The nearby towns of Dalaman and Ortaca both have a weekly market which supplies most of the local population. Ortaca is the administrative headquarters and has a nice feel about it. It is typically Turkish - large concrete appartment buildings - and lots of shops. In fact, the style is very similar to China. Not enough green spaces or trees. Market days are busy and the market is full of good produce.
Fethiye is just over an hour's drive away, along the main road through the hills. We go with Pam on a couple of errands and afterwards she takes us up to the village of Yesiluzumlu in the hills just north of the town. We stayed here with Gayle's mum and sister and all her family back in 2008. Whilst Fethiye has doubled in population over the ten years and grown outwards, the village of Uzumlu has kept its charm with plenty of old Otttoman-era stone houses, some being renovated. However, the mosque has been rebuilt to twice its original size - we suspect a government programme rather than local zealotry. There are also more modern houses being built in the surrounding farmland. Construction is the backbone of the Turkish economy.
On a cool and quiet Sunday Pam takes us to Dalyan beach on some of the lovely quiet back roads. The beach is protected from development to protect nesting turtles - a rare environmental success inspired by a British woman living here who engaged with locals and persuaded the local council. The town is separated from the beach by wetlands. We return another weekend to visit the inland lakeshore village of Koycegiz and then over to hot springs where the lake runs into Dalyan river. The landscape on this coast is dramatic - all limestone ridges and escarpments clad in pine.
After a few wet days we get a sunny break and cycle over to a tiny beach Pam has told us about. We take the little farm lanes and back roads to reach it - not realising how flooded some of them would be. There are twenty other cyclists already there - a school trip. We can't believe it. Why aren't they chained to their desks rote-learning???
More rain, more storms and strong winds keep us indoors reading, or working on other projects. When the skies clear we can go walking again.
And Gayle is happy to do some weeding and sifting of stones in Pam's garden.
I finally catch up on the blog covering our ride through New England and down to Washington DC in 2017 plus our time in Cuba & Mexico in 2018. I feel liberated of a heavy yoke. In the news there are dramatic photos by Will Burrard-Lucas who captures the first photos of a black leopard for over 100 years. Intriguingly, the leopard looks quite familiar. Haven't we seen it somewhere...?
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| Ortaca market - preparing gozleme, a tasty stuffed crepe |
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| filling the shopping trolley |
Fethiye is just over an hour's drive away, along the main road through the hills. We go with Pam on a couple of errands and afterwards she takes us up to the village of Yesiluzumlu in the hills just north of the town. We stayed here with Gayle's mum and sister and all her family back in 2008. Whilst Fethiye has doubled in population over the ten years and grown outwards, the village of Uzumlu has kept its charm with plenty of old Otttoman-era stone houses, some being renovated. However, the mosque has been rebuilt to twice its original size - we suspect a government programme rather than local zealotry. There are also more modern houses being built in the surrounding farmland. Construction is the backbone of the Turkish economy.
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| Dalyan beach |
On a cool and quiet Sunday Pam takes us to Dalyan beach on some of the lovely quiet back roads. The beach is protected from development to protect nesting turtles - a rare environmental success inspired by a British woman living here who engaged with locals and persuaded the local council. The town is separated from the beach by wetlands. We return another weekend to visit the inland lakeshore village of Koycegiz and then over to hot springs where the lake runs into Dalyan river. The landscape on this coast is dramatic - all limestone ridges and escarpments clad in pine.
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| Dalyan River |
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| taking the back roads to... |
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| Asikoy beach |
And Gayle is happy to do some weeding and sifting of stones in Pam's garden.
I finally catch up on the blog covering our ride through New England and down to Washington DC in 2017 plus our time in Cuba & Mexico in 2018. I feel liberated of a heavy yoke. In the news there are dramatic photos by Will Burrard-Lucas who captures the first photos of a black leopard for over 100 years. Intriguingly, the leopard looks quite familiar. Haven't we seen it somewhere...?
