Kas and the Sunken City of Kekova

 We've docked in the new and luxurious Kas Marina, just a short walk from town.  The day warms up early, promising to be a hot one in the marina. On the short walk into town, we pass Lycian saddle-back tombs, improbably appearing in  parking lots, in the back of boatyards, and tops overturned being used as planters.

You can enlarge any photo by clicking on it!

Lycian tomb

The walk to town is pleasant and offers shade, the streets clean, shops open and welcoming.  There are flowering trees, and cobbled streets graciously lined with cafes, little shops selling cotton gauze clothes, evil eyes,  hand made soft leather shoes with curving pointy toes, bulk spices and frankincense resin.

 The old town is a Cultural Heritage site, and rightly so. I buy a little bag of mint so we can make our own mint yogurt sauce, and some incense.

 Walking up the main street, we enter another carpet store, invited by the owner who obviously adores his work. Over tulip glasses of apple tea, he explains about the traditional patterns, dyes, and uses of the carpets we are shown. I admire them all!

Walking on, we find the pedestal-base of the tall King's tomb with weathered lion heads carved on the beam ends.

We decide to remain in the coolness of the town, so we stop for Turkish coffee and apple tea at a cafe, and stay for a lunch of kebab and grilled whole sea bass, with luscious seasonal tomatoes. English and Russian day trippers meander by; Turkish moms wearing headscarves and long dresses pushing strollers, a Euro-beauty dressed with effortless style, two little boys playfully jostling.  A strapping young Turkish shopkeeper grins like a child as his grandmother approaches in the street. He bows his head to her breast and she kisses his hair three times, smiling with pride. We stop at an ice cream stand selling flavors like mulberry, pomegranate and pistachio. Vendors of raw almonds display their tender wares on a block of ice, offering samples to entice us. It was a leisurely day ashore seeing the sights, eating great food and people watching.

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Recipe: Ridiculously Easy Turkish Haydari Dip

1 C. thick Greek yogurt
1 tsp. dried mint, (or use dill weed as a variation), or more to taste
a sprinkle of garlic powder, optional.

Mix and let sit for a half hour or so for the herbs to impart their flavor.  Enjoy with crudites, crusty bread, pita chips, on grilled meat or kebabs.

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The next day we depart Kas for Kekova and Ucugiz.  We got underway a little later than we had hoped. Had to wait for the marina to open at 9:00, then for the dinghy guys to cast off our bow.  Motored for a few hours for the sunken island of Kekova. We dock at the village of Simena, just across from it, at Hassan's Restaurant .Hassan's mom and the girls waved us in and assisted us with dock lines. Above Hassan's is a large castle ruin, which time did not permit us to explore ( it was getting pretty hot too!). We had a beverage and snacks and enjoyed the view shaded by red hibiscus plants.

Across from us was the sunken city, tumbled, shifted and partially submerged by an earthquake 20 centuries ago.  A parade of wooden "gulet" tour boats cruised past the restaurant and circled the bay, viewing the ruins. We got Celador underway and joined the parade. The ruins were cut from the living stone, blocks carved out in such that the back wall was solid rock and the front of buildings were block.  Most had tumbled, leaving only a few standing doorways or windows.  You could see submerged foundations at the waters' edge.

  We viewed to our content, then motored west into a little bay near Ucagiz, which was shallow enough to anchor. Twilight fell, and the wind and water were absolutely still and silent but for the sounds of cicadas and roosters, and an occasional distant voice. Night fell with the muezzins' call to prayer echoing over the water, a reminder of the antiquity of the traditions and land all around us.