We had no school this Wednesday (Turkey's Labor Day) so we
decided to make the most of it. We
booked a cheap hotel in Narlıkuyu - a tiny, picturesque village that surrounds
a little bay on the Mediterranean. We
hadn't even heard of the place before Monday, but it sounded cool, so we sprung
at the chance.
We took the shuttle straight from school to Mersin and
caught the next bus out of town. The
ride was beautiful, winding through the relatively fertile coastal hills. We arrived, checked in, and were seated at a
seaside fish restaurant (which Narlıkuyu is famous for) just before sunset.
The View from our Hotel Balcony
At the Restaurant
Fully relaxed, content, and satiated we excitedly planned to
head to the hotel's private beach and then to "Heaven" and
"Hell" - the nearby caves - the next morning. After some coffee and çay we decided to go
for a leisurely walk in the surrounding foothills of the Taurus Mountains. In short: a delightful midweek taste of paradise
in Southern Turkey. We felt so grateful
for such an amazing opportunity, one we'll certainly never forget.
What made our evening particularly memorable, however, had
not yet occurred. Although we stuck to
paved, mostly lit roads, exploring a new area before seeing it in the daylight
was a little nerve-wracking. Still, we
were flying pretty high, talking about how enjoyable living with a sense of
adventure has been over the past few years together. Accordingly, Hilary gasped and started
exclaiming, "Ouch" with
increasing volume and intensity.
We didn't see anything in the moment, but Hilary was either
bit or stung on the toe by some critter we'd disturbed on the road. Shortly the pain started working up her
leg. I carried her the rest of the way
back to the hotel which felt a lot further than the half-mile it probably
was.
Back at the hotel, soaked in sweat (me) and writhing in pain
(her), we eventually decided to take the hotelier's offer to drive us to the
nearest hospital. In the mean time,
Hilary's mouth and hands started feeling numb.
Fortunately we had finally gotten around to getting health
insurance two weeks prior. The hotel
owner's English was good enough to get Hilary the care she needed. Two IVs and a blood test later, we found out
that the bite or sting was not poisonous. Just an allergic reaction. The likely suspect was a scorpion, but we're
not positive.
We left the hospital with a prescription for some
cream and pills. All told, the hospital
visit plus the medicine from the Eczane - or pharmacy - set us back a whopping
2 TL and 45 kr - that's about $1.50 USD.
American Healthcare, we do not miss you.
A rare moment when Hilary's face
wasn't torqued in a heart-breaking grimace
Safe and sound at the hotel again, we tried to salvage what sleep we could. I had more success than Hil, who couldn't find relief from the pain and swelling. I did wake up far too early, though, and went off in search of Advil. I was already hungry, but the hotel's breakfast bar didn't open for another two hours.
So I hitchhiked to Kizkalesi, a neighboring beach town known for a castle on an island. I found the Eczane, but it was closed. The people I asked didn't know when it opened or where another one was. After waiting around for awhile I finally talked to someone who said it opened at 8:30 - still an hour and a half away.
After waiting for a bus back to Narlıkuyu for a while I decided to simply wait it out in town. I started exploring the town and ended up on the beach for most of the hour. I had almost the whole thing to myself, as the intelligent beings were still sleeping or eating breakfast. Shortly, I triumphantly returned to the hotel, Advil in hand, a short time later and we trudged downstairs for some free breakfast.
Tough as nails and determined not to let a little scorpion ruin her relaxing vacation, Hilary was still set on going to the beach.
Safe and sound,
Mike and Hilary
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