Too many tourists!

The diving in Bodrum was less than spectacular. We went down to a shipwreck and saw a few colorful fish, but for the second dive, we went back to the same place. It was not nearly as colorful and exciting as Fiji. Afterward I visited the 15th century castle built by the crusaders with the Underwater Archaeology Museum inside. That was fun. They had a lot of items that had been recovered from the sea floor including hundreds of amphoras, tools, and they had reconstructed a ship. At night, I wandered through the happening part of town and it was full of British people at dancing bars. It certainly did not feel Turkish and I walked back home.

The bus ride to Fethiye was very nice with forested mountains and a big lake, but at the bus station the free shuttle wouldn't help me so I walked the 1.5 miles to my hostel with my bags. I was lost halfway there and a restaurant employee called my hostel for me and gave me some cold water because I was sweating so much. I walked passed some tombs cut into the hillside and saw a ruined castle. Fethiye is still touristy but it felt quieter and more Turkish.

I went diving at two different sites and got better at not using my air so quickly. I felt more comfortable and confident underwater, but there wasn't much to see except for some broken pieces of amphoras and the odd fish. The visibility was at least 60 feet and I saw more fish just snorkelling in the cove, but it was still a good day out on a boat. I jumped off the second deck with another guy and the staff said if we did it again it would be 5 Turkish Lira. I met a few other Americans for a relaxed night at the hostel. One was the first Iowan I had met overseas and he said the same. We were sitting outside and saw the brightest, clearest shooting star I can remember. It lasted for a long time and I could see fragments in the tail.

I went to a famous beach nearby and was disappointed by how crowded it was. It would have been beautiful without all the people, but paragliding over it looked like fun. I think all the Mediterranean is going to be crowded.