From Cappadocia we flew to Antalya taking 2 little hops each about an hour long. Turkish Air insists on serving meals even on short flights so we had a meal on each stint. Certainly not the way it is done on American based carriers!
Our hotel, Mediterra Arte, is in the old section of the city. We can easily walk to the harbor, Hadrian's gate, interesting restaurants. The streets are narrow, and meandering with lots of character. The first afternoon, we enjoy the harbor, people watching, exploring.
The second day we have a guide to take us to the ruins of Termessos. We start on the coast but the ruins are at about 3000 feet so lots of switch backs and beautiful scenery to get to the site. Since it is still about a 45 minute hike up to the ruins from the parking lot, it is passed over by most tourists. We only run into 4 other people the entire time we are there. Termosess was one of the few cities that Alexander the Great never was able to conquer. The guide explains the water retention system and we see the remnants of the cisterns. Most of the city is not restored but enough is there to discern the magnitude and majesty. The inner and outer city walls,bath house, gymnasium or school, grave of Alcetas, and multiple sarcophigi are the main points of interest. Many people came to Termessos to die or be buried. Since it was so high, it was believed that you were closer to the gods and had a better chance of joining them. The gem of the site is the theater which sat 4500. The setting is spectacular with sheer drops behind the stage area and some of the seating and craggy mountain tops poking over the sides.
A favorite site for everyone.
After lunch, we visited the Dudden waterfalls. They are just outside the city and are in an easy to access park. It is restful and calm. Many Turkish families are relaxing and enjoying the park. We happily join them, appreciate the beauty and a cup of tea. (Almost everywhere you go, you stop for tea. Being a tea drinker, I love it!)
The next day is our river rafting trip. It was about a 1 1/2 drive to our put in point. There are people from all over the world joining us on the adventure. Luckily, English was the common language that everyone understood for directions. We shared our raft with a family from Lithuania. On the bus with us were people from Romania, Germany and Spain. In the group there were also Japanese and Russians. Most people thought we were European. I guess not many Americans go there. The first half of the raft trip (8 km), our guide was very playful and we all got totally soaked. We fully understood why we were told not to bring cameras, or anything with us. We stopped for a great lunch of grilled chicken kebobs, bulgar wheat, salad, pasta, fresh bread. Then back to the river for another 8 km. The second half was a little more relaxed. A break to swim and another break where we all played a game with our paddles. Randy was the last one standing (out of about 60 people) so he was awarded an oleander branch. The day was fun with lots of laughs.
The third day we opted to have a dara-dara day. We learned from Andy that is what the Japanese call a relaxing, down day. Melodie and I did some wandering around the streets, poking in to several shops. Of course, we were offered tea at many of them and accepted at most of them. Shopping is a relaxed, social affair. In the afternoon, Nick and I went down to the harbor. A boat was just getting ready to leave and had room for more passengers so they gave us a 2 for the price of one deal. I don't know how it happened but I didn't have my camera with me. The boat had Turkish rugs on the floor, benches along the sides with low tables. We were served drinks as we pulled out of the harbor into the blue, blue water of the Gulf of Antalya. We putted along the coast for about an hour enjoying the scenery of white hotels sitting atop the cliffs, small waterfalls joining the sea and the occasional cave that had been hollowed out by the waves.
Dinner that night was at an old residence, turned restaurant. A band played traditional Turkish music. A large Turkish group (50 or so people) gathered for what appeared to be an anniversary party. We occasionally bonded while all clapping with the music.
Most evenings, we indulged in baklava, turkish delights and or a hooka bar. Mmmmmmmmmm.
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