We are learning about traveling via wheelchair. We are also learning how inhospitable some places are to people with mobility issues. I never knew how much we would appreciate smooth surfaces and curb cuts!! We are also noticing things that could be done to make places more wheelchair accessible without a whole lot of effort. And, we continue to encounter generous souls to offer to help us. It is all a learning experience and we continue to appreciate the good things.

Let’s recap. We stayed in Bedri Rahmi Bay until May 15th. We needed to give Michael’s leg time enough to heal until he was in a more manageable amount of pain. Luckily, we were “stuck” in about the best possible location! We ordered food from the restaurant every other day to show our appreciation to them for allowing us to stay beyond the typical two-day maximum. They brought the food to our boat, which was ideal since Michael has to crawl off and on the boat.

We moved from Bedri Rahmi to Göcek because we had to check out of Türkiye in Göcek. Here are a few more pictures of the bay and surrounding sea and on our way to Göcek.

I am sharing the following because it again shows how the broken leg added complexity to an otherwise non complex process.

We contacted our agent early on Monday (May 15th) morning and asked if we could check out of Türkiye that night at about 10:00 or 11:00 p.m. He said that was fine. He asked if Michael could leave the boat by dinghy to go to the port police. I told him it wasn’t possible. He arranged to have the port police come to our boat provided I pick them up in the dinghy and return them to shore. So that was the plan.

We elected to get a berth in D-Marin marina because it would be easier for me to run the errands I needed to run. Also, we mistakenly thought that the port police could come to Seahike more easily if we were in a berth (and I wouldn’t have to pick them up at night – assuming we would have to anchor out quite far – and I wasn’t looking forward to a long dinghy ride in the dark). But when we told the agent that we were in a berth, he told me that I still needed to pick them up by dinghy because the boat had to be at anchor when we checked out. The good news was that he told us we could anchor temporarily right near the shore.

So, we had a plan. I needed to give our agent the boat documents, then get them back and take the documents to the marina office, then provision and find navigation lights for the dinghy. No problem! I had several hours.

I actually enjoyed my time ashore. Here are just a few pictures of the beautiful sights.

We left the marina at 8:00 p.m. and anchored near the shore. I need to tell you how we left the berth because it was new to us. First, you need to know that we were sandwiched between two other cats:

Since we got into that position by backing in the starboard side first then bringing the bow in, we assumed we would do the reverse to leave. But no! A dockhand in a dinghy (a.k.a. tender) tied a line from our port mid-ship cleat to his dinghy and threw his engine in reverse. He pulled us out of the berth like you’d pull a block from the tower in Jenga. It was pretty cool!

At promptly 9:50 p.m., I took the dinghy to shore. Turns out the port policeman did not need to come to the boat. Rather, the agent came with me to the boat and called the port police on videophone and pointed his phone at Michael. I guess that was all the police needed! Anywho, I took the agent back and we pulled up the anchor.

We had decided to leave as soon as we checked out then motor to Rhodes overnight. The winds were pretty much nonexistent so it would be a smooth ride, even though it meant motoring. The sunrise shows how calm the waters were.

We arrived at about 7:30 a.m. This is Mandraki Harbor:

We stayed in the New Rhodes Marina. They follow the same protocol many marinas do: they sent a dockhand out in a dinghy to lead us in. But this time, the dockhand saw that Michael had a broken leg and told us to sit tight while he picked up another dockhand. The second guy came on the boat when we got near the dock and worked with the guys on the dock to get us tied up nice and good. And they allowed us to dock side-to rather than Med moor because it would be easier for Michael to get on and off the boat. They also placed a set of stairs by our boat (which Michael doesn’t use, but I do). So nice!!!!

If you want to find our boat at the New Rhodes marina, just look for the cat with a wheelchair next to it:

We had originally planned to be in Rhodes for two days, but it was clear from the powerful westerlies that we would be here longer. (Our next island is Tilos and it is almost directly west of us.) No problem! We planned outings for three days. We visited Rhodes Town the first day. We found that most of the streets were wheelchair friendly, but some weren’t. We tried an unfriendly street once and not again. 🙂 This is a nice town to visit. It was busy and we aren’t even in the tourist season yet!

We stopped at Mandraki Harbor on the way back to Seahike so we could see it from the land.

We chatted with a couple whose child was in a stroller. I assured them that my passenger weighed more than their passenger. 😉 They concurred.

We also stopped to take a peak at Anthony Quinn Bay. This bay is named after Anthony Quinn, who was one of the stars in “The Guns of Navarone.” This bay served as a filming location. I should note that we watched The Guns of Navarone on our laptop the next evening in honor of Anthony Quinn.

Day number two was for visiting Tsambika Monastery and Tsambika Beach. We’d read that the monastery wasn’t that interesting but the person walking the 300-steps to reach it was rewarded by a beautiful view. Of course, this meant that Michael would not be able to go to the top. He was a good sport and insisted that I climb up and take pictures. So I did that while Michael waited in the car.

And now to the beach. We had to enjoy it from the beach’s restaurant because the sand was too deep for Michael to get there by crutch or wheelchair. We enjoyed the beach anyway. I took a couple of pictures as we were leaving. It is a big beach! One can rent chairs or chairs with umbrellas and spend a day here.

I thought it would be fun to show you how we fit the wheelchair in the rental. We have to put the back seats down for it to fit. But it fits!

Day three found us at Seven Springs and Lindos. We didn’t think Michael would be able to get around Seven Springs and we were correct. So, I walked through the tunnel to see the waterfall while Michael read the news on his phone. The tunnel is probably the only cool thing about this visit, but it was good to be outdoors.

The tunnel is pitch black. If you don’t have a flashlight, you can’t see anything at all:

This pretty boy was hanging around outside the restaurant and gift shop.

Our final destination was Lindos. We had planned to walk around the village and visit the acropolis (me), but the walkways in the village were narrow and somewhat slippery. So, we ate lunch, walked around just a bit and left. It was a nice, albeit short, visit.

We first stopped at a lookout to take pictures from afar.

This is where we ate lunch. The ceiling consisted of branches and leaves from trees planted on the periphery.

I had grilled cheese and jam. It was feta cheese.

We both had a local (made in Rhodes) beer:

We are now back at the boat. I was searching for places to refill our propane tanks near the marina yesterday and happened upon this stunning tree. I have never seen a tree with such splendid bright purple blossoms. I want one!

I also walked back to Rhodes Old Town to purchase a SIM card. I saw a few more sights this time and must share them with you.

This part of the harbor consists mostly of fishing boats.

It is Tuesday today. We have been enjoying (and occasionally startled by) lightning and thunderstorms today. We saw one bolt that appeared to strike almost “right next door” with a simultaneous loud clap of thunder. I literally jumped in my seat. The sky is trying to lighten but part of it is still quite gray. It is a good day to be sitting inside working on a blog. NOTE: Another strike just made me jump out of my skin. Yikes!!! I am ready for it to calm down.

We hope to leave Rhodes on Friday to head to Tilos. It will take about 10 hours to get there. We plan to spend one day in Tilos but we will see what happens.

Michael only has two more weeks in his cast! Yay!!