In Turkey we had been staying in hotels that served breakfast. Sunset Apart Hotel in Oludeniz was an exception. Their restaurant was closed as guests were few and the season was done with. The Sunset Apart Hotel is a family run enterprise. They have cooking and non-cooking rooms. The room was large and airy. However, the shower and hot water were glitches they had to fix. The compound has many orange and olive trees.
Normally, when breakfast is not part of the tariff, I make an early morning departure. From Oludeniz that was not possible because the sun got a bit laid back and showed up late. By about a half past seven small slivers of light started peeping every once in a while. By 8 am we decided it was time to leave. I didn't opt for the straight route to Antalya from Oludeniz, which would have taken me just 3 hours and about 200 km. Instead, we thought that the coastal route via Kas, Demre and Finike would be more scenic. The choice turned out to be brilliant in the end. The magic of the Mediterranean unfolded over 300 km and 5 hours of leisurely driving with a zillion stops.
Leaving Oludeniz we had to negotiate the mountains that have ancient trade routes and some amazing pine and cedar forests. The roads were narrow, winding and in some place had loose gravel. At that hour there wasn't much traffic, yet the drive called for patience and caution. We were astonished to see the amount of construction going on, which meant that more guests were expected in the coming months. Interesting construction were of Turkish dome homes, much like the Eskimo igloos. The 50 km of mountain terrain drive through the Karagaac Village and 20 hairpin bends was less challenging than I initially thought. Along the way are also gems of exclusive beaches, where we stopped as possible to admire them from a distance.
When we hit the road to Kas was when the Mediterranean showed its true colours. The turquoise blue waters kept diverting my attention from the road. The numerous islands, studded with thick vegetation and tree cover, stood out from the pristine waters. Be it Kas, Demre or Finike and many such heavenly towns along the way we wished we had the luxury of breathing in such wonderful air and soothing the eyes with such divine sights every day. One thing was common to all such places; the public amenities were awesome.
Kas is a small fishing, yachting and scuba diving town that has witnessed considerable pick up in tourism and an explosion of construction activity. This has altered the landscape illegally quite a bit, reportedly. There are artificially created wrecks one can dive to in Kas. The town also has a few Hellenistic and Roman vestiges to explore. But the awesomeness remains the waters that go around it. This is another town that was affected by the Greek Turkey citizen exchange program.
Demre is less than 50 kms southwest of Kas and is a Christian pilgrimage centre for the tomb of St Nicholas of Myra, the name by which the town was known during the time of the Lycians. Greek Orthodox Church was well established here but the town was abandoned by the Greeks as part of the population exchange program of 1923. The relocation of Turks to this region was not that much of a success, it is understood.
Finike is 30 km further west of Demre and is famous for its farming of oranges and other citrus fruits. One can see poly houses in which the fruits are grown for miles and miles along the route. It is reported that the economic policies also pay for pursuing farming rather than tourism. Finike also has a vibrant Marina and a small fishing harbour.
Coasting into Antalya city the traffic swelled, naturally. We were booked to stay in Kaleici Hotel in the Old Town. I could not believe my eyes when I saw the roads. They were so narrow that it took utmost caution, patience and skill to negotiate them. At a point there was a barrier that restricted access only to residents. I was permitted through when I told them the hotel name. Kaleici, the Old Town, is a labyrinthine maze of shops, restaurants and hotels. Every place is within walkable distance and don't even think of driving!
We walked from the hotel through small and narrow streets dotted with souvenir shops, cafes, restaurants and hotels. They were not that busy though there were some tourists lounging about. Our destination was the Old Harbour. We descended the steep stone steps to the bottom of the marina to experience the spot where fishermen earn their living and to watch the fishing boats come and go at Old City Marina.
Many yachts were moored at the dock, including a few that resembled pirate ships. These get a lot of attention from tourists. The Marina has many outdoor cafeterias that serve seafood and traditional meals. The marina area also had shops selling souvenirs, Turkish crafts, and spices. For us, however, the evening was reserved for a sunset tour by boat. Even though there was not much of a sunset to ooh aah about, the old harbour, the craggy coastline of the Old Town and modern hotels that have used the fantastic landscape can be appreciated as well as the perennial Lower Duden Waterfall.
Returning from the boat tour we took the glass fronted elevator from the harbour to the main street of Old Town. Within a short distance was the Yivli Mosque, the Clock Tower, Monument of National Rise and the Hadrian Gate. The streets were busy and so were the restaurants.
Our search for a place to eat landed us at the Kabuk. The friendly man explained how he would be able to fix us a delectable vegetarian pizza and a plate of Kokorec (c is pronounced ch in Turkish). The latter is a Turkish speciality, made of offal and other 'disposables' of lamb and goat. I had to try that as the Kabuk is reputed to serve the best Kokorec in the whole of Antalya. Of course, a tall boy Carlsberg was the accompaniment. The vegetable pizza Hetal had was fantastic with its super thin crust and plenty of fresh vegetables and cheese. The Kokorec was served in a dish, which I had opted for instead of wrap or tortillas. Four pieces on bread with pickled pepper and tomato with a spicy tomato paste was placed before me. I knew the ingredients but did not balk at having it. It tasted quite fine and did not in any way suggest what it was made of.
The day had gone well with all choices we had made coming up trumps. Once the meal was done with, we thanked the owner for the lovely meal and moved on. As we were walking to the hotel Hetal and I were speaking in Hindi and suddenly we found someone asking us where we were from in Hindi. And that was Adil from Pakistan, who was working in the restaurant next door. We chatted for some time about how he came to be there and his struggles. We took leave after promising to meet in his restaurant the next day for a meal.
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