Tag Archives: Ölüdeniz

Ölüdeniz to Kas

December 19, 2014Backpacking, Travel, Turkeyapartment, Ölüdeniz, hot water, Kas, Mediterranean, viewkarenfranza

12/18 – We really loved our little apartment in Ölüdeniz. It was quiet, and the mountain scenery was beautiful. Because I am not a whiner, I haven’t said too much about the fact that we’ve not had a decent hot shower since we left Istanbul (although in Istanbul we had days where the whole neighborhood had no electricity or water…), and the sinks only run cold water, so we have to heat water on the stove to wash the dishes. I try to adjust my expectation level to my surroundings. I don’t want to be one of those people who demand that the rest of the world change to suit me.

All this to say, Jim rented us a modern apartment with a view of the ocean in Kas (rhymes with Posh) for Christmas week. I am considering this my best present ever!

A 20 minute dolmus ride got us back to the Fethiye otogar, where we walked right onto a bus heading for Kas at 9:30am. A two hour ride south along the Mediterranean coast, and we were there! Pics of gorgeous mountains and clouds from the bus:

As soon as we stepped off the bus, I knew we were in heaven. Right on the ocean, with balmy breezes, citrus trees and tropical flowers blooming.

Jim picked this apartment as it got a 9.1 rating on Booking.com (that’s very good!) However, new ratings within the past few weeks complained that a new hotel was being built next door, and the construction noise and jack hammering caused some people to change hotels. Jim emailed the proprietor with his concern, and said we would reserve for only one night, so we could assess how awful the noise was.

We arrived at Kaputas Apart, and walked up the 131 steps to reception. (Yes, I counted them! You have to suffer if you want to get a view…). The proprietor walked up with us, pointing out the apartment we had booked, then taking us up to the penthouse, where he was graciously upgrading us, so we would be above the noise! Oh happy day!

So here we are, with sinks that run both hot and cold, a stove that lights itself without fiddling with a match and a propane tank, a flat screen TV (no English channels, oh well), two couches, a dining area, a modern bath and a terrace with a view that can’t be beat!

Life is good!

Ölüdeniz – Kayakoy/Karmylassos

December 18, 2014Hiking, Travel, TurkeyÖlüdeniz, Greek Christians, hillside village, Karmylassos, Kayakoy, Nice People of Turkey, ruinskarenfranza

12/16 – today we went back to the Lycian Way and walked the other direction to visit Kayakoy, a hillside village that was abandoned after World War I, when the Turks drove the Greek Christians out of the country. The Greeks called it Karmylassos. Kayakoy is now being restored as a heritage site.

As we were walking, a car pulled up and asked if we needed a ride. We weren’t sure how much farther we had to walk to get to the village, and it was all uphill, so we jumped in. The Dutch couple had retired to Turkey, and thought we looked like foreigners. Nice People of Turkey!

It was strange to see what ruins look like after less than 100 years. We have been learning about the fall of the Ottoman Empire and the nationalization of Turkey in the early 1900s. For an excellent historical novel that tells the story of this village, I highly recommend Birds Without Wings, 2004, by Louis de Bernieres.

The village was eerily quiet. Here is the St. Nicholas Church.

The remains of a mosaic on a chapel floor:

The houses had been painted pink and blue.

The houses were cut into the mountainside, so the downstairs room was cool. No hint of electricity or plumbing. Here are the remains of a kitchen hearth.

We climbed to the top of the hill.

Some of the buildings at street level have been repurposed as restaurants, as tourists are starting to travel here.

The grass still grows, and the flowers still bloom.

Such beautiful surroundings for such a sad story!

Ölüdeniz – Babadag and the Lycian Way

December 17, 2014Hiking, Travel, TurkeyÖlüdeniz, Babadag, Likya Yolu, Lycian Waykarenfranza

12/14 – One of the main reasons Jim wanted to come to this town is that it is the start of a 300 mile way-marked trail called the Lycian Way, or Likya Yolu. Without our tent and stove, we are not prepared to hike this long and challenging trail, but we would like to do some day treks to hike it part way. The man who rented us the apartment didn’t know much about it, so we are going to have to find it ourselves. There is a trail guidebook, but we haven’t figured out how to get Amazon to deliver it to Turkey!

We set out from our apartment on the road that leads up the mountain, figuring this would be the logical direction. It’s a beautiful afternoon for a brisk walk up a steep hill.

On the way, we pass the Hotel California – who knew?

Jim investigates an old water cistern.

The town where we are staying caters to Brits on holiday, and there’s lots of construction of condos and villas up in the hills.

Fortunately, the original residents haven’t all been driven out.

We see a sign and a flag at the top of the hill, and eventually reach it. It is not the Lycian Way, but the entrance to Babadag, where folks more adventurous than we come to parasail off the mountaintop over the ocean.

A lovely trek, but no Lycian Way here.

12/15 – Next day we set out in the other direction, downhill toward the sea.

We pass the group of old men downtown sipping tea. Guess every town has them.

This time we find the right road:

The trail is marked with red and white blazes.

We follow the trail to where we can see the Mediterranean Sea, and and walk the ridge until we can see the famous Blue Lagoon. The white sandy beach with clear turquoise water is where the sun worshipers flock all summer. It is a gorgeous sight.

A beautiful day in December, where butterflies still fly and roses still bloom. Life is good!

Pamukkale to Ölüdeniz

December 14, 2014Backpacking, Travel, TurkeyÖlüdeniz, Denizli, dolmus, Fethiye, gözleme, otogar, Pamukkalekarenfranza

12/13 – Our transport worked like magic this morning – as we left our pension for the bus stop in Pamukkale, a dolmus pulled up and the driver asked if we wanted a ride to Denizli. Yes! Getting out of the dolmus at the Denizli bus station (otogar) 20 minutes later, we were just asking the driver where to buy our next ticket when a man came over to say the bus to Fethiye was just leaving – did we want to jump on? Yes!

The bus had to climb some serious mountains to get to Fethiye. Here’s what we saw out the bus window:

Four hours later, we arrived in Fethiye, right in front of a cafe where we had a delicious traditional lunch of gözleme – pancakes filled with spinach and feta cheese.

We asked where to catch a dolmus to Ölüdeniz. Right on the corner! In 10 minutes we were on our way, and I turned on my GPS to see how far we would have to walk from the town center to get to our new apartment. The dolmus was going right down our street, so we yelled Dur! (Stop!) and he let us off right at our front door!

So here we are in a sunny apartment with our own kitchen, right down the road from a produce market, a butcher and a Wishy Washy. Who could ask for more?

Here’s the view from our balcony:

We’ll be spending the next month or so in southern Turkey, hiking, relaxing and hiding from winter as much as we can. Stay tuned!

Taking Our Time

Seeing the World, Nice and Slow

Tag Archives: Ölüdeniz

Ölüdeniz to Kas

Ölüdeniz – Kayakoy/Karmylassos

Ölüdeniz – Babadag and the Lycian Way

Pamukkale to Ölüdeniz

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