The Mediterranean Coast of Turkey
Alan's Log:
Joan's Log:
September 2008
Marmaris, Turkey
Marmaris has a huge marina and is a major yachting center, as well as a popular wintering-over spot for many live-aboard cruising people…like us! It is very pretty as you approach it from the water, there were at least sixty gullets moored to the quay, their varnished hulls glistening in the sun, and a castle built by the Knights of St. John above the harbor. Gulets are traditional Turkish, wooden sailing yachts, very attractive looking, and are generally used for charter voyages all along the Turkish coast, some can be very luxurious.
But first appearances can be deceiving , because once we started to explore I wasn't impressed at all. There are tons of restaurants on the quay side, which we thought were way over-priced and there was always a "tout" trying to lure you in. After a while they became so annoying that I walked on the other side of the street just to avoid them. It has a large bazaar area, which was okay, at least the vendors there weren't as aggressive as they were in Kusadasi. We walked up to the castle, but it didn't inspire us enough to pay the entrance fee. The old town didn't have near the charm of the old towns we had seen in Greece. The only thing I thought was great was the Thursday food/farmers market, it was bustling, crowded with local people, loaded with beautiful, fresh produce, piles and piles of pomegranates, fresh herbs and all sorts of exotic looking goodies, really fun! But other than that I was ready to leave after spending four days there.
The Turquoise Coast
We have now embarked on the famous "Blue Cruise" as the gullet operators like to call it, along the Turquoise Coast. We are back in the Mediterranean Sea and discovering a different side of Turkey. Finally no more tourist towns but long expanses of remote, rugged coast-line. Crystal clear, yes… turquoise blue water, deserted lagoons, private coves and tiny islands against a backdrop of the majestic Taurus Mountain range. Barren rock on the peaks and loosely draped with a cloak of pine trees spilling down to the waters edge. I know we were in southern Turkey, but it could have been the rocky shores of the Pacific Northwest, in the Gulf Islands of British Columbia or the rugged coast line of Maine. Not at all what I had expected. What stood out to remind us that we weren't back in the Pacific Northwest, were the ancient ruins, which are strewn all along this coast-line. This area was once the home of a long gone civilization called the Lycians. Their amazing tombs can be seen from the water; beautifully carved and cut into the sides of cliffs, resembling the facades of temples; complete with porticoes and columns. In other areas sturdy sarcophagus tombs are scattered everywhere, looking like miniature villages, as they were built to look like the homes of the dead, with a "pitched roof" on the heavy lids. Incredibly they are still standing after thousands of years. And if that wasn't enough to keep us occupied, there are also the remains of the Greek and Roman civilizations to explore as well.Dalyan River
So what do two full-time sailors do for a day's outing...we took a boat trip of course! The tourist season is well and truly over, and we were able to hire a boat and driver with only one other couple for a trip up the Dalyan river to the Lycian mountain tombs.
The river is very shallow and full of false creeks and dead-ends. The correct route is unmarked and banks of reeds camouflage the entrances to the channels . It didn't take us long to be glad that we hadn't attempted it in the dinghy. Our knowledgeable driver whisked us up river to the ancient hilltop site of Caunos. We pretty much had the place to ourselves as we wandered among fallen buildings and a Roman amphitheatre accompanied by a few goats. This had been a bustling port until alluvial soil from the river silted it up. It is now several miles from the sea and what had been the harbour, is now a pretty lake in the distance.
We continued up river to the small, touristy riverside town of Dalyan. The town's main claim to fame are the impressive tombs set into the rock face in view of the town.
These tombs date from the 4th century B.C. and contain stone benches on which the dead were placed. It is not clear (to us) whether the entrances were ever sealed or whether the deceased were able to enjoy the spectacular views. We had a very pleasant, fairly priced meal at one of the many waterside restaurants. Most had touts, but they were set to 'mellow' unlike the ones in Marmaris who practically dragged you into their restaurants.
Skopea Limani
This area is a protected series of bays and islands surrounded by low mountains very reminiscent of the Pacific Northwest. There are no roads and the few small encampments seem to be provisioned by water. There are a large number of bareboat-charter yachts and many of the lovely gulets that we first saw in great numbers in Marmaris. Many of the bays have a primitive restaurant or two with a ramshackle pier for the charter boats to tie up to. The Gulets universally anchor out and tie back to a tree or rock onshore.
We tied up in tomb bay and went exploring. The land is mainly steep and rugged and hiking, although possible, was slow and difficult. It was worthwhile though to be able to get up close to the Lycian tombs that we had seen from the boat half-way up the cliff.
Kalkan
The harbourmaster took our lines, reeking of booze. Turkey is a largely muslim country so that was unusual, to say the least. He kept saying "no anchor, no anchor, go out!" Well we had three anchors - one still on the bow, one still on the stern and one deployed in the water where it should have been. Turned out he thought we had forgotten to drop our anchor because we still had one on the bow. He was not at all confused later when we paid for the night. The price was high at 60YTL. If we wanted electricity and water these were extra; a sign warned cruisers of heavy fines for using our sinks or shower and a shower onshore was another 5YTL.
The Coastguard has a presence in all of these harbour towns. Usually they operate an ancient steel or even a World War II era wooden patrol boat. But here in Kalkan, they had a brand new sparkling high-powered offshore speedboat, with enclosed cabin. It must have taken quite a few 'heavy fines' to pay for it so we were very careful with our water usage here!
Despite all the signs and the dire warnings against depositing detergents into the harbor, someone was scrubbing down his dinghy, using lots of soap, which was flowing off the quay and into the harbor, all in front of the harbormaster's office. What was up with that? Oh, it must be OK because it was the CoastGuard dinghy that was being cleaned!
Kalkan has a curious history. It was a Greek harbour town until the population exchange with Turkey in 1922. The Turks moved in, but they were in turn displaced by an earthquake in the 1950's that destroyed most of the buildings. The Turks moved up the hill to fresh homes and founded a town there leaving the old harbour town to rot. Several decades later a Turkish businessman purchased the old town and started selling the ruined buildings off for redevelopment.
What exists today is a sort of middle class Porto Cervo; A lower town that is composed 100% of businesses catering to visitors. No one lives there as far as we can tell, and the vast majority of the businesses are restaurants, with a smattering of jewelry stores and craft stores thrown in. The interesting element is that this is the first place in Turkey where we have found any variety of cuisine beyond basic Turkish food. Equally some of the restaurants are stylish and elegant with rooftop dining and real cloth tablecloths. A far cry from what we have become used to. Unfortunately the harbour was so expensive that we did not indulge. Perhaps we will stop in on our way back next spring and put that right.
The town is a popular tourist destination in the summer and the area hills are studded with condo developments, most of which are summer homes or rentals.
Turkish Flies...
have become the bane of our existence, they love us...we hate them! They aren't like the flies of Greece, which were insidious enough, theTurkish flies bite!
They think it's fun to sneak up on us, make a soft landing, chomp down and then take off before we can get them. There are always about six or seven hanging around, constantly landing on our arms and legs, and worse, on our faces. They love the top of Alan's bald head. :0) so its not surprising that Alan has become an expert at dispatching them, it's become a blood sport with him, possibly an obsession! When their numbers get too low, they send out a call for reinforcements. When we were at the Newport Boat Show a few years ago, we picked up two free fly-swatters from one of the booths. We pulled them out in Italy, then gave them a good work out in Greece. Now one is always within reach. They're essential boat equipment if you want to cruise the Eastern Med.
Kas
Kas harbour is similar to Kalkan in its external appearance, and after a quick circuit of the harbour we found it totally full - even in October - so we motored around the corner and found a perfectly good place to tie up for free in a adjoining bay, only a fifteen minute walk from town. Kas is surrounded by high mountains, one of which is used as a take-off point for paragliders. We saw half a dozen of them working the thermals down to a landing right next to our boat. One didn't make it. We didn't see exactly what happened but his/her fixed wing chute was draped over bushes half-way down the mountain. We learned from the others that the paraglider was not seriously hurt, and the others didn't seem at all concerned about the situation. We did see an ambulance take off at speed and assume that they eventually recovered him/her?
Presumably Kas was also part of the population exchange with Greece, but the town had a completely different feel. The buildings are original and the town has evolved naturally, with homes and apartments mixed in with the shops. Consquently it is far more authentic than Kalkan, with practical high street shops selling to the locals mixed in with a few tourist shops. It has its share of tourist stalls and a craft market in a side street, but its not intrusive the way it is in Kalkan.
Kas is far removed from the package holiday operations elsewhere in Turkey, it has no beaches, and the people who come here are largely independent travelers. Actually Kas had a wonderful bohemian vibe going, it was a popular stop on the old hippy travel trail, from the sixties and seventies and it was still evident, from the few long-haired back packers we saw walking through the village.
Dogs behaving Badly
We have become used to towns overflowing with cats, but Kas was different, It was overflowing with large dogs! There were many German Shepherds (Alsations), Golden Retrievers, Husky mixes, Spaniels and whole packs of mixed breeds. Some had collars and looked well groomed and looked after, but most had the look of strays. During the day they lolled around, or patiently followed us wherever we wandered, pretending to belong to us, Joan thought. At night, while we were having dinner they took over the town. They comandeered the town square and fought, barked, chased each other, coupled and rolled in the dirt (not all at the same time). There were at least twenty of them and the locals took it in their stride. We saw some visitors nearly knocked over by one group and asked the waiter if there was any control over them. He told us that yes, people complain all the time and the constable sometimes 'rounds them up and takes them up the mountains. We are not sure what happens to them up there, but I'm sure it isn't good! They were uninterested in the food at the tables, so they didn't fight with the cats that definately were!Saving the best for Last - Kekova Roads
As far as Turkey is concerned we definately saved the best for last. We have figured out that the towns and villages, however nice and sometimes pretty, are slightly out of phase with us. We like to rub shoulders with the local people. But after the taverna culture of Greece, where everyone, Greeks especially, spends time, the restaurants of Turkey are designed for and used by...us, the visitors. You will never see a local Turk in one of these restaurants eating a meal. So we have started to feel like tourists again, and that's a bad sign. So we headed for the wilderness. What we found was astounding.
A large inland waterway, part saltwater, part fresh, with the kind of scenery that you only see in movies. Pretty coves, quiet bays, absolutely no one around in October and just the goats munching on the fragrant maquis to complement the sound of water lapping on rocks. A ruined medieval castle and prehistoric rock tombs scattered everywhere! Sure there area a couple of villages, and you WILL be divested of your tourist dollar in these, but this is a small price to pay for what is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful places on earth.
We spent one night at anchor in a tiny cove. It was not big enough for our boat to swing, so we tied a line from the stern to a rock. I swam and the water was so refreshing. The top few inches were fresh water from a nearby spring and so much colder than the warm salt-water below. The summer here gets very hot. I can imagine that this would be heaven in August. As it was, in October it wasn't half bad! We were surrounded by small hills, the land looks inviting but it is composed of sharp abrasive rock pinnacles and tough maquis. It is almost impossible to travel by foot here and we were happy to stay on the boat. Goats however love this land. We woke up to find them surrounding us, lovely kashmir goats with gleaming coats that must surely have been groomed, and a tuft of green braid tied around each of their necks.
After decompressing for a day we moved a mile or so to Kale Koy and anchored off the village.
Kale Koy
is a must stop and is a picture-postcard village perched on the shore with the ruins of a medieval castle above, and dozens of pre-historic sarcophogi scattered in the valley, and one seems to be floating - a miniature island - in the bay.
The knights of St John built the castle. Presumably to protect the bay. It is small and is in ruins, perhaps because it shares the weakness of several of the Knights' castles in that you can see into the center of the castle from the water. Thus attackers could aim their cannons directly into the castle.
Anyway it is a very picturesque ruin, even though there is no information provided on its history.
The weather couldn't have been more perfect, the scenery was stunning and of course it helped that we were there out of season.
October is probably the best time of year to be here, this would all be a different story if we had been here in the sweltering heat of August. There is also a wonderful hiking trail here called the Lycian Way, which is rated as one of the world's top treks, which we didn't make time for. This was without a doubt one of the prettiest and most interesting areas we have been to in our travels, we could easily have spent a month or more exploring this area, but we cut it down to two weeks, which didn't seem right but quite honestly I'm getting a little traveled-out! We have been on the go steadily since late March and I have been yearning for a break, where I can settle down into a real routine and maybe even paint! What a luxury that would be...
Our year in the Eastern Med is winding to a close. Our last night at anchor was spent in a hauntingly beautiful bay just a dozen miles from our winter home of Kemer.
It is a horseshoe-shaped bay with vertical cliffs on both sides and a small alluvial flatland before more cliffs at the head of the bay. Looking out towards this land we see a small rustic fishing camp, where two fishermen repair their nets and play cards before their night's work. In the distance is Mt Olympos, looking majestic and crowned with a cap-cloud. This view is eerily reminiscent of our view of Mt Rainier back home where we will be in a month for Thanksgiving. The bay is calm and deep, protected from the wind and waves. it is a primitive and special place.
As we leave Kemer to travel home to Gig Harbor for Thanksgiving and Christmas here are a couple of shots of Moonstruck's winter home of Kemer
Next....A few days in Istanbul en route to Gig Harbor