Gay honeymoon in Turkey: Paris Hilton and lots of obnoxious Russians

Yes folks, we’re back home in good old Belgium, as I’m typing this post under a rather unexpected, clear blue Antwerp sky at 21°C/70°F. You know that feeling of slight derealization upon your return from a great vacation abroad?  It actually feels weird adapting to the familiar yet profoundly different surroundings of my Antwerp home after the past days exploring the south coast of Turkey.

This “gay honeymoon replacing vacation” in Turkey has been absolutely stunning: from the breathtaking sights and sounds of a country I’d visited quite often before to the changes that are visible to anyone who has spent time/vacations in Turkey over the past 15 years.

A quick recap to bring you up to date after ten days of radio silence: having a “gay honeymoon” appeared to be perfectly possible at the upscale seaside resort of Bodrum, Turkey: as long as you’re not Turkish [being gay in Turkey remains a social taboo for a native, especially outside Istanbul] or expect a cheering crowd of hotel staff, nobody will really care if you hold hands or show affection in public. There are limits though and obviously, a “classic gay nightlife” is nowhere to be found, but the degree of tolerance includes accepting topless women at the hotel pool. One of our Turkish hotel waiters clearly was gay and bent over backwards to please my SO. I stopped him

The numerous historic sites we visited were spectacular (although I’d seen them before), the “wow-level” of the prestigious 5* WOW Bodrum resort was truly breathtaking (wholeheartedly recommended at EUR 1,000/$ 1,500 a week in low season, do check out the WOW (World of Wonders) website), while I even managed (as it was the only realistic and mature approach) to completely ignore the omnipresent hordes of filthy rich, yet noisy, drunk and dumb/arrogant Russian tourists who have completely invaded the eastern Mediterranean coast the past five to ten years. One ‘fashion road kill’ Russian Paris Hilton lookalike (way too much jewelry, stiletto heels, blue ABBA-era make-up, mini-skirt short enough to show her sanitary pad: the full pathetic package) was so drunk on Vodka and Champagne that she bumped right into me with a full plate of fine Turkish delicacies. I laughed in her face, took her picture, followed by several more shots showing all the empty bottles she left behind. Free entertainment! [ Русские в Турции: богатых, наглых и пьян- Related blogpost: "Obnoxious Russians invade Turkey"].

Enjoy this first selection [please click to enlarge] out of 8 GB worth of photographs (almost 1,000 shots) and videos. Stay tuned, much more funny, unusual and moving images/ stories coming up. Feel free to share your vacation or honeymoon experiences in Turkey, even the straight ones [Update October 2nd: I've got a cold and some other medical issues that kept me from updating (Belgium: 10°C/50°F with heavy rain). I will post my Turkey pictures/stories as soon as I can comfortably spend longer periods in front of this pc. Thank you for holding.]