Sea turtles and Mud bath

Holidays go by so quickly and yet each day is so filled with interest that they seem to slow down the pace of time and each day has a special significance. Today is a day to relax and enjoy the holiday options of this popular vacation area.

At 9 am we board Boat #125 and cruise down the Dalyan River past stunning views of  rock cut tombs in the surrounding cliffs.

In a quiet bay, we pull alongside a boat where the crew dangle crab lures so that we can look at giant sea turtles swimming and rising to the bait. The turtles are protected, so they aren't trying to catch them. Crabs on the other hand are fair (fare) game. We order a crab snack which we will be served later.

Our destination is the vast Iztuzu Beach. This wide sandy strip is a breeding ground for the sea turtles, where they come to lay their eggs, so  much of it is out of bounds to day trippers like us. The boat drops us off and we rent lounge chairs and umbrellas for TL9.  Time to soak up the sun and the view of the gorgeous coast line and mountains. The sea is calm and refreshing. Ahhh...

 When we board the boat for our trip upstream, the baked crab is waiting for us.

 Yum.

Next stop - mud baths and silly time. A few discerning souls in our group forgo the baths and instead take pictures as we frolic and slather ourselves, with apparently mineral rich mud. Said to bring a glow to the skin and restore health to the body, we indulge in this activity whole-heartedly.

The object is to cover oneself as thoroughly as possible with the mud. At first we can't find enough of the goopy stuff to make it stick. But fortunately we have brought the mud-meister with us. Dave, from Athens, GA turns out to have an affinity for mud. He leads us to the mudder-lode.

Then we sit in the sun to let the mud dry; and strike silly poses. We look rather ghoulish! When we have hosed ourselves off, we soak for a while in a thermal pool. Stephanie and Dave kindly share their photos with us later.

Ghost town and the Blue Lagoon

Leaving Kas, we head along the coast road through mountains.Close to the town of Fethiye, we stop at the remains of the abandoned town of Kayakoy. Now only a stop for curious visitors, It is sad and slightly eerie to see the remains of stone houses, chapels and churches. The broken walls and stone roofs still stand, but nothing else remains of the former occupants except for the occasional ghost of colour on some walls. Weeds grow where people once lived; but they were moved in a 1920's Turkish/Greek Government agreement of population exchange. The ghost houses reach a long way up the mountain.

The largest and most complete of the ruins is the cathedral, but it is closed for renovations. Surely not for anyone to come and pray - but for tourists to take home photos and memories.

Lower down the slope a few structures remain intact including one of the old homes, open for viewing. It is hungry work clambering up the slopes and through the ruined town. Some enterprising locals have set up shop with lovely hand crafts and open air restaurants. Lunch of gözleme, also known as Turkish pancakes, is lovely under the vine covered arbour.

 Sadik and Murat(who makes a friend of a curious puppy) also enjoy the relaxing break in the shade.

Back in the van and on our way to our next hotel, the idea of a swim in the blue lagoon sounds idyllic. Some of the group opt instead to go to a cafe at the marina. It is Sunday and the beach parking lot is full. Sadik circles hopefully but in the end those of us who decide to swim have to do a long walk in the blistering heat to the lagoon. After some searching we find change rooms. There is a big sandy white beach beside the sea, but Murat has told us we should experience the clear water of the Blue Lagoon. It is lovely and there is some shade, but the beach  is small and very crowded. When we settle on a spot to sit, we take turns watching our belongings and floating around in cool waters of the lagoon. Peter and I are spoiled by the wealth of fresh water lakes in Canada, so by comparison this seems nice but not all that special.  Perhaps it's the heat, but when we rejoin the others on the bus, we make a point of telling Murat that of all the stops en route to our evening destinations, this one could take a miss. 

We have no idea what to expect in our next destination; the popular riverside town of Dalyan. This town has a different vibe. Our hotel is well-situated on the river beside the long wharf where numerous boats solicit tour business from the holiday makers.

Our room is nice and spacious and right over the front door. One of the friendly local dogs greets guests with a lazy thump of his tail. He doesn't bother to move from the front mat, which clearly is his territory.

A quick stroll around town shows us the many ways that the locals court the tourists. Shops and restaurants line the walking streets near our hotel. Their are endless entreaties to stop and sample the wares. The place is awash with restaurants, each one with a greeter extolling the value of his establishment and I am curious to see how Murat will choose one from the vast selection for our evening meal. Although dinners are seldom included as part of the tour activities, most nights we follow our trusty guide's lead to a good local establishment, and enjoy the group camaraderie.

Relaxing in Kas

Kas is sometimes called the Seaside Jewel of Turkey and I think it deserves the title. It is the kind of place that attracts people from all over the world for different reasons; relaxing by the seaside, cruising the Mediterranean, exploring ancient ruins, fishing, dozing in the square, getting away from the rush and rumble of big city life. It's the kind of place you could visit for a while and then decide not to go home. It is also a very ancient city; a centre of the Lycean civilization, there has been a settlement here since 6000 BCE.

 The Romans left there mark as well. Just a short walk from the hotel, beside seaside villas, the AntiphellosTheatre, nestles into the hillside. Built around 1BCE it could seat up to 4,000 people.

There is no one to take an entry fee. We walk all over the site, practice our oration from centre stage and then scramble over the wall at the top, attracted by siting of what seems to be rock tombs. 

In this way we discover a whole area of tombs and unidentified ruins. 

The Doric Tomb has a sign explaining that it was cut into the bedrock in the 4th Century AD. There is a very faint remnant of a frieze of dancing girls painted on the interior.

Continuing our ramble, we head up the hill above the town centre. It's a pretty nice residential area with white painted villas looking over the bay. I could settle here for a while! Stairs and pathways lead between the houses to more tombs which dot the landscape; tombs with a view. We clamber up and peak inside a few. All of the doors have been broken open and I wonder who looted these tombs. What happened to the remains and the grave goods? Perhaps I should have visited the museum in Antalya after all.

On our way back to the centre, we find a long rainbow painted stair, leading way up the mountain. We've earned a break so we follow the sign that says "beach" where we get a free chair if we order lunch. The real joke is that there is no beach; just a wide deck that extends from the cliff edge. To get to the water, we have to jump or take a steep ladder into the waves. Food is mediocre, but drinks are icy-cold.

 We realize that in a couple of days we have gone from the chilly 

temperatures of fall, to basking in glorious sunshine. Ahh, nice!

Mediterranean Cruising

In the morning, since the van can't come to us, we walk through the town, via a park with a lovely view of the sea, past a set of rainbow stairs to the waiting van. Part of my mission is to search out as many of these stairs as I can throughout our travels inTurkey.

 It's a winding, coast road that takes us to the town where Saint Nicholas (yes, that one, the first Santa Claus) called home - (before the whole North Pole saga began!)  We only stop briefly here and soon we arrive at a little harbour where our boat Myra is waiting to take us on a blissful day of cruising around islands and into bays of the azure blue waters of the Mediterranean Sea. 

The boat is well stocked with food and drink and the captain and the one (female) crew member, take excellent care of us. While we are anchored, most of us jump over board and go swimming - slight exaggeration; most of us climb the ladder into the water - Peter and Vicky jump off the deck. Meantime the captain cooks fresh fish on a small portable BBQ and lunch is served under in the shade of the main deck. 

The weather is gorgeous; perfect blue sky, hot but not stifling and the view is sublime. We pass an island with the ruins of an ancient Lycean town, destroyed by an earthquake. The remains of the old harbour are clearly visible in the water. On the hills, goats scamper around rocky outcrops and ruined dwellings.

Across the water, we see the ruins of the town that was built after the earthquake. And on the hillside, there are the distinctive shapes of Lycean rock tombs.

We are a sun-sapped but contented group when we arrive late in the day at the delightful seaside town of Kas. (pronounced "cash") After checking in at the Otel Kekova we take a short walk towards the harbour and have a delicious dinner of ocean fresh fish at Smileys Restaurant.

The day is not over yet. It is the half way point of our trip and time to do some laundry. As usual, Murat knows answers to this type of query and after dinner, Peter and I gather up our things and deposit them with a friendly woman whose busy laundry operates out of a small building beside the harbour. She promises to have our fresh laundry ready early afternoon of the next day. Total cost TL40.

Its too nice a night to spend in a hotel room, so we cross the main square, lively with night revelers and explore some of the winding cobbled streets of this friendly town. A soccer match between Turkey and Andora is the event of the evening, and the game is taking front and centre on TV's which have been set up outdoors all over town. There is music wafting out from several bars and other establishments and in this way we stumble across the Hi Jazz Bar where a sole musician is belting out the blues. It seems like a good place to relax and take in the ambiance.

Beyshir to Antalya

  
Murat has planned a very special treat for us this morning; a visit to a lovely timber-built mosque and a meeting with the Imam. Outside we are greeted by a group of women who are eager to sell us some of their handcrafts. But the Imam is waiting for us, so the ladies make it their job to assist us with tying our headscarves properly before we enter the mosque. It is an art which I can't quite master.

Ishmael, the Imam, greets us and graciously tells us about the history of  lovely timber-built mosque, built in the 13th Century. The cedar pillars and panel have been beautifully preserved. The turquoise of the tiles is echoed in the carpet.

 
He also gives us some insights into the Muslim religion; its background and practices. We have heard much of this before, but with the Imam, it has a new solemnity and meaning. Then Ishmael patiently answers our (sometimes impertinent) questions. After a while he turns the questioning to us. He wants to know if any of us are atheist or agnostic and when some hands go up, he asks what has influenced this decision. he mulls the answer thoughtfully. It is an interesting, respectful and intelligent discussion - with Murat doing a wonderful job as interpreter. 
Our visit ends with the Imam singing a section of the daily prayers. When you hear it, as we usually do, broadcast over the tinny loudspeakers from the minarets, it sounds strident; but in the closeness of the mosque, this prayer has a new reverence for us.

Outside, the ladies are still patiently waiting beside their little piles of handicrafts. It seems rude to ignore them, so several of us buy knitted goods and even a few of their sparkly fabric roses.

Before boarding the bus, I visit the WC. Public washrooms in Turkey have come as a very pleasant surprise. They are uniformly pristine and well maintained. Mostly they are squat-style, flush toilets where you don't have to jump hastily to avoid getting wet feet. There are always a few "thrones" for those whose knees aren't up to the other position. I opt for a squatter and sadly, it is here that my newly gifted ring (from Omar in Istanbul) falls out of my back pocket and with one clunk on the shiny white tiled floor it bounces into the hole. Back on the bus, I explain what happened. My story is received with appropriate hilarity and I am forgiven for holding up the group while I was  contemplating my options - there were none, the ring is gone forever!

The road to the popular seaside town of Antalya takes us up into the Taurus Mountain Range, along steep and winding roads with wondrous views of rugged rock formations.

We arrive in the bustling, city of Antalya just in time for lunch which we enjoy at one of the many restaurants lining a street with a colourful canopy of umbrellas. 

The Hotel Dolan is just up the hill from the Old City on a cobbled street, which is too narrow for our bus. So the luggage has been unloaded and is waiting for us in the hotel lobby. Such service! It is one of those slightly rambling hotels, with lots of stairs and levels. Our room looks onto a courtyard with a small swimming pool. Murat would like us to visit the famous Antalya Museum and carefully explains how we can easily get to it by tram. I am conflicted because of my interest in ancient civilizations, but the town is intriguing too. So after we have checked into the hotel, most of us opt for spending the rest of the day ambling, aimlessly and happily through the town; exploring mosques, markets and shops and down along the waterfront. 

 

Although we have split up into a few groups, the old city is small and we keep bumping into our fellow tour members. A few of us find ourselves together down at the harbour, which is filled with  tourist excursion boats. 

 Together we find a nice shady spot at an outdoor cafe and enjoy a few drinks while watching the sun slowly set over the mountains, casting a glorious golden glow over the bay. Can't ask for much better than this.