PamukkaleOct 3, 2008
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Kaputaş Bay
Rescued Turtle
Patara Beach
| After a lovely rest in Kaş we stopped at a gorgeous beach at Kaputaş Bay (see picture) and then had a lovely lunch at Patara (birthplace of St. Nicholas), population 1000. The restaurant owner's son was home for a holiday and sat with us to speak English. He was an Economics student and wants to be a CA or a politician in his hometown. He shouldn't have any problem getting elected because he said that he was related to approx. 800 of the 1000 residents. We really enjoyed his company. We headed to the 9 km beach at Patara which was gorgeous but really too windy to enjoy. Rick made friends with a dog who followed us back to the car. Rick also rescued a turtle (see picture) and helped it cross the road. We spent the night in Öludeniz which is an overcrowded neon-lit resort town full of British tourists. We had a nice dinner but a crappy campground whose only saving grace was the very clean washrooms. The next morning Rick met the Turkish family at the site next to ours (see picture) and they invited us for tea. We visited for an hour - their eldest daughter spoke fairly good English. She was an engineering student and the father owned a holographic printing company. He gave us some really cool samples of his work. The younger daughter spent most of the previous evening on her cell phone in the washroom probably talking to her boyfriend. After tea we walked through a ghost town that was vacated abruptly in 1922 during a 'population exchange' with Macedonia - very moving. We discovered a skeleton in a cistern (see picture) and think it looks human but would appreciate a second opinion. We then travelled to the Saklikent Gorge (see pictures) which was incredible. We walked through the gorge in very shallow water in our water shoes for about 1 km. The gorge walls were mostly marble and it was like walking through a sculpture. There were cafes suspended over the gorge and running water. Even though it was a full day we drove 3 hours north to Pamukkale for the night. The next morning we toured the ancient city of Hierapolis early before the tour buses arrived which was nice. Then we spent about an hour soaking in the thermal baths which are supposed to cure everything from diarrhea to constipation. Last night we headed back to the sea and spent the night in Göçek camping in what might be described as a vacant lot suitable only for a rousing game of kick the can. However it is cheap and located right on the water. Just metres up the street are hotels and wine bars catering to the yachting crowd. Apparently this is a popular port judging from the boats moored in the harbour (see picture). When we say 'boat' think Muskoka cottage. We'll be here for a day or so and hope to find a few more good beaches before heading to Ephesus and a route to Italy. Hope everyone is doing well at home. Take care Christine and Rick |
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