Oludeniz, Fetije and Antalya

The next day I notice that many dolmus-vans/minibuses go to my destination today Oludeniz and I get in between many "beach-hoppers". I have gone very early, because soon it will seem really busy and I do not want to lie between the screaming children and drunken tourists. The route winds through the hills through the pine forests and arid mountains when we suddenly see the beach.

The village is located about 9 kilometers from Fetije and means dead sea, no idea how they got their name from though. Before I can take my camera we tear down the mountain tot he waterfront where we are supposed to get out of the bus. I walk to the beach immediately before the others arrive. A row of hotels and a beach have been built here, but like all those others, of course I want to go to the "lagoon" - supposedly the most beautiful one of Turkey. First setback is that there is suddenly a ticket box and that you therefore have to pay to be on the lagoon beach.

A bit uncomfortable I pay the ticket but I walk upon the beach as one of the first of today so I can pick my spot. I walk all the way to the back, to the bend that shows water on all sides (peninsula) and the barren hills and mountains covered with small bushes - a beautiful sight. I put down my sarong and the sheet that I stole up from the hostel and cover my stuff. Enjoying the sun I see whole families coming and the necessary tour groups. But where I have the advantage of an already tainted skin these "white" skins have to be careful that they do not burn badly here because there is no shade.

I ask a family to pay attention to my stuff while I briefly enter the cool (read: not cold) crystal clear water and enjoy this completely enclosed lagoon. I read something, listen to some music before I pick up my stuff and stumble back to where I got out of the van early this morning.

Back in Fetije I eat something in a very small local eatery and decide to walk to the famous tombs. These are built in the cliffs of the slopes of the hills that surround the city so they’re not difficult to find at all. The most important and most famous tomb is that of Amyntas and is a decent climb from the streetside to the actual tomb. Looking at the tomb I wonder if the rock was already there and that after that the tomb was built in it or that they first cut out the rock and then made the tomb.

Nevertheless, it is a work of art - it is like a small Roman façade of the entrance of a house - two pillars on the sides and a roof behind which the door to the tomb itself. Underneath is something like a small tomb hidden away. These cemeteries seem to have been made during the “Lydian” Empire around the 6th century BC and they may all be cleared away. It is a small miracle that these sanctuaries have survived despite all the earthquakes in the area.

There seem to be cemeteries like this along the entire coast on the Mediterranean in Turkey. The fact is that if you've seen one you've seen "them" all. I walk back to the town where I order an ice-cold "Efes" beer on the terrace and enjoy the Turkish life and the people who all pass in a hurry . Before I go back to my hostel, I do some small grocery shopping and go down to bed to read something, update my diary and do my homework for tomorrow.

At exactly a quarter to nine in the morning a bus arrives to take me to the city Antalya in a few hours. You can choose two routes - the tourist that goes along the coast and takes almost 8 hours, or the shorter route that goes mostly inland and takes about half the time. Of course I choose the short one as I have seen a lot of the coast and will soon see more even though I do not know exactly what to think about my destination.

The name of the city reminds me of families who stay "cheap" here for a week or two for the sun and the beach. In the bus I read (and now also see) that it is a big city - more than one million inhabitants and it has the busiest airport on the coast of Turkey. In addition, it is an old trading city that does business with Egypt, Crete and, for example, Cyprus. I arrive at a busy and large bus station and buy a bus ticket for tonight in the direction of Cappadocia. Of course I do not want to wait until half past nine tonight in the waiting room and take a minibus to the center of town.

Actually, I had hoped for an afternoon on the famous beaches of the city, but despite of stalling my big bag for the day at the station, I do not feel like staying outside the city. The beaches in the city are strewn with stones and pebbles and now that I think it is actually not a good idea to be in the nightbus with a sweaty shirt and body. 

A dolmus takes me to the center of town where I take place in a small Turk restaurant for lunch. After this great lunch I walk into the old center, called Kaleici, looking for the old Roman port in the beautiful bay of Antalya. Where I expect a center full of tourists,I experience something totally different; small squares where mainly Turkish men drink tea at small wooden tables under a hedge of grapes. A little further you can get your shoes polished and a couple of local women sit and chat on a stone pavement. Arriving at the small but cute little harbor of the city you can still see the high citywalls that you often see in films about the late Middle Ages.

This was the lifeline of the city of his foundation under the king of Pergamon in the 2nd century BC. until a new port was built further on. The port was very important and the city was to become the most important on the South Coast. Pirates, the visit of Roman emperor Hadrian and apostle Paul and centuries later an important port to sail for the crusaders to Palestine. I walk through the old center and see everywhere parts of the old citywall that in the past kept enemies out - now cars are kept out in the inner city. There are several mosques, small squares and beautiful old Ottoman houses that are often turned into souvenir shops with beautiful Oriental carpets, guesthouses and other stuff.

A symbol of the city is the Kesik minaret but also the old tower, "Hidirlik Kulesi" as part of the city wall. It is not entirely clear what exactly this was for; as a lighthouse or as a house of someone of nobility. It is already far in the afternoon when I go back to the bus station and get ready for a night trip to Goreme, Cappadocia.