I’d been traveling overland around Turkey for over a week and was constantly surprised at how much I was enjoying myself. I’d gotten to know my fellow travelers and we seemed to be getting along. As we drove further and further away from Istanbul, I was falling more and more in love with the country.
We’d had a few crazy nights at Atilla’s Getaway in Selçuk, but were ready for a night on the town. One of the girls was celebrating her 500th day of travels and many of us just wanted to have some harmless fun after a day of touring the ruins of Ephesus.
Our tour guide Esra took us to Izmir, a thirty minute drive away and the town where she grew up. She rented us a van to shuttle us to and from town, which had neon lights and became a nightclub of its own.
I told myself I was in for a quiet night and didn’t want to party too hard, as the night before had left me feeling worse for the wear. Famous last words. I had a drink before we left, but wasn’t drunk enough to be appreciating the hairpin turns and bumpy roads in rural Anatolia. Already wishing I had stayed behind, we arrived at a completely empty nightclub with staff passing out shots.
It started out very awkwardly since it was literally just our group and the all-male staff of the nightclub, but after a few drinks in our systems, we were ready to dance. The employees seemed to have choreographed dances for every song that played, albeit outdated American pop songs, so they started to look like a Turkish boy band.
Once the Cha Cha Slide came on, I had to join in. The Australians looked at me like I was crazy because it’s not a thing there.
One of the guys asked me what my name was and where I came from. Between the language barrier and loud music, it was hard to understand him, but eventually, he took my hand and drew on it a ring. We joked about being married throughout the night and even danced to a traditional Turkish song in something resembling the hora, which was my favorite moment of the night.
At 1 am, we had all hit our limits and piled back into the disco van to sleep for a few hours before we hopped on another bus to make our way to Pamukkale. I don’t remember my fiancé’s name, but I kept my ring from being washed off for the rest of the day. It made me smile to remember a night that started like any other and ended with a proposal, even if it was just a joke.
What was your craziest night out while traveling?
I traveled through Turkey with BusAbout, who offers tours throughout the country. I received a discounted Turkey Adventure tour, but all marriage proposals and opinions are my own.
Haha I love this. I remember on a day tour in Bali a local, who called himself “Ernie Dingo” (an Australian personality I’m sure you heard about during your time there) gave me a kiss on the cheek for the camera and said we were going to get married, have 3 kids and live with his family in their house. I politely said no :)
Sounds like a super fun night! Hope you find your “fiance” again. :-)
Ha! I also got “engaged” in Izmir! A guy (who was about 10 years younger than me) started talking to me in the park (despite the fact that he hardly spoke any English). Within about 5 minutes he told me he loved me and within about 20 he took a (cheap plastic) diamond ring out of his pocket and put in on my finger! Those Izmir guys really like getting engaged!
Haha Val that is too funny! Looks like I should have spent more time there!
I so love hearing about everyone’s best nights out during traveling. One of my favorites has to be when I was in Italy. I was out to dinner with a friend and thoroughly stuffed on too much pizza and wine. Our waiter decided that I couldn’t be finished yet and proceeded to sit down at our table with us, cut the rest of my pizza, and feed it to me. I was so shocked I didn’t know what to do besides smile and pay the bill!
That is too funny, Holly! What a cheeky waiter! I agree, some of the best stories come from random nights out.