We thought we had seen it all when it came to Turkish breakfast. Well, there is no end to surprises. The breakfast that we walked into at the Venus Suite Hotel restaurant was the most awesome spread that anyone can ever imagine. I know that I have said this many times. But, surprises never seem to cease. The array of jams, breads, cookies, olives, meats, cheese, fruits, leafy vegetables, eggs, local delicacies and Turkish delights stunned us into total submission. How could we have a quick breakfast when such a feast was before us? Hetal and I decided to take our time in the restaurant and savour as much as we could. Hetal took on the leafy part and I the meaty part. A little of this and a bit of that and we tried all we could. We were not able to get through even a quarter on offer. We wished we were younger with better appetite and metabolism.
Driving becomes a bit tough to handle after partaking of such a feast and it easy for one to feel a tad bit drowsy. Cut-outs are placed at vantage locations and they look like traffic police patrol cars waiting to pull you over! Hetal and I took turns over the wheel from Pamukkale to Oludeniz via Fethiye, which is slightly over 200 km. The route largely plied through forests and had long stretches of winding, narrow roads, not conducive to high speed. Many stretches were under repair and expansion. The single roads on the winding paths are quite challenging. We did see an unfortunate accident on the way involving three passenger cars. Even though the cars had extensive damage people did not seem to be hurt though. The highways are used by some as a race track!
Fethiye is a port city on Turkey's southwestern Turquoise Coast. It is known for its natural harbour, blue waters and numerous rock tombs. The Rock Tomb of Fethiye, or the Tomb of Amyntas, is an ancient Greek rock hewn tomb in Fethiye built somewhere in the 4th century BC. The mountain tombs are spacious and is believed to have been the handiwork of the Lycians who had lived in these parts in the 4th century BC. Telmessos was the name of the place in antiquity where modern day Fethiye now stands. Telmessos became Megri under the Ottomans when a large population of Greeks had inhabited the area. It changed in the 1930s when the place was renamed Fethiye and a population exchange program was put in place between Greece and Turkey ot rehabilitate the Greeks living in various parts of Turkey.
The two things to do in Oludeniz is to go to the summit of the 1976 meter Babadag Mountain and enjoy the beach, both of which were quite close to the Sunset Apart Hotel. Oludeniz was struggling those days to find visitors and its streets, cafes, restaurants and shops were near empty. The weather had turned and was no longer the right time to enjoy the popular beaches of Oludeniz.
The Babadag Mountain is just about 15 km from the center. The road is winding and narrow with 12 hairpin bends. The last 10 km is paved with paver blocks. Since the season was almost over and traffic was low we had a peaceful ride up the mountain. Those who drive up are usually warned about irresponsible drivers and many accidents that happen on that stretch to Babadag. One cannot ride up to the summit. There is a fantastic viewpoint about 1700 meters below the summit up to which visitors from the city centre can come up by cable car too. This day the views were blocked by rolling mist. Despite this the summit climb could not be abandoned. It is an excruciating 25 minute walk up a narrow paved road to the summit from where paragliders take off for panoramic views of the magnificent town and the beach.
As Hetal and I were trudging up the steep slope a car came by with two youngsters in it, who looked like security personnel. They stopped by and told us that it would be very difficult to get to the summit because of the steep gradient. Half-jokingly, I asked if they could get us to the summit by car. The driver told me to wait where we were and said he would be back soon after dropping his colleague at the base. We were pleasantly surprised by the positive response from someone who could have easily refused. In a while he was back and took us in the car, up the winding road to the summit. I had noticed that the car had Cappadocia University written on it. The young man, Omer, told me that the University had been given the responsibility of checking safety features of paragliders and their equipment. Three of them had been deputed by the University, where he was studying Civil Aviation. He told us how passionate he was about flying and would do anything to become successful in that field. We thanked and wished him luck when we reached the summit.
Soon a few transport vehicles arrived with paragliders and their equipment. They scouted around to check if the mist would clear soon for them to glide for panoramic views of the town and the waters. The mist cleared up slowly but the paragliders were stymied by the wind and not so great views. We spent some time at the summit enjoying what views we could in the rolling mists and started our trek back. Soon a transport vehicle came by and we hitched a ride to the base. The driver told us how the weather was foul and was interfering with the day’s schedule. He asked if we would like to take a tandem ride for $150 which would include insurance, video footage and photos of the glide. We politely refused and thanked him for the ride down to the base.
Oludeniz translates to Dead Sea in Turkish because of the calm seas and the lagoon waters being saltier than bay's sea water due to its sheltered location. Oludeniz is at a conjunction point between the Aegean and Mediterranean Seas. Oludeniz has a large public beach with a nice promenade with cafes and restaurants. It also has private beaches and a lagoon. Most of the resorts in the area are closed for the season and hence, most private beaches were off limits too. The public beach is where the paragliders, who take off from the summit of the Babadag Mountain, land. So many of them landed on the beach indicating that the weather had cleared up over the mountain. Most visitors come to Oludeniz to sunbathe and now there are not many of them because the season is over.
While sipping a bottle of Tuborg beer my mind went back to the wonderful beaches we have in India. Not many, except a few in Goa and Kerala, are pitched to realise their full tourism potential. For that matter, India could be a global tourism hub if only we could develop the right infrastructure, better safety standards and a welcoming attitude. We have it all, yet we don't use it. It is really painful to see such potential go to waste. In these parts of the world history, culture, cuisine and natural beauty are packaged and sold. We keep ours under wraps.
A Doner wrap with a bottle of Tuborg beer for me and a veg wrap for Hetal was the dinner fare from Cloud 9 restaurant on the beach front. We spotted a waffle shop next door and gravitated to that after dinner. The genial guy who manned the store took our orders and started a conversation. He told us that rain is expected for the next few days and that he may have to close the store. I asked him what he would do to the fruits that were stocked in front of his store. He nonchalantly mentioned that he would cover it up and leave it till he opens his shop again. When I asked him if they would not be taken away by someone he said that that would not happen at all. That’s belief in the trust in the system. The waffle was getting forever to be done and finally we abandoned the waffle and settled for a few scoops of organic ice cream before returning to the hotel room.
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