Gulet Blue Cruise & Bodrum, Turkey

Our Gulet Boat Out of Bodrum, Turkey

Our Gulet Boat Out of Bodrum, Turkey

Seaside Promenade - Gumbet, Turkey

Relaxing on Gulet Boat out of Bodrum, Turkey

Gulet Blue Cruise of the Gokova Gulf & Bodrum, Turkey (6/3-12/2010)

A Gulet Blue Cruise is a wonderful relaxing experience! 

On board a Turkish Gulet boat, sailing, snorkeling, swimming, sunbathing, eating, socializing with fellow passengers, and relaxing are the major activities (see photos). 

Many nights, as an alternative to our cabin, we slept outside on the deck falling asleep under a blanket of stars (the milky way is amazing!) waking in the morning to gentle waves lapping the beautiful pine covered hills of the Gulf of Gokova of southern Turkey (see photos).

Coastline - Gokova Gulf, Turkey

Wayne Swimming in Gokova Gulf, Turkey

Pat Dancing on Gulet Boat Trip - Turkey

Our days on our Gulet Blue Cruise consisted of eating simple but well-prepared Turkish meals and lots of swims in secluded beautiful coves (see photos). 

We visited the famous Cleopatra Beach (Karacasogut on Sedir Island) with its beautiful clear water and very special kind of sand that can only be found in some places of northern Africa. According to the myth, Roman Marc Antonius brought this sand from Egypt by sea making this beach for his rendezvous with Cleopatra. I wonder… what did Cleopatra have that such powerful men could not resist? 

We stopped and/or stayed overnight (see photos) at gorgeous rocky pine covered islands of Karaada and Orak, and bays of Alakisla, Tuzla, Ballisu, Pabuc, Haremtem, Pabucburnu, and Longoz (where we walked through the forest), as well as Cati Lagoon and English Harbor (name comes from the WWII where the ships of the English Navy were hiding here). Our gulet boat (the Onat - see photos) was about 70 feet long with 8 double cabins with simple ensuite showers and toilets (nice and functional but not luxury).

About 2/3 of the 18 passengers were Turkish and it was very interesting to get an introduction to Turkish music, dance, food, and hospitality. The Turkish passengers gave us gifts at the end of the week. 

Before we started our Gulet Blue Cruise from Bodrum, we stayed a couple of days wandering the seaside promenade of neighboring Gumbet. It was very nice staying in Gumbet. From Gumbet, we visited Bodrum. Today, Bodrum is an international center of tourism and yachting. It is dominated by the striking Petronium (St. Peter's Castle) built in 1402 by the Rhodes-based Knights Hospitaller.

Map of Gokova Gulf, Turkey

Some history... Throughout history, Bodrum was home to many civilizations. One of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World was in Bodrum - the ruins of the Mausoleum of King Mausolus ruling from here in 377 BC. It was a temple-like structure decorated with reliefs and statuary on a massive base. 

Petronium (St. Peter's Castle) - Bodrum, Turkey

Bodrum stood for 1,700 years and was finally destroyed by earthquakes. The word "mausoleum" is derived from this tomb. Also, Bodrum's beautifully restored Crusader Bodrum Castle (Petronium - Castle of Saint Peter) is the landmark of the city having a history going back to the medieval centuries. Today it houses the world's largest underwater archaeology museum of ancient artifacts brought up from sunken ships.

Please see our other blog post on our other Gulet Blue cruise:

Marmaris Gulet Blue Cruise, Turkey

 

 
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