Turkey part 4: House cat and dog sitting, Antalya and southern coast (turquoise coast)

February 10^th – 16^th 2022

Yeşilüzümlü, Turkey

The eight days flew by! In the beautiful house with a great view, we enjoyed living together with three dogs and two cats. As with the last housekeeping, the furry friends were happy with us :-).

In the few days, we also got an interesting insight into the life of English people who had emigrated to Turkey.

One of the dog walks took us further than planned and we visited the over 2000-year-old Roman site of Kadyanda.

Not very well known but still a little gem. In particular, the location in the forest makes it interesting. Nature is spreading again and whole trees are growing between the seats of the amphitheater. This place reminded us a little bit of Angkor Wat. Not only we, but also the dogs simply lay down lazily when we arrived at home tired after three hours :-). With a heavy heart, we had to give the 9-month-old puppy Ava, back to the owners after 5 days. Ava was only with us temporarily.

A break like this is always well worth for us to catch up on the reports for the website, make minor repairs to the camper and simply recharge our batteries for the onward journey.

February 17^th 2022

Yeşilüzümlü – Fethiye, Türkei

Miles: 10 (20km)

Miles total: 7’080 (11'400km) 

Now the last day has dawned in the house with the dogs and cats. Breakfast for us, then breakfast for the dogs and cats and straight to work. Cleaning, putting our stuff in the camper and tidying up. For lunch, we treat ourselves to a delivery pizza (amazingly delicious) to save some time. Then we go on the last walk with the dogs and around 6:00 p.m. Lisa, the house owner, comes back. The two dogs are completely freaking out with joy :-). After a little chat and a farewell beer, we say goodbye to Lisa, Mabel, Elsa, Seraphina and Nelson. Since it has already gotten dark, we drive to a parking lot in the tourist coastal town of Fethiye, 12 miles (20km) away, to spend the night.

February 18^th – 19^th 2022

Fethiye, Turkey (Hiking Lycian Way)

Waking up in the camper is not always as idyllic as you might imagine. Today we are woken up at 6.45 a.m. as a city worker cleans the sewage duct right next to our camper with a loud howling device (along with all the other ducts in the parking lot!). But don't worry, we can sleep in again tomorrow ;-).

We spend the morning visiting the Lycian rock tombs, which are about 2000 years old and are carved into the cliffs above the city. The largest and most beautiful is the tomb of Amyntas, a local Lycian ruler or noble. The entrance to the tomb was designed as a temple gate, with two columns topped by a triangular pediment. Behind it is the small grave room. Other smaller, non-accessible rock tombs are right next door. We are always fascinated by such works of art carved out of the rock and we wonder how the stonemasons got to the graves high up in the rock face. The short climb to this site is also worthwhile for the beautiful view over the city. In the afternoon, we stroll along the long promenade of Fethiye and marvel at the many sailing and excursion boats that usually remain unused in the harbor in the off-season. Fethiye is the starting point for the popular multi-day sailing trips along the famous Turquoise Coast. The coast also lures us, but not by boat, but on foot. We want to explore a small part of the Lycian long-distance hiking trail, which runs over 316 miles (509 km) from Fethiye to Antalya and partly leads along old trade routes. We grab a taxi the next morning, which takes us to Kabak in the south in 50 minutes. From there we start our hike back to Fethiye. The first stage takes us on a hiking trail along the beautiful coast to Faralya. Looking back, fantastic views of the mountainous, forested, rugged and wild coast open up.

We march partly close to the sea, partly on high cliffs and pass enchanting bays. The different shades of blue of the sea, from deep blue, turquoise to light blue, as well as the clear water are fantastic and seem almost unreal. The shore, with the white and wet-black stones, completes the wonderful picture. You can hardly get enough of it and of course all this would invite you to swim. However, the temperatures are currently ideal for hiking, around 60°F (15°C), but unfortunately still too cold for swimming with the cool breeze.

Sometimes it goes along streets, through an area with some great looking hotels; and it's being built bravely everywhere! The hiking trail slowly rises and we reach one of the highlights of the hike: the view of the Butterfly Valley. 

There is a small bay between high rock walls, behind it a narrow, flat valley, at the back a waterfall rushes down into the depths. The area is under nature protection, which also includes a building ban, and got its name because of the high number and variety of butterflies. According to reports, however, there are more day tourists than butterflies today... In the season, the bay is the destination of countless excursion boats. But there is not much going on today and we enjoy the impressive view from the cliff down into the valley and out to sea. After our lunch at the dizzying vantage point, we continue and climb steeply until we finally reach approx. 2700 feet (800m) above sea level. 

From time to time we hike through mountain villages, some with many construction sites, where new villas or hotels are being built. By the way, the mountains around Fethiye are quite high and you can often see powdered or even snow-covered peaks near or far. Almost from the coast, for example, a cable car leads to the 6600 feet (2000m) tall mountain Babadag, which is also the starting point for many paragliders and offers a breathtaking view of the Fethiye region. We won't get that high, but the view towards the end of the hike isn't bad either ;-). Another highlight of the day! 

On the satellite image from Google Maps we can only see part of our road, but we have a feeling that it must eventually lead to the valley. 

Then the scary moment! The road ends abruptly and we are faced with a steep scree slope. 

We continue, the road immediately improves again, you can also see car tracks. That makes it easier for us. We hike in the dark over the gravel road that seems endless to us through the forest, but soon we can orientate ourselves again with Google Maps. 3/4 hour later we arrive tired but happy in Öludeniz. We're afraid that we won't be able to find a taxi immediately in the not very busy streets. But luck is with us! 

February 20^th 2022

Fethiye – Ölüdeniz, Turkey (Huge breakfast & ghost town)

Miles: 10 (20km)

Miles total: 7’090 (11'420)

We head off to the small old town and soon end up back on the more modern beach promenade. Because our stomachs roar, our eyes are drawn to restaurant menus rather than to the sea. What we sometimes noticed is, that the Turks often eat breakfast in the restaurants until the early afternoon. In one of the restaurants, the breakfast looks so delicious and rich that we want to try it!

We liked Fethiye very much with its manageable size and the not exaggerated tourism and it is just likeable. 

Totally stuffed we move on and drive 10miles away to the ghost town of Kayaköy. 

An area that has been empty for 100 years, with crumbling stone houses, churches and paths. Nature has also spread out between the walls again. The reason for the ghost town is the population exchange of 1923 between Turkey and Greece (forced resettlement after the Turkish-Greek War). There were more Greeks who had to go back to Greece than Turks who came back to Turkey from Greece. 

February 21^st 2022

Ölüdeniz – Boğaziçi, Turkey

Miles: 40 (60km)

Miles total: 7’130 (11'480km)

Once again, we wake up to the sound and a beautiful view of the sea. But the idyll doesn't last long, because an excavator pulls up right in front of our window and starts work. A runway is to be built here for the paragliders who take off from the nearby mountain Baba Dag. Stefan watches the hustle and bustle with interest; such an excavator makes men's hearts beat faster ;-). But we want to continue driving today and so we hurry to escape the rumble around the camper.

Immediately after the top of the pass we see a car on the side of the road from afar, with some glasses stacked in front of it. Is it honey?

The journey continues, up and down, with wonderful views of the mountainous coast. Through small villages, where there are sometimes simple overnight accommodations for hikers of the Lycian Way, but also extravagant glamping or beautiful guesthouses are available.

In addition to this opportunity to earn money, agriculture is mainly practiced in the remote area, there are many olive trees, the terraced fields are planted. In the late afternoon, we find the perfect place to stay with a spectacular view on a kind of peninsula.

February 22^nd 2022

Boğaziçi – Gelemiş, Turkey

Miles: 30 (40km)

Miles total: 7’160 (11'520km)

Crawl out of bed, stretch your arms and legs, open the window blinds and enjoy the impressive view with sleepy eyes :-). With breakfast, washing up and getting everything ready to go, it usually takes us two hours. Let's go. The hardly used road runs far above the coast. Through a few sleepy villages and through a long valley towards the coast.

Before we get to see the real sea again, we see an ocean of plastic from afar. The whole village of Gelemiş seems to consist of greenhouses as far as the eye can see, stuffed with tomatoes, hot peppers or chillies.

February 23^rd 2022

Gelemiş – Yeşilköy, Turkey

Miles: 20 (30km)

Miles total: 7’180 (11'550km)

Patara Beach is the longest uninterrupted beach in Turkey with a length of 11 miles (18km). The sand dunes behind make the beach something very special.

It is also an important nesting site for sea turtles. Like yesterday, we scramble down the sand dunes to the sea in the morning, walk along the deserted beach and enjoy the wind blowing through our hair. But we want to continue driving today and so we will tackle the tiresome project "toilet emptying" next. There is a campsite near the dunes, but we are a little hesitant to just empty our toilet there. Nevertheless, we stop and ask the caretaker of the dilapidated square. Due to language difficulties, he takes out his mobile phone and Maryse has to explain the whole thing to someone else in English on the phone :-). Finally, he agrees and so we empty everything into the toilet. Since we are fortunately not one of the “budget fox campers” (literally translated from German :-) ), we give him 5 lira (35 cents, unfortunately we didn't have any other small change) and a bar of chocolate. Already driven off, the guard waves to us again. We stop and he brings us four oranges, as he probably didn't like that we were "paying" him for something that doesn't cost him anything. Fair Turkish exchange: empty toilet & 5 lira & chocolate against four oranges :-).

In the completely overbuilt and absolutely unlikeable Kalkan, we take our lunch and drive straight on to another wonderful coastal spot right by the sea.

February 24^th – 25^th 2022

Yeşilköy, Türkei

We spend two days in this beautiful place. Every now and then someone comes to fish, otherwise there is not much activity here. We do a little hike on both days. A small paradise beach, the two sightings of tortoises and a meadow full of blooming violet flowers are the highlights of our excursions. And again and again we are delighted by the partly wild coast, the colors of the sea and the clear water. We like it here :-).

February 26^th 2022

Yeşilköy – Kaş, Turkey

Miles: 20 (40km)

Miles total: 7’200 (11'590km)

With 4x4 we move our little monster at a snail's pace up the slope. There is a water source nearby and, luckily, underneath it, a latrine. As on arrival, we visit this place again to prepare for the next few days.

Back on the coastal road, we let the sun accompany us while we marvel at the tiny turquoise bays wedged into rugged rocky slopes. Beautiful! Along the way lies the town of Kaş, which feels good to us.

Cosy, nice old town and pretty little restaurants and just a pleasant atmosphere. Not a matter of course with the huge number of tourists in Turkey. What we saw, are some Russian speaking people. Apparently, there are many Russian emigrants here, as well as in the further eastern coastal regions.

A few miles outside of Kaş we steer the Iveco through wonderful pink blossoming cherry or almond trees towards the sea directly on the Lycian Way. Since it is the weekend, there are a few other campers from Germany and Poland on the beach site, as well as many Turks who are having a picnic, listening to loud music and enjoying life on the beach.

February 27^th 2022

Kaş, Turkey

What could be nicer than a wonderful three-hour coastal walk? We are with the Iveco right by the sea, on the famous Lycian trail. The coast is not only hiked by us, but also by a number of goats. A herd with well over 100 animals crosses our path. Among the goats are some magnificent specimens that would certainly do well in a goat beauty contest :-). An old pair of goatherds keep the goats at bay and they continue up the steep hillside covered with bushes.

We continue walking until we arrive at the beautiful small gorge Inönü Koyu, which also has a small bay. In summer, such fantastic bays are often approached by tourist boats. Now in winter we are alone, let the sun warm us up and just enjoy it!

February 28^th 2022

Kaş – Karaöz, Turkey

Miles: 90 (150km)

Miles total: 7’290 (11'740km)

And further along the coast. At the starting point for our next hike we find a great place on the Lycian Way with a wonderful view of the sea.

March 1^st – 3^rd 2022

Karaöz, Turkey

Since the weather forecast is not so great, we postpone the hike to the next day. So, we enjoy preparing breakfast without any hassle. And a fisherman just parked his old vehicle next to us and packed his fishing gear. We open the door and say a friendly “Merhaba”, hello in Turkish. Two minutes later, Mehmed, the fisherman, knocks on the door and, with a smile, passes us fresh bread :-). Just right for our breakfast! Later in the day we take a little hike and enjoy the sea breeze. On the way, we see a campsite that is open. We decide to spend the night there from tomorrow and make a “reservation” with the site manager. Now we are again comfortably in the camper and Mehmed will soon return after several hours of fishing, his hobby. He knows how to enjoy life: despite the cold wind, he pulls out a camping chair and a beer from his 40-year-old Renault, sits down and simply looks out to sea right next to us :-). We also go out and try to talk to Mehmed, who doesn't speak a word of English :-). With the mobile phone and "Google Translate" we begin to change a few sentences hesitatingly. After the bread in the morning, Mehmed gives us six more oranges. We now offer him tea and cookies and ask him what he has fished. There are about 20 smaller fish in its bucket.

Now Mehmed insists on giving us six of his fish and since we are not fishermen he scales and guts them. Later he even offered to pick us up in his car the next day after the hike (an hour's drive!), but of course we couldn't accept this offer! The hospitality in Turkey is once again very moving!

Now the next day is dawning and in the afternoon, we drive the two miles to the campsite. And just on this small stretch, Mehmed's blue Renault comes towards us and we drive together to the campsite. Everyone knows each other. Mehmed, a few other fishermen and the camp manager. We are invited to tea, a small soup, bread, olives and cake.

With a clear conscience (camper is parked good and safe) we can now start our hike from the campsite the next morning, along the famous Lycian way.

We leave before 9am after a quiet night and have about 12 miles (20km) coastal hike from Karaöz to Adrasan ahead of us.

After an hour in the forest, we discover the beautiful Gelodonya lighthouse, which towers over the southern tip of the peninsula. We don't meet anyone except a young German guy who walks the whole Lycian Way of 316 miles (509 km). The hiking season has probably not started yet. But that's fine with us :-). We just enjoy it; the forest, the nature, the fantastically blue shimmering sea and the peace and quiet.

About 2 miles (3 km) offshore, we are constantly accompanied by the tiny, 1mile long island of Suluada, known for a permanent source of fresh water.

The hike is of course beautiful, but not as spectacular as the last hike along the Lycian Way from Kabak to Olüdeniz. Also because you are mostly in the forest and therefore there is not much of a view.

Finally, a taxi takes us from Adrasan back to the campsite in 30 minutes.

March 4^th 2022

Karaöz – Çıralı, Turkey

Miles: 30 (50km)

Miles total: 7’320 (11'790km)

The bumpy forest path takes you back to the village of Karaöz. In order to get to the next bay, a few feet of altitude must first be overcome, the coast is very mountainous here. But before we head back down to the coast to the tourist village of Çıralı, we look for a restaurant on the main road. Not looking very promising from the outside, we are surprised inside with a very tasty lunch. The ordered salad comes with fresh, still warm flatbread, three delicious dipping sauces, a piece of butter, a piece of cheese and a plate full of greens (parsley and rocket). For the main course, we choose a chicken skewer, also very well seasoned, with crispy French fries. After the culinary hit, we leave the main road and curve down the steep road to the coast. At the upper end of the beach we find a parking lot right by the sea, where we can also spend the night. We end the afternoon with a walk along the beautiful beach. We find it to be one of the nicer touristic beaches in Turkey. Nestled between high cliffs, the beach is quite long and there are some nice hotels and campsites in the village. No large hotel complexes disturb the picture.

On our walk on the beach we are accompanied by a playful dog and the many flat, different-colored stones encourage us to build tiny "stone temples" :-). But the reason for our detour here is actually the flame fields of Chimaera. At dusk, we took off and after 20 minutes of walking uphill we see the small fires in a rocky clearing in the forest. There is a campfire atmosphere: people sit around the fire, make music, sing and meditate. But the fires are not caused by human hands, it is a rare natural phenomenon:

March 5^th 2022

Çıralı – Antalya, Turkey

Miles: 80 (130km)

Miles total: 7’400 (11'920km)

Morning walk, coffee and brownie in a trendy cafe, and off we go from Çıralı. Arriving at the top of the main road, we stop to take a picture of the valley where Çıralı is located. And that's where we get to know Aziz. A young Turk, born in Switzerland and living in Germany, speaks to us in German. We finally take Aziz all the way to Antalya. Taking people with you is actually always a change and an enrichment. Exchanging stories, meeting new people and philosophizing about the world. We soon realize that we get along well with each other :-). We eat lunch on the way and all of us make a stopover in touristy Kerman for a sweet snack and coffee. The entire Antalya region is somewhat spoiled by package tourism, which we also notice in the "flexible" prices. Aziz and I decide quickly to have our beard trimmed at the barber. 

In Istanbul, it was less than half! We just pay it and move on, a little irritated. In the last three months in Turkey we were almost never asked too much. In the future, we have to be more skeptical in these all-inclusive tourist locations and agree on the price in advance. Further we drive to the city of Antalya, right in the center to the bus station, where Aziz stores his luggage. We don't know at this point that we will meet Aziz again and we say goodbye. Nice guy this Aziz, was a good and interesting encounter. While it's getting dark outside, we drive back and forth in the tedious traffic and only find a usable parking space after an hour!

March 6^th – 8^th 2022

Antalya, Turkey

Since there is no campsite anywhere in Antalya, we spend the night in a large parking lot not far from a beautiful beach promenade. The nights here tend to be of the louder side. One of the reasons is that young Turks love to blast their tuned cars and test out their built-in sound systems with the windows open, often in the middle of the night in city parking lots or even on the beach. We have experienced this not only here, but everywhere in Turkey ;-). But on the first morning we are not woken up by the car boys, but by loud music from somewhere else. As we find out later, a city run is taking place today. Along the route there are various stages where music is played. Apparently, these music systems were tested early in the morning...

We spend our time in Antalya in the pretty, quiet old town, which mainly impresses with beautifully restored Ottoman houses.

The former residential buildings are now mainly used for hotels, restaurants and shops, mostly of the more expensive kind.

In the old Roman port, there is a lot of activity, the many excursion boats are waiting for guests. In addition to the old town, Antalya is a very modern city with many amenities, a stylish long beach promenade and offers wonderful views of the surrounding rocks and mountains. We use a day to do various things. When we exchanged our temporary SIM card for a permanent one a few weeks ago, we seemingly unknowingly got a three-month contract. Actually a good deal, but we don't know how to pay our bill. We want to clarify this and other uncertainties. Unfortunately, nobody speaks English in this Vodafone shop again, so we struggle again with Google Translate. At least we can pay our bill there and get some information about the contract. There is also a small booth in the mall that offers massages.

By the way, we met Aziz again on the way into town. What a coincidence in a city of 1 million! We take off for dinner and spend a cozy evening together.

March 9^th 2022

Antalya – Denizyaka Manavgat, Turkey

Miles: 50 (80km)

Miles total: 7’450 (12'000km)

First a calculation: Today we are on the road for 300 days and we covered exactly 12,000 km. So, you can see that we are traveling at about the same pace as cyclists; 40 km / day :-) (25 miles / day).

And now it's 4:00 p.m. again before we finally drive out of town after shopping for groceries. We see greenhouses again on the way, but this time very tall plastic structures. To our amazement full of bananas! In the mid-19th century, banana seedlings were brought in by sea from Egypt and today Turkey produces 40,000 tons of bananas for the domestic market. Afterwards, when we reach a lonely beach, a goatherd comes towards us. Completely surprisingly, he speaks to us in reasonably usable German, which he learned decades ago at hotel management school. Two minutes later, a German comes along, accompanied by various stray dogs. He and his wife have been here at this beach for 5 weeks already :-) and regularly look after the skinny dogs. We park a few hundred yards (meters) from where the Germans stand near the sea, again with a great view ;-).

March 10^th 2022

Denizyaka Manavgat, Turkey

Leisurely day at the beach with a walk.

March 11^th 2022

Denizyaka Manavgat – Manavgat, Turkey

Miles: 40

Miles total: 7’490

The endless seemingly coastal road in front of the city of Manavgat is lined with countless gigantic hotel complexes and tourist shops.

Soon we reach the city center, drive into a veritable traffic chaos, discover a small parking lot and walk to our desired destination with the help of Google Maps: a print shop. Since we will most likely enter Iran next autumn, we need a special customs document for the car (Carnet de Passage). We have to apply for this in Switzerland and have to print out a few documents for this purpose. When the work is done we drive to the campsite at the other end of town. By the way, due to the still cold temperatures, we do have to heat the van every evening.

March 12^th – 13^th 2022

Manavgat, Turkey

Three nights at the campsite. The reason for this is our full laundry bags. Three drums and two days later, all the clothes were neatly back in the closet. A few walks along the huge tourist hotel bunkers, several tour pirate ships and the long beach should not be missed either.

March 14^th 2022

Manavgat – Köprülü Canyon, Turkey

Miles: 50

Miles total: 7’540

For a change, it's off to the mountains again, away from the coast. On the way there, we miss a signpost and take a detour over bad roads and through small villages. As on the coast, many greenhouses can still be found here in the mountains. A blight on the landscape, however, the advantages and profits must outweigh the conventional cultivation methods. We have never seen such a scale of greenhouses in any country. 

We are approaching today's destination, the Köprülü Gorge, the road now leads directly along the river. Countless restaurants, hotels and river rafting providers are lined up along the wild river. Since we have planned a few days here, we don't drive to the gorge yet and look for a nice place to stay with a magnificent view. Although the temperatures have risen a little again, an icy wind is still blowing.

March 15^th – 16^th 2022

Köprülü Canyon, Turkey (Breathtaking canyon and flat tires)

Miles: 10 (10km)

Miles total: 7’550 (12’150km)

Our place to sleep is actually also a view point. However, we only realize this when regularly Landrovers with small groups of tourists or whole buggy troops come and their 20 buggies are next to us :-).

After all, the view from here of the Köprüçay River with the mountains in the background is great! Despite the cold temperatures and the certainly not warm water, we see a few die-hards jetting down the river in rafting boats. 

In the early evening, we have a visitor. The "Jandarma", Turkish police. Three nice guys, none of whom speaks English, want to see our passports. Since we can hardly talk, they soon move on with a smile.

The next morning breaks and we get up earlier than usual. A day of hiking to the Tazi Gorge (part of the Köprülü Canyon) awaits us. We park the Iveco on the side of the road and at the moment we have no idea that this is a mistake. Unfortunately, the sun remains behind a thin gray blanket all day, despite the sunny forecast. In the lower part of the hike, along the river, the trail was washed away last winter. From the pieces of plastic hanging from trees 15 feet (5m) above the current level of the river, we can only guess how massive the flooding must have been! And further we go, without a big incline, in the direction of the gorge.

Soon we come to a new building with steel cables and quickly realize that it is a new zip-line. Our eyes follow the ropes up, but we don't see the start. Here the highest zip line in the world (410 m) and at almost two kilometers the longest zip line in Europe was built. Unfortunately, the opening stays just ahead, otherwise we would probably choose this means of transport to return from the hike :-). The hiking trail leads us up 1300 feet (400m) in altitude through bushes and trees and after a few hours we have arrived at the Tazı Gorge. Since this point can also be reached by car, we are not the only visitors. We walk the last hundred yards (meters), reach the edge of the gorge and we are extremely excited!

We never expected such a view with such amazing dramatic rock faces!! We see the river about 1300 feet (400m) directly below us. The 8 mile (13km) long way back is by road. Of the 10 or so vehicles that overtake us, most stop and ask us if they can give us a lift. But we still prefer to walk the route nicely in the forest.

Now a thriller begins. A Turk is standing about 60 feet (20m) from our Iveco; a slightly bulky guy with frizzy hair and fake Armani jeans. We walk past him and say hello. At first, he doesn't say anything, but then he realizes that we belong to the Iveco and immediately he greets loudly and we chat with him for 10 minutes. We get into the Iveco, drive off and notice after a few feet that we have a flat tire in the front left. The curly-haired Turk is with us immediately. He wants to help us immediately and send us a colleague! We do without and pump up the tire again with our built-in compressor, and lo and behold, the air stays in it to some extent! Funny!! The assumption is that this bastard let the air out of our tires to make money together with his "car service" colleague.

The thriller continues the next day!

March 17^th 2022

Köprülü Canyon – Side, Turkey (Very annoying souvenir seller and tire trouble)

Miles: 60 (100km)

Miles total: 7’610 (12’250km)

As described yesterday, the thriller continues. We check the front left tire in the morning and it still has air, but less than the night before. However, it cannot be that we lost much more air yesterday, up to a flat tire, and only about 1 bar (15psi) over the whole night! The tube probably broke a bit from the few feet that we drove with a flat tire. So, I change the tire while Maryse does the kitchen.

Now the Iveco climbs up to 3200 feet (960m) above sea level. On the way in a curve, the chubby curly-haired Turk from the previous evening appears to our astonishment. Short hello and we keep on going.

At a view point we enjoy the special rock formations that look like “little stone men” and the distant view over the canyon. 

Since an amphitheater is only three miles (5km) away, we drive there, miss the entrance to the parking lot and are immediately intercepted by a souvenir seller. Ten minutes and a pair of overpriced wool socks later, we finally end up in the parking lot.

As soon as we got off, we were chased by a pack of other souvenir sellers. The rebelliousness that these women show is absolutely unknown to us in Turkey to this day!! It wasn't even that annoying in India! We buy a few little things from them and soon we are no longer interesting. They are now running after a German tour group that has just arrived! The amphitheater, which is over 2000 years old, and the mountain village called Selge are worth seeing, but it is not worth the hassle associated with the souvenir sellers and the overpriced prices! Back at the camper, the curly-haired Turk is back (apparently he lives in the village). Then there are the small food stalls, where we are happy to decline the tea, as it costs more than three times the normal price. Nevertheless, we allow ourselves to be persuaded to have a small snack by an old gentleman who speaks very good English (was in England for 10 years). Unfortunately, we buy a jar of overpriced honey from him.

After a small meal we set off. After 45 miles (70km) we are near the coast again and want to pump some more air into the spare tire at the front left. Now the rear left tire looks a little flat! A few miles later comes the shopping center where we want to buy something and eat. It is now 7:30 p.m.

Let's rewind the time to the tires and our detective work with the help of photos: Shortly before the amphitheater in Selge, at the view point with the "little stone men” we can see in the photo that the rear left tire is full. On a photo at the amphitheater it is already a little flatter, about the same as 45 miles (70km) later on the coast at the gas station. So how can it be that we "lost" air in the few miles from the viewpoint to the amphitheater, but then none on the following 45 miles (70km)? Did the curly-haired Turk let air out a second time? Didn't he let out all the air out because he was disturbed by the incoming German tour group? Is it all terrible coincidences? The truth remains hidden in the mountains of this valley.

March 18^th 2022

Side, Turkey

Miles: 20 (40km)

Miles total: 7’630 (12’290km)

 Our first thought after waking up is of course the tires again. We are lucky; the "broken" left rear held the air to some extent. Yesterday we used Google Maps to find a tire repair shop in town. An important criterion in the search are the tractor tires on the pictures :-). Based on the photos and the ratings, the selected shop seems to be quite respectable and reputable. So we have a quick breakfast and drive off, we are prepared to a lengthy project. The shop is located in a dusty craftsperson and car repair district, where countless small shops are lined up in long warehouses.

A large tractor tire written with "Oto Lastik" shows us the way to our destination. We stop in front of the gate with the high stacks of old tires, this should be our shop :-). Somehow it doesn't look quite as expected... We're also a little surprised that a 70-year-old man is holding the fort. We try anyway. Using a bumpy Google Translate conversation, we explain our concerns to him. Then it starts: there is a lot of hammering and banging. The spanner ring sits firmly on the rims and can only be removed with a hammer and crowbar. But this is always the case, but we are always worried! And we feel bad about the old man who has to do the heavy lifting. Stefan tries to help him, but the old man hardly wants that. We discuss whether we should look for another shop for the second tire. On the other hand, we see that the man knows what he's doing and that we might not find another shop so quickly. And after some time, fortunately, a young worker comes along to give him a hand. And so, after a good 1 1/4 hours, both hoses have been patched and all the tires have been put back in the right place. Costs 8$! That is of course incredibly inexpensive. Of course, we leave them a tip and we are happy that they treated us honestly. The strange experiences at the Köprülü Canyon shaped us a bit... Then we drive back to the large parking lot in “Side” and explore the old town in the afternoon.

The path from the car park to the center is lined with ancient buildings and the remains of such. Of course, the almost obligatory big theater is not missing either ;-). We stroll to the harbor where the temples of Apollo and Athena once stood. Today there are still a few magnificent columns that have been restored to their original location. In addition, ancient buildings are often hidden between the countless restaurants and souvenir shops in the old town. And often the relics even lie at our feet! Glass floors are inlaid over the sites that lie below the present-day alleys. Some well-preserved mosaics can be seen. Archaeological work is still going on, as remains of the ancient city are believed to be hidden under many houses. We were quite surprised that the restaurants and shops seem to pay mostly in euros here; and not too short ;-). The old town of Side is a popular destination for guests of the surrounding all-inclusive hotels.

March 19^th 2022

Side – Gazipaşa, Turkey

Miles: 80 (120km)

Miles total: 7’710 (12’410km)

Along huge hotel complexes, on a 6-lane main road, the drive seems rather boring to us.

In the town of Alanya we have lunch and before we continue we visit one of the main attractions of the town, the 800-year-old "red tower", which served as a watchtower. An exciting octagonal construction with a diameter of 100 feet (30m) and a height of 110 feet (33m). We also find a wonderful place to sleep by the sea. Luckily for us with toilet facilities and fresh water.

March 20^th – 23^rd 2022

Gazipaşa, Turkey

Besides writing the report, we enjoy good food in the nearby restaurant, walk along the beach while we collect rubbish from time to time.

March 24^th 2022

Gazipaşa – Yanışlı, Turkey

Miles: 100 (170km)

Miles total: 7’810 (12’580km)

Today is driving day. The narrow road meanders in countless curves along the rocky steep coast. 

We also notice the many water reservoirs that are used to irrigate the plantations. At one of the many small stalls we buy a bundle of the small sweet bananas. 1kg costs 80 cents. To stay overnight we find a nice bay near a big hotel and some holiday resorts. There we meet other travelers from France, Germany and Belgium, traveling with vans and big trucks.

March 25^th 2022

Yanışlı – Taşucu, Turkey

Miles: 30 (50km)

Miles total: 7’840 (12’630km)

After a morning walk on the coast, we chat with the other travelers.

March 26^th – 27^th 2022

Taşucu, Turkey (River delta and bird paradise)

Unfortunately, we have to leave our beautiful place in the morning. A man from the Ministry of the Environment explains to us that we are not allowed to camp here because we are already inside the national park. We didn't know that, there were no signs on the access road to the large gravel site. The recent comments on "park4night" also do not indicate a camping ban... Well, of course we respect the rules of the national park and drive to the place assigned by the "ranger", which is only about 300 yards (300m) further ahead, but outside of the national park is. 

The camper group (Belgians, French, Germans) from the night before last also arrives here, but they drive to the "not obviously forbidden" place in the national park. Well, it's a bit tricky as the driving and camping bans aren't really enforced. In any case, we enjoy our walk along the mile-long wild beach, which is totally natural thanks to the national park. This beach, like many others on southern Turkey's Mediterranean coast, is a nesting site for endangered sea turtles. We spend the second day with a 9 mile (14km) hike in the wet-lands of the Göksu Delta National Park.

Located on the south coast, it is the last stop for birds before continuing their migration across the Mediterranean and into Africa, and the first port of call in Turkey as they return from their wintering grounds on their way north. The delta has many habitats side by side: sea, beaches, dunes, a salt, a brackish and a freshwater lake, extensive reed belts, salt and marsh steppes and lagoons. During our hike, we discover large groups of pelicans and cormorants, some flamingos, countless ducks and long-legged birds in the various lakes and the lagoon. We also see several small birds flying around and some birds of prey circling in the air. 

On the way back we met an adult tortoise and a short time later a very young tortoise that wasn't much bigger than a large coin. All in all a wonderful and exciting hike. It is a pity, however, that many day trippers do not observe the driving ban in the national park, and the rubbish is simply left lying around, as is the case everywhere in Turkey.

March 28^th 2022

Taşucu – Kocahasanlı, Turkey

Miles: 60 (90km)

Miles total: 7'900 (12’720km)

Chat with our German neighbors for a bit, then finally let's go. It goes to a cave that has the dramatic name "Heaven and Hell". Well, we're excited. So here we are, in the cave parking lot, I get out of the car, and there it is! A sound! Can this really be?? A hiss comes from the rear left tire! Another flat tire. We look at each other in disbelief, drive quickly onto the flat ground with the remaining air and park in a way that we can change the tire in the shadow of the Iveco! We caught something! Everything is done in a record-breaking 25 minutes (we're steadily getting used to tire changes).

Now off to the cave.

First, we go to the "Hell Gorge", from where we look down over a new platform with a glass floor into a 400 feet (120m) deep cave hole in the rock.

Now continue towards the second cave, where the first thing to do is go down 450 steps. In the entrance of the huge cave are the walls of a former chapel from the 5th century.

And the journey continues. Around 6:00 p.m. we spontaneously decide to have the tire repaired right away. A young man takes the tire and then nothing happens for 20 minutes. 

March 29^th – 30^th 2022

Kocahasanlı, Turkey

Writing reports, go for walks at the beach and play with street dogs.

March 31^st 2022

Kocahasanlı – Tarsus, Turkey (City Mersin and picking up a package from Switzerland at the Pastor)

Miles: 50 (80km)

Miles total: 7'950 (12’800km)

Packing up quickly and driving off is the order of the day today. We have had an appointment to keep for a long time ;-). At around 11.00 a.m. we can pick up our package from Switzerland in Mersin. But first the Iveco has to be refueled. 

We are very surprised by Mersin as we drive through modern and strikingly clean residential areas and along a long beautiful seafront promenade. Then we approach the city center, our goal is the Greek Orthodox Church! Once again, it's pure chaos here, but after a few laps we find a parking lot nearby where we can park the camper for half an hour. 

Now a word about how our package got to Pastor Teymur :-). About two months ago we stayed at a beach near Selcuk where a couple walking by spoke to us in Swiss German. Doris and Mihail emigrated to Turkey, Mihail's home country, about 20 years ago. We chatted for a while, they gave us their phone number in case we needed help. Two months later we took up their offer by asking if they knew of anyone in Mersin or along our future itinerary that we could send a package to. As luck would have it, the two of them were in Switzerland and still had room for our things in their luggage. So our package came to Turkey and was then forwarded to Pastor Teymur, an old friend of Mihail. We are very grateful for their willingness to help! 

In the afternoon, we organize some things in the busy city of Mersin. Unfortunately, as we continue our journey, we catch the road along the harbour. And since it is the largest port in Turkey, the road is accordingly congested with trucks. 

In Tarsus, we stay overnight at a RV park near a waterfall and directly besides a park with a restaurant. It is run by the city and to our surprise it is for free.

April 1^st 2022

Tarsus, Turkey

When visiting the beautiful old town of Tarsus, we quickly realize that it is authentic here and not touristy. There is no hassle in the bazaar, the restaurants have normal prices and, despite the sights, there are neither annoying tour guides nor countless souvenir stands. It also seems to be getting more conservative the further east we go. We see this in people's clothes (more women wear headscarves and men don't wear shorts or T-shirts) but also in the fact that there are many more men on the streets than women. A perfect example of this is our lunch. Maryse is the only woman in the typical local restaurant and there is no toilet for women.

In the old town, we visit a new historical museum and some ancient buildings such as the Roman road, the covered bazaar or the Roman bath.

For our dinner, we want to buy local humus, which is also a specialty here. We are asked if we want to try. Of course! We don't just get a small spoonful to try, but are invited straight into the restaurant. We get a small bowl with freshly prepared humus, lemon, chillies and bread on the side. Of course, we buy a bowl of the very tasty stuff and get a second bowl with lemons, chilies and pickles as well as a piece of bread. A cozy authentic Turkish day.

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