10th week Termessos, Phaselis, Olympos, Cirali, Chimera, Myra, Church of St Nicholas, on to KasKamping

Monday, 4th July 2011 Had a good night, didn't get moved on. I'm very privileged. Today I'm heading towards Phaselis (35820 mileage) Entrance fee was 8TL and it wasn't far away so managed to get a good spot right near the beach. It was an ancient port and had three bays to choose from. Lots of people were swimming. I decided to do the ruins first and then have lunch, then go for a swim in the middle bay, this wasn't quite so rocky as the others. Hadn't swum in the sea for a long while and I found myself quite buoyant.

All in all, a good day, then I decided to go and find Cirali, the chimera and Olympos. Started to go out of town, but the road was very narrow, didn't realise at the time but this was the road the chimera was situated. However, I turned round and went back to the bridge because I noticed a parking space near to the mobile bank parked on the opposite side. No-one moved me on, so decided to stay there for a while. N36-24-13 E30-28-22. Cirali-Kumluca

Tuesday, 5th July 2011 Cirali, left by 8am, there were a lot of Turks already on the beach for their swim. The frogs were making a lot of noise in the few pools of quite stagnant water along the dried up river bed. I liked the beach signs, for what you mustn't do. What could you actually do! It was a turtle beach too, so no admittance after 9pm in the evening. It was quite a long walk along the beach in the blazing sunshine, however, I made it, there was no entrance charge. There were a few archaeological digs going on. Some dry stone basins held in a lot of stones obviously taken from one of the diggings, and the dirt unceremoniously dumped by the river bank. There really wasn't a lot here. So when I found the official car park away from the beach end, I was glad I had parked where I had and saved myself 10TL at least! I went back to the van, had lunch and then decided I could cope with trying to walk to the Chimera. Well I'd already walked 3 miles that morning, or so the pedometer said, so I started, but wished I hadn't, just round the next corner, it'll be there, no it wasn't, it was supposed to be 4 km away. I couldn’t make it, no where near the signs, so I turned back and limped my way back to the van, had tea. I decided I really had to go to the Chimera in the van.

When I got to the parking places it was huge, don't know why I was worried. The usual friendly gentleman at the entrance gate!!!!!He offered me to stay near his house for the night and that he would look after me. (I think I can do that for myself, thank you.) It must have been about 6.30 pm when I started to climb to the fires. Well, it was a long way up. Kept having to stop. You need stout shoes and water, which I'd forgotten, and grim determination if you were not enjoying it. However when I got to the top the sun had gone over the hill and of course the flames were more apparent than they would have been during the day. I spent quite a lot of time up here, until I felt it was time to go down, as I didn't have a flash light and the trip wasn't going to be that easy. It took me a slow 34 minutes to walk down. Fortunately, the gate keeper was otherwise engaged with some delightful young girls, so I missed any further encounters. Back to the parking space, whoops, gone, had to park a bit further down. Got blasted with mossie spray on the way home, consumed vast quantities of water, played Solitaire again, but had a very good night's sleep.

Wednesday 6th July 2011 Decided as I was on a grubby bit of road, I would attack some of the tar on the van. Managed to do it without the sun beating down on me, at least got the driver's side looking a bit better. I'm never going to be able to get the tar and grit off from under the wheel arches, am I? Left Cirali with 35846 miles on the clock and that afternoon I felt I'd had enough so I decided to head down to Kas. On the way I found Myra N36-15-27 E29-59-12 at 35897 miles, was directed into a Free Parking space, once parked the young man pounced to offer you his boat for a trip down the coast for a

2nd bay at Phaselis

 The mobile bank, with farmyard birds at Cirali, managed 3 days and nights here!

pretty sum. Fortunately, I'd dodged him, and walked round to investigate Myra, the rock tombs and its Theatre. When you see how far down they had to dig in order to get to the Roman remains it makes you realise how much hard work there is in archaeological diggings, that's why some of my photos just show how much dirt has had to be removed, so that you can see what they found. Most of it was laying there for 2000 years, getting more and more covered as rivers/streams left their silt. It was getting late now, so left my free parking space, and proceeded to find the Church of St Nicholas. It was still open and I managed to see quite a lot before the attendants came round to close up.

The amount of debris that is removed before ruins are uncovered, we just don't realise!

At about 8pm that evening, a camp-site at KasKamping, N36-11-57 E29-37-58 took up residence for a few days. By the time I'd reached here my sinuses had started to play up and I felt really grotty, mainly because of petrol fumes, tar and mossie spray.
The structure over St Nicholas Church
aiding restoration and the visitors

Thursday, 7th July 2011 So I did some washing, fed a tortoise some iceberg lettuce which he/she truly loved, hadn't had anything so succulent as that in a long while and he/she was so thirsty. How do you sex a tortoise? I kept filling up the rocky crevices for him/her to I kept filling up the rocky crevices for him/her to drink and she (decided she, because men don’t drink water like that, just beer!) just couldn't have enough. Are they like camels? I wondered. Had a lazy day, after that; vast quantities of people coming through camp site down to the café below and also the beach, which was really a rocky coastline with some steps and a floating diving board or two. There were lots of campers down by the sea too. Including an Australian couple from Melbourne who came and asked me that afternoon for jump leads because their battery had gone flat as their kids were playing with their computer games, perhaps they didn't appreciate the sun which they could well get in Melbourne, I know it was 44C when I was there! Anyway, managed to help, got their car started and they went for a long ride to top it up.

Friday, 8th July 2011 Another lazy day, unfortunately getting a bit bored now and it was so hot and no breeze at all. Why hadn't I put the fan heater in that had a cold setting. Brain wasn't engaged at the time. Good job I have the in/out fan above my bed, I think I would have had heat exhaustion otherwise. I actually went down to the café and had a spaghetti bolognaise which was quite delicious, however, he charged me 16TL instead of 12TL but as it was so nice I think it was made specially for me.

Saturday, 9th July 2011 Last day, couldn't get myself together to go in swimming, I definitely couldn't see the bottom. I'm a swimming pool girl, like to know what's under me. Hot again, but definitely decided I was moving on tomorrow. Went down again for a meal because I really didn't have any food on board and wasn't going to go walking for it. I had Chicken Schnitzel, can't spell that! It was beautiful, melted in the mouth, chips too and some salad. For desert I had a double choc Cornetto, yes, they have them here too!

Sunday, 10th July, 2011 Moved on, paid 30TL a night, shook hands with manager can't remember his name. Went into Kas, found a shop, glad I hadn't walked it was a good climb back up the hill. Directed the van in the direction of Daylan and not far along found that the marina had a whole restaurant/swimming pool/beach complex but there was no-one in there at 10.30 in the morning. A little out of Kas I found Olympos Mo Camp N36-12-26 E29-37-03, that was 30 TL too, and it was right on the beach, well across the road from it, there was a washing machine and if I'd wanted a shop I could have cycled there, it wasn't too far away. Remember that if I ever come back.

Blast, as I was coming down a particular bendy bit of steep road, I heard the back crunch and could see something flapping about. I stopped and yes, I had clouted my plastic bumper again and had broken the wire to the reversing bleeper this time. Got out the sell-out and a Turkish lady looking for her goats I think, started shouting at me, as usual, promptly got down on her haunches and helped me mend the van. I was giving her my thanks, turned round and she'd gone. Ah well, off to find her goats I expect. I drove up to the Salikent Gorge, but it was so crowded and I couldn't find a space

The port at Kas, new hotel facility, looking on

to campsite on right of peninsular

to park, so after lunch I drove back down to the main highway. Went on until I got to Kayakoy another of the Greek uninhabited villages now a World Heritage site. Tried to find the parking space in Fethiye, but it was very crowded so I proceeded onwards until I came to Dalyan, very busy tourist town, so I just drove round and then found a very convenient parking space, right next to the Municipal buildings. No-one moved me off again. N36-50-28 E28-39-03 Ortaca 36088 mileage.