Turkeys M Hideaways Day 13
Turkeys M Hideaways
Day 13 - 04/19/06 Cruise to Friendship Cove Hike to Lydea and Cleopatra's Baths
Our night in the protected cove was quiet and peaceful. We woke up to an early morning sun, but in a short time it was overcast and the wind picked up and cooled our 7:30 breakfast.
Meltem again gave us an overview for the day, explaining our path on the navigational maps so we could get our bearings. Going in and out of these coves tends to be confusing! The crew readied our ship for our trip out of the cove and soon we were on our way on a choppy and cool sea. Gennie and I typed the journal, I worked on pictures, and Gennie organized her pack for the hike. I was also able to listen to several of Meltems CDs, possible music for the final presentation for this trip. Others used this time to read, relax, and to see this beautiful coast line.
We cruised to Aga Limani, or "Friendship Cove." The tour guide for the OAT group that is a day ahead of us was stung by a bee yesterday, so we flipped our itinerary around to meet them at Friendship Cove. Melten was willing to help her but when we arrived, we found her to be fit and already headed up the hillside with her group.
We began our hike at 10:00, one that Meltem had described as the longest and most difficult of our trip. She was right - we hiked to the crest of the mountainous peninsula, seeing goats, sheep, and even another turtle! At the peek, we explored the remains of an ancient Roman Temple, overlooking a Roman village where we could make out baths, cisterns, and homes.
On the site of the ruins below was a shepard's home. Meltem had met them on a previous trip so we went to visit them, bringing some candy and cookies for their toddler and the family. The husband was with his flocks in the hills, but the wife offered us sage tea while we chatted awhile and looked all around their home. They have a cozy one-room house with a hearth fireplace for warming and cooking as well as a generator, TV, satellite dish, and cell phone. All of the comforts of home!
We continued our hike through forests, meadows and spectacular coastal scenery to a little-known Greco-Roman site called Lydea. We walked on a pine-shaded trail amid the smells of wild herbs, and the music of goat bells, with spectacular vistas of the Gocek Lagoon and Bay of Fethiye.
The hike took about four hours; the uphill portions easier than slipping and sliding down the rocks. As we hiked, our gulet sailed around to meet us in a spectacular cove which shelters the sunken baths of Cleopatra, built for her by Mark Anthony. Legend says that Anthony gave Cleopatra the entire Turquoise Coast as a wedding gift - a present fit for a queen, but Meltem told us there was not a lot of historical documentation for this legend.
We returned to our gulet just in time for another tasty lunch but as I had eaten so much in the last few days, I declined. As we were finishing lunch, two day cruise tourist boats pulled in to our quiet cove. Many of those aboard had wet suits, but most just weathered the cold water and swam in bathing suits. Fulfilling a promise to his wife, our captain dutifully called her and told her that he had seen his first bikini - the "season" had begun!
We left our cove about 3 PM and continued our sail around the coast line to a secluded inlet where we saw more rock tombs. We anchored here for the night. During this quiet time several read, took naps, and while Gennie watched the captain and our crew play a very confusing Turkish card game, I worked on photos.
At 5 we had tea and cookies before we took our last hike of the day. Mustafa dropped us off at a small dock and we hiked up into the hills for about an hour. The view overlooking our cove and gulet floating peacefully was postcard picture perfect!
We returned from the walk and Gennie settled our accounts with Meltem and OAT for the optional excursions. She also checked our airline tickets and reminded us to confirm with Lufthansa when we reached our final hotel in Kusadasi.
While we were waiting for dinner, Gennie and the captain worked several Suduko puzzles, sharing techniques to solve them. The captain speaks limited English but these number puzzles are in the universal language of mathematics so English is optional. Our cabin boy, Dogan, was on the deck giving massages so I took advantage of this opportunity as did Carol and Carl.
We enjoyed another wonderful dinner together at 8 PM as I had not eaten lunch which was a very smart thing for me to do, I was ready for dinner tonight. After dinner the captain turned on the generator to charge the ship's battery so we all took advantage of the available hot water and electricity. I sorted the day's photos and showed them to the crew who really appreciated seeing themselves. The captain then asked me for a copy of all the shots I had taken of his gulet and crew.
We retired at 9:30, read for a while and had another peaceful evening in this secluded cove.
Accommodations: Gulet - - - Meals: B, L, D
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