After Glen and Steve depart we take another day at Serik, its busier now as other Turkish Vans have arrived as its the weekend. On Sunday night we make our way into Antalya here we start to see the big resort Hotels and speaking English, although they normally go for German first, is now place. Surprisingly for us there doesnt seem to be too many sandy beaches, mainly pebbly but I am sure the resorts pools are the favourite place for a dip!
We are here for one reason only some new batteries, we have with the lack of decent sunshine to charge using our solar panels been on a few occasions empty by the morning and with an electric drop down bed its an issue?!? On one occasion in Croatia it saw Graeme dismantle the mechanics so we could lift it manually, which we did, only stupidly to remember after the event that nothing in the van works electrically when the engine is running.....lesson learnt! So we have decided the batteries need to be replaced and head to the car repair area. Its mad, we hardly fit the road and by fluke find a parking space. Graeme
runs in and I am left guarding the van from the ensuing traffic, but tea is kindly delivered by the body repair shop next door. Two batteries later we are off to find a parking space, challenging?!! As they want the old batteries back and we get our deposit 1000 tl, or around £50 back, the only place we can find is a taxi rank on a busy set of traffic lights. Graeme like lighting has them swopped and then thankfully to the scrap metal merchant opposite the battery place we get parked up and get our refund.
We are thankful but relieved to leave and head to Goynuk Cayon, we will sleep in their car park and head up in the morning. We are in the park early and its turquoise waters rush down the Canyons 4.5km length. The walk follows this to the end of the track where the water appears to just cascade down the high cliffs. This is also the entrance into the gorge for rafting or gorge exploration, there are signs of zip wiring along its length and whilst for those numerous hotel guests (Russian at this time of year) who want the thrill,
the quiet and beauty of this gorge is enough for us. The weather here is settling in to some routine 3/4 days of sunshine, not warm bit also not wet and then 3/4 unpredictable weather including wind, heavy rain and thunder.
What we hadnt expected at our beach park up, back with Glen and Steve was an earthquake!! I missed it but Graeme awoke and the van rocked and the water in the tanks sloshing from side to side, a 5.3 mag and 64km off the coast!! Anyway we enjoy some sun and a swim.
As we move west, we have a meet up with my cousin but a few things to see en route. Phaselis apparently founded by colonists from Rhodes in the 7th century sits attractively on a peninsula of three bays. Legend says the founding colonists offered to buy the entire peninsular for a supply of barley bread or dried fish, the local in inhabitants chose the fish!! It became an important trading city most famously for Timber, Lilium (Lily) Oil, and Roses. The site sprawls across the peninsula with its agoras and its amphitheatre. It was a very prosperous city and its inhabitants seemed
to be more focused on trade than politics, ruled by many different leaders. Alexandra the Great who marched towards the city in 333bc was met at the gate and presented with a Golden Crown. In fact when the Roman Emperor Hadrian visited in 129ad a special arch and numerous new monuments and statutes were built. It really does seem that these inhabitants knew how to keep people on their side. The area is being reclaimed by some magnificent pines but it doesnt remove the magic of this historical site.
Our next stop is at Cirali and what a lovely village it is, probably the nicest we have seen to date, sat on a beautiful bay the beach hosts Turtles during breeding season, today there are not even people populating the beach.
