sink into the experience, the writing can wait.
Now that I'm at the Dalaman airport, with a 4+ hour delay… let’s dive into my experience since Saturday.
The 16th:
Earlier in the week I had a hilarious moment with 5 taksi drivers in Fethiye trying to arrange a pickup from my apartment and drop off at the ferry port. We got it figured out and Süleyman agreed to pick me up on Saturday at 8:45, the ferry was at 9:30 as I remember it.
I woke up Saturday am after a very meh night of sleep and thought something felt off. Paranoia set in and I checked the ferry schedule…I had been wrong about the time, it was 9…not 9:30. I texted Süleyman in Turkish (🙏 google translator) but he didn't respond. As I was checking out of my Airbnb my host was kind enough to call Sully who was unaware of the change and he hurried down.
I was the second to last person in the ferry line but by the grace of the travel gods, I made it on.
I bought a second rate ferry semit, sesame seeded the ferry(there's no way to eat semit without spreading the seed). The concession guy gave me 25 lira in coins…remember this detail for later.
Here is an action shot from the ferry.
I enjoyed the ferry and couldn't help but doze off a bit with the cozying of the waves.
Around 11 am I arrived in Rhodes and was greeted by castle walls. I have two pieces of luggage in the colors of mustard and ketchup, a strategic choice to stand out. I grabbed my loud-colored cases and headed on the 10 min walk to my Airbnb(just inside the castle walls). The Airbnb was at the end of a park, I forcefully dragged my overpacked luggage up old church steps, and through the rocky old streets. I was very thankful that I had been weight lifting for 6 months at this point to pull the luggage with apparent ease.
The church that I pass in the entrance of the park that my Airbnb was located in:
The things is…I've never been in a castle like this. The old town of Rhodes is magical and might be one of my favorite places that I've been. There's just something so extra about a castle that people are still working and living in. We don't have any 14th century castles in America, this was a special thing for me to experience.
A couple of hours after landing I took a bus to Faliraki. From Faliraki I hopped onto the back of a scooter, went to the overlook of Anthony Quinn Bay and then went down for a dip.
The rocks that you see from above are actually super deep in the water, the water is so clear you can see all the way to the bottom.
Me posing with Faliraki:
The bay:
This was one of the nicest places that I've ever swam at. I swam to a rock out in the water for a sit and a crab got a little handsy with my butt to remind me who's rock it was.
After the majestic chilling of Anthony Quinn Bay I had a delicious meal in town and caught the last bus back to Rhodes town.
I also tried Greek piñón wine, which was mild and enjoyable.
I get squirrely occasionally and like to wander around alone at night. I had heard of this street called barstreet where there are loads of bars and people. It was a 20 minute walk so I thought, why not? When in Rhodes!
I was not prepared for the scene that unfolded once I turned the corner to the street. I've never been to New Orleans but I can imagine it would be a similar sight.
Something to know about me, I like watching people. I didn't walk to barstreet to partake, I walked there to see what the fuss was about.
The street is lined with bars, dance clubs, and strip clubs(for some reason this caught me off guard, mostly because I have spent so long in Turkey…this seemed so wild). People flood in and out, clearly drunk and having the time of their lives. A look to the right reveals a young man dancing on a table and swinging his shirt around like he just won the super bowl. A look to the left and strippers sit outside their club hoping to entice guests.
Be careful because as I found out if you accidentally make eye contact with a man he is definitely going to approach you…heck I got tapped on the arm several times by men that I didn't make eye contact with, “excuse me miss where are you from?!” Trying to throw their hats into the ring I suppose but luckily my training of passing up street vendors in Istanbul helped me thwart most of their attention.
I did a pass down the street and made it out alive and thankfully alone.
A few shots of the scene…it's hard to capture all the crazy and energy going on in this street.
I did my 20 minute walk back through the castle to my Airbnb and it took me a minute to wind down from all the excitement.
That was day 1! Such a full day and I was already in love with Rhodes.
Days 2 & 3 coming up.