Beach at Ӧlüdeniz
By Claire
Quite a contrast, right? We left Pamukkale this morning at 7:45 am thinking we had a 5 or 6 hour drive. It was storming and more rain and very cold temperatures were predicted so we decided to head south like a bat out of hell. Along the way over the mountains (1880 meters, about 6,167 feet) we ran into snow. We saw the sun ahead and with fantastic roads and virtually no traffic, we were in Fethiye by 11:20. Of note in this town are the Lycian Tombs carved into rock from 350 B.C. Spectacular!
The town is also known for its sarcophagi from 450 B.C. They can be found in the middle of streets, in gardens and in parks; the town was built around them.
This map of southwestern Turkey may help you figure out where we are right now. We will be heading to Xanthos, Patara, Kas, Olympos and Antalya in the coming weeks.
We made a beeline for our campground, Sugar Beach Club, located right on the Blue Lagoon in the dinky town of Ӧlüdeniz. At high season, this place is jumping and the place to be if you're into partying. There are lots of beach bars selling Mojitos—except for the fact that everything is closed down and very quiet now. Let me just say that traveling in the off season is the only way to go. We have this campground to ourselves, as usual. We're just happy they're open!
Upon arriving, Chuck asked me to hand him the electrical cord so he could get us hooked up. We keep it in the pantry closet. Even though I had mentioned several times on the drive that we needed to open the pantry door very carefully because of all the speed bumps we had driven over, causing everything to jump up and crash down, I completely forgot. Of course. I opened the door without a care in the world and the first thing that flew out was our big jar of honey (13 TL!). Crash! I guess we were lucky it landed on the steps leading out. While I surveyed the inside of the pantry, realizing that one of the shelves had come loose, it was apparent that we needed to pull everything out RIGHT NOW before more things like wine bottles, olive oil and Balsamic vinegar joined the honey. I swept up the glass while Chuck scooped up the honey. He soaped it up with hot water (our electric tea kettle is so handy!) and soon we were sitting down to lunch. Later we went on a bike ride to town, bought more honey and some bread and took a walk on the beach. Gorgeous and very warm!
His reward was a piece of apple cake he found in the store. I had a bite and it was delicious.
Right now he is reinstalling the shelf after asking the campground owner where he could find a place to drill new holes (the shelf was literally ripped out of the wall). The guy nicely offered to do it for him and Chuck came back smiling with 4 new holes.
Chuck at work.
Better than ever!
Oh, and the other disaster that occurred was finding my brand new toothbrush face down on the bathroom floor.
Patience is bitter, but it bears sweet fruit. ~ Turkish Proverb
3 comments:
Love those tombs built into the rock faces. It reminds me of the cliff dwellings of the Anazai (sp) in our Southwest. Also, the valley of the Kings in Egypt. Turkey is just full of more and more surprises!
Carol,
We were so amazed by the tombs in the rock faces. I knew nothing about them so it was a pleasant surprise to read about them and then go find them. Turkey is a constant surprise. I recommend it to anyone who is looking for something different and cheap!
Claire
C&C,
Those tombs are like the rock carvings you'll see in Petra. I didn't realize they were anywhere else. Amazing.
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