Our Turkish Odyssey Begins!
23rd October - 6th November 2022 - Kas Marina & Saklikent (Trip 1)
We had arrived a couple of days before in Kas marina. The guy in our permanent spot was a bit reluctant to leave so we were still in a temporary berth. We didn’t blame him, it was a beautiful marina to spend time in. We had said goodbye to Ian and Liz after the first day but we were planning on doing a road trip with Fay and Derek before they moved on. They needed to hire a car to get back to her family’s place in Köycegiz and had not been up to Saklikent gorge yet so we were going to tag along. First things first, our berth had become available and we needed to get Rockhopper tucked in. We had been in contact with a few people with boats in the marina already and one such couple were Ben and Lynnae on Yemaya 2. They were on our Lagoon 42 UK owners group (we ignored the fact that they were from Canada) so there had been a few messages back and forth between us in the preceding months. It turned out that we were going to be next to them on F pontoon. It's fairly tense parking the boat anyway but with someone you know right next to you there is a bit of performance anxiety and a stronger will not to hit their boat. With the added aid of the marineros who pounced on the front of our boat, Carl brought her in square. Phew! Our new home unfortunately had our solar panels not pointed for optimal solar availability but it was a nice enough spot with great neighbours. On the opposite side was a Russian guy on a monohull who was pretty friendly. The one down side was that our boat was too short for the lazy lines so we had to use our lines to tie onto them. They would be sitting in the water for 6 months, getting green and furry.
Anyway, once secure, we headed out, with Derek behind the wheel, for our day trip to Saklikent. Our first experience of crazy driving in Türkiye, random speed limit changes, dodgy overtaking manoeuvres and the occasional wild dog barking and chasing the car. Stopping at red traffic lights seemed to be optional for some too.
It was just over an hours drive to the Saklikent gorge. Near where we parked the car there were a few restaurants offering the local lunchtime favourite, a Gozleme. A huge pancake cooked over a large, slightly convex griddle with savoury fillings; typically potato, mince meat and cheese. We settled on a restaurant with colourful cushions to sit on in booths near a stream. As soon as the gozleme’s turned up so did the geese. Very curious fellows.
After lunch it was time to walk the gorge. We had been pre-warned by Fay that we would need to use our water shoes as we would be wading into the water at some point. The walk started out on a bridge bolted to the side of the canyon, with the water flowing down below. Once we got to the central meeting point which had a cafe and a place to buy plastic shoes it was time to get wet. The water was cloudy so you couldn’t see the bottom but as we crossed the rocky patch into the flow the water level rose, first above the ankles, then the knees but not quite to waist level. And it was freezing! There was a rope to hang on to through the faster flowing river. That turned out to be the deepest bit and the rest was really ankle deep all the way. It was a spectacular walk with the canyon walls quite close together in places.
The following day back in Kas we said goodbye to Fay and Derek, very appreciative of some recipes that Fay left behind and some good fishing tips from Derek. It was time for us to settle into our new life here in Kas. We were just in time for Republic Day, a public holiday commemorating the proclamation of the Republic of Türkiye on the 29th October 1923. A large stage had been erected in the square in Kas and a massive flag was flying across the square. We ventured into town fairly early and managed to find a small table on the edge of the square to watch the festivities. Of course we didn’t understand any of the speakers but every once and a while they would play this tune, Yil Marsi, by Kenan Dogulu (I shazammed it!) Which everyone knew the words to. Looking at a translation of the lyrics it was a rally cry for the Republic “We are Turkish, our chest of the Republic is a bronze shield, It is not befitting for the Turk to stop, the Turk is ahead, the Turk is forward!” Possibly a bit of dodgy translation there but you get the idea. A helpful woman sat behind us let us know that the Turkish anthem was about to start and that we should stand up. It was a fun night and great to witness.
7th November - 11th November 2022 - Marmaris, Kusadasi, Ephesus, Pamukkale, Kas (Trip 2)
We were due to fly home for Christmas on the 27th November but before that we wanted to do a bit of a road trip ourselves. As usual, it would involve stopping off at a chandlery along the way and the best place for that was Marmaris. It has a whole block of yachty delights. We opted to stay the night there, see the castle (note in the pictures that Carl had a little friend follow him around the museum for an hour) and the grand bazaar before moving on.
The friend:
The castle:
Our next stop was Kusadasi which was another 3 hour drive along the coast. This was only a 20 minute drive from the ancient site of Ephesus and the site of another marina where our friends Dave and Susan on SV Pelican were (these are the ones we met in Zakynthos earlier in the year). Carl and I had each booked a few of the hotels that we would stay at on this journey, mine was the boutique one in Marmaris that had no parking so was a bugger to get near, and Carl’s was this one. Well.
With the advent of google maps and a local SIM card the world is our oyster. The only problem with google maps is that it tries to always give you the fastest route. Hotel Stella was on a road just off the sea front and had great photos of a pool looking out over the bay. The main road on the seafront was paved, well lit and could fit two cars either side down it. The back roads to the hotel…couldn’t. We found ourselves on steep dirt tracks between residential houses, just wide enough to fit our Corsa down them. The corners were right angle so frequently we needed a bit of back and forth to get round them. Also children were playing football in the streets too. One street was completely blocked by just a mound of dirt, I guess ready for a road resurfacing. All of this was too much for google maps to follow and it kept sending us in circles. After the fourth attempt to get near the hotel with the phone signal getting lost between the buildings and Carl constantly moving rather than giving me time to assess the situation, not so much angry Jo, more frustrated Jo came out. I even had to yell out to Carl to ‘Mind the Chicken!’ Which was crossing the road at the time. In fact the chicken helped to lighten the mood and we eventually found the right road close to the hotel. Before we had even stepped out of the car a very nice man came out and said ‘Welcome to Hotel Stella, how on earth did you find this road, usually people come from the main road below and we direct them here to park for the night!’. Just lucky I guess.
The hotel was not quite as luxurious as the photos (they never are) but the guy on the front desk was very welcoming, the room was clean and relatively cheap. There was an elevator from the pool terrace down to the main road so, once settled, we walked along the sea front towards the marina to meet up with Dave and Susan. They took us to a fantastic seafood restaurant where the owner just brings you what he had prepared for that evening. We had several courses, ceviche to start with, monkfish and a seafood salad. It was delicious.
The next day we were on the road again to Ephesus, a vast and extremely well preserved sight, showcasing centuries of history, from classical Greece to the Roman Empire. Obviously consult Wikipedia for all the details but the library of Celsus is the centre-piece and was truly beautiful. The site also has a theatre capable of seating around 25000 people, the largest in the ancient world. There is a stone road that stretches all the way down to the ancient harbour, long since silted up. Nowadays the sea is 6km away. There was also a very impressive covered area on the hillside showing the artisan terraced houses with remarkably preserved mosaics on the floors and paintings on the walls. Walking between the houses and up and over the rooms on a walkway was the closest we would probably get to seeing what it might have been like all those years ago. Granted we were in a long line of other tourists and the sight was rammed. We were constantly getting caught up in a tour guide group and the local guy who offered his services for €80 each to take us round the site scoffed when I said thanks but no thanks.
Once we left the main site we drove the short distance to Selçuk where we stopped for lunch. Another gozleme, why not? Round the corner from the restaurant was the Ephesus Archeological Museum which we had a wander through before walking up to the Basilica of St John, constructed by Justinian I in the 6th century. This is believed to be the burial site of John the Apostle. The site was up on the hillside. As we walked around the wind gently blew through the ancient olive trees surrounding the site. It was truly quite a peaceful place. The tomb of St John was inaccessible but there was a stone tablet above it marking the spot and a grate with the chamber below. Apparently sick people would be taken there to breathe in the air emanating from the grate and be healed. As we looked down we saw some coins on the floor. I guess some saw it as a wishing well too. Nearby were the remains of the Temple of Artemis, completed around 550BC and designated one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.
By 3pm it was time to move on. We had one more stop to make before heading back to Kas. Another 2.5hr drive, further inland, through cotton fields, to Pamukkale. This is a town known for its mineral-rich thermal waters which flow down the hillside via bright white travertine terraces. Incidentally the word Pamukkale is Turkish for Cotton Castle. Above the travertines is the ancient sight of Hierapolis, a Roman spa town founded around 190BC.
We arrived early evening at the Venus Suite hotel which was in the main town, at the base of the travertines. The town was a short walk away but since it was late we opted to just eat in the hotel that night. It had been a really long day, especially for Carl who had been driving.
The following morning we were awoken at 7:30am to the sound of the burner on a hot air balloon. Looking out the window we were met with two huge balloons landing in the field opposite the hotel. They offered sunrise hot air balloon rides over the travertines but we had decided to hold off on our balloon ride for the Cappadocia trip later on. As with Ephesus, the site was on the coach trip tourist trail so we decided to get out at 9am and maybe beat the initial rush. From the town there was a walkway up to the lowest terrace of the travertines. From there you are required to remove your shoes and walk barefoot up the white slope. As it was early, and November, it was a bit nippy. Once shoes and socks were off we stepped onto the white rock. The water from the thermal pools above was running down the rough limestone deposit and where we were, much lower down, it was absolutely freezing. It wasn’t even ankle deep but cold enough to numb your feet which turned out to be a blessing because in certain places the ground was quite sharp. We were in luck, there were very few people walking up that morning so we were able to experience it largely on our own. I’ve never seen anything like it. The terraces with blue pools seem to have been man made with the limestone deposit gradually building over the edge and down the walls. The higher you climbed the more the view of the valley below came into view. Nearing the top we could see that there were more people. The water temperature had gradually been increasing and the top two pools were hot, enough for our freezing feet to start to sting. There was a photographer there handing out massive angel wings for the Insta crowd to take ridiculous photos at the edge of a travertine pool. Two girls who had arrived in thick full length coats whipped them off and posed for photos in their bikinis. We warmed our feet in the top pool then stepped out to put our shoes back on and grab a coffee, looking out over a stunning vista.
A short while later we thought we would go and see the Antique Pool and see how busy it was. Apparently bathing in the pools will cure illnesses such as nutritional and chronic disorders, digestive and circulatory problems, to name a few. Even Cleopatra was said to have visited the healing pools. This thermal pool has actual Roman columns submerged in it from an earthquake long ago. The edges are covered in moss. Looking at the water and the masses of the great unwashed in it I wondered whether we would catch something in there rather than be healed by it!
It seemed quite busy so we thought we’d try it later on. The large site of Hierapolis spanned the hillside with a really well-preserved amphitheatre, a necropolis with sarcophagi stretching for 2km and a curious building called the Plutonium (or Pluto’s Gate). Overlooking the Plutonium is a restored large marble statue of Hades and Cerberus. The site is built on top of a cave that emits toxic gases, hence its use as a ritual passage to the underworld. Animals were routinely sacrificed by flinging them into the cave and then pulling them out on ropes. The carbon dioxide still kills off passing birds attracted by the warm air emitted.
The Plutonium was on the route up to the amphitheatre, quite far up the hill. It seemed like the masses couldn’t be arsed to walk up the hill so it was very quiet. We sat on the top tier of the amphitheatre looking out at the reconstructed facia in front of us (albeit missing one further level), the town of Hierapolis in the foreground, and the valley stretching out below the travertines. It was a phenomenal sight. And then the call to prayer started. I was struck by how the passage of time changes the cultures, religions and strategic importance of these ancient cities, now just a ruin on a hillside. Then this Russian dude next to us ruined the moment by shouting across at his family.
We left the amphitheatre and took a hike across and up the hillside to the Church of the Sepulchre. The 6th century chapel supposedly the burial site of St Phillip. This spot again was very peaceful, no olive trees this time, just the rustling of the long grass around us. Hardly anyone came up this far so we had the site to ourselves.
There was so much to see that I won’t go into all of it here but suffice it to say, we really enjoyed our time here. Maybe because we had the whole day to explore (we had booked two nights here) so weren’t rushed; maybe because it wasn’t as touristy at the other sites we had been to; or maybe we just had a great day hiking, stretching our legs and exploring this fascinating site. By 4pm it was time to get into our swimmers and brave the Antique Pool. We stepped into the warm waters, climbing up over Roman columns and around plinths, submerged in the water as gracefully as one can. I drew the line at sticking my head under though, too many hairs floating by. Others were more brave and scrubbed themselves with the water, head to toe. After 45 mins we were sufficiently healed and decided it was time to get out, fling on our clothes and head back down the travertines to town for a drink and dinner. Again, the masses weren’t interested so it was fairly empty on the way back to town. The setting sun lit up the terraces and white turned to orange. What an end to a magical day.
Our final day on tour was just the 4 hour drive back to Kas but as we reached the coast and saw the familiar islands just off Kalkan come into view, followed by the Greek island of Meis in the distance as we approached the marina, it really did feel like coming home.
12th November - 25th November 2022 - Boat prep in Kas
Türkiye has a 90 day in a rolling 180 day visa situation, just like our beloved Schengen. So to stay more than 3 months we needed to get Turkish residency. All the research we had carried out suggested this was a straightforward process. Ben and Lynnae, our next boat neighbours, had applied for this straightaway as they wanted to get it sorted before they visited family back home in Canada. They told us that due to the influx of Russian visa applications, from application date to interview date was taking at least a month. This was backed up by Louise and Ray (on their boat Greylag of Hoyle) and Jon and Sharon (on their boat Aquarela) who had been at the marina since September and had already applied. We needed to be back in the UK for Carl’s dads 80th birthday on the 4th December so we had spoken to the agent who told us not to apply when we first arrived, but wait until just before we left to go to England. That way the interview date would be allocated when we would be back in Türkiye in the middle of January. Unfortunately we listened to him but more on that later. Prior to us flying out on the 27th November we wanted to get several bits of work arranged for Rockhopper.
We wanted to get the sails professionally cleaned (after the Gibraltar red rain disaster) so we set about taking off the jib which was straightforward and then taking off the mainsail which was not. We attempted to film everything so we would know how it all went back together again. Only time would tell how successful we were. We also wanted to get mesh sun shades made for the cockpit, (rather than the solid Sunbrella material ones that had come with the boat) the saloon windows and a tent for the trampoline area. We had also been told of a local guy, Ayden, who did stainless steel work so we arranged for him to extend our helm seat so we could actually see the bows whilst sat down (especially me!), and an arch to fit over the dinghy transom so we could tow a wakeboard behind us.
We were also going to be hauling Rockhopper out for the first time to get a bottom clean and a reapplication of antifoul. We had asked for PropSpeed (an antifoul product for the the propellers) to be applied before Rockhopper went into the water in France in 2021 but this was not done so our props were pretty barnacled. We thought we would also take the opportunity to get the gelcoat repaired where those anchors had put a few dents in the starboard side back in April in Marina Ibiza.
She’d be out of the water for the time we were away and then for two weeks after we returned. It was at this point that we realised Setur marinas were quite grabby with the money. We would be paying for the water berth as well as the land berth. And the land berth quote was only valid for 5 days. In the time we were taking to digest the cost and determine how long we wanted it out of the water for, the cost had gone up by €200. We also needed to get the engines serviced and the local marina boatyard, headed by Özgur, was quoting more than double what the guy from Fethiye did, which also included the cost of him driving the 2 hours down to do it. Özgur seemed confused when we went with the Fethiye guy. The marina also charged us €50 per person per day if you used another company to do any work.
As lovely as Kas was there was only one chandlery that didn’t have much and only one boatyard so they had the monopoly on work in the area. Going elsewhere required a drive. Anyway, once the decision was made to haul out we wandered over to the haul out dock to see how wide it was. The marina had already told us that they could lift a Lagoon 42 out but there were two docks so we wanted to suss it out. Well, it didn’t look that wide to us! We came back with a range finder and measured the gap as 7.9m. Our boat is 7.7m wide. The dock simply had concrete sides with no wooden or rubber rails. We wouldn’t even be able to fit fenders down the side. The nerves started to kick in. Every afternoon the wind seemed to pick up and we had had some pretty strong winds recently. Our haul out time was booked for 10:30am and the weather forecast showed 20kn gusts from 12pm onwards. More nerves. We set about stringing up our pool noodles and some rubber matting that we could dangle down the side to soften the blow.
24th November 2022 - The day before the haul out we talked to the boatyard and asked whether we could come out a bit earlier to try and give ourselves a margin before the wind kicked in. They told us there was one boat to go into the water before us but if that didn’t happen then it was possible. The fuel dock was next door to the haul out dock so we thought we’d get up nice and early, go top up the tanks and get a pointless pump out certificate and wait there.
We also decided to pull the trigger on the residency application. So went back to the agent to get the ball rolling. We had to spend 2000TL for the agents fee, 4000TL for the medical insurance for us both (had to be an annual policy even though we only had a marina contract for 6 months) and 700TL for translating and notarising our marriage certificate (required because my name was not on the boat registration document). This would buy us residency until our marina contract ended on the 19th April 2023. So around £340 total, not including a hire car to the location of the interview in Kemer. The agent then mentioned that the web portal was only opening for about 20 mins per day due to the number of applications raised by Russians seeking residency. Apparently some districts had started to refuse applications from them. So with a ‘you might have messaged us to say that before’ but smiling demeanour, we asked him to apply for us as soon as possible, told him that we would be away in the UK from the 27th November to the 15th January and left.
25th November 2022 - Haul out Day
We had gone for a fortifying pint at the local bar called Oxygen the night before and told our fellow Kas marina residents Jon and our neighbour Ben, that we would be moving in the morning. Jon had said he would come over and offer a hand to fend off. First we had to get to the fuel station so, with very little sleep, we called the marina office at 8:30am to send a marinero around to retrieve our lines from the lazy lines at the bows. We weren’t keen on them sinking to the bottom and staying there for the 6 weeks that we would be out of the water. The marinero helpfully then drove round and helped us with our lines at the fuel dock. The fuel attendant however, wasn’t there yet. Anyway, phase one complete. We’d not use our holding tanks whilst in the marina but went through the process anyway to get the certificate just in case someone asked to see it and, when the guy showed up, topped up the fuel tanks. It was now 9:15am and it was still pretty calm. 2kn of wind turned to 4kn as we looked over at the boatyard expecting to see the travel lift fire into action and a transport a boat out. By 9:30am there was a guy strolling around with a remote control and the travel lift came to life. It became apparent that they were heading for one of the haul out docks so clearly the other boat that was due to come back into the water was not doing so. They were positioning the lift for us. By the time it was in position it was shortly before 10am and they gave us the nod to make our way in. I quickly messaged Jon to say it was happening but to be honest it was that calm and there were four guys stood either side of the dock, we had all the help we needed. Headsets on, fenders at the bow and stern and me waving a noodle for the middle fatter bit, Carl took us out and positioned us for as square an entry into the dock as possible. We had lines on all four corners and when we got close enough I lobbed them out to the guys on the dock. Due credit to them they kept us off the dock nicely while we nudged our way in. Occasionally I thrust a noodle in their face to use but once fully in the dock the fenders at the bow and stern were brought towards the middle and we were pinned off the dock. It really couldn’t have gone better. They then positioned the strops under the boat. We suddenly remembered that the markers on the hull as to where to position the strops to avoid the rudders etc were not in the correct position so hurriedly tried to explain this to the Turkish guys but they were great. After closing all the sea cocks and preparing the boat to be lifted we got off and watched the strops take the strain. There was a fair bit of creaking but she was eventually clear of the concrete walls and hovering above the water. Once clear they pressure washed the hull which actually looked remarkably clean unlike the props that would require some work. Like mother hens we nervously watched her being manoeuvred into her land base. During this time Jon and Sharon appeared, ‘Sorry mate!’ Just got your message!’.
The travel lift operator positioned Rockhopper on some wooden blocks, right next to the waters edge. The stern looked out over the bay. After they had knocked some logs into place at the bows and stern to shore her up that was it, our land berth for 6 weeks. We found a ladder and climbed up on deck. It was pretty strange being that high up with the boat on a slight tilt. Looking through the escape hatches (otherwise known as the fish viewing windows) under the stairs it was weird to see concrete below. The marina allowed you to stay on your boat in the yard and since there was only a few days before we were due to fly back to the UK we thought we’d do that. As a reminder Carl placed tape over the sink hole to ensure that we would not use the galley sink and we refrained from using the boat heads. There was a portacabin with toilets not too far away so it wasn’t so bad. All teeth washing, hand washing and dishes were done in our giant red bucket in the cockpit. True to the forecast, about half an hour after we settled ourselves on the hard, the wind picked up to 24kn. It would have been impossible to dock the boat without causing serious damage.
