OK – it’s just plain wrong to come to Turkey and go out for a Chinese meal.  Except that it’s not, when you’re at the Chinese Inn. Located in the outdoor Oasis shopping center in Bodrum, the Chinese Inn opened its doors in 2003, with many in doubt about how successful chopsticks and Peking Duck would sit with the local population. This relatively authentic restaurant has thrived, and is consistently full at lunch time with its well-priced open buffet.  The food is just as one would expect at a mid-range Chinese restaurant in any major city outside of the Far East, and and now also bravely features sushi.  During today’s visit, the sushi was extremely fresh and featured a warm eel roll which was outstanding.  A welcome break between mezes and kebabs.

The Southern Cross Blue Cruising team is in full swing as of mid-August, 2019. We’ve mid-way through approximately half of our charters for the summer, continuing on through mid-October. As always, Cemre Junior and Cemre IV performed outstandingly in a tandem charter in the Doedacanese Greek Islands, including a Catholic mass on the Greek island of Kos.  Let’s Dance and Aeras were also in the Northern Dodecanese, and Zeynos cruised the Aegean Turkish coastline with a group of Aussies, Brits and Americans.  Coming up in September are cruises on Smyrna and Sebahat Sultan, as well as another charter on Cemre IV.  Trippin had a lovely, fun group of three couples on board with the usual wonderful accolades due to Owner/Captain Ali’s culinary and professional jazz skills. It’s the maiden year of our 2018 launch 3 cabin gulet Vita and feedback has been excellent.  We have also had a number of high end day trips from the Kempinski and Mandarin Orient hotels, for those wishing to dip their toes into the sea before booking a full week.

It’s always exciting to charter a gulet during its maiden season, albeit the normal teething problems that can be expected. ​ Queen Duru is a 2019 Bozburun transom stern gulet with 7 cabins and 5 crew, all of whom are family.  Southern Cross Blue Cruising had her third ever charter on Queen Duru in August, and she performed brilliantly for the mid-range level.  Featuring two captains, a female chef, deckhand and trainee, her twin engines ensured a very comfortable cruising speed.  Her spacious flybridge allows guests to actively participate with the captain when in motion. For 2020, she will have a second generator and motorized water sports. For full information, drop us a line at southerncrossbluecruising@gmail.com 

​Work was done for the day, and we wanted a beach day with a long, leisurely Greek lunch. We arrived at Emperios and chose To Kyma for the random reason that it was the last restaurant in a small row of outdoor tavernas. We were warmly welcomed and seated in a breezy shade (mid-July) and told we could use the sunbeds, beach and all facilities for the afternoon. We ordered the goat in red sauce which was extremely delicious, but for light eaters, could be heavy for a warm summer afternoon. We also had the fried zucchini with garlic sauce, a side of sauteed vegetables (zucchini, bell peppers and carrots), and a dish called ‘greens’. Our server wasn’t sure of the English translation, but my guess is a type of sauteed dock leaves. Other amazing highlights include a traditional Kalymnian mermizeli salad, made with dried millet/barley bread called peksimet that sponge divers used to carry for long journeys, which is resuscitated with water and drizzled with a tahini sauce, feta cheese, onions and ample tomatoes.  The friendliness of the service, great conversation with knowledge of the area and happy tummies led us to a swim and lie down. After a dreamy snooze, we had the best mojitos we’ve had for years (not too sweet).

The beauty of the Blue Cruise is that its highlights are independent of the vessel one is on.  Azure seas, pristine coastline, quaint villages, ample sunshine, and renowned Turkish hospitality are yours even in a rowboat. We realize that not everyone needs personal jet-packs, carved watermelon displays or bougainvillea petals on their pillow at night.  Thus Southern Cross Blue Cruising has compiled our list of favorite, reliable budget gulets which while not on our website, are yachts we have full confidence in for excellent value and good service without initiating a line of credit. Less than 850 Euro per day in mid-season Alcatraz, Mim Saka, and Caner 2  are all six cabin gulets with ensuite facilities ranging between 550 and 850 Euro per day.  Karia and Barka (ex-Cassandra) are three cabin gulets at 650 and 800 Euro per day respectively. Contact us for full details and pricing.

When Southern Cross Blue Cruising inspected 37 meter gulet Lycian Queen at the May 2018 TYBA Charter Show, we said ”Wow!” One of the very few 8 cabin gulets which can take more than 12 persons into Greek waters, Lycian Queen was launched in 2015 and has 1 VIP suite, 1 master cabin, 4 double, and 2 triple cabins for up to 18 guests.  The finishing is absolutely impeccable, and she charters between 18,000 to 35,000 Euro per week. Here’s the video of her in full glory.

It may not quite be the sequel to Mamma Mia!, but Bodrum and the peninsula have been featured in the independent film ‘‘Holiday.” Chosen out of over 3900 films  as one of 110 entries, the film is about a foreign woman who finds herself trapped in a shady situation and contains some stunning cinematography. Here’s the trailer.

The Turkish Yacht & Brokers Association has announced the dates and venue of the first TYBA charter show taking place at the stunning Palmarina in Yalikavak in May.  With the aim of drawing global charter brokers to inspect and meet the most prestigious gulets and motor yachts in the Eastern Aegean, the show will also feature valuable seminars, including legal and destination experts who will be sharing extremely valuable information about the latest regulations, unique sailing routes, and logistical information. ​ And who doesn’t love a cook-off?  The chef’s competition is one of the highlights of the TYBA charter show, and we’re really looking forward to the creative endeavors and so much new, raw talented talent tweaking Turkish and Mediterranean flavors.

With a capacity of 150 million passengers annually, six runways, 228 passport control desks, and as the new home to Turkish Airlines, the airport will be the largest in the world when it reaches its full capacity of 200 million passengers per year.  The Name Controversy With a soft opening at the end of October 2018 featuring flights to Central Asia, the airport will be simply named ”Istanbul Airport,” a great relief after many heated debates on which colorful character in past or current history to name it after. Be a Caterpillar The airport will also feature futuristic cabin pods from Yotel.  These capsules allow travelers to book either airport or domestic side mini-rooms in 4 hour increments, and include a bed, shower, various lighting arrangements for jet lag, Smart TV and charging station. ​ Dubai – Watch Out Turkey hosted 31 million tourists in 2018, and Turkish Airlines flies to 110 countries.  With the opening of the new airport, Istanbul places itself firmly on the global map as a major international hub for transportation.

After accepting an invitation  to visit California for a few months, we’d been anticipating life in America for quite a while before arriving in October, 2017, and would like to share our observations, many of them quite humorous. As amazing and varied as Turkish cuisine is, we were also looking forward to enjoying different flavors in the States, especially Mexican and Pacific seafood (editor’s note – In’n’Out burger).  However, we are surprised at the reliance of ready-made meals and the take-away culture.  Cooking seems to have become synonymous with ”preparing” (unpacking and reheating) despite the popularity of live cooking shows.   Other brief observations include: Many people are genuinely shocked to hear we are visiting from Turkey (”But you’re so…normal!’) Even more people think Dave is English (he is Australian.)  Self-cleaning ovens, top loading washers and kitchen garbage disposals rock! Everything is very large (motor vehicles, freeways, supermarkets, soda bottles, portions.) Pre-paying and self-service at petrol (whoops – gas) stations. How to know in advance how much the car needs?  I can be trusted to get out of the car and pump gas? Banking is surprisingly antiquated.  Cheerfulness and instant intimacy =ear to ear grins from an office clerk dressed as a reindeer. Pedestrian right of way – whether you want it or not. Right turn on red at most traffic signals – gotta love it. Watermelons in December? Seriously?