Aida at Aspendos from Alanya Marina

The set for Aida is staged in front of the stunning backdrop of the ancient and well preserved tall stage building behind it. Unfortunately this cannot be seen in the photograph.


Friday 12 June

The big day has arrived and tonight we are to travel by bus from Alanya Marina, to the ancient theatre of Aspendos, where we will see the Ankara Opera Company perform the opera Aida.

It is to start at 9.30 pm but we leave early from the marina - 6.00 pm - in order to get good seating on arrival. This strategy pays off as we are in the theatre early and settle down to enjoy our picnic dinner and glass of wine. The surroundings are magnificent, it is a very hot day, cooling down now and the light fades slowly to an Arabian Nights blue sky as the stars come out.

That is.... both the stars in the sky and also the full cast of the show to come who wander out on to the stage in casual dress and perform their warmup rituals.

We are entranced by the performance of the lead soprano who is world class, and the pure spectacle of this magnificent show. It does not finish until 1.30 am!!! The photos say it all... and Richard has his say as well: We loved Aida and the experience was magical, especially the venue of course and we went with a great crowd from the marina so it was a great night out. The lead tenor however was a great disappointment. He was very short, rotund to the n'th degreee, looked like a giant beer barrel with arms, all of which could have been overlooked if he had a good voice - which he didn't!! In contrast, the leading lady, Aida, was world class in all respects......, although there was nothing in the programme to tell us much about her. She was superb - tall, elegant, great actress and superb voice. The contrast especially during the love scenes (almost the whole of the third act) was not well received by the audience. At the final curtain the tenor was booed! However apart from that it was a great show and we felt well worth the effort and expense as we actually stayed over for an extra week in Alanya to see it.



Just a little more information on the Aspendos Theatre: Seating capacity 15,000, this theatre was built by the famous architect Zenon during the reign of the Emperor Marcus Aurelius 2nd Century AD. It is considered to be one of the best preserved ancient theatres, due to the fact that it has remained constantly in use over the centuries and has been renovated and maintained well. It was even used for a time as a Caravanserai during Seljuk times.

Gazipasa

23 NM south east of Alanya Marina we sip on a refreshing cold beer and watch the sun go down.

We had planned to leave Alanya last Thursday 4 June, but changed our minds when we heard that the opera Aida was being performed at Aspendos on 12 June, and a group were organising a bus from the marina. We cannot not miss this, as it will be a once in a lifetime experience.

To fill in the time before then, rather than sitting in the marina, which is still in construction mode, we take a side tour along the south east coast.

On arrival in the undeveloped harbour of Gazipasa we watch the sun go down in very still conditions and much later, see a huge fishing boat come in and unload massive tuna fish the size of small whales into the back of a refrigerated truck bound for the markets.

This morning we take in the view of the high sea wall on the south western side of the harbour, the ruins of ancient Selinus on the hill-top towering over us from the south east, majestic mountains to north east and a row of brightly coloured fishing boats tied up to the sea wall on the northern side. We are anchored out in the middle of the harbour in turquoise water and alternate between cool swims off the stern, reading and eating. We can hear the sound of the surf on the beach outside the harbour entrance and of course, the wind, which has come up overnight and is sufficient that we will not leave the boat to explore ashore until conditions calm down a little.

We plan to return to Alanya Marina next Thursday and may explore a bit further south east along this coast if conditions are suitable.

The view from Ancient Selinus is well worth the climb... That is SY Matelot in the middle down there.




Tuesday 9 June…

Well here we are still in Gazipasa two mornings later. It is our third morning of waking up to still calm conditions and within one hour experiencing 20 knot south easterlies until early afternoon when it all dies down again.

Monday morning is particularly fierce and we have five huge fishing boats jostling for space in the harbour while it passes over, which is does around 2.00 pm. Several small maintenance jobs are attended to on board while we wait for the wind to ease, keeping a sharp eye out to ensure that we are not dragging our anchor.

Later we row ashore and go exploring, - a little further than the bar ashore which we located yesterday to sit and watch the sun go down over a cold beer! We head 1 km straight inland then take a right hand turn to cross over the river. It is another 1km approx back to the base of the hill where the track to ancient Selinus begins. We follow an overgrown (with wildflowers and weeds) ancient stairway right to the top. It is an aerobic walk, which we both welcome after our slothful non-activity of the past few days. We are the only ones on the site and have not seen anyone else up here since we arrived. Selinus was founded by Antiochus IV several centuries BC and occupied since then by Romans, so we are walking on the path travelled by very ancient feet before us. The view from the top is breathtaking in all directions – the Mediterranean stretching out to the south and west, the fertile valley and mountains behind us, the sea a long way below us!

On our return we once again stop for a refreshing cold drink in the bar which appears to be in the grounds of the local tourist hotel. Nevertheless it is a lovely (if a little rustic) spot to sit and watch the sun go down. We take a welcome swim on our return the boat, the heat and perspiration of the recent walk to Selinus still fresh on our bodies.

We are somewhat saddened by the amount of rubbish which floats around the harbour on a regular basis. We think it comes down the river then gets washed into the harbour. Plastic bags and bottles, newspapers, other packaging from all manner of items floats past us. We do a couple of rubbish sweeps in the dinghy, filling up huge black plastic rubbish bags, but it appears to be a futile exercise as it is all back the next day and the locals don’t appear to be very interested in cleaning it up.

The mystery of where the huge tuna are coming from is possibly solved on Wednesday when we take a short cruise 5 miles down the coast, to find a collection of what we later find out are called “fish ranches”. Apparently the tuna are caught alive and put into these pens where they are towed around and fed until they are fat and ready for the market. They have to be towed around as the tuna do not survive being penned up in still water. We discover later there are quite a few of these fish ranches in the Gulf of Antalya. We anchor off the lovely sandy beach, swim and relax and watch the huge fishing boats working them.

Soon it is time to return to Alanya Marina. The wonderful gracious staff at this marina welcome us ‘home’ again and we count down to our next experience… the Opera Aida at the ancient theatre of Aspendos

Cappadocia and Mt Nemrut

Tuesday 26 May 2009



Cappadocia is adorned with wildflowers of all descriptions...


We take a very inexpensive tour from Alanya (Bugra Tours) for Euro 55 per head, which includes all expenses (breakfast, dinner, travel, hotels, entrance fees) except lunches, for two nights and 3 days. After researching the idea of using public transport, we find that this is by far the best way to go. There are a lot of tour companies offering this deal from Alanya and Antalya and we discover later on that they are all sponsored by local businesses in Cappadocia so our tour will include visits to their premises.

This really turns out to be a win win situation as we visit the carpet factory and see the silk being spun from the cocoon, and the carpets being woven which we find fascinating. We visit the local pottery and leather production factories and have an opportunity to buy the high quality products afterwards.



Richard has a go at the pottery wheel in the pottery factory.




The stone factory is fascinating where we see high quality Meerschaum pipes being made. We learn that the Meerschaum absorbs 40-45% of the nicotine and is moulded and carved after being soaked in water when it goes soft – almost like cheese. Some of the items on display at these places are very tempting but we do not have the budget for buying and never feel under too much pressure to do so. There always seems to be someone buying from our group so we don’t feel too bad but do enjoy the experience immensely.

The other plus factor with our tour is that we are able to negotiate a break in the middle. We leave our Bugra tour after the second night and join another tour (Nese Tours) travelling from Cappadocia to Mt Nemrut, Sanli Urfa, and Harran, returning via the fascinating city of Gazi Antep (Pippy wants to go back there one day). We join up with the next tour group from Alanya on Sunday morning for our return trip home to our boat.

So, what are our impressions of visiting all of these amazing cities and travelling this far east into Turkey?

Tuesday 26 May

The early start (0500) is a bit of a shock as we stumble out of the marina entrance in the dark with our backpacks. We are the first on the bus so there is a bit of messing around while we meet up with the rest of the tour group – around 10 of us. We will be following the old Silk Road all the way to Cappadocia.

It is mid morning by the time we make our first stop at the Mevlana Museum in Konya, formerly the Rose Garden of the Seljuks Palace. Mevlana is revered as one of the world’s greatest mystic philosophers who died Jan 1231AD. His tomb (Green Tomb) and many other amazing relics (ancient Koran, rare calligraphies of amazing detail, sarcophagi to name a few) are housed in this museum, which also served time as a Dervish Lodge. We see the tiny cells which the Dervish trainees had to spend time in as part of their training, and the boards they practiced their whirling on. The quality and uniqueness of the items we see here leaves us in awe of the ability and spirituality of these ancient people.

We have wound our way over the mountains guarding the Antalya-Alanya coast where swathes of red poppies flourish amongst the pine trees and patches of high up snow. We are now on a vast fertile inland plain and the sameness soon lulls us off to sleep for what seems like a moment. We awake to find ourselves gazing at a vast field of shimmering green wheat bordered on the road-side by a wide mass of vivid blue and yellow wildflowers. Beyond and above this, the small puffy white clouds in the blue blue sky seem to say “look at me… look at me…!” It is all quite mesmerizing except that the colours of the flowers keep changing and it becomes a bit of a challenge to see how many different colours there are.

Our next stop is the Sultanhani – a Caravansarai on the Silk Road about 40 km out of the city of Aksaray. This is the largest Caravansarai on the Silk Road, built by the Seljuks in 1229 and fantastically restored. Our impression is of an incredibly civilised society. The buildings contain kitchens, Turkish baths (separate for men and women), accommodation for animals in the winter, sleeping rooms and living areas and finally a small mosque in the centre of the large inner courtyard.

In the shady courtyard



We learn that caravans were allowed to stay here for 3 days free of charge and that the local villagers were given tax breaks if the caravans were not robbed or raided while in their territory. The first recorded insurance agreements were made in these parts where it was possible to insure the camel or horse against failure during the journey. Caravanserais are located along the Silk Road approx 20-40 km apart and there is a lot of restoration work being carried out on these old sites today.

We walk in awe under the carved arched entrance past the mosque to the huge stables at the rear, which still seem to smell of the animals who have occupied this space over the centuries. Today it is just pigeons, eerie light and a cold stillness, which is somehow wrong. This space should be thronging with noise and activity and the ghosts have obviously not yet departed.


The stables are eerie and huge....

As if this is not enough for one day, we are almost at Cappadocia when we stop to visit the small underground city at Saratli. It is fascinating but quite enough for both of us to go just a small way underground and see how people lived at times when they had to hide themselves away from marauding invaders. The rolling stones, which covered passageways in time of need created the most interest and are reminiscent of an Indiana Jones movie. Apparently some of these cities of which there are several in Cappadocia, are much bigger and go a long way underground.

The landscape has suddenly changed and we are now seeing small pinnacles of rock pointing upwards in the moving scene outside the bus. We stop and take in the view above the town of Goreme. Who could fail to be blown away by this region and group of small towns with their cave homes built into volcanic material deposited more than 8 million years ago?


These structures are truly amazing...and people actually live inside some of them! The small black square in the middle is a window.

Wednesday 27 May

It is a tummy tingling climb during the tour the next day to climb up ladders inside one of the thousands of conical structures where the Turkish cushions and rugs are just right for adding a cosy touch. We visit a cave home and an early Christian church now deserted due to the 1950s earthquake. The frescoes are still clearly discernable despite many obvious mindless attempts to destroy them. We are not allowed to take flash photos as it will destroy the frescoes. Thank goodness they are now respected and protected.

We walk through several valleys and the combination of a huge variety of wildflowers and the honey and red coloured cones and cliffs is a treat we are really happy to be enjoying. We are well rugged up as it is cold in Cappadocia and a bit cloudy today.

A visit to the Leather Showroom provides us with quite a bit of entertainment as our Polish friend Ania really wants a black leather jacket but the price is too high. The bargaining begins and we all take a keen interest, disappointed when Ania gives up and walks out with us towards our waiting bus. However the bargaining begins afresh on the front steps and our guide Mustafa coughs up some loan cash to finalise the deal. Ania has her jacket for an amazingly good price and Mustafa gets a cheer all round!

Thursday 28 May

Our wildflower trail along the Silk Road continues as we say goodbye to the people on our Bugra Tour and start our Nese Tour to Mt Nemrut. Our drive takes us along high flat terrain and the green wheat fields begin to turn golden as we go further west. It is a treat to see golden wheat fields with red poppies sprinkled in amongst the ripening wheat. Mt Erciyes soon raises its snow-covered peak ahead of us glittering against the clear blue skies. We are 8 on this tour, 2 Americans, 1 Canadian, 1 Hong Kong and 2 NZ (us) plus driver Nagir and guide Serkan.

It would be true to say that we pass by every imagineable gorgeous landscape on this section of the journey as we travel eastwards across the high plains and over mountain ranges of this magestic country. It is a long day with frequent stops for breaks, especially at Kahramanmaras which is the home of Mado Ice Cream made from goat’s milk – mmm Richard is in heaven. The texture of the ice cream makes it very sticky and long lasting in the heat, and particularly yummy as you don’t have to rush to eat it before it melts.

Eventually we arrive at the very forgettable hotel in Khata, enjoy a wonderful dinner of typical Turkish food, then pile into bed for the 2.00 am start the next morning. We are to climb to the Peak of Mt Nemrut and watch the sunrise. At least the bed is very comfortable and before we know it someone is banging on the door telling us to get up.

Friday 29 May

There is a bone chilling wind blowing this morning so we take a blanket from the hotel room and put on every layer of clothing we can manage for the 500m climb from the carpark to the tumulus (man made mountain top) concealing the tomb of Antiochos I dating back to the Commagene Kingdom between the 1st century BC and 1st Century AD. The tumulus is made of little sharp sided stones and is about 50m high. Antiochos I had the surrounding area decorated with statues of gods with heads 2m high. These still remain today although the heads have fallen off. This is what we have come to see.

We climb out of the bus in the darkness and the freezing wind whips at us as we climb so it is with a feeling of satisfaction that we reach the top and shelter behind a rock ledge awaiting the sunrise.




Early morning light reflects on the Euphrates River way below us...





Here comes the sun!









Today is to be a full on 20-hour day of touring as after Mt Nemrut, Serkan and Nagir take us on the most wonderful experience.

We go on to visit the site of the frieze of Apollo shaking hands with Antiochus I......






then the mountain top tumulus of Karakus which is the tomb of the princesses commanding a panoramic view of the Euphrates River shining with a turquoise light against the dry landscape the valleys and cliffs below, the ancient Roman Bridge on the Khata River then back to the hotel for breakfast. We visit the Ataturk Dam – 2 kilometres across the top and 800 metres high, harnessing the Euphrates and Tigress Rivers, this is the biggest dam in the Middle East and the 6th largest in the world.

Sanli Urfa near Abraham's Cave



We stop at Sanli Urfa to check into our hotel and for a traditional Turkish lunch of kebabs (also visiting Abraham’s Cave and the sacred pool not to mention the wonderful bazaar), then on to the town of Harran 18 km from the Syrian border and the beehive houses....The women of Harran dress in colourful ornate clothing even when dressing casually....





a nine thousand year old site dating back to Neolithic times (still being excavated), and the ruins of the first University of Islam. We learn that this is where Abraham spent the last years of his life.

We return to Sanli Urfa around 8.30 pm for a late dinner, all thoroughly exhausted, but not too tired to sing our way back in the bus led by Gerry the American who can sing like an angel. Not to be out done our guide Serkan sings us a Turkish folk song which is truly lovely. His accomplished tenor does real justice to the haunting melody of this song. We are happy troopers for sure.

Saturday 30 May

We are up and on the road again by 8.00am. We are travelling to Birecik this morning to see the colony of bald headed Ibis which are an endangered species. On from there to the very interesting city of Gazi Antep. We are lucky to get a tour into the centre of this city because Gerry, Arlene and Linda are leaving us here and Serkan and Nagir insist on dropping them at their hotel. It is a wonderful city of bazaars and interesting winding back streets. This city is also considered to make the best baklava in the whole of Turkey with pistachio nuts rather than walnuts. We have been driving past many plantations of pistachio trees to get here and figure this must also be the pistachio centre of the world!

We are treated to a special CD of music, which Gerry and Arlene are using for a show they have written which will open in Texas in October. The music is all written by a married couple – now passed away – and rights are owned by their two sons. It features a lot of hit songs sung by such artists as the Everley Brothers, and other names we have since mislaid in our boat brains. We spend most of the trip this morning singing along as the eastern Turkish landscape passes by outside. Our guide and driver are very amused… we hope that their smiles are not just out of politeness!

We wave goodbye to our new friends after swapping email addresses. This reduces us to 3 in the back of the bus and the drive back to Cappadocia is all a bit of a blur as we sleep on and off and stop every so often to freshen up.

All good things must come to an end some time... goodbye its been great to meet you!

We are booked in for one night at The Flinstone Cave Hotel at Goreme. We arrive around 6pm to check into our cave room. The weather has improved and it is a clear sunny day. We hastily dump our bags and with Karen from Hong Kong make our way up to the top of the surrounding cliffs to watch a true Cappadocia sunset.

Saturday 31 May

Our night in the cave is an experience we are glad to have done but will not repeat. Richard’s face is puffed up with hay fever and he is very groggy this morning. We meet up with our Bugra Tour Group this morning at Sayan Onyx Stone Factory in Avenos 7km away, only to discover that in the rush to get away Richard has left our precious camera in the hotel room back in Goreme. Pippy must have looked a bit upset because a lovely young man from the Stone Factory staff soon has us in his car racing back to Goreme to collect the camera. We are blown away by their kindness towards us especially when this same young man absolutely refuses to accept a large tip. What a relief to get the camera back. We will never forget you.

Once again the journey back to Alanya Marina is a vague memory of dozing, refreshment stops, reading and wishing we could “be there” already! We arrive back on Matelot around 7pm and open all the hatches. She is like an oven down below. It is suddenly very hot in Alanya.

This last 6 days has been a truly memorable experience.

We must now make our plans of what we will do next….

Alanya

Pooh Bear and the Honey Pot



We are looking forward to seeing our friend Hasan Kakmaz and the progress on the new Alanya marina. We motor sail all day into a light breeze and arrive at the entrance at 6.00 pm – tie up to the wall and are immediately invited to join in a celebration on the marina in one hour’s time. We are surprised and interested to find that the Vasco Da Gama Yacht Rally boats are here (around 10 of them, - website address is www.vascodagamarally.nl) and we are a part of their celebration dinner.

Hasan is very busy with the investor-owners of the Marina but once he has time to relax we enjoy a wonderful reunion with him and renew our friendship. Much of the marina complex is still to be completed with concrete frames in place for what appears to be most of the buildings, lots of work to do yet. Tomorrow we plan to haul out here – the hardstand is pretty much complete – and attend to rudder repairs and new antifoul.

On the Hard Stand again:

Matelot comes out of the water looking very clean and in great shape. The chip on the rudder definitely needs attention and takes a couple of days to stop dripping and dry out.


This sure brings back memories...!






While we wait for our paint to arrive we take a rental car and pop back to Bodrum and Kos Island. The modern, mostly 2 lane highway is laid into a landscape of fertile valleys, shimmering green fields of wheat and high snow capped mountains which all make for a panoramic drive. It is great to see our friends and Kos Island and Bodrum again and they are both in full summer mode.











Try riding a bicycle with a cask of wine held in each hand hanging from the handlebars. We stock up in Kos!





Richard with Bodrum Castle in the background...








We round a corner in a small country town and this is what we see....!




Ataturk and a massive waterfall just out of Antalya....




Back in Alanya, the EMYR Rally boats are arriving from Kemer and the partying starts all over again. With typical Turkish hospitality all boats in the marina are included in the functions which include a cocktail party, a sit down banquet in Alanya city and a final pot luck dinner held right beside our boat on the hard stand.


We have a wonderful catch up with our Group Leader Bodil and her husband Ole from last year....



We are all partied out by the time we say our farewells to Hasan and watch him sail away in Ibis II, our home for more than a month on the rally last year.






Hasan sails away on Ibis II....





Pippy polishes the stainless steel on the bow....

Before we know it the painting and polishing is finished and it is time for us to relaunch Matelot today 25 May 2009. Tomorrow morning we are being picked up by a bus at 5.30am outside the marina gates for a tour of Cappadocia and Mt Nemrut too we hope. …..back Sunday.





Back in the Water we go.....! Just need to get the washing in first!

Antalya

Panoramic view from Antalya looking towards Taurus Mountains.



The sea is very rolly as we sail on to Antalya and Pippy is lurched against the switchboard, accidentally turning off the central navigation – all the nav instruments. Quickly turning it all on again, we find we have lost our depth-sounder which although we are in very deep water, usually still gives some sort of reading. Due to this we change our plan of going into Kaleici Harbour (the small ancient harbour right in downtown Antalya) where the depths vary quite a lot. We cancel this plan and head instead for Setur Antalya Marina, the new marina in the port area of Antalya where depth is not an issue, but unfortunately it is quite a distance out of town. We are soon tucked up in here and ride the ‘dolmish’ into town to meet up with Deep Blue. It is a mind bogglingly slow trip and the driver lets us off in a strange place where we have to walk another 2km to the harbour. Not to worry, we are charmed as we cut through the narrow streets of the old city and really envious of Deep Blue when we see where they are moored right in the middle of this gorgeous city.


Whose ice cream is it anyway?

Antalya Museum is the big attraction for us here as we have heard it is one of Turkey’s best and we are not disappointed as we spend most of the following day exploring the halls with their magnificent exhibits from ancient times, some of them dating back to 8,000 BC. Hard to pick from the ancient coins, clothing, pottery, carpets and stunning range of huge marble statues, but the favourite is probably the Hall of the Sarcophagi with many exhibits recently recovered from overseas where they were stolen and taken to.








Typical of the many fabulous exhibits at Antalya Museum




Matelot spends two nights in Setur Antalya Marina (Celebi Marina) which is very nice with great staff, luxury showers, washing machines and internet, but the travelling and expensive taxis soon get to us.



Images and reflections of Kaleici Harbour





On our second night we sleep on board Deep Blue in the city, then move Matelot into Kaleici Marina, squeezing in alongside Deep Blue. We love waking up in this magical old harbour where pirates have probably moored in times past. The view of the snow capped mountains in the distance, the old castle wall, the clear blue sky, the flowering bouganvillea and blossom trees, the murmur of the city around us, the many men we see in this place who truly resemble pirates – not bad! We are lucky to fit in here because it is usually too full of trip boats and gullets to take any visiting yachts. We wander freely through the old city, soaking in the atmosphere.

Monday 11 May. The time really is upon us for Deep Blue and Matelot to go their separate ways. We are planning to make Alanya, and a reunion with Hasan our next stop, while Deep Blue now have Jonathan and Jane, friends from the UK on board and are heading back towards Kekova Roads for a nice cruise with them. We enjoy a final farewell dinner at the fantastic Otantik Hotel, a boutique hotel and restaurant in the old city. The food is top class and the ambience in the open courtyard lovely. All this for much less than it would cost in NZ. We can highly recommend this restaurant. There is much fighting talk over dinner about setting up a starting line tomorrow and having a race to see who gets to their destination first! Lots of gauntlets are laid down!


A last dinner out together....




We are pretty organised and keen to get away the next morning, so we throw our lines around 7.30 am when DB are just getting started for the day. Before we know it we are out of the harbour but embarrassed to admit that 30 minutes later we notice what has to be Brenda’s white bra and panties hanging from the flag halyard, where our Squadron pennant should be - and was there when we went to bed last night. We wondered why people were laughing and waving as we departed the harbour!




They really have got us good this time! We turn around and go back for a boat hook swap of items once DB has exited the harbour, say more goodbyes, then lay Alanya ETA 10 hours away as we watch DB disappear into the distance.

Aurevoir Deep Blue....

Old Guys Rule!!!

Sheik Richard on his 70th birthday!!!

A Birthday to Remember!!!

It is time to depart Finike, where we have spent 5 nights waiting for the weather to improve. Matelot now has some patches on the main where the shrouds and spreader have been chafing and making holes, and we are 700TKL worse off, but have a main sail which will now withstand the wear and tear it is going to get in those places. We have shopped at the weekly market and stocked up on fresh provisions again.

We get away around 3.00pm and spend Wednesday night 6 May in the lovely anchorage of Cavus Limani anchored in the NW corner of the bay, where we all crash early after a couple of big nights out in Finike, the last night being a very entertaining and delicious dinner on board Lola K with Eric and Susan.









Richard’s 70th birthday dawns clear and calm. We breakfast on board Deep Blue where Richard is duly made a huge fuss of and blows out the candles on the fruit cake (his favourite), which Brenda has made for him. She is truly amazing.



















11.00 am sees us head north east towards Kemer as phone calls and messages come in and we hoist the spinnaker for the second time on board Matelot, enjoying a clear run towards Mt Olympus on our port side.



Wow this is truly Richard’s favourite thing to be doing.





Soon the wild and deserted nature of this coastline is replaced by huge hotel resorts packed side by side. This is the beginning of the Turkish Riviera which will continue from here to Antalya and then onwards along the 100 km coastline to Alanya.

We check out the ancient harbour of Phaeselis for a suitable anchorage for the night, but very quickly decide that we will sail on to Kemer as there is a fresh breeze blowing and it would not be nice to be caught on this rocky shore in the night. As we round the point into Kemer anchorage, we sight Lola K already swinging at anchor. We have the makings of a party on board Matelot, and we are going to celebrate. Six on board for dinner that night makes for a great birthday celebration with lots of fun and laughter and a few headaches the next day. Richard’s 70th is suitably celebrated.






As our guests depart later that evening, two things stand out; the numerous discos thumping their music against one another on the shore and the stifling smell of sewage effluent. Someone is pumping out into this idyllic bay. Perhaps it is coming from the shore, or perhaps from the numerous gullets moored nearby, but with no tide or current to take it away, we wonder the next morning at the people swimming, waterskiing etc while enjoying their dream holidays in the sunshine. There are several resorts here – best that they don’t know! The crystal clear Mediterranean waters give nothing away.

To our extreme astonishment, at around 10.00am a large gullet, with quite a few guests on board, anchors off our bows right between Deep Blue and us (not much room!) and then goes stern to until it is alongside and between us. The skipper appears to be talking on his cellphone while he conducts this manouvre and minutes later he departs from the boat in an inflatable, leaving his crew in charge of it. We pretty quickly decide to move on, but Deep Blue are not ready to go yet so they remain to endure the huge boat drifting on top of them, struggling to maintain their position and fend off. We sail on and marvel at the backdrop of huge mountains towering over us. Antalya here we come. ....