Turkey Travel Planner

There is a man named Tom Brosnahan who's written over 40 guidebooks and has a deep-seated love for tea and fez hats in his heart. And if you are at all curious about what you could see, do, how much it'll cost and even how to get married in Turkey... no kidding... I invite you to his online guide to Turkey at http://www.turkeytravelplanner.com/

Time and again, browsing some info during my 3 weeks in Türkiye, I was redirected to his amazing database of regional information, maps, transport info, photographs...

Check it out!

Mediterranean Coast: Kabak Valley

Kabak Valley (the Valley of Squash!) is a hidden little gem on the Mediterranean coast of Turkey where the waters are azure and the tourists flock by the hundreds to resort towns the like of Ölüdeniz. For your sanity, please avoid the latter unless you're looking for small Britain with a more favourable climate as endless sandwich boards proudly proclaim they will get you bangers and mash and you can pay in GBP. Why? You're in Turkey, sillies!

From the lovely town of Fethiye take a dolmuş (a mini-van that is a shared taxi, a Turkish specialty for getting around) from the bus depot. A few hours of winding cliff-hugging roads and voilá - you are at the end of the line, the sleepy tiny village of Kabak. There is a guesthouse or two here on top of the hill but you are a long way from the beach down below, beckoning with its gentle surf and white sand. So here is my suggestion.

Pay the dolmuş driver the nominal fee for getting you here safely despite his careening speeds past the long drops to the valley floor. Disembarking, note the small bushel of signs for accommodation, jeep transportation, etc. marking the start of the climb down to the ocean. Also etch in your mind the second café/shop combination to the right of the signs - this is the place to stock up on ice-cream bars, beer and miscellaneous items to carry to your camp haven below. They also serve fantastic and cheap gözleme with ayran (that's a stuffed flat-bread and savoury yogurt drink respectively) and sell local honey and crafts.

Now you are ready to hoist your belongings as comfortably as possible and start the descent to the valley below. You'll be walking along a part of the Lycian Way, a fabulous trekking route that echoes of long-gone civilizations that once thrived along this rocky coast. This walk will get your heart pumping for the views as well as the steep angle you are navigating, but it couldn't be more worth it.

There are several camps that have sprung up in the valley. One of the pioneers is Reflections Camp and I adore this eco-lodge with its calm tranquil magic. Started by Chris who is American and currently run by a beautiful Turkish couple, they endeavour to recycle everything possible, provide refills of potable water to reduce consumption of plastic bottles, remove all their trash from the valley and are continually improving their lush natural oasis of wooden bungalows and tent platforms while pouring on the famous Turkish hospitality. Breakfast and dinner are divine buffets served on the communal terrace with luscious views, candles and backpackers mingling their stories and accents between bites and praise of the food. Lunch is extra, but we loved the reward of gözleme and ayran after a long climb to the valley's rim, to break up all that lying around on the beach.

Mmmm... the Valley of Squash... save this gem for your favourite people who will treat it with respect.

Fethiye: Onur Pension

Wikipedia tells me that Fethiye is a [lovely] city in the Muğla Province in the Aegean region of Turkey with about 68,000 inhabitants. Water sports beach fun in the bay, rock-hewn tombs in the hillsides, the edge of the Tourus mountain chain.

I highly recommend the Tuesday morning farmers' market.

Also great was Onur Pension owned by Muzo, a former teacher who's got an endless smile and chatter and good prices for his rooms. At present there's no website, so contact him here:

onurpension@hotmail.com
+90 0 532 795 19 22 mobile
+90 0 252 612 62 62 office

Olympos, Çıralı and Chimaera

If you've heard of the ruins of Olympos in Turkey, then you've probably heard of Olympos tree houses. This area is also where people come to do a nocturnal visit to Fire on the Mountain. Mount Chimaera is pock-marked with small holes from which flames leap out due to exiting gases spontaneously combusting upon mixing with air. (it's true!!) In ancient times these flames spawned the myth of the fire-breathing monster Chimaera and in more recent centuries running contests were held starting at the very top of the break-neck steep slope.

Along the coast the order of appearance is Olympos treehouse hostels, Olympos ruins, the small village of Çıralı and then the road winds along to the mountain. Many backpackers stay in the treehouse party enclaves and we heard Bayram's has a fun, bustling atmosphere. However, we were looking for something a little more... grown-up and local.

We certainly got rewarded for our efforts. After an uncomfortable 4km walk along the shifting beach pebbles, we arrived at the entrance to Çıralı marked with a zillion signs for pensions (guesthouses). This is where Turks go to vacation by the sea-side. I offered to do the leg-work going from one place to another in the hot sun because this very day Rich was celebrating his birthday and so deserved to relax with our bags in the shade underneath the forest of signs. In fact, this proved to be the best method for landing a bed for the night as pension owners looking for guests approached Rich and even discussed amongst themselves who had the best deal.

We ended up staying with Mehmet at Nur Pansiyon who couldn't have been a better host. He gave us a killer deal (it was still the off-season), made fantastic coffee and food (do NOT miss his offers of cooking multi-course meals to spoil your taste buds!) and generally made us feel like friends in a home away from home. Superemely good luck put us there just 2 weeks after his cat had adorable kittens! I mean, they were adorable!

From Meow

If you want to relax and have some peaceful days... you can't beat Çıralı with its calm beach, nearby ruins and the mystery of Chimaera flames. And the best part, Mehmet's hospitality!

NUR Pansiyon
Mehmet Karakuş
nur_pansiyon@hotmail.com
0.242.825.72.61 Office
0.538.576.32.93 Mobile