Bend To Turkey 2010: Turquoise Coast

They take their tea seriously in Istanbul

After visiting Istanbul we reluctantly checked out of our hotel and jetted down to the south coast of Turkey on the Mediterranean at Antalya. Antalya is a city of one million and on the trip in from the airport it looked a bit boring. Endless 5 story buildings and traffic. But fortunately we stayed in the old town, the kaleici, which is a walled off ancient city set around a beautiful little harbor.

We discovered that Antalya is a destination for vacationing Russians. We met a nice Russian lady who said there are flights direct from the north of Russia to Antalya. We stayed at Hadrianous Hotel which was hard to find because of the small winding streets (sokaks). The welcoming owner could speak about two words of English, and us less than two words of Turkish. He offered up some cay (tea) and we sat in the extremely pleasant garden during the heat of the day. Afterward we boogied on down to the harbor which is a gap in the travertine cliffs that is surrounded by a Roman wall and filled with wooden boats. Sheri and Curtis went out on the breakwater and hopped in the warm clear blue water for a swim in the Mediterranean.

We enjoyed a stroll around the old town and a half of a chicken dinner and an Efes Turkish beer to round out a fine day.

A sidebar about Turkish Airlines. First, when one arrives at the airport they x-ray the luggage and have a metal a detector at the entrance (doesn’t this make sense if you’re worried about airport security). Second, at check-in there are plentiful employees to check you in so instead of waiting 30 minute in line you just walk up and check in (and no annoying baggage fees). At the security point you don’t have to go through the stupid indignity of undressing. On the plane, attractive friendly young stewardess had out fresh tasty meals for free, even on the shortest flights.

After this we caught a dolmus (Turkish minibus) to the village of Kas. We stayed at Hilal Pension. Kas is set around a small harbor and on the hills around town it is littered with the carved tombs of the ancient Lycian civilization. Each tomb is carved in solid rock and the entrance looks like a small doorway and there is a small crypt inside. One tomb was a free standing “house” carved from the rock hillside. It had fine carved cornices and dovetailed joints in the rock and a fine view of the harbor. Around the corner was a Roman amphitheater with seating for a thousand and a fabulous view of some coastal islands and the Mediterranean beyond.

We joined a group for a kayak trip to Kekova Island. Our group of about ten included Americans, Indians, Indonesians Australians, some Brits, and one Turkish guide. Curtis and Norma paddled a double and Sheri a single.

The day was hot and the water was dead flat. We paddled over to a beach where there were many Byzantine ruins.

After a quick stroll we paddled to an ancient port area that had sunk down in two severe earthquakes. We paddled over some of the old walls and could peer down on to them through the crystal blue water. They feed us a buffet lunch (mezes and chicken shish kebab) and we trudged around a Crusader and Roman fortress.

Lycian Tomb

Then we paddled from a small village past a free standing Lycian tomb that was sticking out of the water. Truly a hyper photogenic setting.

Kekova Island

From Kas we boogied over to Oludeniz for a change of pace. The pension owner in Kas had some people arriving by taxi from Oludeniz, so for the price of fuel we traveled by car back to Oludeniz. The driver stopped and bought us drinks then he stopped by his in-law’s house. They had a calf that was just three hours old. We sat on chairs in the yard and head scarfed women brought sweats and buttermilk for us.

Oludeniz is a popular beach destination especially for Brits. Many prices are quoted in pounds sterling. The place was overrun with overweight middle aged people out for a good time. We checked in at Hotel Oludeniz and then strolled around town.

The place was nothing but hotels, restaurants, and trinket stops squeezed between touts hustling boat tours. We took a 15 Turkish lira boat trip out to a couple of islands, a cave, and the “butterfly valley”. From the beach the boat (Pegas Tours) looked kind of empty. Once we boarded we found that the top deck was actually filled with obese people who were lying on mats. There was enough pasty exposed blubbery flesh rolling around to make a rendering plant owner drool. Overlooking the blasting pop music we stopped and hiked up butterfly valley and trudged around the ruins of the church of St Nichols (Santa Claus Island). Unfortunately the boat driver was in a hurry and shorted our time at a stop and when we returned to the beach the boat had departed (a vile hex on Pegas). Fortunately, acting dumb, we talked our way onto another boat and returned to Oludeniz.

Next stop was at the abandoned City of Kayakoy. At one time the city was populated by Greek people. Subsequent to a treaty after a war, all the people were returned to Greece in 1923.

Abandon City of Karakoy

The town is empty. All the roofs, windows, and doors were stolen but the walls remain of two thousand houses and five churches. It is a peaceful quiet and oddly ruined place.

Rolling on we bused it over to Marmaris. At the seawall we were able to organize a private yacht (a gullet) for a three day trip along the coast.

Our Sailboat the Cezire 1

Our boat, the Cezire 1, was skippered by Kaptian Sadik and his crewman, Mr. Happy. Sadik, who is about 32 years old, was an extremely competent, detailed oriented fellow and a fine cook.

Kaptian Sadik

Mr Happy at the grill

It is hard to describe how wonderful this trip was. We motored along visiting small bays along the rugged coast. The water was clear blue and warm. There were wide mats for relaxing and napping. Our meals were fresh and delicious. We were able to hike up to a ruined church and Sheri was able to swim to her hearts to content. It was peaceful, fun, and glorious.

Sheri and her fish dinner

Pregnant Church

At the conclusion to our boat trip bid we spent a night in Marmaris then bused up to Selchuk. The bus set a high mark for service. They checked our luggage and we relaxed on the comfortable air con coach. Each seat had an individual video screen with TV and movies. A steward came round and offered coffee and a snack. Curtis went online on the free onboard wireless.

We checked into Barim Pension. Our room in an old house had built in glass cases all along one wall that housed some old artifacts.

Barim Pension in Selchuck

We taxied up to the ruins of the City of Ephesus. Ephesus was founded about 2600 years ago and apparently it was an important hub for commerce and a Roman provincial capital. At its peak about 200,000 lived there. It was quite sophisticated and the ruins spread out over a couple of square miles. Curtis liked the hand thrown clay pipes, still in place, which carried water throughout the city. Norma knew the biblical background of Paul coming to the city and proselytizing.

Sheri at Hercules Gate

One exceptional area was a complex of six houses. The complex has been enclosed and people were there restoring it. The six houses were of the fabulously rich. They had mosaic floors, frescoed and marbled walls. One house had a private basilica. They had central heat, running water, and hot baths.