A peaceful and restful night at anchor saw
us rising early the next morning to get underway to our next destination south,
about 20nm away. Ekincik is a large bay with not a lot of shelter from the prevailing
winds, but we had in mind to check out a small marina in the southeastern end,
known as “My Marina”. As we entered the
area we radioed in on VHF that we were interested in spending a day and a night
on the pontoon (we wanted to take a day trip to Dalyan) but would anchor for
the first night. Two ‘marineros’ hopped
in their dinghy, came out to meet us and showed us where we could tie stern-to
near the marina in a protected corner and even helped us with our lines
ashore! What service! Of course then we felt obliged to eat at
their restaurant that night! Later in
the afternoon a couple of very large motor yachts came in beside us dwarfing
our catamaran, but fortunately were friendly and not noisy. I explored in the kayak and by snorkeling
around and it was a pretty place – the marina itself is apparently normally
extremely busy with charter flotillas and charter boats but for now was
occupied by two Turkish-chartered couples in their monohulls. Towards the end of the day a local came by in
a small fishing boat to ask if we wanted a day trip to Dalyan and we negotiated
a very fair price for a private day trip (quoted in Euros of course, but
payable in TL).
The marina was beautifully landscaped with
a small grocery store for provisions (basic at best but with some delicious
frozen pomegranate juice), a toilet block with showers (up a fairly steep hill
and not for the unfit) and a restaurant at the top – more walking – which was
huge and beautifully laid out and with great views over the bay. The place was overstaffed but apparently
people drove over from Marmaris and Gocek regularly to dine here as it’s so
special (we didn’t see anyone else apart from the family that were on the large
motor yacht anchored beside us). The food was elegantly prepared and presented
and the bill at the end breath-taking (not in a good way!) but, we felt that it
was a treat and didn’t mind too much.
NOTE: I had ordered line-caught snapper for my meal which was a large
percentage of the meal cost. Fish in
Turkey is considered a ‘rich man’s food’ and although farmed fish is almost
affordable, line-caught or ‘wild’ fish is astronomical!
My tasty but expensive fish dinner
The bay at My Marina
Ashore at My Marina
The dining room at My Marina
My tasty but expensive fish dinner
We moved “Bisou” the next morning so that
we were med-moored to the pontoon with lazy-lines. Secure in the knowledge that the boat would
be safe for the day, we headed off with our boatman to Dalyan. This small town, a short ride along the coast
is a popular holiday destination for British and German tourists, although
these were few and far between this summer.
On our way to Dalyan, we passed by some fascinating caves and rock
formations and after about 30 minutes arrived at the beach entrance to the
river leading to Dalyan. Our pilot guide
suggests that this river entry may be tackled by ‘savvy’ yachties in their
dinghy but I would give you several reasons why not:
1.
the tides and bars around the
entrance to this river are treacherous (as we discovered on the way out at low
tide with a contrary wind)
2.
the ‘pathways’ through the
reeds are like a maze and with the reeds towering some 2-3m above water level
you would never find your way in or out without following another boat
3.
once you get into the Dalyan
area there is pretty much nowhere to park anything - the shoreline is chock-a-block with boats!
4.
The final reason is that the
local people rely on our tourist dollars for their summer income and it seems a
shame to do them out of the few Euros they gain from providing a fun-filled day
on the water.
The beach looked to be quite inviting but
we didn’t have time to stop and relax – it’s also an important turtle
egg-laying beach and at the right time of the year one can watch the turtles
laying their eggs and also, later, hatching.
Once into the estuary, there were turtles everywhere. Apparently 3 different kinds live in this
river/estuary system, of varying sizes.
Boats were travelling both ways carrying
beach-goers to the beach from Dalyan and tourists like ourselves up to Dalyan
and the rock tombs, as well as the ruins of the ancient port of Kaunus. On the way up the river we sampled some fresh
crab, and then were deposited at a landing from where we made our way on foot
to Kaunus. It was about 1000m walk and
very hot by this time, although fortunately fairly flat (a bit of a hill
towards the end). The ruins were fairly
comprehensive and the site must have been quite a bustling community once upon
a time (before the harbour silted up).
Plan to spend a couple of hours wandering here, including an amphitheatre
with magnificent views! There is a small
kiosk selling water and ice creams but I recommend you come with ample water
for drinking. There are clean toilets up
by the amphitheatre. Entrance fee is E10 per person.
Tad in our private boat (designed to fit about 12 people!)
Kaunus - the view from the amphitheatre
We walked back to the boat and were ferried
on to the rock tombs – sadly one can no longer climb up to these magnificent
ancient sites (reminded me very much of the tombs at Petra, Jordan) due to the
fact that they are crumbling and not safe.
Then we were dropped off in Dalyan for an hour or so to enjoy some lunch
and a wander through town. It’s a cute
place but very touristy with lots of market stalls selling the usual tourist
wares. The destination caters mostly to budget travellers (my subjective
viewpoint based on the type of accommodation and places to eat) but was not
dirty or unpleasant. We had a bite to
eat along the river front and then made our way back to our little boat to
continue up the river to the mud baths.
Apparently there are the ‘old’ (original) mudbaths and the ‘new’
mudbaths – we visited the former as our boatman said they were nicer (whatever
that means). Entry fee was E6 per person
and there are changing rooms, showers and a restaurant where you can eat and
drink. The mud baths are rather smelly
but warm and in pools so you go in, smear yourselves with mud and then let it
dry in the sun. After this, you shower
it all off. It’s not a long affair but
it does leave your skin feeling very soft.
Our boatman told us that the locals come here in the winter to relax
when all the tourists have gone!
The rock tombs at Dalyan
The town of Dalyan
The 'old' mud baths
By this time it was getting late so headed
back towards the entrance to the river and the sea – we found that the wind had
increased in speed and that the tide was going out (against the wind) which was
creating some rather ‘interesting’ waves at the mouth of the river. We scraped the bottom a couple of times as we
exited, but our boatman didn’t seem too concerned – he knew how to tackle the
surf and the shallow water. It was a
rocky ride back to the marina but his little diesel engine did the trick and we
arrived back at Bisou safely. Although
we were safely tied up to the pontoon, there was a surge/swell all night which
made for a noisy time (sloshing against the pier) but it was not uncomfortable.
