Let's go Sailing! Ciftlik, Bozukkale, Bozburun, Serce Limani and Turunc

 At last! In between the time we spent at Marmaris, we took advantange of the nothing's-happening-for-a-few-days and ran away to sea. 

Reluctant to head back the way we had come, as we would be doing that once Karen and Lloyd arrived, we turned the bow south east and set off to explore new bays, while testing out new batteries, bilge pump and our essential-to-us upgrades.

We raised the sails - yes both of them at last - and headed for Ciftlik Koyu, a distance of 24nms (nautical miles). As will be the norm, the wind dropped off, and we had to motor a way, but arrived just after mid-day, perfect for congratulating ourselves for not yet divorcing. We had heard of Ciftlik many times, and it is indeed a special spot. A few hotels, scattered around the bay, with a handful of restautants in one corner, and a white beach in the other. Plenty of room for us to anchor, along with a total of 5 boats overnight, plus a few on restautant pontoons. What's not to like? A chilly swim, before we watched the rain fall from the comfort of our new cockpit.

Next morning we decided to explore, following a road behind the few restaurants up the valley. We hadn't actually planned to go this way so it was only a few ks. However, it was very peaceful, checking out what was being grown in the rich dark soil. Olives, corn, vegetables galore, herbs, grapes, stone fruits, nuts and even aloe vera. And it smelled gorgeous. At one stage the most amazing herbal scent drifted past, and following it like some demented bloodhound, I found two elderly residents packaging up oregano. Did I want some? Yes please! It smells devine, which is a good thing, as without that distinctive scent, I think I may have purchased a bag of marijuana.  

Buying Oregano. I think.

Looking the darkening sky, and with thunder rolling around the hills, we turned back and headed to Kirrikie, stopping off a small shop for supplies. Did I need bread? they asked. Once again, yes please! A girl was dispatched, returning shortly from someone's kitchen, bringing a round flat loaf called Bazlama, cooked in a stone oven. Happy days. Then time for a cool drink, watching the competition between the different restaurants trying to entice arriving yachts to come to THEIR pontoon, not their rival's. This is achieved by making haste to the end of the pontoon and wave a coloured flag. It's a lucky dip really, so we made bets as to which ones, if any, the yachts would end up at.

We up anchored and headed off, around the peninsular for our next 2 nights, the outstanding bay of Bozukkale. It was another short distance of 17nms, again travelled with a combination of sail and motor. Nothing special... just a tranquil, amazing deep blue large bay with lots of room to anchor, or tie stern-to*, for yachts and gullets, with 3 restaurants spread around its perimeter, a castle on the hill, goats and donkey.... hmmm. A new favourite. I will have to admit, at this stage I have a preference for not having to tie stern-to so I love any place where this is not required. (Dry your eyes princess...).

Due the exertions of the morning, we once again chilled out in our little world, swimming, watching the goats meander along the shore, and ...  what the hell is that sound?? A donkey braying must be the best test for an echo chamber. It bounces all around you. I have a theory that this is proof that God exists and has a sense of humour - there can be no evolutionary use for that cacophony of HEE-HAWWWW HEE-HAWWWWW. Not even the goats were impressed.

We had our first visit from a visiting 'shop' boat, with a local man visiting us with a variety of goods to sell. Much to my utter amazement, Mike was enthusiastic and bought a white shirt! We later encountered this same gentleman in other locations so it must a profitable excercise.

Next morning we tried to beat the warmth of the day and headed off to check out the castle ruins. Bozukkale is Turkish for 'broken castle', which indeed it is, but what is left for us to see is pretty impressive. The castle was built approximately 700BC as a navy fortress, to prevent enemies from gathering in the natural harbour before or after attacking nearby Rhodes. (On a good day, you can see the now Greek islands of Rhodes, Haiki, Alimia and Symi). There were 9 or 11 lookout towers, the fortress was 334 metres long, 36 meters wide with stone block walls 2 metres thick. We walked along and beside what is left, it certainly still feels pretty solid, with stunning views over the bay and the ocean.

Loo with a view

Looking towards Symi

Bozukkale Bay view from the castle, Kirrikie hidden by the flag

In the opposite far corner of the bay is a posh restaurant (by our boatie standards) called Loryma, after the ancient city that used to be located there. Loryma was an important religious centre at one time, but little remains of the settlement now. 

After lunch we decided to treat ourselves and moved onto the pontoon of Ali Baba restaurant at the bottom of the castle, where we could still swim in crystal clear waters before dining out with Kirrikie safely tied up. And of course, meet our boat neighbours, Gillian and Nigel on SV Salmanazar.   The great thing about this life is meeting new people with a similar interest, and we spent a lovely evening eating a freshly cooked meal with these friends who have years of experience sailing these waters. We just lapped up (pun intended) all the good advice Nigel and Gillian offered.  We 'retired' to their home after dinner, where they shared their stash of Cornish gin. I'm a friend for life, whether they like it or not.

The lovely Gillian had given us a hints and cheats list, of places we should consider while in this part of Turkey, which we relied on to decide to head for Bozburun which would provide more shelter over the next few days from windy afternoons. We waved goodbye and motored out so we could catch what wind there was out of the bay. We made slow but determined progress, trying not to notice SV Salmanazar leave the bay after us and make much quicker progress closer to shore and disappear around the corner. We made it most of the way under sail - we had all day after all - with about 3 hours decent sailing in the afternoon. 

Bozburun is a small town of about 2000 people. While tourism is listed as main means of livelihood, it is not a busy tourist town. Other sources of income are sponge diving, fishing and gullet construction. And although there were many new gullets with their gleaming beautifully crafted wooden hulls, there weren't many going in and out, which made for a much peaceful stay. 

Bozburun

We put down roots in this lovely place instantly, staying 4 nights, the longest we've manged so far. We dropped a load of washing at the local laundry (hauled up from street level to the first floor by an external lift, which the laundress had made herself), and set out to find some outboard fuel. To this we needed some help, as there was no petrol station or fuel dock for this, so we did  as Gillian had recommended and found Osman at Osman's restautrant for this. What a guy! Or should I say what a couple, as he is married to a scottish lady, Lynne. Osman is the go-to man for any problem it seems, even medical emergencies as previously happened to another couple. Osman arranged for our fuel can to be collected, taken and filled up at a servo some way from town, and returned within an hour, while we did a little provisioning and enjoyed a cuppa at his restaurant. He was making delicious zucchini fritters and brought out two for us to eat while waiting. We paid a small amount for this assistance, but the cuppa and fritters were gratis! So, we stayed around in Bozburun for a while.....

We met David and Kate from SV Vakated, who have a slightly younger model of boat as Kirrikie, who are also very experienced sailors, know the are very well, and were incredibily helpful to us over the next few days. Thanks to them we have definitely improved our sailing skills and have got to know our own boat better. The next day Gillian and Dave sailed in, so we picked them up in dinghy and headed into Osman's for dinner. Later Bernard, who had been at Osman's all afternoon, nursing a beer or two as his outboard motor needed repairs, needed a lift home, so we added him to our party and dropped him off on the way back. All a bit merrier, louder and  wondering if Bernard was indeed the drunken sailor, but he was quite ok.. 

Gillian and Dave departed to check out of Turkey to head to Greece, Kate and Dave drifted off after a final good natter, and after sorting out some legal paperwork with the help of Gurkan, recommended by Kate, we decided to leave, waving at the temporarily stranded Bernard on the way. Time to turn back to Marmaris. 

And wow, what a great sail. Our first time in an area where other yachts are out just for the fun of it, it was lovely. Until the wind dropped as we glided slowly past the Turkish coastguard and then our engine wouldn't start... but that's another story. Or not, I'll leave that there.

Eventually we pulled into a small cove, Serce Limani, where we had to tackle the dreaded stern-to mooring. * Stern-to means you put down your anchor, then reverse towards the rocky shoreline, and tie two lines from your boat to the shore so you don't swing around the anchor. The main reason for this is the angle of the seabed is sharp and deep, and you'd need so much anchor chain out you couldn't anchor safely. You can either take the lines back by dinghy or swim them ashore. It should be done relatively quickly to stabilise the boat, and I hate it.  We took a while to achieve the right effect, with nooo swearing or yelling. As if. 

When all was calm again we looked around to see one yacht happily at anchor  - SV Vakated. Over ensuing drinks - naturally - then dinner as we overstayed our welcome, David provided some good advice on how what we did right, and how we could improve our technique. Because watching other boats come in and the shenanigans that goes on makes much better viewing than Netflix.  

Then next day we pushed on closer to Marmaris, with an appointment with electricians due the next day. This time we pulled into the waters in from of Turunc, a seaside touristy town set into steep hills selling cheap T-shirts, bucket and spades, ice-creams etc. But very nice to stroll around, and we found a breezy roof-top cafe for a yummy dinner looking over the beach, spying on Russian and English vacationers making the most of the last rays of sun. A perfect end to our holiday.

Turunc. Spying on tourists and Kirrikie.

PS The best part of this is you meet wonderful people, in a marina or in a bay, sometimes forming meaningful relationships sharing more than sailing stories,  then you say goodbye not knowing if it's forever , or a few months or even a day.  You're sad, but then around the corner you meet someone else who enriches your life and so it goes on. We have been blessed so far in this short time  - thank you Finikians and everyone since then xx

Marmaris. Our love / hate relationship

 Now where were we?

Yes, just arrived in Marmaris, for 1 week, to complete some additions or upgrades. Then we were off to explore before my sister Karen and her husband Lloyd arrived for 5 days. Or so we thought...

... We have picked up a saying since arriving in Turkey. The plans of sailors are made in the sand at low tide.  Well, that bloody tide has been all over the bloody place, and we are hestitant to even approach the beach these days.

I'm not going to launch into a long-winded rant (what a nice change), as in reality we're not in the Ukraine, or Syria, or the Sudan, so nothing to complain about. Suffice to say that we ended up staying in Marmaris for 2+weeks, with repeat trips back for bloody-hell-what-now repairs.

View from the old town across part of Marmaris Bay

We had 1 week free in the marina at Marmaris as part of our contract with the Setur Marina group, and the rest was spent on anchor around Marmaris Bay. The marina is huge, officially with places for 720 boats, but to us it looked like thousands!! There was a tantalising swimming pool in a restaurant at the end of our jetty - ooohh posh - but despite the heat, we were too busy to visit this until the end of our stay. Very noice it was finally.

Thank heavens this was a share platter

Our first week started incredibly well. We had contacted an agent, Jes, prior to arriving with a list of things we needed help with, and he coordinated the work with specialists he knew and trusted. Our minds were blown when the tradies turned up so quickly and got started. We had riggers on the top and perspex fitters inside the boat at the same time. Mike and I just looked at each other in amazement. Jes visited each day to check on progress, and sourced parts for us. He even got down 'n dirty helping us fix a leak in the water heater (trying to stop our mysterious freshwater leak). 

Unfortunately things did slow down, a natural consequence of ordering parts, and then needing to schedule installation, as hundreds of yachts try to get work done before June. Thus, we moved into the bay to wait. This gave us more opportunities to perfect our anchoring and stern-to skills..... sadly still far from perfect.

We got too familiar with the all night doof-doof and laser lights and swinging boats, and chaffed at the bit as days went past. Luckily we were joined briefly by Ian and Malia from SV Longo Mai, who had experienced their own frustrations with repairs in Finike. We had a brief visit to the castle I'd been gazing at from afar for days, before they left to continue on to Istanbul. 

The castle has been well restored; indeed people were living in 18 'houses' in the complex, until it was restored in 1991. Walls surrounding the city were first erected in 3000BC, but records show that the castle was built by Suleiman the Magnificent in the 15th century.  The Turks are proud of the defence of the castle during WW1 against the French: 

"In 1913 a German ship escaped from the French cruisers and by passing the strait of Marmaris took refuge in the port. The Turkish soldiers protecting the port did not surrender the German ship to the French and duly performed their duty. Thereupon, the French ships mined the port. ..   the security officer and the gunnery officer demined and rendered about 48 mines harmless overnight. Faced with this situation in July and August of 1914, the French ships bombarded the Marmaris castle. The cannon shot caused great damage in the castle and most of it is destoyed. Afterwards, the French navy disembarked but had to go back to sea against the superhuman efforts of the two officers and the heroic resistance of the Turkish soldiers to protect the castle."

Our extra days also gave us also gave us to wander around and appreciate more of the old town and port areas of Marmaris, which were touristy, but very pretty. 

Most memorable modifications? well, since you asked...

1. The weird smell in the aft head (speakada lingo) turned out to be dangerously frying batteries under the berth (bed) about to be inhabited by our guests. One call at 5pm to Jes resulted in alarmed electricians turning up 20 minutes later. Immediately replacement of all house batteries. We were lucky to be in the marina, and not go up in flames and down into the sea.

2. Turning down the suggestion we get get lithium batteries we eventually spent money on an electric winch - our baby. Mike tells everyone it's because I'm so weak, we need help to get him up the mast. True. But he/we have used it for unfurling and furling the mainsail, the headsail, and the lifting the heavy end of the dinghy. Love love love it.

3. The loo. I hope you're not eating right now.....   due to an unfortunate brainfail when reconnecting some hoses, on our 'nth' attempt to get the front loo/head working, we had a very unpleasant version of a chocolate fountain. Cannot tell you how yucky this was. Cleaned and fixed. But more shuddering on Mike's part when he had to cut a hose to fit a one-way valve - which then failed. So we had to wait for another one... I do feel sorry for the electricians who were on board at the time. But it's now working !!! Oh the relief.

4. Mike took the boat out with an engineer on board to see what the problem was with our propeller, and why the overdrive function of Gori folding prop didn't work as it should. Unfortunately the diagnosis wasn't encouraging - the gear box ratio is inappropriate for the size of the boat's propeller, so cannot reach the revs it is supposed to, and clogs the turbo. So we need to replace the propeller with either a smaller one, or a standard propeller. This means taking the boat out of the water, we won't be doing that yet, so for now we use the engine without the overdrive, which is noisier and uses more fuel. Bummer.

What we had done or did ourselves:

Rigging - The shrouds (standing rigging) were back to front (??) - so these were taken down and installed correctly; The boom vang had seized, so this was serviced; The furler mechanism for both sails were checked and serviced, as were the clutches; The traveller bracket was replaced; The riggers installed fittings for a detachable inner forestay, so we can add a staysail (small sail for bad weather). 

Electrical work included 3 fans, new batteries, relocate and replace the bilge pump, new anchor control switches, installation of the electric winch, and new macerator for the loo.

We had the perspex in 3 large hatches and 2 side windows replaced. In less than 24 hours. So happy.

The engine was serviced professionally, identified problems with the turbo, which was taken away for repairs. The anchor windlass was serviced, the outboard propeller fixed (it couldn't cope with all the trips ferrying the tradies to the boat in the bay), and the start motor solenoid was fixed. 

In between all the work we had a great few days visiting Bozukkale, Bozburun, Turunc and KaDirGa Koyu (sounds like an '80s boy band) before returning to Marmaris for the great sister's reunion.

Turunc, with Kirrikie at top right

Shakedown sail - Finike to Marmaris

 At approximately 7.30pm on Sunday 7th May, Sulyman the Magnificent sealed the last zipper on our shade and summer enclosure. We clapped, and grinned at each other. At last we could leave Finike. At least til we return in June...

For those not familiar, a shakedown sail or cruise is the one where you venture out to test your boat repairs/additions so that you can make final tweaks. We had always planned to head to Marmaris, approximately 112nm from Finike, as soon as we could to get some assistance with rigging, sails and other work not achievable, or too expensive, in Finike. Marmaris is one of THE places to go in the Med to fix, modify, purchase anything for boats (as long as you don't want to import anything, in which case, give up). But first, we had to get there. We had one working sail, a dodgy engine, or propeller (not sure), and a loo and a bilge pump that were causing us some angst to put it mildly, but in Mike's infamous words, what could possibly go wrong. 

We left on Monday 8th, on time (!!) heading for Kekova, the area we had stayed at before 19nm's away. We had given ourselves a week to reach Marmaris so we could explore a few new areas, and take shelter from strong winds later in the week. To head from east along this coastline means mostly motoring because there's no wind or right on the nose winds. As we had unpleasant weather ahead, we had to use the 'iron sail' most of the trip to keep on track, but it was pleasant enough to be out, and inititally, the prop seemed to be working ok.

Kirrikie in Kekova, UK flag on the back, Turkish flag starboard, and Aussie flag on the portside. Sunshades on the side and back can be rolled up.

(Note: we have a Gori folding prop, which can be the bees knees but also a bit tricky. Don't ask me to explain it properly, but it can be put into 'overdrive' so that it pushes the boat further for less fuel, but ours was playing up. Mike has dived on it cleaned it, manipulated it and replaced anodes, and it seemed to be ok when we left....)

Info on our propeller

The area around Kekova has been described as the Turkish Whitsundays, and it is. Except with castles, ruins, small restaurants and the pushy we'll-pretend-you're-not-there tourist gullets. The sun was shining, and it was a beautiful day to be gliding past Simena Kalesi, or castle, before entering the inlet to the sheltered bay near Kaleucagiz, our first stop. As is our norm, we bickered about where to put the anchor, which is pathetic as there was plenty of room with no boats close to the end of the bay.  

Simena Kalesi. No sign of any dragons..

We might have been a little tense, as during the day the bloody bilge pump kept going off. The problem was, once the float was activated it wouldn't re-set, so this required us pulling apart the seat near the table, lifting the small floorboard, grabbing the float tool nearby - a pair of metal tongs - and folding myself in half to reach down and give the bloody thing a good talking to while tapping the float so it bobbed up. It got quite repetitive after a while. The other issue was that it was fresh water in the bilge. Where was it coming from?? It has been a problem for a while, which we were expecting to fix in Marmaris, but now it was a more serious issue as the pump was going off more reguarly. To make it even worse, we couldn't get water from the starboard water tank - had we just lost 300l (50% of our water supply)?

Well, this is fun...

Where did I put that thingy?

Water tanks under our bed

  So here we were in paradise, pulling the boat apart including our bed, following all the hoses, checking for leaks. Opening up the inspection hatch on the starboard water tank expecting to see dregs at the bottom we discovered it was completely full. 

  What The?? The impossible was happening, we were generating our own water, which was draining into the bilge... I would have preferred it to be wine filling the fridge. Mystery unsolved, bed and boat put back into place, bilge pump temporarily asleep, we escaped and headed off to the nearby village for a drink. Or two. 

  We headed into one of the few places we could leave a dinghy, in front of Hassan's restaurant. Tucked into small bays along the coastline are family run restaurants that help with mooring and docking, with the understanding that you will have a meal in their restaurant. Hassan the Gallant, waved us in, and helped haul me out of the dinghy. I think Mike had ordered his drink before placing a foot on solid ground. We blew the budget on a excellent meal of meze, calamari, sea bream and prawns, chatted to Bjorn who we knew from Finike, solved all the problems of the world except ours, before exploring the tiny village and returning to Kirrikie for a great nights sleep.

Punctuated by jumping up to swear and attack the bilge...

Bjorn advising...

The next day we headed to the town of Kas (pronounced Kash), a small distance of 16nm, where we ignored the beckoning marina, motored around the corner and put the anchor down in the early afternoon at Bilal's Beach.  It. Was. Stunning. It was the first time we really couldn't believe "we are HERE"!  There were nearby small restaurants and accommodation that were still gearing up for 'the season', lots of cleaning, welding, drilling going on - and hell to health and safety - but none of that took away the magic we felt that afternoon. We went ashore to explore, thinking we would investigate some tombs in the cliffs above us, but a) Mike was in thongs, the footwear type, b) I am heat and slope advserse unless I have my walking poles with me and c) there were cool drinks to be had in the bar.  So we piked out.

On our way back we headed over to SV Ula for a very welcome cuppa and chat with Dee and Kev, other ex-Finikieans, with the luxury of no fixed plans and plenty of time. And working water-maker and loos. Perfect.

The thing about Kas that amazes me is that it is one of the places where the Greek/Turkish border is very close to mainland Turkey. Part of our route planning was to ensure we went the correct side of rocks to avoid crossing into Greek Territory. The Greek island of Kastellorizo, where we shall be meeting up with my sister and brother-in-law in a few weeks, is closer to Kas than Rottnest Island is to Perth. Mind blowing.

While we were tempted to stay longer, we pointed Kirrikie back out to sea again on Wednesday morning, to make the longer journey of 53nms to Fethiye. It was indeed a longer day, our 3rd with the engine on, and while I appreciated this meant hot water showers, I was a little grumbly about not putting the sail up. We tried several times, in conditions which were not favourable, only succeeding at the end of the day for about 20 minutes before we rounded the headland and headed for the anchorage of Fethiye South Bay. Very well protected, this was to be our sanctuary for 3 days, while outside strong winds from the west howled, preventing us from moving further.

I'm gonna be straight up - I loved Fethiye. A very pretty town/city much larger than I expected, quite touristy, but in my mind just lovely. I had recently finished reading 'Birds without Wings' by Louis de Bernieres (thank you Betty x) which is set in this area of Turkey, covering the collapse of the Ottoman empire, including the battles at Gallipoli. I can't recommend it highy enough. Many towns or cities are referred to by the name they were before the country was, as described elsewhere, torn apart by "the twin scourges of religion and nationalism". The author often referred to a city called Telmessos, which is now known as Fethiye. As legend tells it, Telmessos is the son (or sons, just to throw in a dollop of legendary confusion) of the God Apollo. Telmessos means land of lights. Sadly this name was replaced in the 10th century by the greek Makri or Mekri, which became Megri until 1934, when it was renamed Fethiye in honour of one of the first Turkish pilots, Captain Fethi Bey, who died in 1914 when his plane crashed during at attempt to fly from Istanbul to Cairo. 

Fethiye has also experienced a few disastrous earthquakes, in 1957 when 90% of the city was destroyed, and two more in 1969 and 2011. Poor Turkey. 

We filled our days exploring the town, watching the antics of other boats and the massive pirate-themed gullets, relaxing just bit and taking advantage of the facilities of the nearby marina. Bluntly, if the shower doors ain't locked, I'm gunna use 'em. And the toilets, because it had become clear to us that our loo with the blackwater tank just wasn't working properly. Now, you can get help from marine electricians, riggers, carpenters, engineers, sailmakers, upholsterers, refridgerator and airconditioning experts, stainless steel workers.... anything but a marine plumber. No money in the world is worth taking that one on. So we, or in reality Mike, were alone with this one. Unfortunately for you, more on that to come later.

While floating around near Fethiye Mike had a brainwave. After pulling apart the back half of the boat, he finally found a slow but persistent leak coming from a fitting to the water heater. Ahhh-Ha!! he shouted. This leak wound it's way under the engine to a small hose not in the boat schematics, that led to the bilge. Our freshwater leak. Or at least, part of of it. We added that to the growing list of items that we needed to fix when we got to Marmaris. Since we had moved onto the boat there seemed to a never ending issue with pumps and leaks.

Finally, on Sunday morning, the weather outside improved as predicted, we up anchored - crossing our fingers that we hadn't become snagged on the long anchor chain of a gullet, like two boats we had seen do, and made the slow journey to Marmaris, 49nm away. And it was slow. We had to be at Marmaris to move into the Setur Marina next day, so no pottering or sailing for fun. The goring prop was playing up badly, clanking and shuddering underfoot, refusing to change out of overdrive, while at the same time reaching a maximum of 1100rpms and but only a speed of 3.4 knots, often dropping to less than 2knots, so basically not making any headway against building winds and waves. We decided we could try tacking across the open water closer to Marmaris, away from an island and military zone. Up went our one sail, with some brute force at the front from Mike as it wouldn't come all the way out without help - another problem on the list. As I tried to helm as close as I could to the wind in 22 knots without going too far away from where we were trying to be, I had to admit this was my come-uppance for wanting to sail. Tack back. The the wind started to change direction and die away, and it became a challenge between me and the dwindling wind to try to inch forward, with the help of our lagging engine. There were no other places to shelter in the conditions we had, we had to get to Marmaris. We finally reached the smaller bay between towering hills that was the beginning of the final approach to Marmaris. Time to put the sail away, motor on, we're almost there. 

And bingo, a howling 34 knots on the nose, trying to push us backwards. We struggled on, finally getting up to 3 knots again, just enough to make slow progress. Marmaris is set in a huge picturesque round bay, and once we passed through the small entrance, all became peaceful and welcoming. At 7.50pm we let down our anchor close to the marina, sighed with relief, and reached for the beer and gin.

We had a great week, but now we looked forward to a week of fixing things with the help of some professionals. Phew!

The lights of Kas

Part 2 - The Ancient City of Olympos

 After ascending and descending Mt Olympos to view the Eternal Flames, it was on to lunch at the seaside village of Cirali and then the ruins of Olympos.

Eucalyptus to make us homesick

Malia aka Betty showing me how to train local cats

Cirali reminded me very much of the small seaside towns in Victoria and NSW, with many services shut and waiting for the summer influx of tourists. As Cirali is located in the Beydaglari Coastal National Park, nestled next to beach and surrounding hills, there are development limitiations, so no big tourist resorts or buildings, but many small BnB and bunglows planted in windy dirt roads. Plenty of cafes, tour operators and small shops. Perfect for backpackers and families wanting some down time with the option of land or sea-based activities (I should be getting paid for this..). 

An important part of the national park is the 3 kilometre long beach, which is an important breeding ground for Caretta caretta - loggerhead sea turtles. Ecological tourism helps protect these turtles, and the beach is punctuated by large poles, marking out turtle nests.

After our lunch in a small cafe, we drove half way up the beach and naively I suggested we could walk from there to the southern end of the beach to see Olympos, ignoring Ian's comments that we would have to cross a small stream. How hard could it be?

The sand of this beach is described somewhere as fine-grained sand. Pffff - the 'walk' was mostly a case of ankle wrenching wobbles over course-grained sand held in place by large pebbles evolving into small rocks. Very Crunchy. We came to small stream coursing out of the hills and onto the beach. In reality it wasn't that bad, but certainly there was no way around getting your feet wet - if you're 5 foot nothing. As I tackled this part, a very helpful dog came bounding and therefore splashing up to me to give me encouragement. Wonderful. Why didn't I listen to Ian, and we drive around the village a couple of Ks to get to the site the correct way??

But it was worth it. Walking along we looked along the beautiful beach, imagining a moored boat in the corner, and then spying a castle on the cliffs above us. I was suitably impressed, thinking this was Olympos itself. I was wrong - again.

The Acropolis/Castle - full points to Malia for getting this shot looking up into the sun in poor light

Passing the cliff we turned right onto a boardwalk next to the Akcay Stream and immediately ooohed and ahhed over some sarcophagi in the rock next to us.

Detail of the tomb of Captain Eudomos

The City of Olympos has a varied and chequered history, and to be honest, I'm not sure how to sum it up. Olympos is situated in a small valley between towering hills next to a small river/stream. It was re-discovered only relatively recently, and at times we were aware we were wandering on uneven pathways which were without doubt on undiscovered buldings or tombs. In fact there is no record of Olympos after the 15th century, it was left to succumb to the forces of nature and became overgrown.

Looking up at the Acropolis from within the site

It is thought The City was founded in the 3rd century, with a sarcophogus and wall dated idenitifed as 4th century BC. It became an important city of the Lycian League - one of the big six -  and minted it's own coins at the end of the 2nd century BC. Then it became so big it started minting it's own coins, separate from the league.  And this is because the city had become a city of pirates ... there's the plot twist you were waiting for.

Due to it's sheltered position, the pirate Zekenites had taken control of the City and was the scourge of the Mediterrean for quite a while. His reign came to an end in 78BC, when it was captured by the Roman commander, Servilius Isauricis and his off-sider, Julius Caesar. Death was better than capture though, so Zekenites set fire to his own house and perished in the flames.

Olympos then became part of the Roman Empire, at one time re-named Hadrianopolis after a visit by the Emperor Hadrian. The remains include a theatre, acropolis, roman walls, a bath house and many sarcophogi.  Mike was particuarly interested in one attributed to Marcus Aurelius, until Ian informed us that Marcus Aurelius was a very common name, and it might as well have been Bill Smith. 

PS I pinched these photos from Malia

Sometime in the 3rd century, Olympos became a bishopry, so some of the ancient ruins include Christian buildings and churches. Although no longer a residential bishopry Olympos is still registered as a titular see. Apparently that means it is a dead diocese. I would have thought it's time to let it go...

The Australian Tax Office is everywhere 

Fortified window of the ruins of a chapel

What is left of a bathhouse, tantilising unaccessible over the river

It was such a full day, we finally left in the dying hours of the day, and since my phone camera battery was simply exhausted, I have pinched a couple of Malia's photos - she with a real camera, 2 phones and some talent - including this one of the bathhouse, and the one below of an old crone left behind by a previous civilisation. If you're interested in a better explanation and photos, please read Malia's blog of the same outing.

Sailing Longo Mai