A Diary of Our Gundogan Blue Voyage
Dalyan to Antalya
This page has many photos - Please be patient - It's worth the wait!
 

Meandering through the River Dalyan

Loggerhead Turtle at Dalyan

A View from the Top of Cuanos

Lycian Tombs in Cuanos

Thermal Mud Baths at Dalyan

 Ruins at Aga Limani

Swimming at Butterfly Valley

Leaving Butterfly Valley

Para Sailing in Olu Deniz

Gemiler - St. Nicholas Island

Kayakoy, Greek Ghost Town near Gemiler

The Port at Kalkan

Letoon

Resting under the Fig Tree at Xanthos

Relaxing at Patara Beach

Chilling out at Saklikent

Restaurant at Saklikent

Cruising the Underwater City of Kekova

The Harbor at Kas

Local Folk Dancers

Relaxing with an Efes

Internet Cafe at Ucugiz (it's a slow connection)

Buying Scarves in Kekova

Kale

View from the Castle at Kale
 

Hiking the Lycian Trail from Kale

Myra Lycian Tombs

Ruins at Olympos

Beach at Olympos

The Eternal Fires of Chimera

Frisbee Golf Hole 12 at Phaselis

Dogan, Captain Hasan, Chef Mehmet, Haso

Kaleici Marina in Antalya

The Crew of the Gundogan

Day 1
Our destination was the Blue Voyage from Dalyan to Antalya.  We made the magical journey of Homers Odyssey last year, but had not quenched our thirst for the history and beauty of the turquoise coast.  This year we decided to begin at Dalyan, where we left off last year, and sail on to Antalya. Our group of 11 was met at the Dalaman Airport by our Captain Hasan who transported us in an air conditioned bus to our yacht.  As we approached the small dock at Ikincik,  we saw our 90 foot Gulet, the Gundogan (The Dawn). She was larger than we had remembered - huge in fact. We knew right then that we were in for an outstandingly good time.  We were greeted with big smiles and handshakes by our Chef Mehmet and Crew Dogan and Haso. We boarded our yacht and made ourselves at home.

Day 2
Dalyan was the favorite stop on our voyage last year.  A lush green valley hidden in the Mediterranean landscape that surprisingly reminds you of Vietnam. To get to the village Dalyan you hire a water taxi which picks you up at your yacht and meanders (meander is actually a Turkish word that derives from the River Meander) in through 9 miles of bamboo reeds filled with exotic birds, Loggerhead turtles, Bamboo reeds towering above your head and glimpses of 4th Century BC Lycian tombs as a backdrop.  This was our lucky day as we spotted 5 loggerhead turtles on our journey.

Cuanos was the first stop on our water taxi ride.  Presumably of Darian or Carian origin these ruins are currently being excavated, but are worth a visit.  Our favorite part of Caunos is the hike (or climb) up the Hellenistic fortifications that extend upward from the last east side of the Amphitheater.  The climb is challenging; a good pair of shoes, some climbing experience, water, and 2 free hands is required to complete it.  Several members of party were unable to finish the climb and chose to tour the many ruins in the area.  But the climb is well worth it.  Standing at the top of the mountain overlooking the valley of Dalyan you can certainly see why this city has been inhabited for over 2,400 years.  The tapestry of orange and tangerine groves and fields of agricultural products separated by a meandering Dalyan river and framed by the Lycian tombs is truly breathtaking.  The climb down can be a bit intimidating, so try to find the path on the right side which is a relatively easy way down.

Continuing on our journey through the river to the village of Dalyan we passed through Turtle Beach which is one of the only breeding grounds on the Mediterranean for loggerhead turtle. It was daytime so there were no turtles around, but it was pretty.

After a light lunch of fish at a local riverside restaurant named "Melodi". We negotiated robustly for $4.50 per person which included salad, a variety of appetizers and a fresh fruit, local fish "Kefal" and "Green Mullet".  By this time we had been meandering along the river to the south end of the Koycegiz lake for 4 hours, 12-minutes later we arrived at the thermal mud baths.  We slopped ourselves with mineral muds until we were fully covered from head to toe.  We baked in the sun 45 minutes until we were completely petrified and we removed the mud by crumbling it and rubbing it of which had a wonderful effect of exfoliating and leaving our skin baby soft.  After a dip in the thermal pool we were off again on our water taxi back to the yacht, where cocktail hour was officially commenced.

Day 3
We left Dalyan and the Captain found a beautiful cove with clear, turquoise blue water.  We woke up and took a swim. By that time breakfast of white and kasar cheese, fresh Turkish bread, assorted green and kalamata olives, perfectly ripened peaches, and honey and jams, eggs with socuk (Turkish spicy sausage), and tea was served.  We took a hike and hung out in the water for a few hours.

At cocktail hour the captain set sail southward and we watched as the sun was setting over the mountains and a purple glow covered the dramatic mountainous landscape.  Sailing along the sea we could not help but think that we were in heaven sailing on the lake of tranquility.

We arrived to Fethiye, a city with lots of people, lots of lights, and great gelato ice cream.  We docked up next to 10 other yachts and readied for supper. Fish (freshly caught by our captain and his trusty spear gun that afternoon), tomato salad, tasty pasta and okra with tomato and olive oil.  For desert fresh local melon (best we have ever had) and watermelon.  The fruit and vegetables in Turkey are so delicious.  The tomatoes are red and aromatic, the melons so sweet and tasty - they taste the way they should ? the way they did when we were kids.  Vine ripened, fresh picked out of the garden.

After a delicious dinner aboard the Gundogan we wandered around Fethiye, the ancient city of Telmessus which dates back to 5th Century B.C. [A Lycian legend explains the source of the name Telmessos as follows: "God Apollon falls in love with the youngest daughter of the King of Finike (Phoenike), Agenor. He disguises himself as a small dog and thus gains love for the shy, withdrawn daughter. After he reappears as a handsome man, they name their son 'Telmessos' (the land of lights).] We walked around the city and soon we found a small bazaar. We picked up some olive oil soap, which we love for keeping our skin soft, we bargained until we got 12 bars for 50 cents each plus 3 free bars.  That took about 1 hour and our husbands were patiently waiting as we moved along the spice shop.  Now there are many spice shops in turkey selling all kinds of Turkish grown curries, saffron, peppers, and oreganos, but this spice shop was different.  This man really knew his spices!  He even made up his own special mixtures of spices for meats, salads, and pastas ? all were very aromatic and fresh ? we could not help become enveloped in his enthusiasm and love for the spices.  He knew which city they were grown in, what climate, what food they were used in, what medicinal purposes they had ? everything.  Turkish curry, Indian curry, ginseng, cumin, mint, rosemary, black cumin, oregano, thyme, saffron, cardamom in seed or powder, and the list goes on. By the time we had decided on our purchases and spice lesson another hour had passed and our men were gone.  It was about 11pm (although we didn?t know exactly because we had surrendered our watches when we got on the boat) - some of the shops were just starting to close.  So we headed back to the boat passing a leather shop here and a disco there, a Lokum (Turkish delight) shop here and a carpet shop there.

We managed to slip in a gelato (I won"t call it ice cream because it was way too delicious and full of fruit) before we got back to the yacht. We finished the evening off with our pre drink watching the local folks admiring the yachts on the evening stroll. Our bed time in port was a bit later because Turks are late night folks and don?t usually rest until 1am. We had finally dozed off when at 2am we were awakened by a piccolo player that was fishing out on the pier. It was magical ? until he decided to play until 3am.

The grand Lycian city of Telmessus can be seen only in glimpses throughout the city because of earthquakes that leveled the city in 1950 and 1957. Some incredible rock Lycian tombs can be seen on the cliff on the eastern side of the city.

Day 4
We woke up bright and early to take off to Butterfly Valley, but some of our group decided to take an early morning walk, making us late, so we had to breakfast at Fethiye.  We arrived in Butterfly Valley at noon.  The cove was beautiful.  The water around the boat was a deep sapphire blue, the edges along the cliffs that surrounded the cove was a bright turquoise blue. We frolicked in the crystal water, jumped off the cliffs and relaxed until we were sufficiently cooled off to make our hike up to the waterfall. 

By the time we were ready for our hike, 3 ferryboats, full of Turkish tourists had pulled in to do the same.  We quickly darted up the trail, looking for butterflies along the way.  (It is a nice hike but we suggest an early morning hike to avoid the crowds) flocks of butterflies pass through the semi-tropical environment made lush by the waterfalls. We reached the waterfall and cooled off in the ice cold water. On the way down we chatted with a young Australian couple resting in a huge tiki hut surrounded by 20 mattresses with backpacks strewn about. The hut roof was made of grapevines with fresh green grapes hanging from the ceiling. The couple told us that they had found the place from the website www.butterflyvalley.com. They took the ferry out from Fethiye, found a vacant mattress, paid their 1.5 million lira ($2.25) and were "chilling out" with other young people from all over the world strewn around in the dozen Tiki huts in the valley of the butterflies. 

Meanwhile those who couldn?t be convinced to take the hike stayed frolicking in the water while the captain and crew caught octopus and tenderized them by beating them for hours on the rocks.

We left our turquoise cove for "Oludeniz" or the Dead Sea.  Our captain told us the story of why it was called the Dead Sea.  'A fisherman and his son had been out fishing when the weather turned fierce.  The son told the father to enter the unknown harbor which he had heard other sailors tell of, but the father refused.  The father and son argued boisterously until the son fell into the sea and drown.  Subsequently the father went into the area and found that the son was right ? it was a harbor.  Thus they named the harbor the ?Dead Sea? '.  Our captain then advised us that ?if the fisherman who told me this story was lying, I don?t know.? 

The Dead Sea area is a very popular Turkish vacation spot and almost every inch of sand is covered by either an umbrella or a beach chair.  Needless to say, we left after only 1 hour for more unpopulated seas.  We sailed onto Gemiler but decided that we had too many neighbors and took off for a quiet, private cove. It took only 5 minutes to find a beautiful spot where we were all alone in our paradise. We watched the sunset reflect off the mountains and jetties that jutted out into the sea in silence.  It was so quiet you could only hear the waves splashing against the rocks and the cacophony of locusts in the pine trees along the shore. To speak would have ruined the moment.

We were wined and dined and our meal was topped off with a sculpture of fruit topped with sparklers.  Most of us preferred to sleep out on deck this evening because we were so alone and the sky was so full of stars ? and of course the Persoid meteor shower was making its display.  Unfortunately we only had time to see one shooting star before the rocking of the boat lulled us to sleep.

Day 5
We woke in the morning to a sea that was as smooth as glass.  It?s hard to imagine the Mediterranean so calm and peaceful, a sea that carried sailors for over 4,000 years to their underwater deaths. In fact, not very far from Kas the oldest shipwreck ever known, Uluburun, has been excavated by the Institute of Nautical Archaeology. They?ve found beautiful glass vessels with octopus decorations.  Many of the artifacts can be seen at the Bodrum Museum. 

We took our first morning swim, had breakfast and rested while the Gundogan took off for Kalkan.  As we sailed along on our voyage we saw a beautiful cove and could not resist stopping for a swim.  We stayed and floated in the water for hours until we were called for lunch.  After lunch and another swim and another nap, we pushed off again, this time more seriously, for Kalkan. 

Entering the harbor we all knew we were going to like it here.  A small fishing village that had been destroyed in the 1950's by an earthquake.  The government decided not to rebuild it, but some private investors could not let this picturesque spot remain abandoned.  A few hotels and according to all reports 127 restaurants are scattered along the San Francisco-like vertical streets.  Restaurants and carpet shops made of white stucco and wood, one right next to the other, going up the hillside.  At the top of the village we found "Terrace" bar that had a fabulous view of the entire harbor.  We sat for a few beers and headed back down the hill. We didn?t get very far before a few of our group got happy feet and stopped to dance at a miniature disco. They finally showed up back at the yacht about 3am, which is when the music blasting in the harbor finally quieted down so that we could sleep.

Day 6
An excursion to Patara, Xanthos and Letoon was on our schedule for the day but the heat of the sun convinced most of our group to remain on the sea. Only 4 of us went on the journey driven by a local driver. We came first to Letoon, a small ancient Lycian city which dates back to 532 BC.  An offspring of the city of Xanthos, Letoon has a large Amphitheater, a large Nymphaeum, a Temple of Apollo with an unusual mosaic of a lyre, the sun and a bow and arrow.  One of the only Lycian mosaic existing today ? and it?s in perfect shape. 

We drove through small villages with greenhouses that covered almost every inch of the local farmer?s 10-acre plots of farmland. They grew tomatoes in the winter for the entire country, and cotton and tobacco in the summer. After 20 minutes we reached Xanthos.  Xanthos rests on top of a hill overlooking the Xanthos river which provides crystal clear water to the 20,000 inhabitants, only miles from its source in the mountains.  Xanthos was the capital of Lycia and mentioned in the "Iliad" for its fine meats, wines and bountiful vegetables. The inscribed pillar at the NE corner of the agora is actually a tomb erected in 50 BC and is inscribed in Greek and Lycian script and is the longest Lycian inscription known.  Many of the friezes and sculptures in Xanthos were taken by Sir Charles Fellows and the British Navy, and can be seen at the Xanthos room of the British Museum.

One of the most interesting stories of Xanthos relates to the two tragic mass suicides. The first in 546 BC when the Persians with their superior army advanced to attack the city of Xanthos. Herodotus tells us ?when Harpogus advanced into the plain of Xanthos, they met him in battle, though greatly outnumbered, and fought with much gallantry: at length however, they were defeated and forced to retire within their walls, whereupon they collected their women, children, slaves, and other property and shut them up in the citadel, set fire to it and burnt it to the ground.  Then having sworn to do or die, they marched out to meet the enemy and were killed to the last man.?  

Five hundred years later the same thing happened when Brutus attached Xanthos in 42 BC. 

We managed to find the caretaker who, after feeding us figs from a tree that grew next to the agora, explained to us that Xanthos has three layers - Lycian, Roman and Byzantine.  Its easy to tell the difference in the walls ? the Lycian made with huge boulders strategically placed on top and along side each other to ensure stability.  The Roman walls are smaller rocks cut in rectangles and placed on top and next to one another, and the Byzantine walls made of small rocks held together by mortar.  He explained the different water systems of carrying the water to Xanthos ? from cisterns and paddlewheels to Roman aqueducts.  We walked up to the church to see beautiful mosaics, which our friend uncovered by moving away the sand.

He guided is to the top of the hill where we saw a large Roman swimming pool complete with both an adult pool and kiddy pool.  We thanked our new friend and gave him a few dollars to show our appreciation for his time.  On our drive out of the city we viewed the Necropolis on the hillside alongside local picnic areas.  I wondered if the picnickers realized how lucky they were to perhaps be descendents of such a great people and brave warriors. 

We had one more city to see ? Patara - the Mythological birthplace of Apollo and a principal harbor of ancient Lycia. The ruins are numerous and fascinating. Its twenty-two kilometers of pure white sand stretch as far as the eye can see, making it a natural choice for all types of beach sports.  But it was 100 degrees and we were very hot. Our driver suggested we go to Saklikent to see a gorge and to Kadikoy to see a carpet making cooperative. 

Saklikent was a great place.  We hiked up from the river along a reinforced walkway to the mouth of the gorge where we could walk along the shore. The ice cold snowmelt escapes from the mountains and flows down through this gorge to make the Xanthos River. We plunged into the water, which stopped our breath but felt so invigorating. Back down along the river, restaurants were set up along the banks in a very unusual way. Platforms were anchored into the water by braces and the platforms rested only a few inches above the swiftly running headwaters.  Carpets and big pillows covered the platforms and after removing our shoes, we sat on the carpet and rested against the pillows - very comfy!  The idea was to have your lunch and take a nap afterward while being cooled by the flowing water that is running underneath you ? Turkish air conditioning!  We had a small lunch of local borek with white cheese and parsley and rested. Once in a while we'd dip our feet or heads into the water to cool off. The only drawback to the experience was that one of our party lost his shoe when it was apparently accidentally dropped into the rushing river never to be seen again.

After lunch we were off to our next adventure to learn the fine art of rug making in Turkey in Kadikoy. This village has a carpet cooperative.  The ladies of the village make the rugs but share in the profits.  They maintain the area?s designs, natural dyes and wool & silk quality.  We watched as the ladies turned lambs wool into thread and silk cocoons into thread.  They mixed and colored the threads with natural dyes made from onionskins, sage, flowers, and roots. Then the threads are turned into carpets. Turkish carpets are unique in that they are double knotted so that the threads never slip.  It takes about 3 ? months for a woman to make a normal wool carpet with 5 knots per inch ? the carpet would sell for about $600.  We couldn?t help but think that it was an incredibly time consuming process from shaving the sheep, making the thread, dying the thread, tying the knots to selling the carpet - how many hours were spent?  Our estimate was 700 hours for one carpet.  It was then that I felt a sudden pang of guilt for bargaining so relentlessly with the carpet dealers in Istanbul. 

We learned so much in those few hours that my head was reeling.  The evolution of the carpet, modern carpets, making the carpets, the carpet regions and villages, designs, symbols, and colors.  Like studying the great masters of Goya, Picasso, and Rodin, the carpet is a form of art to be held in high respect and admired. By the time we left Kadiboy it was 6PM and we had to head straight back to the Gundogan who was waiting patiently in the harbor to take off for Kos.

Our mini bus driver was Idris Coban and Captain Hasan set him up for us. He charged us $100 total for the ten-hour jaunt. If you need a driver he can help you in Kas, Kalkan and Antalya. You can reach him at his mobile number 0533 335 6553 or work 0242 844 3295 or at home 0242 844 2109 - his English is very limited.

Kas was a lush and tropical town. Star jasmine, gardenia, bougainvillea, palms, figs and pomegranate trees growing in every garden and climbing up as high as four stories up the pensions that line the streets. We pulled into the harbor with music blaring from the discos, wondering if we were going to be able to sleep that evening.  We didn?t hear the music cut off at 2 AM as we slept like hardened sailors.

Kas lies wedged between mountains and sea. Kas, once ancient Antiphellus, still exhibits a few remains of the old settlement. An ancient theatre on the peninsula is within walking distance of the town.

Day 7
After breakfast and a short beer run (we were on our 15^th case of the local Efes beer - which was obviously very tasty) we left the harbor to find another quiet cove. A swim and a nap and a delicious lunch of green beans with tomatoes and bulgur - and we were ready for another swim and another nap.  We played a challenging 9 holes of frisbee golf amongst the wild goats and pine trees, but kept thinking about a carpet we had seen in the Kas carpet shop. The slow tourist season because of the earthquake, and lack of British and German tourists and the end of the tourist season was inducing an atmosphere of panic amongst the carpet sellers and we were getting caught up in the frenzy. We returned to Kas harbor for the evening.

To detail our evening carpet buying adventure would be far too long so I will relay the abridged version. It all started before dinner when we all entered a large and well-stocked carpet shop and met Ismail. Ismail did not lack energy and as one of our members pointed out was in great need of Prozac. He bounced off the walls from one carpet to another yelling to his helpers, insulting our group members for not purchasing or for being ignorant in our knowledge of carpets. After seeing a few carpets that we really did like, he spit out one too many insults for my group and we walked out. Then another group walked out and so on until there was only one group left. By this time Ismail was insanely angry that he had lost his five customers.  So angry that he told the last group that they could have their signed Hereke silk carpet for $500.

By the time we got back to the boat, after visiting another carpet shop with a much more mellow salesman, we were told that Ismail had returned to the yacht, demanding the return of the carpet he had sold. Eventually he was lured into promising that if we all return to his shop, we could have any carpet in his shop for $500. We reviewed our options at dinner and after much debate our unanimous decision was to go back to Ismail, and if he kept his word we would buy. We went back - most of us hid behind some bushes until we confirmed that he was unarmed and not dangerous.  With a big smile and open arms Ismail welcomed us into his shop and kept his promise.

We purchased 6 carpets that evening ?all for $500 each.  We had a great time, laughing, joking and watching Ismail bounce from one group to another praising the virtues of each carpet and the maiden who wove it.  One by one we chose our carpets. By the time we finished and all the carpets were folded and wrapped - it was midnight. 

So what did we learn? We learned that carpeting buying in Turkey is a totally unique transaction - more similar to a courtship than a purchase. It is a romantic quiet courtship for some and a wild and exciting courtship for another. Regardless of which experience you have - it is very satisfying and entertaining. Just relax and enjoy the ride.

If you want a unique antique kilim or carpet and can handle a very intense and relentlessly persuasive salesman, then visit Ismail at the Attila Carpet Shop in Kas. Don?t be intimidated by him, he won't hurt you. He has unusual kilims that you will not find anywhere else.

If you prefer a more peaceful experience, visit Hakan at Magic Orient in Kas. They have a good selection of both new and old carpets and kilims at good prices.

Day 8
Our next destination was Kale and Kekova.  We found a lovely cove in the morning to breakfast in and had a swim.  We sailed to the area called Kekova and sailed along about 20 feet from the coast viewing ruins of ancient Lycia.  Steps emerge from the sea, wharfs, churches, houses, bath houses all from the cities of Aperlae, Termlussa  and the ancient city of Simena founded in 5 BC and is located in today?s Kale.

Kekova, "the home of the sun" for some, "the island of the partridges" for others, is an island, as well as the name of a whole ensemble of picturesque islands, numerous bays and ancient cities. These bays provide natural harbors in all seasons, and yachtsmen particularly enjoy exploring the unspoiled landscapes. Along the northern shore of Kekova Island, earthquakes have disturbed the land causing some of the ancient houses to sink under the clear water, creating a sunken city. Kalekoy Castle (ancient Simena) offers a bird's-eye view of the bays, inlets, islands and colorful yachts, sailing peacefully on the glassy water. Kekova provides an incredible setting with blue skies, orange sunsets, starry nights, playful dolphins, mythological mysteries, and the sparkling sea, all set in peace and tranquility.  

We moved to another cove where we could lunch and swim again in the crystal turquoise water. Upon anchoring we were swarmed by hordes of young villagers in motor boats selling hand embroidered scarves. These scarves used to be all over Turkey when I was here 20 years ago and each trip back I look for them unsuccessfully so I was thrilled that I had found them!  We asked the 4 girls to board and they immediately began showing their wares ? beaded scarves, crochet scarves, scarves with shells, scarves with beads. All handmade and unique. The girls tried to vie for our attention by showing us their favorites. They were beautiful girl?s - dark hair, almond shaped eyes of green and blue, smart as a whip and huge smiles.  We chose our favorites equally amongst the 4 so that one was not favored over another.  We readied to pay when we realized we were dealing with young girls with calculator brains.  We tried to trick them paying half with dollars and half with Turkish Lira, but alas our prank did not work and we paid their asking price - no discount!

An hour or so later we were greeted by another boat, this time a rowboat, powered by a mother and her two young daughters. We met Daria and Hulya. Daria was a beautiful 9-year-old girl with green eyes and the biggest smile in the world.  She took out her scarves and began adorning our hair, wastes and necks ? we were her Barbie dolls for the day.  She?d dress us, step back and giggle with a sound that was music to our ears, adjust the scarves again and smile. We were under her spell.  No wonder the stories of nymphs, sirens and mermaids originated here, Daria was surely a descendant.  We bought more scarves. Hulya joined her mother in the rowboat while Daria made her rounds kissing us all on both cheeks to thank us. I knew I would miss her ? I missed her already. As her mother paddled off, Daria blew us kisses from afar.

Kale is a very small village, very Turkish and isolated. The school has only 10 children and the streets are footpaths that wind up the hillside past houses where you can peek in and see the ladies preparing food, while kneeling on the carpet covered floors.  On the top of the hillside is a medieval castle that is thought to be Genoese.  Surrounding the castle there are Lycian rock tombs. 

We were led up to the castle by a young boy, Suleman, 10 years who was joined by his little sister and mother.  He told us what he knew of the castle and the area. At the end of the tour our young Suleman expected our group to purchase on of the bracelets he was selling and when we bought from his sister he was very upset and ran away crying.  We later found Suleman and groveled apologetically and tried to give him some money for the tour. He refused for several minutes, but finally accepted.  He was a very proud boy, he didn?t want a handout ? he wanted us to purchase his merchandise as a token of our gratitude.  A lesson we learned and pass onto you. 

We anchored out in the harbor, tied to the ancient remnants of 2500 year old Lycian building, for the evening.  We slept on deck enjoying the cool breeze and shooting stars.

Day 9
The next day we went off to the village to buy a Saint Nicholas wall hangings we had eyed the day before.  We went back to one of the only 2 carpet shops in the village ? Gordes carpet.  We found the owner, Kadriye, who told us that the St. Nicholas carpet was her exclusive design and that she was the only female carpet dealer in Turkey. So we bought 6 of the hangings for gifts and ourselves and swam back to the boat. On our way back to the Gundogan, we saw Dania again running to her boat to sell more scarves to the newly arriving tourists ? more smiles and more kisses and she was gone with another piece of my heart. We went off to a quiet cove, had a swim and a nap, went on to a cove and explored for awhile.

We planned a short excursion to Myra, a 20-minute drive, where the Lycian tombs are the only remnants of the once great city of 5th Century BC.  Today there is an amphitheater from 400 AD where the Gladiators fought.  It is in good condition and you can see the covered passageway and storage rooms where vendors sold their wares.

Close to Myra, whose name originates from the Myre trees, is the church and resting place of St. Nicholas, a lovely church, currently being restored to uncover and repair the frescos and mosaics. St Nicholas? crypt can be seen with a large opening where thieves from Bari stole his bones and cut off the head of his marble likeness that rested on top of the lid. 

Back at the boat we had lunch and pushed off for a quiet cove to swim the afternoon away.  Then we sailed off for Finike where we were to spend the night.  Music greeted us at the harbor in and we knew this was our opportunity to practice our Turkish dancing.  A few short lessons by our crew and one of our group and a few glasses of Raki (the Turkish Anise liquor that we mixed with water and ice) put us in the mood to dance the night away.  So we had dinner and off we went to an outdoor caf?with a live Turkish band.   We danced he night away and had a great time ? needless to say the locals had some good laughs. 

Since we had hook ups at the dock we were able to sleep in our rooms with AC we had a good sleep, but missed our bedroom under the stars. 

Day 10
We took off from Finike and found a beautiful cove with pine trees covering the hills.  We went ashore to have a quick 9-hole game of frisbee golf.  The shore was made of perfectly round stones of every color imaginable. We returned to the boat and had lunch and took off for Olympus, birthplace of Hercules, and one of the most unusual settings for ruins that we have seen. A long round pebbled beach greets you as you pull in the cove. The water temperature is slightly cooler here because of a fresh water river that flows from Olympus to the sea.  We swam to shore and investigated the ruins in the shade of pines, oaks and an unusual tree that had no bark. Small foot paths lead through a dense forest filled with ruins of the Roman amphitheater, basilica, bath house and necropolis, and the medieval castle that can be seen off the left side of the cove from the yacht. 

After our expedition we returned to the boat, found a quiet cove to sleep in and danced the night away. 

Day 11
The following morning we returned to Olympus and played 18 holes of frisbee golf using each one of the buildings ruins as a hole. It was great fun. We did not have time to see Chimera, the place where the first Olympic torch was lit from eternal flames that rise from the earth here.  We stopped on the beach to admire the view and watched a mountain goat raising havoc amongst the beach goers.  The goat shuffled through the bags and belongings until it found their lunches and proceeded to munch away while the locals were screaming and laughing. 

After lunch we headed off to Phaselis. Phaselis was founded in the 7C BC by Rhodian colonists and is currently a Turkish National Park.  Three bays surround the peninsula, which makes Phaselis particularly beautiful and a perfect setting for 18 holes of frisbee golf!  A well preserved aqueduct, two Roman baths with substantial mosaics, 3 small agoras also with mosaics, a colonnade 22 meters wide flanked by an acropolis and an amphitheater where wild beasts challenged each other in a fight to the death, and a large necropolis were just a few of our designated frisbee greens. 

Our next port of call was Kemer, a large resort town that has been built up to the point where it looked just like Miami Beach. Not our favorite port, but we walked the streets as music blasted, shop owners cajoled us and the breeze from the sea reminded us that we were in the heart of history. I couldn?t help but wonder, as I looked at the faces of the Turks: Which one was the descendent of a Lycian, or a Roman, or a Greek, a pirate, a Mongol, a king, or even the first man.  What a history this country has.  For twenty years I have been reading and studying the civilizations that have for a short time, occupied the landscape, but I know nothing; it?s far too rich a history to learn in one lifetime. I wonder if the Turks know how special they really are.

Day 11
We moved out of Kemer on the last leg of our voyage. No one was smiling today as our journey was coming to an end.  It was Sunday at 2pm and it was hot and humid when we arrived to Kaleici Marina in Antalya. We didn't want to go. We really didn't want to go. It had been a magical journey. But we gathered our things and sadly gave our goodbyes and thank yous to Captain Hassan, Mehmet, Dogan, Haso, and the Gundogan.

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