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We had originally planned to drive around Spain for our summer holiday but come June we still hadn't organised anything. So we went down to a travel agent to see what we could do and they mentioned Turkey, which really got us thinking! Several phone calls later and we had booked our very first package holiday, in spite of all the trepidation (because of the horror stories we had heard!). |
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We settled on a sleepy fishing village on the Mediterranean Coast (about 200km from Marmaris) which is famous for being the home of the Loggerhead Turtle (Careta Careta). And what a good choice it was! Nice and quiet, not too many loud tourists and definitely not the place to go if you wanted to party! Our Hotel was a family run affair, while not flash by European standards it was still nice and clean and had the mother of all pools...nearly 6 feet deep at the shallow end! The family that ran the hotel was awesome! We got daily language lessons from Kamel, laughed every time we heard little Balkans name being called out (usually 30 seconds later you would see him being dragged passed by his dad to bed :) and admired the craft work of the sisters. |
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The girls writing their postcards.
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Saturday is market day where you can get some really good deals! However if you ask for a couple oranges you will get a coupe kilo's. 200grams of Almonds some how turns in to a couple kilo's of the stuff! We did however buy a few Pashmina's for the Whanau. |
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EFES, its got to be good for you! |
Traditional clay pot, filled with lamb (cheaper than beef!), spices and vegetables and tasted absolutely divine! The restaurants around Dalyan are really good, in fact we didn't come across a bad one during our stay. A few times we spent a number of hours just sitting and chatting with our waiter after we had finished dinner, such a friendly place. |
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The girls and their Apple Tea, heaven! |
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Handy wipes cooled in a freezer! Absolute bliss on a hot sticky night! |
If you go to Turkey you HAVE to go and have a shave at a local barber...and its cheap at around £2 a shave :) |
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Pashmina shopping...again :) |
Boats with flags tied up on the water front. |
Having afternoon tea with our holiday rep Freddy, who made our stay hassle free. |
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Dalyan itself is a pretty little town, with a picturesque waterfront and lovely tree lined streets. Unlike some places we have visited around the world, when you walked past a shop or a stall you weren't hounded to buy anything. The shop owner would wait for you to stop and look and ask for help before pouncing :) The hottest day we had was around 45 degrees! The one thing that is really noticeable is how the big tour companies ship their people in and out of Dalyan without those people ever having the time to stop and support the local economy. We think this is a real shame and is probably a deliberate ploy by the larger tour companies to ensure tourists spend their money in their resorts as much as possible. |
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