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We left Kekova reluctantly - it is a lovely place and we were delighted by the advice we had been given. We stopped to explore Kas -once an old fishing village but it has now grown to be a little resort. It looked a little ugly on the outskirts but had a quaint old part - unfortunately full of good but expensive shops. Ken & I were pleased to move on.
We went on towards Olu Deniz, our next stop. We decided to take the coastal route along a secondary road. We eventually found the right way and then proceeded to climb a mountain with stunning views over bays below. It was a small road made worse by having to negotiate goats and cattle. Then the road turned to a dirt road (on my map this was an important road). We then came across a small farm with a restaurant and cottages run by an English lady and her Turkish husband. She had lived here for 40 years and seemed totally eccentric - wanting to discuss the latest exhibition at the Royal Academy in London. To us it was a surreal experience. She assured us we were on the correct road but it was not a good one. We pressed on, the road was rough climbing up to about 1600m but we eventually hit the coast and sealed road about 10km from our destination. The coastline was still just as stunning.
Our initial view of Olu Deniz and the area was that it was a bit tacky - heavily developed looking to become a mini version of Benidorm. This was made worse when we found the place we had booked to stay was full of English pensioners here for a break in the sun. The place had the feel of a 60s Blackpool boarding house.
Next day we decided to walk to an abandoned village, Kayakoy, which had been made famous by Louis de Bernieres in his book 'Bird without wings'. It was a pleasant walk and the deserted village was huge. Only the churches still had roofs and they were the best preserved. We then walked over the hill towards Olu Deniz - about 8km. Fran & I found it tough - especially in the heat - up & down and over rocky ground so the footing was not good. It was worth it as there were fabulous views over the coastline. It was then straight home for beers and a swim.
We had decided on an easy day the next day - a short walk to a monastery (45 mins each way) with a stop at the beach. Ken had decided to go paragliding as here is one of the best places for it. (Obviously, no riots or revolutions this trip is too tame for him!). I opted to join the girls in a trip to the Haman (Turkish baths) and a look round Fethiye. The Haman was an experience - 400 years old but very small - we all came out clean and refreshed. Fethiye is not too bad - a bit touristy with lots of yachts. We bumped into Ken in town - much to Judi's relief. She was so pleased that she marched him off to the barbers shop to have a shave. Dinner was in the fish market. The process is first to buy the fish (need to haggle a bit to get a good price) then off to a restaurant who will cook it for 6Tl (£2) a head. It made an excellent meal - the best so far.
Next day it was another Lycian way walk - from Faralya to Kabak. It was a lovely walk starting by the coast, going over hills into the next valley with great views of the coast. Half way through the walk we came across a student selling freshly squeezed orange juice on the top of the mountain. He was also looking after the beehives. He camped there and clearly didn't see many people - he was keen to chat and tell us about his upcoming military service. He shot pheasant up there and to prove it, showed us his shotgun. The walk ended up at Kabak, which overlooks a beautiful bay - the only problem was it another ½ hour trek down to beach and the same back up.
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