Oh, it’s finally here!
We’re going to discover Dalyan by boat – JOY!
The information part:
There are a few different routes to take.
The Koycegiz market takes place every Monday and they have a boat trip to take you there. It costs 50 Liras and includes lunch.
We opted for the classic Dalyan tour which would take us to the Rock Tombs, Iztuzu Turtle Beach, lunch, Kaunos Ruins. This was going to cost us 35 Liras including the lunch. You do have to pay for the drinks on board and, yes, they do serve alcohol.
They also threw in a small pit-stop at the boat that cooks blue crabs. More on that in a bit.
There are a few different mud bath options in this little place. Check to confirm which one they will be taking you to. We ended up in the newer one called Dalyan Peliod but the Sultaniye Thermal Bath is the one to go to apparently.
(BTW At the time of writing the exchange rate was around 1$ = 3 Turkish Liras)
Seemingly insignificant but important details:
My advice is to check the different boats and captains before you decide on one.
The prices are really very similar but the boats themselves are not! Some have lots of seating on bean bags, some only have long benches and tables. Some are mostly covered with hardly any space to sunbathe. Ask to see the actual boat if this matters to you.
Thank God our boat wasn’t too crowded and we were able to camp out at the front of the boat, which couldn’t hold too many people. The back of the boat was rows of chairs and tables, all shaded to keep the sun away.
Another potentially significant detail (depending on your ears): do ask them if they play music and if they play it LOUD! Floating in the dreamy waters, surrounded by tall, dreamy reeds swaying in the wind, with trance music blasting didn’t quite float our boat, so to speak. Thank God they did change it when we requested.
I’m a pimp of pleasure
Sound like I’m nit-picking?
I reckon the journey is also as important as the destination… but you might be different.
In Turkey, people like me are called ‘pimps of pleasure’ – relishers of every minute of this beautiful life – a title I proudly carry.
Private boat tours:
It also makes sense if there are at least 4 of you to rent a private boat. It works out to almost the same price. We were a cosy little party of 2 and the boat seemed pretty empty so we didn’t feel the need to get one.
The most important advantage of this is to be able to arrange your day so that you can miss the crowds by avoiding the popular spots during their peak crowd hours.
Their initial, pre-bargaining rate was 100 Liras. Always check details before you leave, exactly what this includes: Lunch, entrance to the mud baths etc.
Kaunos Rock Tombs
Coming back to the classic Dalyan boat tour, this is the first stop, the Kaunos Rock Tombs.
We anchor the boat and are given a brief history of the place.
No skeletons in the tombs anymore apparently.
And not allowed to get up there because it’s all crumbly.
Blue Crab Boats
This place is known for its blue crabs.
They should be biting us but us bully humans are, of course, eating them instead…
These little boats here are a small blue-crab eating pit stop.
These crabs came *very* highly recommended by our friend Canan.
Unfortunately, the recommendation came too late making me miss out on this tasty treat.
No one else wanted a photo with this cutie.
I didn’t want to ruin its self esteem and jumped at the opportunity, so here we are;
Iztuzu Beach
Aren’t they so much prettier in the water?
My conscience is happy – I didn’t eat this guy’s friend/relative/lover/wife/daughter…
My mind, on the other hand, is nagging me saying, ‘Oh shaddap! You used to LOVE fishing! Remember Canada? All those salmons you fished right out of the water and devoured? Hmmm? Miss wanna-be-vegetarian!’
Me: Oooooh, wild salmooooonnn, yummmm…
One of those rare moments when there are more colours than just black and white.
Life…
The famed Iztuzu beach, lots of sand, lots of space.
Usually crowded but terrorism and tourism are like Romeo and Juliet it seems – one dies because of the other.
Lifeguard’s little hut.
We saw some in the water but not in the sand.
Lunch
We stopped off for a quick lunch break in a restaurant underneath the Rock Tombs.
It was not a bad little open-buffet set up.
It wasn’t significant enough to take photos I guess as I didn’t have any but I do remember thinking it wasn’t a bad little deal since it was included in the price 😀
Dalyan Peloid Mud Baths
This is a more modern version of the ancient Sultaniye mud baths that are just a few minutes away via boat.
Upside: It isn’t as crowded
Downside: It isn’t Sultaniye
Mind you, I’m not in a position to compare but I did read that it gets quite crowded in Sultaniye.
Tip: Get a private boat and go to Sultaniye first to avoid the crowds.
Another awesome general travel tip (which also doubles up as an awesome tip for life):
Don’t wreck yourself trying to see, taste, experience absolutely everything.
If your time is limited, instead of half-ass experiencing things and stressfully rushing around every single attraction the place has to offer, pick the one(s) that matters the most to you and stop worrying about what you might be missing on the other side of the grass. Enjoy the moment and always leave a little for next time.
(In my previous existence doing real estate, one of my favourite clients, Alois, told me a story about how he found an excellent deal in Europe on a property he was buying and had asked the seller why he sold this house for such a low price. The seller, who was also an investor and well aware of this, had said to him, “You gotta leave a little for the next guy.” That approach really inspires me – be happy with what you have, don’t try to take, own, finish, experience everything all yourself… leave a little, live a little, don’t worry about what might be left behind.)
Photos at the mud baths:Â
The boat picked up an elderly gentleman who was to be the photographer for this part of the journey as you shouldn’t carry your camera with you in here (mud baths: good on skin, not good on camera).
This is how it will go:
The gentleman will take and print your pics and sell them to you.
He will not be pushy but you will sense that he really, really can use some business as he seems a little hungry, elderly and under the weather…
I regret not buying more photos from him…
Back to this place: Lots of different flavoured mud puddles. I didn’t feel any difference between them. My most prominent memory of this place was being cold.
But then again I *am* a desert girl and always find a way to get cold…
Dalyan Kaunos Ruins
We’re about to roam the Kaunos Ruins.
They are ruined because they were built around 5 BC.
It’s just started to rain.
It’s beautiful.
We wait.
Meet our adorable Italian friend who lives in Switzerland who was on our boat tour.
We didn’t catch his name but we did catch his intelligent, warm, humorous energy.
He knew about singularity – impressed!
The ruins hold the earliest examples of many rooms: ancient theatre, baths, churches.
Conversation between my energy-sensitive Boyfriend and Mr. Italy the Catholic:
BF: I can feel a big sense of oppression in this room.
Mr. Italy: Well, it *was* a church…
The ancient theatre.
Still in use apparently.
Upside of not-solo trips: you actually have someone to take your photos!
Visiting ruins in general
Why?
I don’t quite see the fascination of looking at ruins, bunch of broken down rocks that look like the aftermath of an earthquake.
That’s why it’s a pretty good idea to have a guide.
Or psychic skills so you can take a peek at the feel and history through time and space 😉
Way back
We are rescued after a short and sweet wait.
That was fun!
∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞