This Week in Review - The Turquoise Coast

Çok sıcak. It's hot. And we've come to use that phrase. A lot. But the heat is winning out and we've changed course and have taken to cool shelter for the next couple days. Dustin showed signs of heat exhaustion last night. And no wonder, as I'm typing this, Dustin just informed me that BBC reports Fethiye's temperature at 44 degrees Celsius (111 degrees F). I have a hard time believing this, being from Arizona and all. I do know from experience that we've been out in mid-to-high nineties weather. Not substantially different, I know. As I recount the week, we've spent five full days out in the sun.

Our plans for the week worked out beautifully and ended perfectly. Yesterday - Sunday morning - before dawn, we returned the car in Fethiye and the man who picked up the car agreed to take us to our starting point for our two-day trek along the Lycia Way - 40km out of his way as he drove the car back to Antalya. We got started on the trail at 7:00am and arrived in our first village, Kabak, around 10:00am. The walk was cool, but as the sun beat down on us as we made the climb up from the beach to the village, we knew we were in for a hot, hot day. We ate a great breakfast, the typical Turkish breakfast that I've come to love. This includes sliced cucumbers, sliced tomatoes, olives, fresh cheese, an egg - most of the time hard-boiled, bread, honey and jam. We rested for well over an hour before beginning the trek to the next village, Faralya, our stopping point of the day and another 7 km away. The Lycia trail is waymarked well, but after two-and-a-half hours of walking, we realize that we were walking on an alternative trail option taking us back to Kabak. Okay. We'll go back to Kabak and take the dolmuş, or minibus, to Faralya. We return to the village restaurant, Mama's Restaurant, and she takes care that we're well-supplied with fluid as well as plums, apricots, and pistachios while we wait for the dolmuş.

In Faralya, we stay at George House, another tree house pansiyon. Exactly a week ago, we stayed in Kadir's Treehouses in Mt. Olympos National Park. We had mixed feelings and expectations when we showed up there - one guidebook characterized the place as being back in summer camp, while the other said that what you intend to be a one-night stay may turn into a week-long stay. Some decide to spend the whole summer there as it turned out for Jackie, the girl who greeted us. She now works at Kadir's. When we arrive, there is a pick-up volley ball game going on. As we walk to our tree house, we notice that each tree house is decorated with a thematic mural - Hotel California, the Love Shack, and of course, one with the Simpson's. There are three bars, all with eclectic decorations and furniture and one night club featuring low divans and water pipes. The people staying there were very sporty and very, very attractive, and a general friendly vibe permeates the place. There was definitely a bohemian quality to it, lots of dread locks being part of the evidence. In addition, Kadir's had an extensive activity center - this is where Dustin and I rockclimbed. But you could also do canyoning, trekking, sea-kayaking - the beach being only 2km away (and the path trekked through the ancient Lycia city of Olympos). Kadir's also offered moonlight tours to view the Chimera - the flame burning out of the rocks for millenia. We stay another night even though we agree that the place truly does feel like camp - Dustin and I sleep in a six person dormitory style tree house with communal bathrooms located 50m away. But for what you get, a good breakfast and dinner included, all for 15YTL per person ($12), it's an exceptional deal. In the end, I'm glad that Turkey may be a bit too cold in March - otherwise, an MTV producer would realize that this place is the perfect place to host the next edition of Spring Break.

At George House, we feel a more relaxed, laid-back atmosphere. You wouldn't think from what I described above you could get any more laid-back, but it just was. The place is not nearly as big, there weren't as many people, and it was a more remote location. The place is situated on 500 meter cliffs that seemingly jut out into the ocean but also envelope the narrow valley immediately below - Kelebek Valley (Butterfly Valley). It is a stunning location. In the evening, Dustin and I watch the sun set over the Greek island of Rhodes. We had a third companion with us. We exchange greetings - iyi akşamlar (Good evening). Just before the orb sinks below Rhodes, our companion pulls out his cell phone to play music befitting the moment. Synthesized piano music - and I picture John Tesh being with us. Dustin heads down for the the night, exhausted from the heat, while I eat an excellent communal meal with all the other guests. We lounge in a circle with eight vegetarian options among us (most food grown from the pansiyon's farm) and The English Patient, dubbed in Turkish, showing on the TV.

In the morning, we are sad to leave. Sad because we know we shouldn't continue walking (we catch the dolmuş instead) but we also wish we had discovered George House sooner. As Dustin noted, next time.