We went on the glass-bottomed boat. And I bloody LOVED it. It was amazing. We spent 7 hours on it, but I did not get bored once, and that was probably helped by the fact that I'd loaded my ipod with the entire Pirates Of The Caribbean soundtrack beforehand. I have never experienced a more epic combination. Especially when me and my brother sat up at the very front of the boat (I don't know what it's officially called - the helm? I don't know) and I had the wind in my hair, and the sea air, and a giant open ocean infront of me, with ancient looking rocky islands either side, and 'He's A Pirate' or 'Skulls And Medallions' cranked up in my ears. It was fucking magical. And what made the experience so much more beleivable was the waiter who was the SPITTING IMAGE of Orlando Bloom. He was gorgeous actually. He was quite quiet, but when we stopped for a swim he would dive right off the side like he'd been on the sea all his life. He'd swim around and then emerge from the gorgeous water looking earthreally perfect. Whereas I'd drag myself out with straggly hair and smudged mascara and my snorkel hanging lop-sidedly off my face, his hair would be curling from the salt and the droplets all over his bare torso would make his tan glisten in the sun. Then he'd walk straight back behind the counter and start serving drinks, sopping wet at looking totally at home about it. Seriously, some people have all the luck. And yes, he did spend the whole trip in only his swim shorts.

However, I did not spend the whole trip staring lustfully at the guy with the tea tray. We stopped for a swim four times and most people only dipped in once or twice, I was in their every time. I admit it was a slight hassle having to keep drying myself and take clothes on and off (I'm not one to just swan around in my bikini, like the annoyingly slim, tanned Turkish women), but every time we stopped I just couldn't resist the water. It was so seductively turquoise and clear. We always stopped in a shallower area rather than just the middle of the ocean, which meant we could get closer to the bottom. I love diving down but I can't usually go more than 3 or 4 metres, because my head feels like its going to implode from the pressure. I'm sure there's training for that, or maybe it's just practice. But I managed at one stop to swim about 6 metres down and pick up a shell (checking it thoroughly for any hermit crabs or the like), which will now be a keepsake forever more. The shell that I swum to the bottom of the Turkish ocean and picked up myself.

We go home in a few days, and I'm trying desperately not to think about it. I've really enjoyed myself.

H x