Kalkan re-visited
My much needed hamman and massage on our first morning was followed by spending the first couple of days chilling out by the beautiful pool at the Asfiya, wandering down to the harbour and town, mooching around the shops and sampling some of the excellent restaurants. Our favourite was Paparazzi for the fantastic meze, wonderful views and friendly owner Filiz and her father - they even remembered our names when we returned for our last supper!
Before we left the UK, we had already decided that we would like to explore some of the countryside so planned a few days out. Our first jaunt was the popular and relaxing 'Day at Sea' aboard the gulet Pina-X, captained by Abdi Altili and his young deckhand. The day was spent cruising through the turquoise waters, making impromptu stops for a cooling swim, with a delicious, freshly-prepared lunch provided early afternoon.
Dazzling - it's the only way to describe the first view of Kaputas Beach where we ventured the following day. The pebble and coarse sand beach leads into the clearest sea - a great place to jump the waves! It's definitely best to visit in the afternoon as we did, as there is no shade in morning.
Our big day out was a visit to Xanthos, Sidyma and the Saklikent Gorge. Steeped in ancient history, Xanthos was the capital of the Lycian Federation and finds date back to the 8th Century BC and possibly earlier. Our knowledgeable guide Turgay told us about the history of this old city including the two mass suicides, which meant the townsfolk avoiding submission to invading forces! From Xanthos the views are amazing - down the valley to the Esen River and backed by the Taurus Mountains.
We walked along a short part of the Lycian Way and came to the small village of Dorduga, which is built amongst the ruins of Sidyma. Remains include numerous sarcophagi, impressive monumental tombs, several wells and a badly-preserved theatre. This is a little-visited area and is very rural - the few locals are very friendly and welcoming.
Our walk up the Saklikent Gorge commenced with the rental of rather fetching black plastic shoes! Then over the wooden bridge and into the icy water. Once in, after a few minutes, we didn't really notice the cold water but I have a feeling it was due to numbness! Saklikent Gorge is the second largest gorge in Europe at 18km long and we only walked a short part of it. I had to rest up just before the more difficult part but Chris, Ruby and Turgay kept going up as far as the waterfall where they were rewarded with a thorough drenching! After navigating our way back to the starting point and donning dry clothes, we relaxed by the river watching some crazy people set off tubing - looked like great fun! So we'll just have to go back so that I can finish the climb and we can all try the river-tubing - can't wait!
Our penultimate evening was spent at the fabulous Turkish Night at the 5* Lykia Residence. The food, as ever, was delicious and the dancers very entertaining. A great night enjoyed by everyone there and not too far to walk back (apart from the hill!) to the Asfiya and bed.
We made a point of trying lots of restaurants whilst we were in Kalkan including Sandals, Mango, Kaptan's, Belgin's Kitchen and, of course, the delightful Paparazzi. All the food was freshly prepared and delicious, the few pounds gained in the interests of our investigations were well worth it!
Chris and Ruby have both given Kalkan a big thumbs-up so I have no doubt we'll be returning again sometime soon!