Monday the 15th of April 2024 and we awake to a still morning on our own with a stunning view of the bay. One day its rubbish next day its amazing, you just cant believe the transformation from a windy dustbowl to a stunning bay. How lucky are we, time to be grateful.
We cruise the road along the Adriatic before stopping at a beachside stop next to Ahmetbeyli. Another stunning bay, and low key which we like. Its only 11am but we decide to stay, its too nice to drive on. The rest of the day is spent meters from the shore, watching fisherman cast their lines out, hopeful but without success. We have a few dogs about and as usual they are all sleepy in the sun, later we also have some young people turn up, fires on the beach are lit but it looks harmless at this point. Its a great spot to stay but at 3am with those now not so cute dogs barking up and down the beach it stretches the cuteness a bit. We do have some luck, the small campsite at the end of the road allows us to empty and fill our tanks. You really need to be a motorhomer to understand how wonderful the feeling is as you drive off full of water and empty of the rest!
Our destination today is the ancient city of Aphrodisias, a Greek city from over 2000 years ago. Yes we have seen a few ancient cities in our travels but cant pass up another with a look at the crumbling ruins, imagining what it was like back then. This one includes a stunning theatre area and what would have been a central bathing area with sunken pools. Pass me another peeled grape please. Its a shame the museum is closed for cleaning, apparently it contains numerous marble statues that would have been good to see. We where going to stay in the carpark overnight but its only 3pm so decide to head the 100km to Pamukkale for the travertine baths which we will check out tomorrow. We are now parked up on a hill overlooking Pamukkale, no dogs yet and we are currently all alone.
The only sound we here early this morning are the tinkling bells of the flock of sheep grazing on the adjacent fields. Opening the door we are greeted by the sight of soaring balloons and hang gliders over the ancient site. Its a quick pack up and off to the site before the crowds. We count 20 huge tourist buses as we pull into the carpark, looks like they beat us to it. Its not too bad apart from the selfie crowd. The travertine pools are amazing and a warm flow of mineral water flows down a channel that is popular for dunking your feet into, so we indulge and yes its very soothing. The whole area of these pools is huge but now only a few have water, must have been a site to see in its day. Walking further on you lose the crowds and wander the area into the ancient Roman city of Hieropolis. It covers a staggering area and its preserved theatre area is stunning. Yes another Roman ruin, but a classic. Hopefully the photos do it justice
About 100km away is Salda Lake so we decide to go. Maybe an hour and half of driving and we get there, camp up near the waters edge with a couple of German vans. The wind has picked up so we chill out for a while to see what happens. The lake is interesting in its mineral content. Basically a type of magnesium water known for its health benefits, also its a crater lake and about 200m deep so not shallow. There are some cute dogs, just puppies really, so we cook up some rice, add dog biscuits and give them a feed. They seem pretty happy.
The morning is still but along the lake when we walk its cold and windy. Some young Turkish guys that must have made camp later in the night have bogged there little sedan. After a while I manage to grab one of the German guys and we push it out for them, they seem pretty happy with that result. We also have an English van that has arrived later yesterday so we manage a chat with them and swap war stories before we leave. Another bonus is the adjacent camp site allows us to empty and fill with water, so happy days.
We continue our journey back to the coast, towards Fethiye about 2 hours away. Its not a pleasant drive at all, dusty and rugged, but we do pass some huge quarries of travertine, limestone and marble which are fascinating to see with the hillside carved away in blocks. On the way we find a roadside stop that may do for the night, but its a tip. A lovely spot next to a small river surrounded by tall pine trees, but it could be your local tip rather than an ideal spot. We obviously don’t stay but are getting quite upset at the amount of rubbish that is your normal everyday picnic rubbish that is just tossed aside. We are used to rubbish having seen it all over the world but it seems to be more intense here and for some reason more disturbing. We eventually end up near the marina in Fethiye, parked up adjacent some huge boats or probably more accurately ships they are so big. We have a quiet evening and don’t see or hear the wild pigs that apparently come down from the hills in the evening and are fed carrots. Lucky its not Italy or all we would have heard are shotguns!
Unfortunately Vic is not feeling too good so we don’t stay but head off further down the coast. Its a beautiful drive along the winding coast road, the sea is churning and its a rugged coastline. Our destination is near the town of Kas, its near a lovely beach, just a small cove thats sheltered from the ocean. The park up is noisy and looks like they are setting up for a celebration in the near park so we move on. Its another windy drive down to a small village called Kaleucagiz, then a very tight drive to an area that is a ship renovation spot. Quite staggering the number of traditional Turkish boats being renovated here. They are all set up for touring the islands and it seems a mania to get them ready for the season. Our parkup spot is not great but once they finish for the evening should be quiet enough. Well we didn’t account for the rain which started about 3am, off and on at times quite heavy. The morning is blowing a gale so we hunker down for a bit to see if it clears. Vic is still not feeling too good so I head off up to the fort that looks over us and the bay on the other side. What a stunning view, the inlet is stormy and rugged at the moment but Im sure its stunning and busy in summer. Its such a magic spot and as we leave we see a number of walkers heading in from the other small village, they have probably been dropped off by bus.
Once I get back we head off towards Antalya, its another long and winding road along the coast. Its not that relaxing as the Turk drivers are impatient and insane as they continuously overtake on blind corners without any consideration for others, I just hang back and give them plenty of room. We eventually make Antalya and pull into the motorhome parkup they have set up. Apparently its new, has washing machines which we desperately need and its cheap. Not being used to paying to park its nice to know there are some added benefits. After some dramas with the washing machines,(no water), we manage to get through the numerous loads we where carrying and it now looks like a Chinese laundry around our spot. No improvement on Vics part so its a one man dinner again and an early night. Not the quietest night although it is Saturday and we are in a city so to be expected I suppose.
The main centre of Antalya is about a 5km walk so I head off leaving Vic to try and rest and perhaps recuperate. I head to the harbour but its a bit disappointing, no yachts, just tourist boats and terribly gaudy at that. I eventually find Hadrians gate and continue through the main tourist area, but I have to admit its very touristy with numerous tacky shops along the way, not much to see here Im afraid. Off shore on a boat it would be magnificent Im sure.
Later that day Vic has taken a turn for the worse and we decide to find a hospital. Google translate does help thats for sure but as you go through the system not everyone understands but we manage to get to see a doctor. Wasn’t that great, but she gets a jab with something, supposedly to relieve pain and nausea but although we continuously mention her erratic heart rate no one checks it. I think they are like most public hospitals, just overrun and understaffed. Anyway we are in and out in 30 minutes, would have been hours at home, hopefully the jab does the trick. Another bonus is we have the BBQ out for the first time this trip, although its again dinner for one.
The morning brings a little improvement to Vics condition so after a food shop we head off towards Side, a beachside resort but with Roman ruins. The trip is totally intense with traffic until we turn off to Side and park up near the beach. Its lunch and a bit of a rest for us now before we head off and see how far she can manage to walk. Turns out we go all the way to Side, past numerous beach resorts and into a nice town, albeit very touristy. Some work is being done on the ruins so we just get a bit of a mini tour and meander the local streets. In summer this place must be pumping, I guess there are a million beach chairs set along the beach front, well maybe a few less but a lot of chairs very close together. Our little spot in Sanur under the palm tree looks pretty good from here.
Our evening turns into a bit of a disaster, we did think Monday night should be fine, oh no, music, cars and doors thumping all night. Then at around 1pm the sprinkler system to the adjacent park comes on and every few minutes our van walls are hammered with water spray. Well its not always sweet on tour thats for sure. Vic has gone down hill again and we find a local doctors practice nearby that provides what the hospital should have, albeit at more expensive rate. The doctor is very thorough, speaks English and does all the tests. Turns out she has Swine Flu, well pigs might fly we would never have guessed that. Some medication and we are on our way, although this is going to take a while for her to feel normal. Today she is still very tired and feeling nauseous with a bad headache. Anyway we head off up through the mountains towards Turkeys central area, the traffic really thins out and the roads in general pretty good. We find a stop about 1pm, have some lunch and a well needed nap before deciding to move on to a stop by a dam about 2 hours away. You want serenity and quietness now you have it…
deanandvicsblog 
Beautiful places , love seeing your photos and your adventures
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