Tuesday 19 April 2022

Views from the road and some Lycian Tombs, Dalyan

We had to check out of our apartment today, so once we'd got all packed up we went over to nearby Kargi Beach for brunch and a final swim. Turkish tea and omelette by the waters edge was served for a ridiculously reasonable price.


After a little digesting time, we went for a snorkel off the beach. Since the storm, the water wasn't as clear as before, but we saw a few fish and enjoyed the final dip.


By midday, we were changed and ready to hit the road...


The journey had plenty to keep our eyes on. Imagine in the UK, rounding a corner to find a steam roller coming at you! Shortly after this photo, the tarmac began again and a tortoise was walking along the edge of the fresh surface!


Passed by plenty of mosques...


And seemingly in the middle of nowhere, a café inside an airliner by the side of the road!?!



Arriving in Dalyan was a completely different experience to what we'd seen of Turkey so far. With a famous beach and river cruise, the place is completely set up for tacky tourist stuff. Not really our scene at all, but just across the river, there are some incredible tombs from the Lycian Era, carved into the cliffs.


Amazingly, no one seems to be making much of a fuss about this!! I thought that they were utterly incredible - especially as they seem to date back from 350BC!!


English breakfasts, cheap beer and fake designer goods seemed to be the main attraction that the few other tourists were there for though.


Luckily, it's still 'off-season' so the place was quiet - judging by the hundreds of boats and bars, it must get busy at some point...


We happily walked along the river to get the best views of this unknown wonder of history.



Google maps had suggested there was a nice park to relax in, but it was currently undergoing major renovations so not quite as tranquil as billed!



The final leg of the journey took us to Dalaman past plenty of more excitement on the roads. Loved passing this family with wife and small child riding side-saddle at speed!


We arrived unscathed at this glamorous hotel. Well, hotel with a glamorous lobby, I should say!


We'd arranged to meet our car hire guy here. It was the best car hire hand over ever. Usually, it's a bit stressful finding the right airport parking area and then the car is scrutinized and all scratches questioned, photographed and fuel levels looked at. Here, we checked into the hotel, got a beer and waited on a comfy bar stool for the guy to turn up. When he did, he just asked for the key and gave me a thumbs up and a big smile!


Easy! All we had left to do was watch the planes come in and wait for dinner to be served.


We got our final Turkish views from the balcony of the hotel room before tucking into a huge buffet of all kinds of delicious food. All you can eat for £3.50! 



The bill for  he all you can eat buffet was £3.50 - washed down with some black Turkish tea and a game of pool before bed. Fantastic value!


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