This trip started out with just Turkey….the highlight of the trip was to be a gulet cruise along the Lycian coast. Initially we had enough people interested to look into doing a private charter but as often happens as time went by they changed their minds and it ended up being only our friends, Rae and Glen, and Ken and I. We then had to go for a “tour”, which morphed into a second week tour of historic sites along the Lycian coast. It was an excellent trip booked thru Explore Worldwide. As with all our holidays, while still working, time was precious so we tried to include whatever else seemed to be logical add-ons to get the most out of our vacation. With the Greek island of Rhodes just a hop, skip and ferry ride away from our Turkey trip starting point we worked that in too…..the Rhodes had to go to Rhodes!!! The best flight options to get us there and back from Turkey were thru Frankfurt…but leaving a few days earlier than we’d planned so made good use of our start days in Mainz, Germany.
This journal is in 4 parts: Part 1 Mainz and Rhodes, Part 2 Turkey – Tour of Ancient Sites, Part 3 Lycian Coast Gulet Cruise and Part 4 Istanbul
Mon June 23
Nice bit of sleep in this morning….no hurry to get up and rush out today.
Breakfast was the usual. Yesterday on the bus someone put together a tip envelope for Ceylan. Some people thought 10E was good enough but really, she was an excellent tour guide….really knew her stuff (was an Archeology student and studied Turkish history etc.). Felt kind of bad for her so made sure we gave her another 20E at breakfast when she was making rounds saying goodbye to everyone. I would think at least 3E per day or more would be the norm.
Back to the room to pack up and reorganize the stuff that we’ll be using on the gulet. Threw it in the backpacks so we’d have easy access as I’m not sure exactly where the bigger pieces of luggage will be stored…..cabins are NOT very big.
Checked out at 11:45. Ilsa (Belgian Dr.) had found a great spot to have drinks and lunch right over the water on a pier just down the road. Our group for the gulet from the first tour is Rae and Glen, Thelma and Jim (Scotland) Truii (Belgium) Anne (NYNY) Mary and Colin (British) and Ilsa. Had a doner for lunch….very good. Ken had a cheeseburger and fries.
Went shopping at the market for a bit……found nothing so back to the hotel to wait for the bus to take us to the marina around 3:30.
Our gulet is actually a ketch because of it’s size….28m, so nice and big. We have room #9, R & G have #8, both which are at the very back of the boat…and pretty “deluxe” compared to the other cabins that all have bunks! A window that opens that’s just about at the waterline.
Basically the bed takes up the whole thing other than a couple feet where the cubby is that we had to jam our suitcases into. The stuff we’ll be using is in the backpacks and bags that I’ve hung on hooks so it’s easy enough to get at. The bathroom is just about as big as the room! Has a little window and one of those showers that wets everything!. Got our lesson on the toilets…..you do not put any paper in them, ALL used toilet paper goes in the little bucket (with a lid). It’s emptied everyday, twice a day if necessary! The boat is pretty good really and pretty much what we were expecting.
Met the 2 new couples, Jean and Peter from England and Anne and David from Victoria!! Small world. There are 15 of us. Had our briefing and met Tolga, our guide (?)
Nice area at the back of the boat, all covered, set up with a long table for our meals and right at the back are sort of big deep couches/beds to sit and lay on. The front is where you can sit/lay to get some sun.
Booze is not cheap!! Decided to just buy bottles of the rose wine, seemed to be the best deal. Had “tea” before we left the marina. Tea, coffee and cookies!
Set off from Fethiye around 5:30. Sailed (motored really….) to Gemiler Island (possibly the original place of St Nicolas’ tomb!) where we tied up for the night. Some people went for a swim…..water is crystal clear and a beautiful blue. Was still really hot.
Dinner was really good. Served around 8:30. A salad, green peppers in a yogurt sauce, rice, chicken in tomato sauce with veg. Dessert was fresh fruit….peaches, melon and bananas. Very good dinner! The cook has an area that is like 5×5 to work in!
Everyone sat around and chatted until around 11:00. Our room was so hot!! A few people decided to sleep on the front deck so headed there with pillows and blankets…..smart move! Propped open the window in the bathroom with the door on an angle hoping to catch a bit of a breeze. Tossed and turned until around 1AM.
Tues June 23
Heard the dingy being raised and saw it out our window, then the engines started up!! 5:30AM!! I’m pretty sure they are right under our bed.
Had coffee at the back of the boat. The sun was just coming up and it’s a perfect temp. Cabin was way too hot….may have to try sleeping on deck tonight. Slowly a few more people started arriving….chatted with Anne from Victoria who knows Avi that I work with!! Even a smaller world!
Cruised along watching the beautiful coastline go by. Can’t believe we are really doing this…..I have Frances Mayes to thank for this! Read about her trip in one of her books. Sounded like a fantastic trip…..and so far, only one day into it, it is!
Had a great breakfast with hard boiled eggs, tomatoes, cheese, bread and coffee.
We stopped after in a lovely bay to have a swim and just relax until lunch. There’s a ladder and little 2×2 landing that we use to get in the water…..you jump a few feet into the water from there. Quite a shock from the hot temps into the cool water…..but quickly get used to it.
A lady and a little girl came aboard selling scarves and jewelry. Some pretty stuff. Bought a mavi boncuk bracelet.
Cruised to Kalkan. Lunch was all veggie stuff….but no “veggie people” on board. Was good though….couscous, eggplant, potatoes and salad.
Off to Saklikent Gorge around 1. It was about an hour drive from the marina.
Saklikent Gorge is a major tourist attraction! People taking pics as you arrive, tons of Turkish style cafes hanging out over the very fast flowing river, stands selling food etc. You can rent inner tubes to float and/or bounce and crash your way down stream. Kind of like a natural “Splashdown Park”!!
That said, it’s really very beautiful….tall cliffs, trees, crystal clear water.
Crossed over a bridge, and once thru the admission gate down a rather rickety boardwalk suspended over the canyon….not up to high but the river is really fast flowing below. Once off of that you then stumble your way over rocks and boulders in the river to where one of the sources is gushing out of the mountainside. The force of the water is really strong and that was where we had to cross to walk in and along the river in the canyon. It was waist deep and almost impossible to see the bottom because of the rushing water so had no idea if you were going to step on a boulder or sand or both and go over on your ankle…a little tense! Everybody had to hold hands like a human chain to get thru it and if one went down the others could help get them back up. It was also numbing cold water.
All made it safely across that then the river becomes much calmer and not much more than a trickle in some places and maybe knee deep in others, still lots of rocks and boulders but you could at least see where you were stepping. Even more beautiful in this part with the tall cliff walls and bright blue sky above….and very few people. It’s a very silty river so easy to see how those ancient city harbours silted up.
In some places the rock walls were worn shiny by the river and the force of the water….almost didn’t look real, like it had been varnished.
Our next site was Patara. Birth place of St. Nicholas! It has a wonderful theatre and arches at the entrance. Only had time to visit the theatre….a family of goats were also visiting! Too bad because the site looked really interesting. Very flat and there are quite a few remains with bits still standing. From there we walked to Patara Beach which is magnificent! Something like 18km long. Some really big sand dunes too. Didn’t swim just relaxed with an Efes in the shade at a little bar. Really a pretty place….would have liked to have spent more time there too.
Saw a “burkini” for the first time today at the beach. A couple ladies had them on. They basically cover you from head to toe, might be two separate pieces, looks like of like the shiny windbreaker material….bright colours and some even had sparkly bits on them. Other ladies in burkas also in the water but only up to about there knees. I just cannot even imagine!!!
About a 20 min. drive back to the boat just in time for happy hour (7-ish) before dinner.
Dinner tonight was fresh trout (from a farm near Patara), which was excellent. It was served with salad, potatoes and spaghetti….simply prepped with olive oil, garlic and something green, maybe spinach? All very good. Fresh fruit for dessert.
Tolga informed us that we are changing our itinerary due some high winds that are expected. Tomorrow we head to Kekova where we’ll anchor in the bay rather than the marina.
After dinner we walked around town and shopped for a bit. Very touristy in Kalkan but I can see why….it’s a beautiful location and a very pretty town. Tons and tons of restaurants and shops. Bought a nice little pot with the tulip design (emblematic of Islam). Nice man in the shop showed me his kiln and how he paints and glazes the pots, plates etc. Would have loved one of is big platters but oh well.
Another great and very busy day. So many wonderful things to see.
Wed June 24
Ended up going up on deck to sleep last night….much cooler. Very noisy though…..woke up to the call to prayer….and with a nasty headache. Might be from the fumes from the generator.
Beautiful morning with some big white puffy clouds. Left cute but busy Kalkan and cruised for a couple of hours to Simena, (some super pics on this website) which is a really cute little hillside town only accessible by boat. There’s a castle/fortress right on the top. We anchored in Kekova Bay where the ancient sunken city is. We won’t be able to see it because our boat is too big to sail over it and it costs 25L to rent a kayak, which is the best way to see it but that was not in our plans for today.
The plan was to climb to the castle and then carry on for a couple hour hike on the Lycian Way trail. We did neither!! Too hot and was just nice to have the boat just about to ourselves for a couple hours.
The castle only tour people came back and we sailed around the point to a beautiful little bay. We swam and snoozed, had drinks, read all day.
Lunch today was salad and a really good stew of some sort and a tomato couscous.
Went for another swim after lunch. Just a beautiful spot.
Dinner was salad, rice, a Turkish ravioli and moussaka, which was excellent. Fun evening just sitting around chatting….all was very peaceful until another boat arrived and anchored next to us. Aussies!! Really, really loud ones!
Not too hot tonight, quite comfortable.
Another fantastic day.
Thurs June 25
Beautiful morning. A few clouds but a very nice sunrise over our bay. Up around 5:30 with a bit of a tummy ache. Luckily it didn’t amount to anything!
Early breakfast, 7:30. No eggs today, so very continental.
Then we sailed around the corner to Demre, or ancient Myra, to visit the ruins, which include Lycian tombs. St Nicholas was the bishop! We had to tender into shore today. Everyone except Jean came on the trip today.
Myra has an excellent theater with a wonderfully preserved interior stairway. There were some really good carvings of the Arti de Comedie here too and many wall tombs…..just spectacular!!
You have to go thru a little market on the way to ruins, so wandered around all the trinket places. Finally found a hat that fits my head! Nice straw one with a wider brim.
Back to the bus and on to Olympos and the Chiminera. The bus ride took us all along the coast for the first half hour or so. It’s a very twisty road but very, very pretty….luckily not too high either. The water is the most gorgeous colour of brilliant blue. Went thru Finike, which has about 15,000 people. This are is where all the tomatoes, peppers, cukes etc. are grown in hot houses. They’re everywhere and huge!
Stopped at a very pretty pebbly beach in a beautiful little cove….that had another gulet anchored. Looked picture perfect. We had an hour or so before lunch so could explore, go for a swim or hike to the Olympus ruins. We winded up just sitting at the bar with Jim and Thelma. Really quite enjoyable just taking in the scenery.
Lunch was excellent at that little bar. They brought out some delicious French fries for sort of an appie…..hot and crispy. Ken ordered more! For lunch I ordered the kefte and Ken had the chicken shish…..both came with MORE French fries. All was excellent. And an excellent spot. The restaurant was pretty much just a big covered area with lots of tables and a view to die for. The people that ran it were lovely. Two beautiful little girls, a grandpa, mom and dad etc. and lot of chickens! Very clean REAL toilets.
On to the Chiminera…..about a 20 minute drive on a really twisty, bumpy up and down hairpin filled road. You park at the bottom and then have to hike up 800m to where the fires are. A nice little park at the bottom where you start the hike up. This whole area is pine forest, it’s very pretty and very fragrant. Hard hike up for me….a mix of trail, steps…some really big steps, and twisted tree roots. Tolga just motored along ahead of everyone, talking the whole time….no one could hear him of course. He’s really not the best tour guide for sure….no sense of humour and just does what he has to do….very little interaction with anyone.
The Chiminera is really neat. A bunch of holes in the rocks with fire coming out of them. It’s a mix of natural gas and methane that combusts when it hits oxygen. Really quite something to see. We got some sticks and tried to light them but it didn’t work. I think it would be much more exciting at night when you’d see the fires and glowing in the holes better. Back down the trail, which wasn’t that much easier than going up it!
About and hour and half ride back, mostly along the beautiful coastline. It had gotten quite windy and the water was very choppy looking…lots of big swells and whitecaps. Quite the exciting ride back to our boat on the dingy. Trying to get onto the ladder to climb up was tricky…..good timing between swells was needed. All managed back on board with no problems. Lots of rocking and rolling even on our boat.
We left Demre to get to a nice little secluded and protected cove for the night. It was really choppy but we’ve got an excellent captain who did a great job getting us there. We tied up in a beautiful little cove, anchored over a ship wreck, which you can clearly see on the bottom. A bit too windy and choppy for me to go swimming but hopefully in the morning.
Dinner was excellent again tonight, salad, a veal stew, deep fried zucchini, cauliflower in a yogurt sauce. Dessert was fun….they turned out the light and brought up 2 trays of fruit with sparklers and a “candle” in the centre.
The candle was a hollowed out tomato filled with oil that had been lit. It was sitting on top of a wine glass filled with water. Very nice little touch.
Chatted for a bit and then everyone headed off to bed…..too early at only 10.
Cabin was nice and cool, read for a bit.
Fri June 26
Up at 4:30!! But managed to fall back to sleep until it at least got bright out.
Upstairs for coffee! This bay is even nicer in the morning sun.
Breakfast was excellent this morning…..the most puffy, delicious french toast. Topped it with cherry preserves, yogurt and honey!! They put a ton of bread out with each meal and only half of it ever gets eaten, so this was a great way to use it all up…..I don’t think there was one single piece left!!
Time for a swim. Very cold water!! Had a float over the wreck. This is one of the best spots yet! But we had to leave by 10:30 because of the weather….too bad. Looks just lovely to me but apparently more wind and rough seas today.
Back to Kekova to have a sail by the sunken city. It was really interesting to see what we could….the city was ruined eons ago in an earthquake. Some of it just toppled right into the sea. You can still see ruins of buildings and stairs in the rock on the hillside and when over it you can just sort of make out what might have been buildings. On top of the earthquake the sea rose, so also covered part of the city.
Very rough ride this morning. The boat was up and down AND side to side. Big whitecaps. Very windy too but still warm.
Found another beautiful sheltered bay for our lunch stop. Went in for a swim but was a little disorienting because the boat was moving around so much….the water was a lot warmer. Some really huge turtles.
We had a stew of some sort for lunch. All the food has been good but fairly repetitive in the sauces etc. but considering where the cooking is done, he’s a darn good chef.
Right after lunch we had to leave….too bad because it was just beautiful….but the wind was picking up again and we had to get to the marina in Kas. It was about an hour and half of a very rough ride.
Arrived in Kas around 2:30. Has to be the best town yet! Touristy but not too big and they are having their 12th Annual Culture and Art Festival! We were docked right behind a big stage where a show started at 9:30. Some famous Turkish lady singer “Saavel” maybe and a bunch of politicians giving speeches.
Tolga had organized a Turkish Bath for us, so we headed off as soon as we arrived. Rae and I, Jim and Thelma and Victoria Anne. What an experience!
First off we were taken into a room that was incredibly hot and steamy. The man told us to shower (we had our bathing suits on!) but there were only a bunch of taps tucked in along the marble seating that ran around the room, so had no idea how to “shower”. The man grabbed a little bucket, filled it with water and proceeded to dump it on my head!! Then he did the same thing with everyone else….got it! Then we had to lie on the big round heated marble slab in the middle of the room for 10-15 minutes. This opens your pores so you can be scrubbed clean. With being wet, the steam that’s in there already and the heat you sweat like crazy…..even your eyes sweat!! We all got a bit of the giggles part way thru….
A man and a women came in and got us all sorted out…..pretty much pushed or slid us to where they wanted us on the big slab. You get an initial rub/massage….it was a bit brutal but felt good. They kind of do chop chops, then rub, rub really hard. From top to bottom, then they flip you over and do the same thing on the other side. Flip again and then they crack your toes and fingers. You then cross your arms up around you neck, he half flips you over and puts his arm under your back then pushes on your crossed arms to crack your back!!
Back to the sink for more water to be poured over you, then back to the slab and the lady started scrubbing with what felt like a bloody brillo pad! She’d pointed to the rolls of dead skin and said “dirty, dirty”!! An incredible amount of dead skin came off but truly who scrubs themselves like she did! It kind of hurt but did feel really good after.
Then you go and rinse off yet again. Back to the slab to get soaped up…..they dunk what looks like a pillow slip in a big bowl that I think must be filled with the soap suds, when they take it out they twist it and all the suds come out which is spread all over your body. You get flipped over and the same thing is done. Back to the taps for a rinse and hair wash and you’re done!! All that for 20L! Plus I paid an extra 10L for her to razor blade and pumice scrub my very sore and cracked heels.
They wrapped me up from head to toe in a Turkish bath towel, a regular towel and a turban for my hair and sent me upstairs to sit and enjoy my cup of tea. What an incredible experience! Not sure I would do it again but I’m really glad I did it this time. Rae and I went back to the boat to fix our hair and get ready to do a bit of shopping.
Kas is a perfect little town. Not too big, but lots of shops with some really different stuff, lots of locally made crafts and products, lots of restaurants and bars. We stopped for a drink at one called Bay Bay Café….nice view of the sea and the marina and all the activity going on for the festival. Bought a scarf!
Happy hour on the boat watching all the rehearsals for the big show. Glen went on the 7:00 walk to the theatre ruins….said it was beautiful because it’s right on the sea. Dinner was grilled peppers, eggplant stuffed with meat (v.g.!!), salad, rice and couscous.
After dinner we headed back to town for coffee and then back to the Bay Bay Café for a drink. Jim and Thelma came too. Lots of fun, lots of people and lots of food. Found a bar built in an ancient cistern so had to check it out….upstairs was sort of a Turkish disco, very noisy and crowded. Down the stairs, or more like a ladder, there are a couple of tables set up with wine bottles for tasting. A bit dank and musty so we didn’t bother staying.
The main street and square had lots of people milling about. Some ladies at the side of square sitting on the ground making that flatbread, guys selling bags of boiled almonds (v.g.), cotton candy, corn on the cob etc. Just a fantastic evening!
To bed late….after midnight!
Sat June 27
Woke up at 4AM to the smell of diesel….the boat next to us was leaving and all the fumes from their engine were pouring in our little window…bletch. Got up and closed it but just couldn’t lay there any longer.
Our boat started up at 5AM!!! More fumes!!
Had to leave very early because of the weather again. Once out of the sheltered marina the seas were unbelievably rough…..almost scary!!
They couldn’t make breakfast or even coffee!! At least until things calmed down a bit. A few very green looking people this morning. I found a chair right in the centre of the boat and parked myself…..
Originally we were heading to Gemiler Island but too rough. Should take only 3 hours but we were no where near it so they found another rather sheltered cove to anchor and tie up in hoping that things calmed down later in the afternoon. We were also supposed to stop at Butterfly Bay but that didn’t/couldn’t happen but the place we stopped was idyllic…..just beautiful.
Finally had breakfast around 10, went for a swim. A little while later a little boat or scow looking thing came along with a lady making pancakes. Her husband captains her around and she sits at the front with her wooden slab and rolling pin whipping up the crepes then flips them on the little griddle that sits beside her. They were delicious….had our choice of sweet or savory. 2L each!!!
Tolga and the chef/deckhand tried to catch fish and/or squid for dinner….but nada. Fun watching them. You easily see them in the water….would have had more luck jumping in and just grabbing them I think.
Had our lunch, which was stuffed peppers (vvvg). Just after lunch it started getting a bit wavy in our cove so we shoved off for Gemiler Island again. Only about 15 minutes away but calmer and less rocky and rolly than our pretty secluded bay….ah sigh. Much busier…..way more boats and people….there is also a big beach which is packed. You can rent jet skis and go on banana boat rides, there are quite a few pancake ladies, ice men boats. Tons of day tripper boats that come to see the ruins. Didn’t go swimming. The water looked really nice and you can swim right up to the ruin but not too appealing and a bit scary with all the boats, skis etc. right there.
Read, snoozed and watched all the activities going on for the rest of the afternoon. Didn’t go on the 6pm hike to the ruins……too bad, sounded interesting with the St. Nicholas church, tunnels etc. The ruins are Byzantine….you can tell by the way the arches are made. We could see lots of the ruins from the boat on the side of the island in the bushes. It’s really quite pretty here but just too busy.
Dinner tonight was excellent!! BBQ’d chicken wings, kefte and French fries. It was probably the most I saw Ken eat so far on the gulet. Beautiful sunset! Sat around and chatted the rest of the evening. Noisy neighbours on both sides, Thomas Cook on one side and the Durmaz 2 on the other which was full of “beautiful” young couples….Rae called it the “model” boat lol.
To bed around midnight.
Sun June 28
Beautiful morning. Sea is not rough. Sunrise was beautiful. You could see the mist in the valleys between the mountains. Had my pashmina on cuz it was a bit chilly but as soon as the sun came up over the mountain it was HOT!
After breakfast it got very choppy again heading to our little bay stop…..but once there, what a beautiful place. Quite a few boats tied up but nicely spread out.
The bay/cove had a little beach with a restaurant/bar. We were quite a ways out but we decided to swim and/or float in…..most people took pool noodles just as extra precaution in case we had too much to drink or just plain old got tired. Ken had the money and a couple of cigarettes in a baggy in his bathing suit….all stayed dry! Anne put her and Truiis stuff in a baggy and put it under her hat.
Ken and I, Rae and Glen, Colin and Mary and Anne and Truui…..was lots of fun. Swimming back was much easier because the current helped you along.
Just back on the boat and all of a sudden the anchor slipped or something and we were getting really close to the rocks so we motored off to another bay about 15 minutes away. Another pretty but busy place with local families on the beach having their Sunday day out. Stayed maybe an hour if that and started our trip back to Fethiye for the last night of our gulet trip.
Arrived around 5 so we headed into town to do some last minute shopping. Rae found a purse/big bag that she really liked but he wanted 200L. It was a carpet bag, or I think what’s called a kilim (sp?)….had leather straps. Very nice but….
Found a bar along the marina so we had a beer and calamari….Ken had fish and chips (late lunch??) was all v.g.
Later dinner tonight….our “farewell” dinner on the boat. Fish (bream v.g.), salad, pasta and a potato salad with sort of a tomato-y dressing (v.g.) Another fun dessert. Truii gave me the envelope to collect the tips so after dinner we got Tolga and the crew on deck. I made a little speech thanking them for a great trip and handed out the envelopes.
Back into town for coffee and then back on the boat to pack up. Could see a turtle out our window…..thought it was dead but finally started flapping around. Lots of oil and scum floating on the water here….busy marina.
What an amazing week this was!!
Off on an adventure tomorrow…..Istanbul!
My Travel Journals 