Blogs from Mediterranean, Turkey, Middle East - page 4

Our ex President chappie came good & gave us a few tips for journey through Turkey & Greece as it happens, so that was good. Mind you we ignored his suggestion for today having read a couple of reviews & stuck with plan A - & so glad that we did. The journey here was fine, passing all the gross hotels & some pretty ones between Alanya & Antalya. We stopped & bought some muz (bananas) which are kiddy size but jolly nice all the same. Yesil Vadi or Green Valley camp site is set in the mountains to the NW of Antalya. It's basically a gravel car park (unlike the last few days which was an earth car park!) but it has a new shower – oooh! - & a restaurant that serves pan fried ... read more

Decided to stay a couple more nights because the beach & restaurant are so nice & because we can. We lounged on the beach until the weather changed. The forecast for today was for a thunderstorm at 5pm which was wrong – it started at 4.15pm. Amazing lightning out to sea & heavy thunder which got closer & closer until it hit the coast & it rained as the sun then approached from the sea as the cloud passed overhead. Fed the peacocks who liked pistachios & fiery hot chilli crisps but they seemed to be drinking a lot out of the puddles later … And what puddles there were; the drizzle turned into a tropical downpour which lasted a good hour. Went for a meal under cover– it had stopped raining but the seating & ... read more

Up early to the sound of more watering... Off again on the short trip to the ferry port. Another amazing road way above the sea. They're building lots of tunnels which must mean they are to build another new road which will open this coast up no end. Shame for all the little shops & cafes on the old road – goodness knows what they'll do... Arrive in Tasucu & there is no shade to be found, so parked up, wound the awning out a little & had a quick lunch. Some young lad of about 9 came over & spoke to us in Turkish, peered into the van etc. Our first thought was that he was trying to con us into a false parking charge. I asked a passer by what the boy wanted – ... read more

Woke to a beautiful day. Went off to the showers at 7.30 in case there was a rush which there wasn't, expecting a cold shower as the sun hadn't been up long. It was uber hot. Our bodyguard slipped away in the night to do some mine sweeping I assume but a couple of gullets motored across the bay. Could have stayed here for a while.... Got away for 9.30 as we knew that not only was it a fair way away but also it was the coastal road - & what a road. Once again it hugged the coastline close to the sea & passed some lovely coves, little beaches & also a harbour that had nothing around it; it was just a mooring site I suppose. Back through the snow covered mountains, out, back ... read more

After short flights, we arrived in Antalya, a beautiful city situated on the Turquoise Coast. We exited the airport and searched for our name being held by one of the several shuttle drivers. Hmmm. No luck. We waited and kept looking as new drivers arrived. Still no sign bearing our name. Not quite sure what to, do one of the shuttle drivers noticed us and asked where we were staying. He immediately called our Pansiyon and within about 5 minutes a driver was calling out to us. We followed him and soon piled our bags into a taxi. Antalya is a huge, modern city. The drive took about 30 minutes and then we entered Kaleici, the old town of Antalya. Here the streets narrowed to cobblestone lanes. Our driver was a little unsure of where our ... read more