Beautiful Boat Trip in April!

Dawn Erdinç
May 2, 2017
3 min read

Dragon pirate boat cruised into Summer 2017 with a confident elegance. On a beautiful calm day in April, the boat trip was full of people of all ages and from many different countries. A young group of Chinese students laughed and joked with the older Turks on board, an Arabic family posed for selfies, young Turkish honeymooners whispered in each others ears, a small group of American teachers from Istanbul enjoyed their Bank holiday weekend off - one of them thrilling us with a spontaneous break dance. As for me, I enjoyed a few cold beers with the other Brits!

April and May in Turkey is simply stunning. The sea is so clear and turquoise, the countryside is fresh and green and full of flowers in bloom, the sun is shining and it is not too hot to enjoy! Ölü Deniz is just beginning to open up for the tourists; bars and restaurants have been prepped for Summer with new paintwork, decor and the keen fresh faced staff ready to welcome you.

From the Dragon boat trip we were able to enjoy the full beauty of the scenery around us. Feeling pretty special as not many other boats have started their Season yet. We arrived in the breathtaking Butterfly Valley and for a while were the only ones there (Except for those camping on the beach but they had not yet risen - going by the evidence of a beach campfire and some empty beer bottles by the restaurant I am guessing they had a good night!)

The sea was generally a bit cold for me to go in - I think I have lived in Turkey too long! It is warmer than the North sea I used to go in as a child that is for sure, so I enjoyed watching my son play in the water instead! Those from abroad also appreciated the chance to swim in such crystal clear waters. Even some Turks joined in but mostly they were wise to keep warm - plenty time for swimming later in Summer - it is only April!

Everyone enjoyed the boat trip, the swimming, the relaxing, the sunbathing, the entertainment, the delicious food, the music, the right mix of everything! In between running after my son (Who has got quite used to this boat now and actually believes it is HIS....!) I did manage to chat with some of the guests on board. A honeymooning couple were admiring my boy and disclosed they had only been married 3 days. I told them to enjoy it before the kids come along (If only I could have shared with them the famous Michael Mcintyre clip of life before children :)

A fabulous older couple from the UK looked just as close and in love as the younger newlyweds. They were in their 70's and told me about their motorbikes, the lady having only just sold her Kawasaki 500! There was also a walking group on board with Tribe Travel - a local company in Fethiye. During the beginning of the Season a really interesting mix of people choose to come to this region of Turkey. It really offers so much.

Of course apart from the chance to relax, socialize, laugh, swim, play, eat, drink, sunbathe, snooze, dive, slide, jump, there is always the chance to let your hair down, have fun and dance on Dragon Boat Olu Deniz. And in foam too!!!!! Watch this space for more blogs to come about the different stops during the boat trip and an insider's view on the fun and games that happen on board Dragon Boat trips this Summer x