We had asked our hosts here when the weekly market is so that we can buy our fruits and veggies. They said there is one in nearby Davutlar on Sundays, so we stopped in there yesterday morning. It turned out to be quite a bit larger than any of the other markets we've been to, and it included many other goods besides fruits and veggies. Ruth bought some socks, and I bought some shoes!
And, of course we got our supply of fruits and veggies.
I forgot to take a picture of our haul, but the deal of the day was definitely on the bag of mandarin oranges that we bought for 2.5 lira ($0.43 CAD) per kilo ($0.15 USD per pound)!
Unfortunately, I didn't get such a good deal on my shoes!
Ruth, buying some socks.
Ruth bought three pairs of socks for 10 lira ($1.70 CAD, $1.30 USD).
I wanted a cheap pair of walking shoes. The only footwear I have with me is my hiking boots. I don't mind that, but they tend to last longer if you only use them for their intended purpose. For just wandering around a town, I could do with something a little less heavy duty and it would save the wear and tear on the hiking boots for when we're actually hiking.
So I tried on some cheap footwear and then it was time to wheel and deal. I don't enjoy the process. For me, just tell me your best price, and I'll either pay it or not.
The guy speaks a bit of English, and he starts off telling me that the shoes are 260 lira ($45 CAD, $34 USD) which I know is crap because these shoes would be maybe $20 at Walmart. If that. Then he says that I can have them for the "special" price of 200 lira.
So I tell him right off the bat that the most I am willing to pay is 110 lira ($18.85 CAD, $14.40 USD).
He drops to 160, then 120 before finally agreeing to take 110.
And I still probably paid twice what I should have!
But, at least I have some shoes.
Spices.
Fruits and veggies.
Fish.
We got what we needed and then did the half hour drive up to the cruise ship port city of Kuşadası. Of course there are no cruise ships in port, and there haven't been for a long time. The people who look forward to taking advantage of the cruise ship tourists aren't doing very well lately.
There were actually quite a few people around though.
Recycling bin.
Ruth, playing tourist.
But in actual fact, we did not love Kuşadası.
That doesn't mean we hated it. But it really doesn't have a lot to offer other than being a drop off point for cruise ship tourists going to Ephesus.
But, it was okay to wander around for a couple of hours.
The ever present Turkish flag.
Cat statue at the fish market.
Inside the old castle.
One of the main tourist streets was being rebuilt.
Can't believe this place didn't fall down during the last earthquake.
People were still living in it!
Looking for a restaurant for lunch, I checked google maps and looked for a place out of the tourist area that got high reviews with most of them written in Turkish.
Chicken shis kabob.
Total for everything you see above was 55 lira ($9.40 CAD, $7.20 USD) including tip.
Then we walked over to Pidgeon Island.
View looking back at the city.
Ruth, and a long whale skeleton.
Part of the fort on the island.
Island lighthouse.
Not a bad day.
Today, we are off to the popular ruins site of Ephesus. Getting an early start because we plan to be there right at 8:00am when it opens!
Decent deal on Camco's 50' 30 Amp RV Extension Cord.
And in Canada...
Even though you didn't love Kuşadası it looks like you enjoyed exploring it. At busier times it really would have been a Tourist Trap with higher prices.
ReplyDeleteBe Safe and Enjoy the ruins of Ephesus.
It's about time.
Yes, we did enjoy our time wandering around. We would really not have enjoyed it, had it been any busier than it was.
DeleteBut we didn't get to see a photo of your well-bargained shoes, Kevin. You're a tease! ;-)
ReplyDeleteYou're right he didn't take a picture of them. Kevin will have to take a picture of them now and add it to the blog post.
DeleteYou 2 are eating a real balanced meals! Lots of vegetables, do you ever eat desert? You 2 find very interesting areas. An old friend of mine use to say every meals a feast, and everyday a joy! I would say occasionally I have a rotten day, usually because I'm in pain from my hip, however I get a brand new hip! I can't wait, no more pain! December 3rd. Well enough of my woes, keep up the interesting areas, Rawn Stone
ReplyDeleteYes, we do eat very well balanced meals and all of them are pretty made from scratch. Lots of fruit and vegetables. No, we don't normally have dessert, if I have an oven and we are in our motorhome or somewhere for a length of time, I might make some cookies or squares but will only have one with our lunch. Here in Turkey we have splurged and have bought an ice cream bar every so often but that would be the only sweet thing. And as you know we do lots of walking to keep ourselves fit.
DeleteKevin is great at finding us some nice off the beaten path places to visit, even I find one occasionally. It isn't hard to find interesting places here in Turkey, they seem to be all over the place.
Good luck with your surgery, I am sure you are so looking forward to that.
Kuşadası used to be a small, sleepy town. A summer beach resort with just a couple of hotels. As with so many other such places it has grown due to over tourism...sadly detracting from it’s earlier charm. Much of the distance between it and Selçuk was wide open empty expanses. Progress isn’t always good, and this is a good example.
ReplyDeleteSounds just like so many of the towns in Meixco that now they are full of resorts. We agree with you, progress isn't always good. :-(
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