After 1.5hrs on the hydrofoil we arrived in Fethiye,Turkey about 6.30pm and after a quick immigration check we greeted our friends.We then journeyed to their house about 20mins away in Ovacik - above Fethiye in the hills. This area is a big tourist destination in the summer especially the British. WE stayed in Ovacik for 2 weeks bt we did do some sightseeing locally and further away. Our first local "trip" was a walk to the nearby town of Kayakoy where there is a deserted greek village or "ghost" village of some 4,000 buildings, After independence in 1923 there was a population exchange between Turkey and Greece and so the greek inhabitants of this village were repatriated back and the buildings left to nature. It is a eerie to see all these structures dotted up and down the hillsides. During our time here we were lucky to be chauffered around on a few day trips. Our first one was along the coastline south of Fethiye. First stop was Gemler Bay for a coffee. A local group of people is responsible for the bay,beach area and so even to stop for a coffe to costs Tl20 (=$10) to get into the carpark.The money does cover the use of the beach and picnic area.For our friends it costs them this amt each time they want to launch their boat.In this bay area is St Nicholas island ( or Fr Xmas Is)and the whole scene is pretty with the many inlets. Next stop a hillside area called Faralaya which is perched up above the sea and looking down from the area is Butterfly Valley which opens to the sea and has a lovely beach for daytrippers off boats. The gorge area is home to the unique Jersey tiger butterfly which we didn't see as the climb down into the gorge is not recommended w/o ropes. Opps I forgot on the way to Faralaya we passed by Oludeniz -another popular summer holiday area,with its long beach and a blue lagoon next door. More on it later.We journeyed to the end of the coast road for a lovely lunch at a cliffside establishment at Kabak - warm sunny day with a sea view,good food and company. We took ourselves off back down to Fethiye one day,strolled along the harbour promenade ( lots of tour boats)wandered around the streets and found the fish market. There we could buy our fish and prawns ,have them filleted and shelled,delivered to the restaurant opposite,who then cooked them up. You couldn't get any fresher. We really enjoyed that lunch.Other day trips around the area included one to nearby gorge where we waded up through a part of the gorge - the water was a bit fresh. WE also went back to Oludeniz to check out the beach.Whilst it looked sandy from afar half of it was coarse sand with the rest pebbles to the shoreline. Gary ventured in and said it wasn't too cold. As it happened that week at this beach they were having an International Air Games event. That meant lots of paragliders and some parachutists landing on the beach - quite spectactular to watch them and their stunts.
FRom our base in the south we also did 2 side trips. The first was to the Cappadocia area and our base the town of Goreme.Our friends joined us for this trip.The trip involved an overnight bus trip - 12hr, there and back with plenty of stops along the way for pickups,drop-offs and comfort stops. Not much sleep.Anyway the topography and the history of the area soon dispelled any discomfort of the trip. There are honeycombed hills, "fairy" chimneys(rock spires)houses carved out inside the soft stone boulders/rock towers. Also rock-cut churches dating back centuries with frescoes still visible and even underground cities such as Kaymakli.Pigeon houses can be seen carved out in rock faces where you think no-one could climb. Pigeons were encouraged to flourish back then as their droppings were the fertiliser of the day.On this trip we had 2 days of organised tours with a guide to ensure we didn't miss a highlight and that we knew the history of the area.The other 2 days we walked in a couple of the valleys created between the rock outcrops and also explored Goreme .We really enjoyed this trip and our friends will go again. Oops I forgot the highlight for me - a hot air balloon ride over the area. An incredible experience . Gary missed out as he couldn't overcome his height issues. Being up above certainly gave a great perspective of the area. The pilot was that god he landed the basket on the trailer with us -the passegers,still in it.
Our second trip was to Ephesus -a roman city with many structures intact and Pamukkale - famous for its white calcite travertines on a hillside overlooking the town and the roman spa town of Hierapols right next to it.Whilst Hierapolis doesn't have many structures (mostlyruins),it does have a theatre that has been restored to some extent esp its stage.This is city is very spread our so we could see the parts of it close to the travertines. We were able to walk over asection of the travertines and paddle in the warm waters running over the shelves and the hillside. A lot of local people wear their togs and "swim" in the pools that are deeper with the mineral rich waters. We were there early when a cool breeze was blowing so paddling was enough for us. Ephesus whilst not as vast as Hierapolis has much to see and the 2.5 hrs alloted there was only enough to see the "highlights". Having a guide was good to make sense od it all.As in Hadrian was evident here. Ephesus also has a big theatre(restored) that in its day could hold 25,000 people. It is still host to classical music events. Apparently rocks concerts were held here around the late nineties but the loud beat undermined the "foundatilns" so they were manned.This was a big 2 day trip which the two of us did - tiring but worth it.
And so after 2 great weeks with our friends it was time to move on to spend the last 5 days of our trip in Istanbul. After a short plane trip we landed to a cold wet afternoon in the big city. A shock after the sun and warmth further south.Time to get out the warm clothes and wet weather gear.
