The Night I Got Engaged in Izmir

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 The employees seemed to have choreographed dances for every song that played, albeit outdated American pop songs, so they started to look like a Turkish boy band.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.