Selcuk -Ephesus 28th- 30th May

From Fethiye the bus trip to Aydin was uneventful. Pamukkale bus line is the best of all the buses we have been on over the last month - non smoking drivers, clean buses and a bus host who gives out snacks/water from an aisle trolley. At Aydin we transferred onto our first train in Turkey- a line that goes to Selcuk and Izmir. Cost NZD$5 each. Our hotel was the cleanest, nicest we have stayed at. Even quieter than Cirali - no roosters.

It has been renovated by investors and run by staff who understand attention to detail, something of a rarity in Turkey.

The reason you come to Selcuk is the proximity to Ephesus, a ancient Greek city once on the Aegean Sea coast. It is no longer on the coast being 7km inland due to sea level rise some 7,000 years ago and silt buildup of the rivers from centuries of deforestation and overgrazing. The temple of Artemis was known as one of the seven wonders of the Ancient world. Ephesus has been ransacked many, many times over the centuries and infamous rulers such as Alexandra the Great, Mark Antony/ Cleoprata have passed through.

We walked the 3km to Ephesus coming in the bottom gate. Tourist are driven to the top gate in multiple buses to walk down the hill in the 27C heat to be picked up by their bus.

There was not too many at 9am thankfully. The onslaught is usually from 10am.

The Celsus library remnants.

Medusa as a centre piece on the facade of the Hadrians Temple.

What was disappointing was that the latest restoration, with the assistance of Austria, the reuse of various marble/ limestone blocks, of what had obviously been a floor block with door holes for moving the great doors, were placed halfway up a 6m archway on its side!!
Granted civilisations pilaged from each other for centuries but you would think in 2018, when they restarted restoration, they could have taken more care.  The highlight for us was the restoration of what had been known as the terrace houses up a hillside.

Remnants of wall frescoes in a hillside house.

The terrace houses have a roof cover up the hillside so was very cool and quiet. The bus tourist do not tend to go in, a selfie photo in front of the library is their objective.

9am

11am...the dowhill tourists.

What was known as the Odeon for meetings in Roman times.

We walked back to Selcuk via peach, nectarine and orange orchards which was a delight. The town itself is small, only 38,000 people. Geared to feeding, housing visitors and servicing the hortculture hinterland.  Streets are filled with hort equipment and so many turkish eating houses.

Local butcher sausages hanging outside.

Storks are nesting, many with young chicks, on any high point in the town. You can hear the parents clicking away.

To our absolute delight we found a pizza store with vegetarian pizzas. After a month of doner, kebabs, skewers of "meat" of questionable age and history, being mostly dodged by us we have done very well.

Last day in Selcuk we will visit the museum then on a train to Izmir where we fly out of on Sunday morning to Geneva, Switzerland to start our cycling for two weeks.

25th - 27th May Fethiye

As you travel by bus on the D400 Coastal route from Cirali to Fethiye we passed numerous tiny cove beaches that cars lined both sides of the road to access. Bends, double parking no worries.

Vast areas on the plains are under plastic growing year round fruit and vegetables. Bulk tomatoes, eggplant, peppers, bananas, melon and strawberries and everything in between.

Hectares of plastic tunnel houses.

Even up the hillsides plastic tunnel houses.

Fethiye is known for its natural harbour, proximity to Rhodes, Greece. It also has many near shore islands for day tripping. Due to two earthquakes (magnitude 7) a day apart in 1957 the town and port were flattened and then rebuilt. Another big one in 1969 required more rebuilding so not too many "old" buildings here, although in saying that the construction here does not age well. Crumbling concrete etc. We are staying in a hotel beside the marina so plenty of activity. Earplugs required to sleep though. A huge seafood market in the town where you can choose your fish and they will deliver your choice to one of the many restaurants surrounding the market.

Hilmi fish market

7.30pm diners, most folks eat after 8pm. Too late for the Sewells

Early morning view from our hotel window.

There is a Tuesday market here, repeated Friday. Every imaginable fruit and vege fresh from the grower. Already 25C at 9am so thankfully under cover. We bulked up our supplies for breakfast. 

Turkish cheese, not a patch on French but they try.

Nuts and spice.

At least they are honest about it. Every highend label of any clothing item, bag, etc is sold as fakes. The quantity of clothing, footware, leathergoods has to be seen to be believed.

White loaves are the norm.

Swept around the historical sights, mostly tombs or remains there of. They are restoring a Roman theatre but really the town is geared to the harbour, boating and fishing. Temperatures are climbing 27/28C with 30C by the weekend. Our timing to move on from Turkiye on Sunday will be perfect but in the meantime we notice more UK, European tourists as we move to Western Turkiye, the out of condition English certainly stand out as they expose as much flesh as possible to the Turkish sun, quite revolting. Also quite noticable is a more relaxed dress code amongst the Turkish females, a lot less of the devout muslim dressing like hijab, chador, burka etc.

Spent the last day at Fethiye out on the water in boat run by a family called Jerrys Boat. 

Leaves the harbour area around 9.30am returning 4pm. The son, Jerry, has been the
skipper for 37 years following on from his father who probably did 40 years. All the boat operators compete for customers and the best coves/bays to pull into for anchoring for the swimmers and snorkelers.  They provide a lunch onboard and general patter on the areas topography. One of the islands is called Rabbit Island where boaties feed the rabbits. I kid you not.  Water was 23C according to Jerry, too cold for a seasoned Turk but relished by those that swam off the boat.

Jerry cooking kebabs

Rabbits being encouraged by all who take food to the island. If you say to anyone they are a pest in NZ so we shoot and poison them to save crops and the landscape they are aghast.

Tomorrow away to Selcuk/Ephesus to see the ancient city ruins for a couple of days.

21st - 24th May Antalya - Cirali

 The bus ride from Goreme to Antalya was quite the journey. Anticipated 7hrs became 9hrs. Not for any particular reason, just a milk run with multiple stops. Arrival at the Antalya Otogar we then searched for a local bus into the old city centre. Grateful for feeling safe in Turkey because once off the local bus we walk through not the most salubrious alley ways to find the hotel. We were ravenous after only snacks since Goreme so headed out into the Friday night old city in seach of something edible. The Luna Garden was the best meal we have had thus far, a seven vegetable salad bowl!! 

Near our hotel these chaps clear out the dumpster of cardboard, anything they can resell.

Next morning, Friday, after unable to find a bus back to the Otogar due to Friday prayers we got a taxi, NZD$10 as against 50c for the bus. Bati Antalya bus company does the coastal route to Fethiye picking up and dropping off on the way. The bus driver gets phone calls as we are bombing along, draws into a siding, someone will give a parcel/ letter,  folded Turkish Lira, a cash society. At a stop people will harangue him for not picking them up even though the bus is full. By the time we got to the Cirali junction there were 6 people standing in the aisle although the sign inside the bus states categorically 31 seated, no-one standing. All very entertaining.

Cirali is a very small coastal village with the best beach in Turkey so claimed. Feels very Pacific Island with lush vegetation, houses dotted amongst orchards. They grow citrus, avocados, pomegrante etc. Is very, very quiet. We have what they call a bungalow, to us a motel room, spacious in a citrus orchard. Only noise is roosters crowing and the call to prayer from the mosque 200mtrs behind us. First call 5.10am so it does wake you but able to nod off again whereas everywhere else so far it has been 4am-ish.  Next week is Eid al Adha for a public holiday week, being the Feast of Sacrifice, on the Muslim calendar. Which  means this area will be jammed but for us now hardly a soul about and after the last three weeks travelling a welcome respite.

Quite  dramatic backdrop. A pebbly beach.

Hard to believe all these loungers are full in the summer season.

Jeff could not wait to get into the Mediterranean again. Water temp maybe 20C.

One of the two reasons you come to Cirali is the ancient ruins of Olympos. What had been a Roman port city at the mouth of a deep ravine at the southern end of Cirali beach. Settled by the Lycians from around 15th century BC before being assimilated into the Roman Empire 43 AD.  Abandoned, it was taken on in the 5th century by Byzantines until they also abandoned it. Choke full of churches, house ruins and many tombs. 

Walk to the ruins. Note the remains of the lookout towers at right.

Remains of a lions head, upside down, from one of the tombs

Remains of the temple gate honouring Marcus Aurelius. The facade has fallen off. The gateway opening at 6m high. How did they get them erected in 170AD?

An important chaps tomb remains. Like everywhere when one civilastion moves on the next civilisation reuse the materials at hand. Not unsual to see parts of a tomb used in a house or for roading. Needs must. Tomb raiders also punched holes in the sarcophogus (tombs) looking for treasure.

The other reason to visit Cirali is the Mt Chimaera eternal flames. A 4km walk from where we are staying to the bottom of the mountain then maybe 1300mtr up to the saddle. After 1000mtr you begin to pass flames flickering out of the rock cracks/ openings as you continue climbing. Of course steeped in mythology being the monster of Chimaera; three formed beast: parts being lion, goat, python as described by Homer.

The constantly burning fires are from methane and hydrogen gases escaping.

Monster of Chimaera

Lots of folks arrive on dusk to see flames at their best but I did not want to be staggering about rocky hillsides in the dark, headlight notwithstanding.

And yes folks toast marshmallows over the flames.

The saddle view looking towards Cirali

After yesterdays activity we decided on a slow morning then the beach for the afternoon. If you spent two hours sun bathing without sunblock at the beach in NZ you would be fried whereas around the Mediterranean you barely notice, way less ultraviolet due to the thicker atmospheric filter and angle of the sun.  A lot more folks about today for the start of the holiday.

Citrus orchard at Mercan Bungalow - our Cirali oasis

Our bungalow with deck and important washing line.

An idyllic scene motoring in the turquoise blue Turkish Mediterranean.

Tomorrow we leave Cirali for Fethiye by shuttle and bus. Planning a Fethiye Bay boating trip on one of the days there.