Shopping, a Scrub and a Rub

We had our group meeting on the terrace. There I met our other travelers. Four of us will be going the whole way. Joe, myself, a retired customs officer from London, a lady my age named Enid, and John, another Brit who was not yet ready to bear his soul. Another will go as far as Tashkent. She is a doctor, Kat (Katherine), who just finished her studies and is taking a year off to recover before starting her life's work. A young couple from Australia, Justin and M______ (name to be remembered later) will be with us for ten days only. The remaining two have not shown up. After going over the paperwork and such, it was a shopping day to collect stuff for the trip. Toilet paper, soap, and a good pillow.

Along the way I stopped in at a traditional Turkish bath for a foam massage, steam, and swim. Built in 1427, it was an experience I will remember for a long time to come. First came the disrobing and a small wraparound. Led to the toilet and then shower, I was shown the bath. Three large white marbled wet rooms, steam room, sauna, and cold plunge pool in a small cave. Google Gedikpasa Turkish Baths for photos. After a great steam and plunge I was scrubbed with a polyester Brillo pad from head to toe and all points in between. A hot water rinse followed by another scrubbing, this time with soap. The masseuse then directed me to lay on a warm marble slab where he proceeded to give me one hell of a 30 minute Shiatsu massage. Instead of oil he used soap foam. It was both unusual and amazing. Two rinses later I got a double shampoo and a scalp massage. More steam and another plunge ended my visit. I'm now sitting in a park under a beautiful grove of trees writing this entry. Finally I am beginning to relax and welcome the adventure. This morning at the request of our tour leader I surrendered my watch. That says a lot about what is to come.