Kayakoy

May 8 – 15, 2016 —

With Robert, our first guest of this season aboard, we scurried about for two days making final preparations for our departure east.  Having another person available to help with the work was huge.  Sails were bent on, the deck and cockpit were washed, winter lines were scrubbed and coiled, tanks were filled, errands were run, gear was stowed, and so on, and so on.
Between all the running about we still found time to say good-byes with all the vendors and friends whom we had become close with over the past 6 months, and introduce Robert to some of our favorite things in Marmaris. Robert experienced a sensory carnival of Turkish foods and culture which left him exclaiming that this is so much more than what he had imagined.  From shopping, to local foods, to the warmth of the people he was overwhelmed.  The boys even treated themselves to hour-long full Turkish haircuts!

We headed out of Marmaris and east along Turkey’s turquoise coast, stopping in Gocek, a favorite small high end town for cruisers which sees mostly seasonal visitors.  After some exploring further east the next few days we returned to nearby Fethiye.  There, we stayed at Classic Yacht Marina. The marina is like a mini resort. It is attached to a small boutique hotel that has two pools, a beautiful outdoor restaurant, two tiki bars, one swim up bar and a hamam (Turkish bath and spa).  It is also a charter base for both the Moorings and Sunsail charter companies.
This year, the marina is offering a great deal where the dock fee is cut by two-thirds if you have dinner at the restaurant.  The restaurant was excellent so this was a no-brainer.

In and around Fethiye, Robert and Bob took one full day to go hiking and  scuba diving. The hike took them to a thrilling vantage point to photograph the Turkish Mediterranean.  From great heights to great depths, a few days later they went diving.  The water was still fairy chilly and the conditions too rough to visit some of the more prime spots, but they were both thrilled to be diving the Med for the first time. One interesting difference between diving in Turkey and other places in the world is the operation of the dive boat.  Here, the dive boat is much larger and has a complete inventory of rental equipment aboard, a dining area, full kitchen to serve snacks and a complete lunch, changing rooms, and a sun deck.  The boat goes out for the entire day and will often move to multiple sites.  The big difference is there are a number of instructors and dive masters, each with their own group of divers.  Each group is doing their own activity throughout the day; some are having lessons while others are just doing recreational dives.  Some divers were being certified while others are having an introductory dive.  We decided it was a nice way to run the dive operation.  The plus side is it is very relaxed, on the other side of the ledger there is a lot of down time and you are tied up for the entire day.

Once back in Fethiye we rented a car and headed 9 km south to the town of Kayakoy, with its 350 abandoned stone houses and other buildings, including 2 Greek churches.   In the Turkish War of Independence spanning, 1918 to 1923, the terms of the settlement of WWI were renegotiated in Turkey’s favor establishing Turkey as a new republic. Violent clashes continued after the war, until the two governments agreed to a mandatory population exchange, supervised by the League of Nations.   In 1923 all Ottoman Greeks living in Turkey were moved back to Greece and Turkish Muslims in Greece were returned to Turkey.

People in each country who had never lived in the other country, and did not speak the language, were forced to move and rebuild their lives in a whole new world.

While Kayakoy was the home of 20,000 Greeks, the overall exchange included 200,000 Greeks and 300,000 Turks.  Returning Turks chose to not live in the homes of the Greeks in Kayakoy, so the town became abandoned.   Today, with the roofless stone homes and narrow, winding streets the ruins look hundreds of years old.  Harsh weather and an earthquake in 1957 have destroyed roofs and damaged many of the buildings.  It is now preserved as a museum village.  It was fascinating to wander freely through the ghost town.  The town sits on the side of a high hill with streets too narrow and winding for vehicles.  They must have used donkeys to transport materials.   Of note, the homes were designed and spaced so that every home had a view over the valley below.

While there we introduced Robert to a Turkish breakfast at a wonderful restaurant at the edge of the village.  Levissi Garden is located in a 400 year old stone home converted to a restaurant and wine cellar.
For the three of us, breakfast arrived in 24 dishes that were all arranged on our table and a small side table they add.  The feast included boiled eggs, bread, honey, figs in syrup, 4 different dishes of black and/or green olives, sliced cucumbers, fresh tomato wedges, marmalade, yogurt, green peppers, and 4 plates of various types of white cheese, to name some of the selections.  All of that is served with plenty of hot, dark Turkish tea, or Turkish coffee.   True Turkish coffee is served in a very small cup with the grounds in the cup–very strong!  While in Turkey we became devout tea and cappuccino drinkers!