A TURKISH DELIGHT - DAY 14 – 23 NOVEMBER 2021 – In Antalya

Kaleici means Old City. Was I not only staying in Kaleici I was also in the Kaleici Hotel, which is considered one of the oldest buildings in the Old Town. I was told by the owner that renovation had been done recently to keep the building going. Many of the buildings in the Old Town show their age and they are even maintained in that state to market their historicity. Naturally, the Old Town of Antalya contains many of the city's historic sites. Old Roman fortifications can be seen when one walks around, which is the best way to appreciate this lovely part of Antalya. Renovations to the marina and waterfront recently have added several hotels, restaurants and shops, making this a popular tourist destination. Business is dull now as winter is setting in and rains are expected soon.

The narrow streets of Old Town can bring on surprises. The Sultan Allaadin mosque, built over 700 years ago, has a plaque that says it was a church prior to the Ottomans. It was converted by adding a Mihrab and a minaret. It was destroyed in a fire in 1900s and was restored to allow visitors just a few years back. During my visit I found that the upkeep of the mosque area left a lit to be desired. The Varuna Gezgin cafe and restaurant was set up by a group of travel enthusiasts to cater to people with similar interests. The narrow streets were unpopulated even at 9.30 in the morning when suddenly a group of Japanese tourists appeared out of nowhere. The streets looked fine for the stick shaped Japanese but could barely accommodate the garbage trucks that were doing the rounds.

The Old Town has a Mediterranean Research Centre and a Museum that is useful to researchers. Antalyan carpets are much sought after. The works are superb in design and finish. The Yivli Minare Mosque with its fluted minaret is a landmark and symbol of the city. The historical mosque was built by the Seljuk Sulatan Alaaddin Kekubad I. It has a complex of structures with a madrassa, lodges, vaults and the like, a social complex. The fluted minaret is decorated with dark blue tiles and stands out from anywhere in the Old Town. Since 2016 it on the Heritage Sites list in Turkey. There are many traditional and ancient Turkish hamams in the Old Town, some even as old as 700 years. The city is dotted with sculptures, artwork and statues. The Statue of Attalus II commands a view in the main market. He is said to have found the city and hence, the city was named after him as Attalia, the later day Antalya.

The Ataturk or the Karaaglioglu Park is a huge park, spread over 1400 sq. mtrs, with spectacular views of the Mediterranean and the Gulf of Antalya, far away mountains, craggy rocks, the Marina and all that you can sweep in the walk high above the waterfront. There are boards explaining the various trees and flora in the park and that is where we learnt that the symbol of Antalya, the orange, that are found all over the place in the city is actually Bitter Orange that is too bitter to taste and its rind is used to make marmalade. The mayor's office, Municipal city theatre, sculptures, restaurants and cafes as well as the awesome views are the major attractions of the park.

The Hidirilik Tower, in tawny stone, is a landmark of the Old Town and is at the confluence where the Old Town meets the Karaaglioglu Park. The Castle is believed to have been the handiwork of the 2nd century BC Romans. It has since been used as part of the fortifications and as a lighthouse. The tower and surrounding areas are undergoing restoration works.

When I was leaving Chennai I was told that I should experience a Hamam in Turkey. I had found the ones in Istanbul quite expensive and in the rest I did not have the time to go looking around for one. However, in the Old Town I didn't have to go looking around, there were many on the walking route. The 700 year old Antique Spa Hamam caught my eye the previous evening and I had gone in to check their packages. With the devalued lira the services looked very attractive. I reached the Spa around noon and took a booking for the medicinal pack. The peeling, foam bath and medicinal massage lasted over 2 hours and was extremely invigorating. There are lockers to keep the valuables and clothes. After changing into a towel I was given a cup of tea and a bowl of dry fruits. Then I was lead into a sauna where I sipped a cold soda for 10 minutes. Photography and videography are not permitted inside at all. After the sauna, Gül, a Tajik woman, took me to the Hamam for peeling and foam bath. The hot water from the Hamam and the loofa rub took a lot of the dead skin away. I already felt as if I was glowing! Gul asked if I would like to take a speciality rub which I politely declined. The foam bath followed, after which I waited for Serah, the masseuse, to finish with another client.

The full body massage and the face mask took more than 90 minutes during when we struck up a conversation. She told me how she had come to Turkey from Nairobi a couple of years ago and has been working ever since. Her job supports the education of her five sisters back home. She told me a lot about Turkish life, the job situation, discrimination at the work place and even sexual harassment. The cost of living in Antalya is certainly low with a decent two bedroom fully furnished accommodation available for a monthly rental of $250. Add to that power and water charges of about 200 TL, gas about 100 TL and commute another 300 TL, you have a very affordable place to live if your monthly income is over $500 a month. By the time the session was over we had become friends and I had become 'Papa' to her.

Later in the evening, it was time to keep a promise. We had told Adil the previous evening that we would be at his restaurant for a meal. The restaurant was not that busy at the time of our visit. Slowly it started filling up and the rain start getting heavier. The chicken fettuccine was superb. The heavens opened up more vigorously during the course of the meal and many clients had to be shifted. We stayed on, finished the meal and quickly scooted. Though we were not fully drenched, we were quite wet by the time we reached the hotel. The weather forecast for the next few days was not very encouraging and that was truly disappointing news.