No me lo explico ¿Por qué será?

Playa de Ölüdeniz, Muğla (Turquía)

Ölüdeniz is a small resort village in the Muğla Province on the South West coast of Turkey on the Aegean Sea to the south and the high, steep sided Babadağ Mountain, 14 km (9 mi) south of Fethiye. The town is a beach resort.

Ölüdeniz remains one of the most photographed beaches on the Mediterranean. It has a secluded sandy bay at the mouth of Ölüdeniz, on a blue lagoon. The lagoon is a national nature reserve and building is strictly prohibited. Ölüdeniz is famous for its shades of turquoise and aquamarine, and is an official blue flag beach, and is frequently rated among the top 5 beaches in the world by Travelers and Tourism Journals alike. The resort is also famous for its paragliding opportunities. It is regarded as one of the best places in the world to paraglide due to its unique panoramic views, and the Babadağ Mountain’s exceptional height.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%96l%C3%BCdeniz

Ölüdeniz see pics…

Bu şarkının kafamda uzunca bir hikayesi var ancak yazamıyorum. Bu sadece sıkıntı vermekle kalmıyor, yoruyorda… Daha sonra… belki derim yine de..

(Şiir: Aleksandre Puşkin – Müzik: Emin İgüs)

I think we had been given a brilliant suggestion by my friends, to visit this small town Hisaronu Resort in Turkey. Hisaronu, is a very calm and pleasant town during day time. But it becomes lively during night hours, as it has many nightclubs and pubs to entertain the tourists during night.

Hisaronu has a lot to offer the visitors. Ranging from pleasant and cool climate, beautiful palm trees and lot of adventurous water activities and impressive beaches, you will find everything in Hisaronu. And I cannot forget the market place there.  This town is filled with small colorful markets offering everything of daily use as well as for luxury.

The closest and most famous beach near Hisaronu is Olu Deniz. This beach has white sand and has very marvelous scenery. We opted to relax for sometime on the beach. But there were many water sports as well like scuba diving, snorkeling, jet skiing and more. There were wooden boat trips too.

You will find that accommodation in Hisaronu is usually on the mountain slope above the sensational Olu Deniz beach and most of the properties are covered with pine trees. So it does not matter which property you select, you will always get a view of the stunning mountains and beautiful green pine trees.

We spent time to explore this town on foot and also explored a few neighboring villages and towns on the local small cabs known as dolmus. This small and hilly region has lot to be explored and is very easy and convenient. We did not get tired touring this town, instead were delighted by its beauty. Holidays to Turkey

 Ölüdeniz

I think the picture above fairly accurately sums up the last four amazing days that we have spent in Fethiye – it has been a like a holiday from the holiday.

Whilst here we have taken the foot of the accelerator a little, have gone to bed early and woken without an alarm, eaten amazing home cooked meals from our guest house and spent our days roaming the countryside or along the coast in search of remote beaches and deserted villages. We enjoyed our first swim of 2009 (bloody cold, but oh so good) and counted down the clock each day until the call to prayer rang out at five marking what we deemed an appropriate time to have a beer. We contemplated taking a cruise for a couple of days along the coast to Olympos, but were enjoying doing our own thing and the friendly atmosphere at our pension so much we gave it a miss.

That is all I am going to write, this is my last night of the holiday from the holiday and sitting in front of a computer on a holiday is simply not the done thing. I will let the photos and videos tell the story instead.

 Every day at 5.00 we cracked open a beer in front of these two fishing boats and watched them bob back and forward

Elizabeth enjoying her first swim of the season at Ölüdeniz

After an eight kilometre walk over hills and through the bush we reached the village of Kayaköy, which consists of about 2000 deserted buildings. The inhabitants left after WWI and the war of independence. At the time it was deserted there was a large swap of Ottoman Christians from Greece, replaced by Muslim Greeks.

The scene above was what greeted us after a long 1.5 hour dolmuş (mini-bus) ride from Fethiye. It was a bloody steep walk down and we were slightly concerned that the next bus back wasn’t for another six hours. But that beach sure was enticing given the heat, so we bid the dolmuş farewell and scrambled down through the bush.

This was what greeted us at the bottom. Though it was quite annoying that we had to share the beach with a whole two other people…

See you at our next stop in Caş. All the shots from Fethiye can be seen here.

Those of you who get this via email may need to go to http://matthewgain.com to view the video content.

In 19th century,early steamships and fast merchant sailboats shipped the rich goods of the Anatolian Plato and the middle-east to Europe,bringing wealth to the harbour towns of the Aegean,housing local merchants.
The tough seamen built modest,robust houses for their families.Surrounded by stone walls,these cool wooden floored stone houses with shutters and olive tree shaded gardens,were like oyster shells for the big families to find security and peace.
If not by earthquakes most of this atmosphere is wiped out by the tourist industry.Oyster Residences along the beach of Ölüdeniz is the Oyster shell for the sensible tourist.

http://butikotellerrehberi.com/

http://boutiquehotelsofturkey.com/oysterresidences

As mentioned in a previous post I have recently returned from Turkey after spending 5 days staying at my Dad’s place in Fethiye. The day I arrived I visited Oludeniz – the only place that really stood out in my mind from my last visit to Turkey when I was a child. I was sort of expecting it to be the same as it was 21 years ago. My Dad confirmed my memory that when we had first visited Oludeniz there were only a few wooden structures on the beach at the lagoon end of the bay and a boat mooring – very untouched. However, this was not what was presented to me upon my arrival this time. On the beach at the lagoon end of the bay is a sea of beach umbrellas, which in fact stretch quite along way along the beach. Also, back from the main beach is basically a town which has developed to cater for all the tourist which visit Oludeniz every summer. Hotels, shops, restaurants etc. (You can see how big the town is in picture_03 below) I was also interested to find out that Oludeniz has become one of the most popular paragliding places in the world, the evidence of this was by the fact that while I was there one landed on the beach every few minutes. Having said that Oludeniz and the surrounding area is still a beautiful place and well worth a visit. Oludeniz is however a victim of its own magnificence, there are still untouched places on this coastline like the Oludeniz of 21 years ago but they are few and usually only accessible by boat.

TS: Ozan Keysan
ES: Şahika Gürbüz
Tarih: 22-25 Nisan 2004

TS: Mehmet Umut Ekim
ES: Mehmet Umut Ekim
Tarih: 17-20 Mayıs 2003

TS: Pınar Oğuz
ES: Hüseyin Kapukaya
Tarih: 23-26 Nisan 2004

Marmaris położone jest nad Morzem Egejskim. To piękna miejscowość otoczona piniowymi wzniesieniami, charakteryzująca się krystalicznie czystymi wodami. Marmaris to również rajskie piaszczyste plaże. Miasto jest pięknie zlokalizowane nad zatoką, w której znajduje się przystań jachtowa. Stąd kilka razy dziennie kursują promy na pobliski Rodos. Opcji co robić w Marmaris jest wiele. Fantastyczna przygoda podczas konnej przejażdżki, mocne wrażenia na raftingu po rzece Dalaman, wędrówka po górach w celu poznania lokalnych plemion czy jeep safari . Dla miłośników historii Efez zwany klejnotem wschodnio-romańskiego cesarstwa. Imponujące to starożytne miejsce i działające na wyobraźnię. A dla kochających dobrą zabawę organizowane na odosobnionych plażach Marmaris beach parties. Zabawy zaczynające się około 10 przepłynięciem na plażę i kończące około 18. Fantastyczny czas spędzony na pięknej plaży, pełen konkursów i śmiechu. Wiem, wiem, za dużo tych atrakcji. A przecież można jeszcze udać się na tzw. turecką noc, podczas której tancerki brzucha zadbają o interesujące przeżycia lub odbyć rejs w świetle księżyca z imprezą pod gwiazdami.

Jest jeszcze Fethiye- kolejne miasto na południu Turcji. Ta piękna nadmorska miejscowość otoczona jest wzgórzami Mendos stanowiących część gór Taurus. Dookoła rozsiane są zatoczki z krystalicznie czystą, turkusową wodą. W Fethiye znajdują się ruiny amfiteatru rzymskiego. Są też grobowce z IV wieku p.n.e. wykute w skałach, górujące nad miastem. Jeśli już tu się zjawimy warto wybrać się na rejs łodzią po 12 wyspach. Trzeba mieć oczy szeroko otwarte bo można przeoczyć wyskakujące z wody rybki, przepływające obok delfiny czy żółwie morskie. A jeśli dusza domaga się przygody można wybrać się na jeep safari lub zabrać sprzęt i udać się na nurkowanie by podziwiać bogate podmorskie życie zatoki Fethiye.  Niedaleko stąd też do rzeki Dalaman, na której rafting dostarcza ogromnych doznań. Fethiye jest więc miejscem gdzie błogi odpoczynek nad zacisznymi zatoczkami można połączyć ze zwiedzaniem bardzo ciekawych miejsc.

Położone w odległości 11 km od Fehiye Oludeniz to miasteczko turystyczne nad Morzem Egejskim. Oludeniz to połączenie cudnej plaży ze złotym piaskiem z możliwością uprawiania wszystkich sportów wodnych. Można zatem posurfować, pojeździć na nartach wodnych, popływać na bananie czy na kajaku.  Jest też mnóstwo miejsc, w których można spędzić pełne zabawy wieczory. Niezwykle ciekawa jest tu błękitna laguna oddzielona od lądu mierzeją. Stanowi ona Park Narodowy.

Ölüdeniz – words & photos fail me to describe this unique place, the Blue Lagoon & views around, have to be seen & felt. They say fantabulous during paragliding.

But for those who like me prefer less extreme experiences, a microlighting /flying up in the sky boat/ is an alternative solution to enjoy the fantastic views. Extreme experiences – seems it runs in the family !

Nous voici parties pour visiter le village fantôme de Kayaköy. C’est un village qui était habité par des grecs au début du siècle. Lorsque la Turquie a été proclamé, des déplacements massifs de population ont été fait entre la Grèce et la Turquie : des Grecs habitant la Turquie ont été renvoyé en Grèce et inversement. Depuis le départ de la population grecque, le village est resté désert.

Le village de Kayaköy

Je ne sais pas si le tag est d'époque...

Suite de la journée à Ölüdeniz et la plage connue sur toutes les cartes postales de Turquie. Vue d’en haut sur les photos, l’eau est bleue turquoize comme dans un lagon, elle est déserte, sable blanc… En vrai, la plage est en partie payante, avec chaise longue et parasol, bondée et avec une légère odeur de frites…

Mais nous ne sommes pas restées longtemps, nous sommes montées dans un bateau pour aller dans la Vallée des papillons. Superbe plage de galets (Youpie !!), camp de hippies-roots… Un camp de paix et ambiance super détendue… pour 4h de bénévolat par jour, on peut etre nourri-logé. On pense bien revenir dans ce lieu de rêve avec tente plantée sur la plage…

Bienvenue ! Welcome !

La plage de rêve

Ambiance internationale

Ils font même le tri !

Plus d’info : http://thebutterflyvalley.blogspot.com/

Luckily for me I have a father who decided to move to Fethiye in Turkey a number of years ago. During my trip to England this July and August I will be visiting him for a short period of approx 5 days. I managed to get the flights through flythomascook.com who are apparently an airline now, as well as a travel agency, i will be flying from London Gatwick to Dalaman. I have been there once before, but it was 21 years ago when I was 10 yrs old, I have a very limited memory of the place. However, I do remember Oludeniz; a place I am keen to revisit:

Select Link for more detail: Returning to Oludeniz

The Sunday Times (UK), March 16th, 2008

Jeremy Seal

While tourists broil on the coast, residents retreat to the cooler hills inland. Great views, fresh breezes, fine food and non-honeypot prices -how eminently sensible, says Jeremy Seal

Ooh, Kalkan.” Pauline Salvarli, once of Stirling, winces as she serves us dinner beneath the cherry trees of her country garden at Bezirgan, 2,378ft above sea level. “They’re always getting ill down there.” We’ve left that booming resort for the village guesthouse run by Pauline and her husband, Erol, some 11 miles inland. A smart move, we reckon, for we’ve swapped the heat, bugs (both kinds) and half-finished villa sprawls for owls calling across fields of hand-scythed spring wheat and almost no mosquitoes. That, combined with delightful rustic accommodation and a dinner of yoghurt dips, bean salads, stuffed peppers and aubergine moussaka, means it’s really no contest. Come the summer, Turks have traditionally headed for the hills, livestock and all, leaving only the tourists and those doomed to serve them to broil on the coast.

Now, however, imaginative hoteliers and villa and B&B owners are following in their footsteps. They have fled from sunburn and full-English breakfasts in the concrete of Kalkan, Oludeniz and Gocek to offer authenticity, often with a touch of alternative living. And at altitude.

After dinner, Pauline lends us a torch to find our way through Bezirgan’s unlit lanes to our lodgings in her in-laws’ former village home. The house has been beautifully restored, retaining cedar beams, walnut shelves and alcoves, stone and timber floors strewn with kilims and a cushioned kosk, or roofed balcony, for relaxing. Winningly neat and modest, with just three bedrooms and modern bathrooms (with proper showers), it stands in an orchard of fig trees. We return to the main house for breakfast -local cheeses, home-made jams (cherry and plum), menemen (omelette with peppers) -before setting out to explore.

Bezirgan is just minutes from the Lycian Way, Turkey’s first long-distance path, and for some miles we overhaul tortoises along the waymarked old track, which leads past collapsing wooden granaries into the hills. As a base, Bezirgan proves equally well sited for forays into the interior and for days at the beach. An hour’s drive inland brings us to Saklikent. We wade through this steep-sided gorge before feasting on gozleme (savoury pancakes stuffed with crumbly cheese and parsley) at a riverside restaurant where a cushioned platform overhangs the water.

One day, we head for the coast (30 minutes) to explore the stirring ruins at Patara, birthplace of St Nicholas and home to a recently excavated, dune backed Greek theatre. Then it’s down to the nearby shore -with nine miles of pristine white sand, truly one of the world’s great beaches -to cool off in the surf. Predictably, the sandflies are biting, so it’s good to take the road back into the hills, for stirring stories of Erol Salvarli’s bandit forebears over tea and biscuits in a herb-scented hillside garden.

* Owlsland (00 90 242 837 5214) has doubles for Pounds 45, B&B, or Pounds 70, half-board. Fly to Dalaman (see Getting There, below), from where it’s about a two-hour drive

The best of the Turkish hills

* Unless stated, all prices given are per person per week, B&B, including flights from London and transfers, based on two sharing

Yediburunlar

At remote Yediburunlar (Seven Headlands), a two-hour drive from Dalaman, South African Leon and Istanbulite Semra have created their fantasy hideaway. The Lighthouse is a stone-built village home-cum-mountain lodge, precipitously sited on a 1,970ft crag with giddying views over the sea. With its swimming pool seemingly hanging in space, Semra’s delightful (entirely vegetarian) cooking and the occasional visiting goatherd, this six-bedroom boutique hotel verges on the surreal. Leon arranges boat trips, but his main joy is guiding guests on local walks. Typical is a three-hour ramble through pine woods to Sidyma, where 2,500-year-old Lycian tombs double as fodder stores for the local villagers.

Prices start at Pounds 500, half-board, through Exclusive Escapes (020 8605 3500)

Karaagac

It used to take hours to reach the village of Karaagac, on its 3,600ft-high plateau in the Babadag range, but a new road has cut the journey time from Oludeniz to 30 minutes. Even so, there’s no danger of Black Tree Cottages losing its pioneering, high-plains personality. An 18th-century farmhouse lodges walking groups, but most visitors stay in the Alpine-style self catering cabins scattered among the fruit trees. Facilities include a pool and a tennis court, a potter’s wheel and a library. With horses, mountain bikes or donkeys to ride, a children’s video room, rabbits and geese, the place appeals particularly to families. Kitchen gardens supply the bar and restaurant (open all day) with organic vegetables, and the menu is child-friendly. Gurbuz and Anthea, veterans of the Turkish tourism scene, run the place with a distinctive mix of charm, eccentricity and environmental idealism.

00 90 252 617 0045, www.blacktree.net. Packages start at Pounds 488 through Cachet Travel (020 8847 8700). Karaagac is about two hours from Dalaman

Islamlar

A handful of restored houses and newly built villas have brought self-catering holidays to this Shangri-La above Kalkan. The slopes are covered with vines and fruit trees, and the stream that runs down the valley is flanked by trout restaurants such as Yayla Cinar (00 90 242 838 6135), which does not only trout, but local specialities such as fried cheese with chillies, and great views, for Pounds 7 a head. Villas include Narli Ev, a rebuilt Ottoman-style house sleeping four, with an infinity pool and a patio with hammocks.

From Pounds 550, including 4WD hire, through Exclusive Escapes (as above). Islamlar is about two hours from Dalaman

Uzumlu

The little inland town of Uzumlu (With Grapes) has long drawn tour groups from bustling Fethiye in search of old Turkey. With its ancient timber houses and open-fronted loom rooms, where the women turn out a local muslin called dastar, it’s certainly appealing -and it merits a longer stay now that Sakin Bahce, an attractive and substantial Ottoman house in the heart of town, with pool and garden, has been restored and readied for rental (sleeping 12). Uzumlu is a 25-minute drive from Kadyanda, an ancient hilltop city deep in the high pine forests, with stupendous views over the Fethiye coastline. Or head down to family-friendly Calis beach, just 30 minutes’ drive away.

Creative Traveller (020 7385 5200) has Sakin Bahce from Pounds 1,500 a week, villa-only, based on 12 sharing, or from Pounds 995 for five. Uzumlu is about an hour from Dalaman

Yaniklar

A few bumpy miles through orange groves west of Fethiye brings you to Pastoral Vadi (Pastoral Valley). Here, Ahmet Kezin, an architect-environmentalist, is pioneering eco-minded tourism on his organic farm, providing simple but attractive cabins, several made from the local adobe-style mud brick. Riverbank eucalyptus woodlands are home to its traditional restaurant, and paths wind past terrapin ponds. The farm keeps ducks, chickens and sheep. It also offers instruction in organic practice, weaving, yoga and pottery, while Yaniklar beach is just a few miles away.

Prices start at Pounds 30pp per day, half-board; 00 90 252 633 6627, www.pastoralvadi.com . Fethiye is about 50 minutes from Dalaman

Kaya

Barely two miles from the concrete ugliness of Hisaronu, hemmed in by a protective belt of pines, is the Kaya valley, where Kayakoy, a mainly Greek town, has stood abandoned since the 1920s. These evocative ruins inspired Louis de Bernieres’s 2004 novel Birds Without Wings. Scattered among wheat fields and olive groves are self-catering villas such as Tangala Evi (sleeping three), a beautifully renovated village house with a pool. At Gunay’s Garden, five modern, spacious villas and a splendid restaurant are arranged around a pool in walled grounds, with haunting views over Kayakoy.

Exclusive Escapes (as above) has Tangala Evi from Pounds 450, including car hire. A villa sleeping eight at Gunay’s Garden (0207 702 7505) starts at Pounds 499 per week, villa-only. Kaya is about an hour from Dalaman

 * Jeremy Seal travelled as a guest of Exclusive Escapes

Getting there: there are summer services to Dalaman from 22 UK airports, with airlines including XL (0870 320 7777 ), Thomsonfly , Flythomascook, EasyJet  and Onur Air (through Aegean Flights; 0844 870 0033. Prices start at Pounds 150. Or try Charter Flight Centre (0845 045 0153, www.charterflights.co.uk or Travel Republic (020 8974 7200, www.travelrepublic.co.uk.

Getting around: you’ll need a car. The travel search site Kayak has a week’s inclusive hire from Pounds 161. Or try Travelsupermarket .

Drowning

I am not the world’s strongest swimmer. I did get my Swimming Proficiency Badge while in the Cubs so I am able to swim 25 metres and rescue a brick from the bottom of a heavily chlorinated pool while wearing pyjamas. But, this has not proved to be the perfect training for the real thing. The sea. The ocean. The big blue. Maybe I should always wear pyjamas when I go swimming. 

I have nearly drowned twice. The first time was in the beautiful lagoon of Oludeniz in Turkey. C and I were on holiday there a few years ago. Oludeniz is beautiful with its white fine sand tipping into the beautiful blue/green water of the lagoon. The lagoon is framed by sheer cliffs. Paragliders launch themselves from the top of these cliffs and soar like graceful eagles until they descend onto the beach. Indeed our neighbours, who are big in the paragliding world – Neil was former captain of the UK team – have flown here themselves. But, not on the day that C and I were there. 

It was very hot. C and I decided to swim a while in order to cool down a bit. The water was clean and cool. The beach sloped gently into the sea, giving an expanse of shallow water, before falling away quite dramatically into deep water. While swimming you could tell that you had crossed the “ledge” by the considerable drop in water temperature. C and I were close to this ledge, taking in the views.

Earlier we had spotted a bunch of local lads, in their early twenties, teaching one of their number to swim. Right now this lad was stood alone, near to us, waist high in the water, while his mates were catching some rays back on the beach. After a while he started to jump up and down in the water. After a little while longer he began to wave his arms around. His mates waved back. After a little while longer he began to slip under the water. It suddenly became clear to C and I that he wasn’t messing around. He was in difficulty. He was clearly caught on the edge of the ledge and the sand was slipping away beneath his feet. His mates hadn’t noticed and were too far away to help him in any case. And, then he disappeared. 

I dived into the water, over the ledge, and grabbed the lad. He was really panicking at this point and grabbed me and pulled me and dragged me down with him. It took a huge amount of energy and strength for me to get beneath him, to grab his legs and literally to hurl him away from me back into the shallows. He crawled to the shore. I emerged from the sea, gasping and gagging on water I had swollen. I crawled to the shore. There his mates surrounded me and patted me on the back. They had no English but it was clear that they were very happy that I had rescued their mate from a potentially dangerous situation. I was quite proud of myself that day. I think I save that lad’s life. 

The second time I nearly drowned was a lot more recent. It was Christmas 2005. It was the second day of our holiday in Australia. We were in Sydney staying with a very good friend, K, who was working over there.

We were taking in the coastal path walking from Clovelly to Bondi Beach. About half way round we stopped for a bite to eat at Bronte Beach before walking on to Tamarama. We were all a bit hot and so we decided to stay a while at Tamarama and take a cooling, refreshing dip in the beautiful blue sea. 

After a little sunbathing C and I went into the water together while K was guarding the bags and applying her suntan cream. C and I were bobbing up and down in the waves, sometimes hopping on one leg, sometimes with C holding onto me as I bobbed.

We were ecstatic. We could not believe that only a couple of days earlier we had been in the depths of a British winter, complete with snow. We were engrossed in the view, the excitement, the whole experience. I should also add that this was considered to be a safe beach. And, there were lots of other people in the water at the same time as ourselves. The beach was guarded by life guards and we were well between the flags that designated the safe swimming area. 

Anyhow, after chatting for ten minutes or so, C and I noticed that we had drifted a few metres away from the main crowd of bathers. At the same time, waves began to break on top of us, taking us under. But at this point, once the wave had broken, I was still able to hop and bring my head above the surface. We looked at each other and decided it would be best to swim for shore.

We swam. We swam for a good five minutes. We were getting nowhere. Actually we were getting further from the shore. We were swimming backwards. We were in a rip tide. We were in a rip tide that was taking us beyond the edge of the rocks and into the open sea. Into the open, shark-infested sea. We had already heard of two swimmers who had been killed by bull sharks since our arrival Down Under, so this was not a pleasant prospect. And, again, waves began to break onto us and take us under. But, by now I was tiring and there was no sand beneath my feet when I attempted to hop. By now, I was beneath the surface more than I was above it. I realised that I was helpless. I was too tired to swim to shore. C is a stronger swimmer than I am. I told her she should leave me and try and swim back. She refused. She wouldn’t leave me. This was the closest I have ever felt to death. C and I were actually, silently, beginning to say goodbye to each other. Helpless. But, at least we were together.

I got taken down again by a big wave. As I spluttered back to the surface and looked around for C, I was surprised to hear another voice: “G’day folks. Do you need a hand?” It was a lifeguard. Sat there on a surfboard, all bronzed, blond and muscular in his red swim shorts. I could have kissed him. They must have been watching us from the shore and realised that we were in difficulty. He had swam out beyond us on his board to come to our rescue. However, we were in a very rough bit of sea so as we clung to his board he signalled for another lifeguard to came and help. And soon, another surf knight arrived on his gleaming steed.

Being rescued was not the easiest. For a while both rescuer and rescuee spent a good time somersaulting around in the water, gripping a surfboard, as waves crashed about us. My knuckles were raw from gripping the cord and being pressed against the board. Eventually we made it to some flat water. Now they attempted to get us onto the boards. C was hesitant. Throughout most of this experience she had been clinging on with just one hand, while the other attempted to cling onto her dignity and the bikini bottoms which every crashing wave attempted to wrench from her bum. C insisted on pulling her pants back up before climbing on board and being whisked to the safety of land.

Once C was safe it was my turn. I was instructed to clamber aboard on my belly. Once I was on, I heard something from another man that I hope never to hear again: “Spread your legs mate, I’m coming in from behind!” With my guardian angel kneeling behind me we veritably flew back to shore. “No more swimming for you today mate!” He instructed as he went off to move the safety flags…..

 C and I clambered back to our friend Kate. Our friend Kate who had missed the whole thing. An old guy who had been sat next to her suddenly remarked: “Jeez, if I’d a known they wuz with you, I’d a given you a heads up” (to be read in an Australian accent). Everyone we met thereafter seemed to have good advice how to survive a rip tide. I wish they had given it to us before we had entered the water. The advice goes a) don’t attempt to swim your way out – you will just tire and drown or attract shark and be eaten; b) put one arm in the air to signal that you require assistance; c) float. Apparently rip tides pull you out but then, as if in a big arc, will simply deposit you further down the coast. As long as the sharks don’t get you, you’ll be fine as long as you float. 

We chilled for the rest of the day and then, in the evening, went to a bar in another Sydney suburb to meet up with some of K’s work colleagues. One Aussie native was adamant that she knew C from somewhere. We then attempted to determine how this could possibly be. We ruled out London and other parts of the UK and everything else until the girl suddenly exclaimed: “I know! You were the girl rescued from Tamarama Bay this arvo……” C’s fifteen minutes of fame. 

I hope we don’t come that close to having to say goodbye to each other for a very, very long time, C and I. 

This morning, the sun was beating a path through my window and the breeze was cool and crisp. I keep waiting for bad weather to appear in Turkey but there has been no sign of anything but perfect weather. After eating breakfast on the terrace (typical Turkish breakfast of cheese, olives, tomatoes, cukes, bread and fruit), I headed down into town to catch the bus for Oludeniz. A day at the beach was today’s plan (or part of it).

First I had to find the dolmus station – I knew the general area but could not find the actual place. Finally, I stopped a man walking with his son and asked him. He not only told me – he reversed his direction and guided me 3 blocks away to the station, then made sure I could find the right minibus. The Turks are the most agreeable people – I have never had anyone turn me down when I asked for help. Three lira later, I was heading down the road to the beaches at Oludeniz, which is about 15-20 minutes away.

Part of this area is extremely built up – a lot of Germans and Brits are buying up vacation property because the area is relatively inexpensive compared to their own countries. Consequently, the main beach is packed with pale bodies baking in the sun. However, there is an area off to the rıght that is a bit more secluded – a lagoon that is reached by way of a stone pathway through a small park. There is a charge of a couple of lira to get in, so many people don’t bother.

Thıs lagoon was my destination. Once I got there, I found a spot on the beach for my stuff (I decided to forego the vinyl lounge chairs as I didn’t feel like paying 10 lira for the chair and umbrella) and plopped myself down. The lagoon was breathtakingly beautiful – a circle of deep blue water surrounded by a pebbly beach and a mountain backdrop. Most of the bathers in this area were Turks – in fact, I could see only one other body as white as mine.

The water was a bit brisk when I first jumped in, but quickly warmed up and I swam and splashed and had a great time playing in the ocean. I’m not much for laying out in the sun so after about an hour of sun and water, I packed up my gear and headed out. Before I left, I stopped at the free showers and washed the salt off (and all the tiny pebbles from the beach that had gotten inside my suit).

I managed to get a dolmus back to Fethiye fairly quickly – I was hungry but most of the restaurants in the Oludeniz area looked pretty touristy (I’m assuming that a restaurant that advertises “spaghetti” and “american burger” isn’t going to have authentic Turkish cuisine). As I was sitting in the minibus on my way back to Fethiye, a young teenage boy got on and sat down beside me. A few stops later, an elderly man got on the bus. The young teenager immediately got up and offered his seat to the older man. Again, it’s not a sight you would often see in this country.

After I got back to town, I had a quick lunch at the fish market. This is a large market where fisherman bring their catch in and sell it. You pick out a fish then take it to one of the nearby restaurants. The restaurant will then cook it for you and serve it, adding bread, salad and a drink – all for about $3. There’s nothing like fresh-caught fish. I must admit that I’m not wild about it being served with the head on, but it’s not that big a deal to cut it off and toss it to one of the nearby cats hovering around.

For my afternoon trek, I headed for another nearby town. The intent was to get to a nearby scenic area that contains a gorge. However, I got on the wrong minibus – then when I realized my error, got off at the wrong stop to go back to Fethiye. I wound up walking about 3 km. trying to find the right stop. I never did find it but I did find a Migros, the Turkish version of Kroger’s, so I decided to stop in and check it out (flexible is my middle name).

At first glance, it appears to be a regular supermarket – many of the brands are different of course, but I saw Lipton, Nescafe and Cascade, along with other familiar faces. Although the store seemed smallish by American standards, it had one aisle devoted to women’s and men’s clothing. I picked up a hat for my boat excursion planned for Sunday for around 2 lira, and a large tote bag for about 10. As I was preparing to leave, I passed by the pastry section – lo and behold, I spotted kunefe! Trying hard to restrain my drooling, I rushed over and bought a square – only 2.5 lira! A yummy treat for after dinner…

I still had the problem of how to figure out how to get back to town. The gods were with me that day, though – as I exited onto the street from the Migros parking lot, a bus pulled up for Fethiye and I jumped on board before it could get away. Unfortunately, although the dolmus was destined for Fethiye, its destination was not the part of town I knew. When I was the only passenger left, the driver made a motion that I should disembark. I frantically looked around for a familiar landmark and spotted nothing. There was no arguing with the driver (difficult to do when you do not share a common language) so I got off and starting walking towards what I thought might be the harbor.

Three blocks later, I was still in unfamiliar territory so I stopped a Turkish woman who steered me in the right direction to my hotel. Once I got there, I unloaded all my beach stuff and headed for the bar. As I sat at the bar with my glass of wine, a man next to me struck up a conversation. Burkhard was from Germany but has lived in Sweden for the last 15 years. I told him about my German ancestry and then relayed the story of “Over-the-Rhine,” the area of Cincinnati that has a connection to Germany. His wife, Ulli, came up shortly and the 3 of us chatted about Germany, the US and politics. They told me that they didn’t blame me for Bush (joke here – no political digs intended).

They invited me to dine with them at the hotel so we headed onto the terrace and had a wonderful meal and conversation. They have been to Turkey many many times and hope to retire here (for part of the year) in a few years. They introduced me to raki (the Turkish alcohol of choice – similar to ouzo but served in a tall glass with water) and Turkish coffee. I had drunk Turkish coffee before and couldn’t get past the first sip – however, I discovered the key is to add az şekerli (a “little sugar”) to the coffee. I never thought I’d be adding sugar to coffee, but in this case, it certainly makes Turkish coffee drinkable.

Burkhard told me stories of Germany when he was young (he apparently is in his early 60’s). His parents emigrated from east Germany after WWII and he was treated as a pariah in the western part of the country. He was forced to attend a refugee school rather than being taught with the other children and his family suffered poverty for many years. His wife is from the Cologne area, which is the other area where they plan to live after retirement. They also told me stories of Sweden and the horrors of the national health system run amuck.

My contribution consisted of stories of the American legal system, which seemed to interest them. They were amused to hear that many divorces take months and even years to settle – evidently in Sweden, the couple gets divorced first and then settles the property and custody issues. All in all, it was a fascinating evening and I enjoyed meeting them very much. We finally finished up around 1 am and all headed off to bed.

Tomorrow – a mini Blue Cruise where I head out for a day of island hopping.