We left our park up at the hammam in Divutlar. We were heading south and our first stop was going to be at Akyaka which was also going to be a laundry stop.
We were probably about 15km away from Akyaka when Dee said the clutch pedal hit the floor! He managed to pull over and he managed to somehow get it working again but it slipped a lot! He did really well to somehow get us to a garage that said they could help!
The garage was in an industrial estate, full of various garages and repair shops. It was set back slightly from a dual carriageway. They said they could start work straight away and would order in the new clutch which would hopefully arrive the following day. It was a Tuesday and they said we would have our van back on Thursday. We were happy with that.
True to their word they did start work immediately. They also took us to a hotel that was very close. We arrived with all our washing as it was all ready to take to the laundry!
We were given a room and although I can’t actually remember the cost it was a reasonable rate for the night including breakfast. They even did our laundry for us for an additional cost.
The hotel was on a dual carriageway, the other side to the garage. It was set back from the road behind a fuel station. There was a restaurant next door as well that we later found out was owned by the hotel, it looked like it was mainly meat so we didn’t ctually go there.
Yatagan
It was on the outskirts of a town called Yatagan. It was too far to walk to Yatagan but there was a minibus that we could catch from the other side of the dual carriageway. It cost 30TL ( just over £1 or about €1.20 at the time) for both of us and took about 15-20 minutes.
We did take this minibus into town on our first night to go and find some food. We were surprised to find that there was a fruit and veg market going on at 7pm!
The people were really friendly, we eventually found a restaurant where I was able to get a vegetarian pizza.
On the 2nd day we got the mini bus again but this time in the morning. There was a market on again, today it was clothes. We did end up buying a few things and we also had a lot of banter with the locals. They were surprised and curious why we were in Yatagan.
Thursday April 20th 2023
We woke up feeling great, today we were going to get our van back! The garage texted in the morning and said it would be ready in the afternoon. We texted our friends and said we would be joining them at Datca, all was well.
An hour later the garage contacted us again, there was a problem. We went to see them so we could talk in person.
It seemed that the parts company sent the wrong clutch! The year our van was made there was a new model released and the clutch that was sent was for the other model. The following day was the end of Ramadan and a bank holiday in Turkey. The garage said they were going to try and see if they could use the one that had been sent. They would let us know.
An hour or so later they said they would have to send it back and order the correct one. The parts company had finished work early that day because of the bank holiday. This meant that they could not order the correct clutch until Monday! It would not arrive until Tuesday! We would be stuck in Yatagan at the hotel until then!
We let our friends know that we couldn’t meet them. I then realised that everything would be shut and we would have a problem getting anything to eat!
The hotel were actually really helpful. They moved us to another room which was like a suite! They didn’t charge us any extra. It was a strange set up though, it had a fridge and a sink and some kitchen cupboards with some plates and cutlery but no cooker or hob! It also had a patio so the staff very kindly lent us a camping stove so that we could cook. The shower and toilet were downstairs and upstairs there were 2 double beds and 1 single bed!
Once we had moved our things into the new room one of the staff took us in his car to Yatagan to the supermarket and to get some more things from our van. This was all much appreciated.
Here’s a couple of photos of us using the camping stove and the last one is the hotel breakfast which was the same every day.
We were now the only guests in the hotel! We spent the rest of the day and the next day catching up with admin including trying to catch up with the blog.
Although the staff were very nice Yatagan was definitely not a place we would normally go to, I don’t think anyone would really visit Yatagan except Turkish people, maybe for business or if they knew anyone who lived there. One of the hotel guests a few days earlier told us that it is possible to get a bus to Bodrum. We decided to do this on Saturday to have a day out and break up the boredom a bit!
Our day out at Bodrum
We were really excited to be having a day out. I was by now desperate for a swim and a change of scenery!
We caught a small minibus which took us to a main bus terminal in Bodrum, this took an hour and a half then a shuttle that took us to the town and beach area which was another 20 minutes. I think it was about 150TL each return which was around £6 or €7 at the time. Here we are on the minibus.
We arrived at Bodrum and had a walk round the town and harbour, it was very touristy, lots of people on package holidays. We didn’t care it was so good to be out!
Then I went for a swim before lunch. As is always the case I felt so much better for getting my vitamin sea.
Next was lunch, we had a lovely lunch on the seafront. We shared a fish platter. It was the best meal in turkey so far. It wasn’t cheap, the bill came to around £60 or €70 . Definitely tourist prices, but we didn’t care. This day was really needed. We had another walk around and looked at some of the boats before deciding that it was time to start heading back.
We were almost back when we got a text from our friend’s The Harris’s. They were very close and also having clutch problems! They came to the hotel and parked at the back where our room was. They felt that it was best not to drive too far until they could get someone to look at their van on Monday. It was nice to have some company.
In the morning one of the hotel staff and her husband very kindly offered to take us to an event. It was in the local town at a school. It was an annual event I think it was called ‘Children’s Day’. All the local schools dressed up in various national costume and did different dance routines. The couple’s youngest daughter was taking part.
It actually reminded us of ‘The Children’s Parade’ back in Brighton. In the month of May, Brighton Festival takes place. It starts on the first Saturday in May and it opens with a big children’s parade where all the different schools and years dress up to different themes and parade through the streets of Brighton and Hove.
Here’s a few photo’s with the family that took us with them to the event and the actual event. It was very kind of them to take us and it got us away from the hotel for a few hours.
That night we went back into Yatagan with The Harris’s and went out for pizza.
Monday morning and The Harris’s went off to another garage, turned out they did also need a new clutch! Luckily the garage they went to had a parts department and the right part was on the shelf!
Whilst we were waiting for Tuesday to arrive we decided that being stuck at this hotel for a week was like the Eagles song “Hotel California” esp the line saying “you can check out anytime you like, but you can never leave!”
We made a reel using the song it was actually quite funny and passed a bit of time for us.
Finally, late morning on Tuesday we got the call to say our van would be ready in the early afternoon. We were already packed and waiting. We went to the garage first and collected the van and got a photo with the staff, then we came back to pack up and got a photo with the hotel staff.
Driving off and finally being on our way again felt so good. We drove straight to Datca penninsula. Our friends were no longer there but we felt certain that we would catch them up again soon.
Our next post will start at Datca, if you’d like to see more and get a notification when a new post goes live then please fill out your e mail below and subscribe.
You can also follow us on facebook and instagram, just click the icons below.
Our Life on the Road 
Not good about the clutch but a great indictment on the kindness of the people at the hotel and the dedication of the service people with the van. It has come across quite a few times as to how people are willing to help you out when needed. Loved the video.. 🤗
LikeLiked by 1 person
Haha glad you loved the video . Honestly the kindness and hospitality of The Turkish people was amazing x
LikeLike