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Clark: Well I'll tell you something. This is no longer a vacation. It's a quest. It's a quest for fun. I'm gonna have fun and you're gonna have fun. We're all gonna have so much fucking fun we'll need plastic surgeory to remove our godamn smiles/ You'll be whistling 'Zip-A-Dee Doo-Dah' out of you're assholes! --National Lampoon's Vacation Mediterranean Turkey | Breaking Quote from Joshua L. Berg: | | "Mmmmm.... Mediterranean turkey!" |
Even at the end of the dreaded tourist season (late October, which is also prime pomegranate season) the coast is heavily populated by German and British tourists--but no Americans. We encountered tourist group after tourist group, and towns that are solely dependent on tourism. Admittedly, we can see why. There are sandy beaches with warm water and few tourists this late in the year.
The ruins of Olympos, Termessos, and Myra are beautiful (and the first two had few visitors). Ucagiz, with its small town feel, rugged coastline, and half submerged ancient ruins was fantastic, if insanely overpriced. The British tourist town of Dalyan is five times as expensive as untouristed Turkey, and would be unremarkable but for two things: Amazing columns of Lycian tombs build into the river cliff, and the fantastic riverside hotel (and according to our guidebook, the best restaurant), Beyaz Gul. %20SAT%20HC.JPG) Olympos and Cirali
We stayed in Cirali, a small tourist village. Most people are getting a good off-season price of $50 for a bed and breakfast, minutes from the beach. We were able to finagle a beautiful room with a balcony overlooking orange and pomegranate orchards, for only $25, inluding a fantastic breakfast, cooked fresh for us. After breakfast, we strolled down to the deserted beach, and half a mile later, into the ancient Lycian ruins of Olympos. Many hours (and pomegranates) later, we walked 3 Km to a mountain top that was breathing fire. The Chimeara is the site of an ancient temple, and local legend describes it as the place that the historic Olympic torch was lit. The mountainside vents gas that bursts into flame as soon as it contacts air. To this day, scientists are unable to identify 3 compounds in the gas...no one knows why it ignites. --Inscription on the Tomb of Captain Eudemos of Olympos “The ship is anchored at its last Harbour, never more to depart, for no aid is now forthcoming from either wind or sunlight; Captain Eudemos, taking leave of the light-bearing dawn, was buried there and his ship with its lifespan short as a day, like a broken wave.” |
%20crp%20shrp.jpg) Dalyan
I left Susie and our packs at the main square, and spent an hour in a fruitless search for a hotel in our budget. Even the dingiest hotel was twice our budget of $20 a night. Eventually I wandered into a beautiful courtyard on the river, with a perfect view of the Lycian tombs built into the cliffside. On a whim, I asked a guy (who turned out to be the owner) if we could stay there for two nights for $40. Amazingly, he said yes, on the condition that we tell no one in town, and showed me to one of the best rooms I have stayed in. The next evening, Susie and I shared our Cuban cigar (my German relatives Joachim and Gudrun gave it to us months ago) with Amit. He drank a beer while we sipped our brandy (we travel with a small bottle of "Medicine" for just such occassions), and we all puffed away at a cigar that US law mandates we finish before we get home. He asked about Thanksgiving food, which I was happy to discuss, and eventually, he asked if he could swap his famous salad recipe for a good fruit salad. Of course I obliged, and at 10 PM we left the hotel to visit a spice shop and a produce shop. He explained that his produce shop was just a corner store, but that the guy grew his own pomegranates, oranges, lemons, and many other fruits. He introduced me to the shop owner, and although the conversation was in Turkish, I am pretty sure it went something like this. Amit: This is my American guest who is going to show me a recipe. I do not think he voted for Bush. Shop Owner: Yes, I know him. He stops by several times a day to purchase pomegranates, which he eats on the spot. I like the guy, even though we don't speak the same language...that is why I have never charged him for all the Pomegranates he eats.
Anyway, now have a neat salad recipe, and Amit has a very marketable fruit salad, complete with all my tricks. Of course, I am not at liberty to discuss either salad. %20crv%20HC.JPG) Ucagiz
This harbor village is a departure point and stopping point for the numerous yachts cruising the Meditaranian coast. This tiny little fishing village was twice the price as the rest of "normal" Turkey. My guess for the population count is between 200 and 500 people. Plus 80 tourists. The village is surrounded by tombs (pictured in the slide show) that go right down to the sea. There are ancient ruined cities that not only go down to the sea, but because of rising water, these ruins are partially submerged. We hired a boat for a few hours to cruise around the islands, view a coastal castle, and of course, swim in the warm sea. We entered a small bay that was a former Byzantine town. There was a boat with a local village woman, and a small yacht (10 times the size of our boat) with four really nice Brits on it. Other than that, the bay was ours! We also hiked around the area, visiting many tombs and the obligatory castle. We ended our hike with a cool dunk in the sea, above a ruin. Then, because I was too cheap to pay 2 Euros for a bottle of water (4 times the "normal" cost), we struggled back to town to rehydrate. .JPG) Termessos
This Roman ruin was on a mountain top, about 15 Km from the sea. Our guide book qualifies every ruin as "the best" in some way...Termessos was "The most beautifully situated ruin" in all of Turkey. The book may be correct. It is also the only place I allowed a taxi driver to overcharge, but it was worth it: The ruin was amazing, Susie saw a wild boar, and there were only 2 other couples there. |
Myra, Ucagiz, and Dalyan
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Termessos and Olimpos
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