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Frequently Asked Questions and Tips |
 Time Zone: Seven hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time. Electricity: 220 volts. Adapters are required for all US electrical devices. Adapters should be the 2 round prong type. You can recharge your I Pods, Computers, Camera Batteries, etc, when the generator is on or when we are at dock with electric connected. Weather: Click here for weather information
What should I pack? What will I need on
the boat?
Not much! -Several bathing suits. (You should change wet suits once or twice a day) -Shoes for hiking and climbing -Water shoes -T Shirts & shorts. -Casual wear for your evenings off the boat. -Sleepwear for sleeping on the deck with the rest of the gang. -Sunscreen -Sunglasses -Hat with brim for shade from the sun. -Daypack, Camelback or small Backpack to hold water. -Mask & Snorkel (Fins are not necessary - we have them on the boat) -Inflatable float toy (for hanging out in the water) -There are reference books on the boat, but someone in your group should invest in a copy of the Blue Guide. It has a wealth of information on the ruins and places you will visit. Click here for a list of our favorite books! -Woolite for hand washing bathing suites & other items. -Our First Aid Kit on the boat contains a supply of Medicines like Pepto Bismol and Imodium AD for stomach ailments; Sudafed, Afrin, Tylenol Cold, Benedryl, Tylenol, Aleve, and Dramamine, Triptone for sea sickness - just in case. We also have medicines for insect bites, bee stings, scratches, cuts, blisters, burns, sunburns and items. -Mosquito and Bee Repellant, you might not need them, but if you do, you'll appreciate them. -Toiletries (shampoo, toothpaste, toothbrush, etc.) -Camera. -Cooler & Duck Tape - Optional (see tip below) TIP: Fit all your boat clothes and necessities in a carry-on luggage. Then if your other bags get lost, it won't ruin your trip. It happens. A lot. How will I communicate with the folks at home? - There is a phone on the boat that can receive emergency calls, but you cannot call out on this phone. Emergency number/Captain Hasan's Cell Phone if calling from USA ... (011) (90) 535 975 2576 - At almost every port of call you will conveniently find an Internet Cafe. - You can buy an International Phone Card at the PTT Office to call home to the USA. - Passengers with T Mobile and Verizon can receive calls on their handhelds but make sure the international service is activated before you leave. What if I get seasick? Seasickness is very rare on the Gundogan. We try to avoid rough waters at as much as we can. If we know the weather is going to be bad, our crew will leave port as early as 4am when the seas are still. It is very rare that our passengers experience even the slightest discomfort. Click Here for some great tips on how to avoid and treat seasickness. TIP: Sleep Outside! We know you have a cabin, but sleeping outdoors under the billions and billions of stars is magical. Personally, I only use my cabin to put my things in. You'll never remember a night you spend in the cabin, but you'll never forget the nights you spend under the stars. TIP: Bring a Cooler. You will not find Rum, Tequila, Bloody Mary mix, Daiquiri mix, Pina Colada mix, Ginger Ale or any other unusual mixers in Turkey. Either bring them with you or switch to drinks mixed with Tonic, Soda, Cola, 7UP or Orange Juice. There is local Gin, Vodka, excellent Beer and some of the world's best Wines. Personally, we bring a cooler (we close it with duck tape) full of mixers, liquor, our shampoo and other "spillable" items. On the way back home, the cooler serves as the perfect luggage for our olive oil, cheeses, olives, spices and our more fragile purchases. What other things can we do on the boat? Plan ahead to make your trip memorable. You can play all kinds of games and take part in creative activities. Some of the things we have done are: Gundogan Olympic Games. Have your games last the entire duration of the trip. You can arrange one event per day (split into men's & women's events). The men choose the women's event - and the women choose the men's events. Some events we have done are "the Funniest Dive", "the Best Mixed Drink", "the Best Toenail Art", "the Biggest Seashell", "the Best Joke", "the Most Beautiful Harem Girl (for men), scrabble contest, best tan, best magic trick, belly dance contest, hiking and swimming, synchronized swimming, we even had individual performances to Cleopatra at the small amphitheater at Cleopatra Island. Just use your imagination. - Scrabble Tournaments - Card Tournaments - Dominos You know your group. Get your ideas together and bring them along. Just have fun! -Frisbee Golf (either individual or team - 2 person event). You can set up a frisbee golf course through the ruins. Each person takes turn choosing a hole - for example, the tomb at the top of the hill - you can place a red scarf there to mark it. Each throw counts as a point. The person or team with the least points wins. You can do this in most of the ruins you come to along your voyage (there are not many people - and no one seems to mind). Be creative! If you think of more - let us know!
Besides games, here are some of our
favorite things to do... What tip should I leave the crew? We recommend at a minimum $5 per day per passenger. So if you are on the boat 14 days, you should leave $70. You can choose a person in your group to collect all the tips. We usually present the tip with some small words of gratitude the evening before we depart the boat. Please present the tips to the Captain and he will divide it evenly.
TIP: Carry a
few Lira with you!
Have a stash of 5-10 Lira with you
when you hike into the ruins. All the ruins you will be visiting are
parks and the entry fee is roughly the TL equivalent of $2 - $5 USD per person, so have this
available in Turkish Lira. You may also want to buy water or ice cream
which is usually available at the entrance to the park.
I don't speak Turkish. How will I communicate? |