April 8: The Dalyan River

Today we took a boat cruise down the Dalyan River to Turtle Beach, through intricate channels among the reeds that reminded me of the African Queen.  Thank goodness the captain knew what he was doing.  On the way we saw the rock cut temple tombs particular to the Carian people, and understood the design idea behind the Neried monument from Xanthos.  We went down to the lagoon, where we caught glimpses of sea turtles, then walked along the sandbar that is Turtle Beach.  We travelled with three other couples, and over the course of the day had some wonderful discussions.  After a delicious lunch, we went to the mud baths and hot springs.  If you really want to get to know people fast, a mud bath is a great way to break down the barriers!  We went out to the lake, where we saw lots of birds, then returned to town, to the opposite side of the river, and walked down the rural roads to see the ruins of Caunos with a young family we met. 

We managed to get the necessities – another beach towel and camera batteries, before our cruise left at 10:30.  For a day long cruise, the cost was 25TL (about $17) and this included lunch!   There were 8 adults and two children as passengers, and the captain was a friendly and knowledgeable guide.  He spoke in English, which suited our cosmopolitan group:  A German primary teacher and her husband; a young Czech girl and the Turkish boyfriend whom she had met while studying English in Turkey last year – he is a river boat guide in another town; and a young Danish woman and her husband from Yemen, who are raising their two children in Sweden.  Oh, and us, the ‘exotic’ Canadians who had traveled so far to get there, from the land of perpetual snow!

We are in Dalyan for what the opening of the season, and our business has been eagerly sought after wherever we go.  Everyone keeps telling us that it is too cold right now, and we should come back in the summer.  It’s true that the run-off from the snow melt in the mountains has lowered the temperature of the ocean a few degrees, but I have a suspicion that Dalyan might be a bit hot and overcrowded in the high season.

The tombs above Dalyan were made by the Carians after Alexander the Great conquered this whole area.  The leaders and kings created rock-cut tombs on the mountainside that look like Greek temples.  The carvers came down on ropes from above.  The carving is extraordinary when you consider the simple tools they had to work with.  There are also small, undecorated tombs further down the mountain that were made for ordinary rich citizens, rather than for kings.

We drifted down the river through reeds that look like pampas grass, and our captain unerringly chose the correct channel from the myriad of choices.  At one point Ian and I were thinking of renting an aluminum outboard boat, but we’d still be in that maze, I think, if we had.  I suddenly realized why rivers were so difficult to cross in ancient times, as we looked at the seemingly impenetrable wall of reeds.  However, as we drifted along, we became aware that the reeds themselves were noisy and full of life.  Besides regular little turtles and ducks, we saw herons and spectacularly white birds that looked like egrets.  I particularly liked the swallows that swooped down and skimmed the surface of the lake.

When we got to the lagoon, the captain cast out a half of a crab tied onto a reel in order to lure in sea turtles.  Young sea turtles linger in the lagoon, and there are quite a few mature ones as well.  After many tries, and two separate crabs, we gave up and headed for the beach.  Although we didn’t see a turtle close enough to photograph, both of us saw turtles in the lagoon as they broke the surface to breathe.

The beach was the colour of cocoa powder, and we walked half an hour down the lagoon, then turned and walked back.

My hero, Captain Turquoise!

We returned to two for lunch.  I had trout, and it was delicious.  The restaurant was outdoors, so there were lots of cats and a little dog begging for food.  The little white dog was hilarious.  It begged on its hind legs, and shook his front paws as though giving a benediction with his little chin tucked in.  Some German tourists kept getting the young man in our group to offer the dog chicken pieces from his plate while they took pictures.  I don’t think the poor guy got any food at all, but the dog did quite well.

Next stop was the mud bath, which is really a square pool with sulphur-smelling water from the hot springs, and a dark bottom.  When you step in – well when each of the three of us women stepped in, we put our foot on sharp rocks, stumbled, and fell in with three splashes.  When you step in, you realize that you are standing on clay, mixed with a few pebbles, which oozes up between your toes, over your feet, your ankles, and you also realize that if you don’t start moving you will be stuck!  The idea is that you reach down, grab some clay, and rub it all over your body, then sit on the side of the pool until it hardens, then go back into the pool and get it off.  In reality, we covered ourselves, but only the young Czech woman and her boyfriend were able to allow it to dry.  It had a rather itchy, prickly feeling as it dried, so we took it off.   

Next, the manager of the outdoor spa sprayed us with cold water from a fire hose.  What a treat that was!  Then into another pool, about ten feet deep, filled with hot spring water and with rocks on the bottom.  There was one cement side with a ledge, and the rest was hewed out of the bedrock.  I got all of the clay out of my hair by doing a length of the pool under water, but the fire hose was the only shower, so for the rest of the day my hair was stiff with salt, and I looked a little like a hedgehog.

We got back on the boat and headed down to the lake, which was alive with birds. 

When we returned to the river, the sun finally broke through the high clouds above, and the river suddenly turned the colour of emeralds.

Back in Dalyan, we bid goodbye to the other two couples, but the young family and we continued across the river to visit the ruins of Causon, the Carian town that once covered the hillside.  We walked about a kilometre and a half to the site, where there is a Byzantine Church and a theatre, a Norman Castle above, and ruins stretching across the valley to the other side.

Part of the Byzantine Church

View of the ruins stretching across the hillsides.

The theatre - with a few volunteer olive trees in the spectator seats!

While the ruins were impressive, two-year-old Maya was more interested in the chickens and chicks, guinea fowl, horse, and cows that shared the road with us.  When we got to the ruins, the ticket keeper was nowhere to be found, but he had considerately left the gate open.  As we were leaving, a cow went up to the turnstile, and Ian jokingly said, “It appears to be free today.”  At that moment, the cow left the turnstile and went through the open gate.  It was hilarious – but maybe you had to be there!

Some of our travel companions.

Not the cow that got in for free.  This is the other one.

Last night we noticed, as we walked back to our hotel after dinner, that a small snack shop right by our hotel was packed with all of the young people who work in this tourist town and who were getting dinner before heading home.  That’s where we went tonight, for one of the cheapest and best meals we’ve had in Turkey.  I had pide, which is sort of a flat bread with the edges folded over and covered in cheese, tomatoes, and peppers before baking, and Ian had a mushroom pizza.  We were enthusiastic about the food, and the owner came out and talked to us for a good half hour over cups of Turkish tea.  I had a witty opening line, “Can you tell us how to say “black” in Turkish?  We forget.”  He explained to us the relationship between Kurdish and Turkish, and said that his lifelong dream was to open an Irish pub in Dalyan.  Since we have seen Irish pubs in Shanghai, Paris, Cairo, and Victoria, why shouldn’t he?  There are a lot of British people living here.