Dachs Thoughts

Today was fairly active. I got up early to walk around and take some pictures in the early morning light. I was nice being out when there weren’t so many people around. I think I was able to get some nice shots. I came back and had another nice breakfast with a great view of the sea and the mountains.

After a bit of a rest, we went across the street to the beach access. We discovered it on our boat ride, that right below the restaurant where we ate dinner, they have an area down the cliff face, by the sea, where you can lay in the sun and swim in the sea. There was an entrance fee, but then you got as much food and drink as added up to that fee before you had to pay more … a great deal. It also gave me chance to take a dip and have a swim in the Mediterranean Sea. It was pretty nice. It was quite warm (I think warmer than our swimming pool) but a bit rough. But it was fun to get out and have a little swim. We also had some nice food and drinks (including a light hamburger that used lettuce leaves rather than bread for a bun). It was nice to stay there and watch the tour boats slowly sail by. We stayed until we watched the sun setting into the misty mountains … quite beautiful and peaceful. All in all, a very nice day.

A fun but leisurely day began with a nice breakfast, followed by some quality chill time at the hotel pool. Later in the afternoon, we made a our way via a circuitous path to the Antalya yacht harbor. We walked through Karaalioglu Park, which is very lovely, right against the sea, and which has some interesting features, like a house to store wild cats, which seem to be omnipresent in the city. We made our way along the shore, past the Hidirlik Tower, then though the southern end of the old city (Kaleici) — lots of handcrafted trinkets being hard-sold to tourists. We then worked our way down, past the most aggressive peanut salesman I’ve ever seen, and eventually into the harbor.

We got on a boat ride that went along the coast out to Duden Falls. It was near sunset when we were getting back, so it made for great light for photographs. I think I got ripped off on the price, but I need to be tougher in negotiating with these local salesman. Nonetheless, it was a great way to see the sights. We were actually able to see our hotel and the fact that there is a waterfall on the cliff below it; and from the restaurant across the street there is sea access and a swimming area. We’ll have to go check it out and do some swimming in the Mediterranean.

My adventure to Turkey began with a very long 13.5 hour non-stop flight to Istanbul. I switched over to a domestic flight and ended up in Antalya Monday evening. Everything went smoothly for me, but the friend who I planned to meet up with had major problems with her first flight (took off, then had to return do to mechanical problems) and ended up getting in very late (3 am Tuesday morning) without her luggage making it with her. Needless to say, after back and forths between the hotel and airport for me, then to pick her up, resulted in a very long first day for me.

My initial reaction to getting here was rather disappointed in the sense that I was expecting something very exotic, and the initial view driving along the highway was very familiar … I felt like I could have been driving away from any airport in America. Nonetheless, once settling in, I’ve learned to appreciate it very much. The people are very nice, and you can get by in English. The view from my hotel window looks out onto the Mediterranean with a view to some distant mountains across the water. The hotel restaurant, which has top floor balcony seating has a beautiful view, and amazing food for breakfast.

The first day had some enforced shopping to resupply my friend, which was a good reason to get out and see lots of shops and a bazaar. We’re within walking distance of Hadrian’s Gate and the Old Town, so there’s lots to see close in. While it’s very hot (mid-90’s with high humidity), it’s manageable to get around outside the peak sun times of the day.

This was a real stretch for me to come here, but it’s turning out to be a great location, and I’m glad I came.