This was the first AirBnB that we stayed in. The apartment was large, with a balcony that overlooked the Fethiye harbor. Hot tub and all. Not too shabby. Fethiye is definitely yacht city. There were hundreds of them, including a few that looked as though they were owned by the Russian oligarchs. The town has a natural harbor which is ideal for mooring in calm waters. There were many yachts that were “on the hook”, out in the middle of the bay, thus avoiding any docking fees. Of course they had to have a dingy, many of which totally outdid our simple Lake Atitlan boat, Cynthia Kate. One observation that I really liked was that at least 75%, if not more, of the boats were of the sailing variety.
I always thought that made more of a sport out of the yacht thing. One more observation, then I’ll leave the boats behind (maybe not entirely). There seems to be a lot of hanging going on. On our subsequent boat trips, brief description later, we saw many yachts in deserted places looking as though they were in no hurry to go anywhere. Exactly what does one do with their time? Not sure but you better keep the booze under control!
We had gotten a tip from some fellow travelers to visit the ruins of Kayakoy. Now as those of you who have read previous blogs know, we are usually talking ruins of 2 or 3 thousand years ago. Not in this case. These are ruins of a village abandoned 100 years ago. Frankly, not only did they not have the history, but they didn’t have the class either. It turns out that after the Turkish War of Independence in 1923, the League of Nations orchestrated an exchange of populations. The Greek Muslims went to Turkey, and the Ottoman Christians went to Greece. We’ve seen that before. India, with Pakistan and Bangladesh, comes to mind. Anyway, there were more Christians leaving than Muslims coming so this town ended up completely abandoned.
The setting was nice, the buildings were all basically the same, and one needed the footing of a mountain goat to traverse the paths. Still it was worth a 1/2 day, though it didn’t blow us away. Cynthia’s photos will give you an idea.
One of the things tourists do in Fethiye is take what is called the 12 Island Tour. Well we weren’t sure what that meant, but we got on Trip Advisor and found an outfit called Rastapus Boat Tours. This seemed like an easy alternative to the 4 day trips that are popular. Besides, anything named Rastapus has to be mellow. And it was.
The captain was a Turkish Bob Marley, totally laid back. He had been a Telecom technician and gave it up for the leisurely life. He said, what do I want, money or quality time. He chose the latter. We only had seven paying customers on the boat. In addition were the three man crew, and the true boss, the captain’s mother. We had a great day. Basically one goes from bay to bay, anchors, and then you hang for maybe an hour. Swimming in the clear cool waters of the Mediterranean was a total joy.
Then on one of the stops they made a lunch that was truly superb. Ten different items. All delicious. Did I mention alcohol? Despite the many choices, Cynthia and I got through the entire day with one Efes beer each. Oh, we would make such good sailors!
After three nights it was time to move on. Our next destination was the small seaside town called Kaş. Actually pronounced Cash.
What a great place. Touristy for sure, but the narrow pedestrian-only streets, and the beautiful setting, make it a pleasure. Cynthia went jewelry shopping when we found a store that had some funk. She got a hollowed out basket shaped pair of silver earrings, and a ring we both thought was so imaginative.
Frankly, it is often me that is shopping jewelry, but not this time. Well, not exactly. The next night I went back and bought a silver bracelet that I didn’t want to resist.
The next day we decided to take advantage of our car. By the way, I am so glad we have it. It has expanded our horizons on this trip so much.
There was a small village, Üçağiz, about an 1-1/2 hour drive from Kas. It was known for an ancient castle and an underwater city.
Of course one goes by boat. For $70 we got a boat and captain all to ourselves. It was again great to get out on the waters of the Mediterranean and experience some of the clearest waters imaginable. We swam off the boat, and by the way it is still hot here, and loved it. The sunken city wasn’t much to see, but who cared. They have banned any kind of diving around the underwater ruins, and frankly that would be about the only way to see them. Bottom line, we had a great scenic drive, a fun boat trip, a refreshing swim, and all of it spur of the moment without a plan. Can’t beat it.
The night life in Kaş is definitely happening. The restaurants, at least the ones with the buzz, were packed. Many Turks for sure, but also we could hear German and a plentiful amount of Brits. As we were walking the streets, we stumbled upon an unlikely place called the Old House Shot Bar. Cynthia’s photo will describe it. We have found a taste for Raki, an anise based liquor that is reminiscent of Sambuca or Pastis. After a simple pide dinner we couldn’t resist giving the Old House a try.
As we were standing in front, no seating, another couple ambled up. The man ordered this exotic shot that had at least 8 different ingredients, all in a large shot glass, but a shot glass none the less. We couldn’t help but admire the artistry of the bar tender, nor could we not comment to the couple. It turned out they were Russian. Previously, from afore mentioned boat captain, we had heard that business was down because of the war. Apparently the Russians and the Ukrainians liked to vacation in Turkey, but they had virtually stopped coming. Somehow our conversation turned political. I said from a human aspect it was such a bitch that this war had happened. I also said I didn’t understand the reasons that had caused it. They looked at each other, then us, and said, “Putin”. They were obviously upset about it, and said they had no choice but to return to Russia tomorrow. They were not happy about it. A brief, but telling, conversation. As we parted, we toasted to health and peace.
The drive from Kaş to Antayla had long stretches where the road hugged the Mediterranean. Steep cliffs on one side, with the highway cutting into the mountain, the shining sea on the other. We decided to check out a small place called Çirali, which we had read about. We thought we could get lucky and repeat our experience that we had in Üçağiz. Well, think again. The winding small road reached the beach alright, but once there the road was so small a car could hardly fit. But that didn’t stop the hordes of beach goers that were hoteling and camping on the narrow passage. It just wasn’t our scene and we literally got to the end of the road, turned around, and headed back to the main highway.
Our arrival in Antalya was also an experience. We knew we were staying in the Old City, which is a good thing. Finding one's way on the narrow streets with virtually no street signs, is another. Google maps came through and we finally found our hotel. Great location, mediocre room. I have to say that we have not been impressed with the hotels we have stayed at in Turkey. Not horrible by any means, but not memorable either. We have been paying between $45 and $80 a night. We like AirBnb’s, but when we looked they didn’t seem that impressive either. Oh well, if that is the only complaint we have on this trip we are very lucky people. More on our time in Antayla in the next blog.
We move on in another couple of days. We only have one more destination, plus another 2 nights in Istanbul, before returning to the States. The road has been good to us. Catch us in the next blog. And as always, thanks for reading.
So beautiful!!!! Thanks for bringing us along! And yes, here's to health and peace! <3. Jeanne
ReplyDeleteHave loved following your trip through a country very close to my heart! So sorry you didn't enjoy Karakoy so much - do consider reading Louis de Bernieres Birds Without Wings. It will explain that these are not ruins per se but an abandones village when the Greeks were forced to leave - they had been living happily along side Turks for centuries - it was tragic and literally over night they were forced to move with nothing but the clothes on their backs!
ReplyDeleteAnd Sorry too you didn't get to Cirali - a gorgeous spot and the eternal flames of Mount Olympus are so worth the night time hike!! For another time I hope!! Gule gule!!