Marmaris. The search begins in earnest.

After 34 hours of hurtling through the atmosphere in a cigar shaped piece of metal and we have arrived safely on the other side of the world.  Leaving the lush landscape of the Currumbin Valley and saying more goodbyes was just as difficult as ever. Leaving family and friends is the hard sacrifice of a vagabond life.  But It does teach you not to take people or places for granted and makes the connections all the sweeter.  We loved the week spent in Northern NSW and Queensland.  Pristine beaches, waking to the exotic sound of the morning chorus of sub-tropical birds (and chooks), avoiding the kangaroos as we drove into the place we were staying, nourishing conversations and meals shared with loved ones. And a glorious wedding was the icing on the cake.  All a heady mix to send us on our way

We arrived in Dalaman airport at 7pm after flying into Istanbul from Australia and caught the local bus into Marmaris.  As the light faded we watched snow-capped peaks turn a delicate shade of peach until the full moon rose high in the sky.  I had forgotten how beautiful the mosques are here.  The minarets are tall and thin and look as delicate as porcelain.  Domed rooves are often painted silver and the detail of high windows looks like Turkish pottery. We arrive only to be stranded at the bus station until the Hotel sends a cab to collect its weary guests.  We hear about 100 dogs howling up on the ridge above us as we stand shivering in the cold. It’s an eerie sound but perhaps they are just singing to the full moon or are singing a doggie chorus to welcome us to Turkey. The Marharba Howl…????

The sound of the Fajr, the dawn call to prayer jolted me into wakefulness. I cannot wait to see the world outside.  I cannot wait to check out some boats.  It’s been a LONG time coming. I get up with the light.

After breakfast we head straight to a broker Rick has been in contact with and we head off to check out some boats. We look at 3. Rick now seems unable to hold a conversation that does not include the word boat. He drifts off with eyes glazed in seconds if I exclaim about a view or some other earthly delight I am interested in. He answers all questions, no matter what they are about with more boat details.  100% focus. Emails fly back and forth.  More boats will be seen on Monday and Tuesday. Everything is useful.  Each boat that we step on helps us to get clearer about what we want. Within every no, not right for us boat lies the seeds of clarity. I can feel it distilling within me.