Of all of the towns I have visited in my travels, there are very few I can say I did not enjoy. Sadly, Kusadasi, Turkey, is one of those towns.
What did I not like? The town itself is fine. It’s a total tourist town. Cruise ships on the Aegean Sea pop in every day or so, making it a lively place by night. And by lively, I mean drunk tourists looking to hook-up. And drunk locals looking to do the hooking-up. Which is fine.
But, for me, I had a hard time here. I took a job I should not have taken, was fired, and then, for the first time in my travels, truly scared. The cast of characters in my six days here was unique, and the stories, although not always good, are certainly ones I will remember forever. (For an added laugh/roll of eyes, be sure to read this note after you’ve read the other links.)
For me, this town was where I kind of unraveled during my long-term travel.
And while I would never return here, I have to say one thing: the sunsets … stunning.
D Travels 'Round 
Hello Diana, l read your article with trepidation and intrigue about Turkey, because l’m going there at the end of the year ( if not sooner).
However, it reminded me of an inccident the other day – lm here in Lagonissie, Greece, house-siting for a month…. lm out taking the dog for a walk and a man in a Merc pulls up on the opposite side and says hello in greek.
Sorry l don’t speak greek l tell him.
its ok, he says
Then he asked me about the dog and was he vicious?
No, l said… hes really a big pussy cat!
then he asked if he could rub the dog with his hands and his face…
Uhhhh???? l’m wondering what the f**k for?
Why?, l ask, stunned…
Oh, my english is not so good, he says…. and tells me he just wants to smell the dog etc
So l instantly say NO!
he then drove off
But for an instant, when he asked if he could rub up against the dog… All l could think of – was that he wanted the dog to smell him, hence get the dog thinking he knows me
then follow me to the house and attack/rape me !!!
So lm going to be more careful who l say my big German Shepard is just a “big pussy cat” to!!
Many Many thanks for your word of warning… because sometimes l think lm just being overly cautious and forgetting to step outside my boundaries and take risks!!
But reality is reality, no matter what country one visits.
Anthea
LikeLike
CREEPY!!!! The incident in Kusadasi taught me to always be on my guard. And, when those warning bells go off in my head, to remember to listen to them instead of thinking everyone is good. Sad, but true.
LikeLike
While on our honeymoon, we visited Istanbul and Kusadasi. I thought that Istanbul was quite touristy, but liked Kusadasi. It was a small friendly town. Maybe it was because we were one of those off the big boat tourists and not staying in the town for long, though we enjoyed our visit there as well as the great cuisine at the local mom&pop restaurants.
LikeLike
When I first got there, it seemed great. Granted, my experience was VERY tainted.
LikeLike
Wow I don’t know what to say except I’m glad things are okay now. It’s really hard not to cast a negative light on a place when the people and the experience was horrendous. Note to self: don’t take work in Kusadasi!
LikeLike
Oh, it was HORRIBLE when I was going through it. I was in tears. Thankfully, I made some close friends during that time who helped me through it. It’s always hard to see the good during something that bad.
LikeLike