Kas, Turkey - the off season experience

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In June this year I came to Kas as part of an 15 day adventure journey of Turkey. It felt like paradise; a mix of Nice or San Tropez on the Côte d'Azur where I used to live and the bohemian chic town of Nelson in New Zeeland with the layout and blend of a Swedish costal resort called Fjällbacka.

Our round-trip of Turkey only stayed here for 2 days and I swore to come back a s a p. So, here I am on an off-season excursion, supposedly mixing business with pleasure (it's mostly been my fav "Pleasure" so far.) It is not obvious how to get here. Kas is many hours away from any airport and the roads are Monacanly winding and any fall will be your last....I decided to come via Dalaman airport with a 3 hour transport in chartered Dolmus (Turkish for "crowded" - it is a small minibus).

I arrived just in time for buffet dinner; köfte (Turkish meatballs) and grilled vegetables served with a nice white (Turkish) Angora wine in company of nice elderly couple; academics retired from Lund University. After that I spent far too long on my balcony (of my double room) overlooking the Kas bay, the marina and the pool drinking mini-bottles of stuff that I got on the plane and stumbled to bed long after it was wise.

Early bird catches the worm it is said; but worms is not my cup of tea. I jumped out of bed just in time to catch the breakfast buffet (feed most of it to cute stray kittens, mind you). After that I went down town to the centre ( 5 minutes) and looked up a boat company to book a boat transfer to the Greek island of Kastelorizo (Meis in Turkish) 1,5 kilometers outside Kas. So tomorrow I am taking a boat at 10 a clock for a hike in the EU (Greece) and I'll be back at four a clock in Turkey...Apparently the Greek government pay the few Greeks willing to live on this island so remote from the rest of Greece. Go figure.

So, time to get supplies since I was going to start my first hike with my great footpath guide with maps and all...Water, dried fruit, nuts etc. Man at hotel said women should not go on hikes alone in Turkey because of the wild boars. I didn't really ask, but I did wonder why the wild boars would specialize in killing women and not lone men, silently suspecting that what he was really talking about was wild Turks roaming the bush.

Any how, I ignored all warning as per usual and set out in the rain and the mud. Jolly nice walk but a bit slippery and prickly and very very muddy. After a couple of hours all parts of me were soaked and filthy. Just walked the 2,5 hour walk to the neighboring village and back. I got back to the hotel just in time for washing myself; fully dressed in hiking boots under the beach shower with the poor pool boy looking at me in amazement. I didn't want to drag all that muck into my nice marble floored Aqua Princess hotel. Earlier I had asked the very nice receptionist to book an afternoon private hamam (Turkish bath) followed by oil massage. I explained that I would need it after a hike in the pissing rain and that I planed to finish off my hamam visit with an afternoon drink and an afternoon sleep before dinner; "Ah, Miss You are Expert in feeling good!" he said; which I thought was rather to the point actually!

The hamam was bloody brilliant and just next door. It does slightly remind me of a human version of a soft car wash 'though; all that sprinkling at on station, then hot water poured over you, then the scrubbing, then the rolling over a sprinkling again, then the soap sud foaming, then more sprinkling - finally shining you off with a bit of wax i e oil massage. My knees almost caved in as I walked up the 8 flights of stairs to my room (yes, there is no lift). So here I am, writing a line after a well deserved snooze. Soon it's before dinner GT, I do believe.

Or maybe just an Efes (Turkish beer). Might just have to go to the Bar-celona Bar tonight. A toute! (More photos from my hike are shown if you scroll down this page...)

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Photos

View from my balcony
Yes, close and grey but who complains..it is beautiful and warm...Note that sea view really really means sea view this time

Kemal Atatürk - founder of Turkish republic
Statue of Atatürk on the main square 5 minutes from the hotel...

Hike one with my "Lycian walks" book
Kas only beach; aptly named "big pebble beach". Talk about off season; not a soul although it is almost 28 degrees out and not what we Swedes would call REAL RAIN

Best mode of transport
Next time I think Ill take a chopper; helipad 5 min from hotel

Pomegranate tree
Pomegranate and olive harvest time in October...

Waste not want not
when you change from satellite to cable, waste not want not - why not make it the roof of your hen pen?

lycian way to neigbor village
drizzle drizzle and mud but I come prepared; rain coat and boots

Stroll through olive groove
...no trace of any wild boars 'though; nor any bush-turks