Jul2000
Gone
Troppo
GONE TROPPO NEWS
#5
Hi Everyone,
Well time for another update.
Our new motors arrived in Cyprus and we put them onboard and set sail
for Turkey. The cockpit was a bit crowded but we made it to Turkey OK. Gazza
and Marika (from Darwin) found us in a little village called Kas. It was great
to see them and we had a very pleasant time, although a bit short. They
arrived carrying many much-needed and much-appreciated items for us. The resupply
of Vegemite arrived just in time. Before they left Gaz helped to remove one
old engine and carry the new ones down into the hulls. He gave us heaps of
advice about installing the new ones, and I am sure he would have liked to have
been there when they were installed. We could of used his talents. We found that
Gail and I could just lift one motor, which was just as well because we had to
modify the engine bed which meant lifting the motor in and out a few times. Needless
to say, the installation of the second motor went more smoothly than the
first. With the new motors installed, what a difference!! Like going from a clapped out old
Mercedes to a great new Kawasaki. We managed to find a local German to take the
old motors off our hands. He is trying to restore/maintain an old village up in
the mountains. He took us up there
to his house, what a view. He also took us to another house in the village where
we were treated like royalty and were given the chance to see how the
farmers/peasants lived and ate. It was fantastic, they grow their own grain and
then turn it into flour for bread, make their own butter, cheeses etc. No mechanical aids for the cropping.
Cooking done on an outside fire during summer. We had a drink of Ayran (salty
yoghurt) and ate a gozleme (a thin pita style bread filled with feta and parsley
and chives and grilled on a hot plate before being smothered in butter, rolled
up and wrapped in paper. Delicious! There were about twenty people in the
village and about two thousand animals, mainly goats, cows, donkeys and horses.
We felt very privileged to be taken into their homes. They were so friendly we
felt right at home and were sad to leave.
We have found the Turkish people to be very friendly and helpful, of
course the Armenians and Kurds would not agree. They are very modern and they
call their religion Modern Islam as opposed to the normal Islam in the Middle
East. They always make us feel welcome, although their country is over run with
tourists every summer. The country is very picturesque with mountains rising
dramatically from the sea. You can paraglide from one, about 7,000 ft, down to
the beach, a flight of about 40 minutes. It is easy to see why it is a popular
destination for the Europeans.
We motored from Kas (pronounced Cash) up to Gocek with a few days to spare
before Sue and Edie joined us from Riyadh. It was great to see them again as
we had not seen Edie since the Maldives and Sue since Jeddah. Edie celebrated her
sixth birthday with us in a little bay called Tomb Bay. We climbed the hills and
inspected the tombs, a bit spooky. The weather was record breaking hot – reaching
46 degrees one day, so we swam constantly. Amongst other things Sue arrived
with two hammocks which we slung under the trampolines – they were
lifesavers in the heat as we took turns lolling in them, partly in and partly
out of the water.
We traveled east to Finike
to check out the marina, and on the way checked out the crusader castle at
Kekova Roads. We also snorkeled over the sunken city at Kekova. Edie was like a
fish always in the water, we could not get over the improvement in her swimming
since we saw her last in the Maldives. With Sue's expert help we tried as many
Turkish wines as we could possibly handle, maybe a few more. Also tried many
Turkish dishes. Before we knew it, it was time for Sue and Edie to leave for
Istanbul and then onto Nice.
After Gaz and Marika, Sue and Edie, the boat felt very quiet with just
the two of us on board. We felt
lucky that Zoe was only a week away. Gail checked out getting to Istanbul to
meet Zoe and found the best method was by bus from Fethiye, so we sailed
there. I stayed on the boat while
Gail traveled to meet Zoe. It was the first time since our wedding that we were
not together.
Gail and Zoe spent a few days sight seeing in Istanbul and then bused it
down to Fethiye. Amongst further
resupplies, Zoe delivered two items of post, a letter from one of the Sri
Lankans we rescued, and a post card from the yacht we towed into Chagos. The Sri
Lankan, Siva, has a visa and is living in Melbourne. It is a wonderful letter
and we will treasure it for the rest of our lives.
The next day we headed off to Kas and then to Kekova. While there we heard
from friends on Magic Carpet that there was an Italian sailing rally arriving
at Finike shortly and the Marina was putting on a tour and cocktail party,
and we were invited to attend both. So we talked it over and the girls could
not pass up a cocktail party full of Italian Navy sailors, so off to Finike.
We had a very long day seeing the sights around Finike; saw Myra, where St
Nicholas started off the Father Christmas bit and many old ruins. Also the ruins
at Arykanda up in the mountains and Limyra near Finike. Lunch was had at a trout
farm; you can guess what we ate. We were totally ruined out by the end of the
day, but then we had to front up for the cocktail party. Well the effort was worth
it and we all had a great time, Zoe with the Navy, Gail with fellow cruisers
and Stephen with Hasan, the manager of the Kemer marina, who promised a good
deal for winter.
After a day or two
trying to book Zoe a connecting flight to Istanbul from Antalya we sailed off
with Magic Carpet to Cinavis, a very scenic anchorage. The next day we went by
tender to the ancient city of Olympus. These ruins are at the foot of ancient
Mount Olympus, 7791 ft, and near the Chimera, an eternal flame that is
impossible to extinguish. I wonder where the Olympic Games bit came from!! A couple of days later we went to
the ancient port of Phaselis, more ruins and a great beach. The next day we went
to Kemer to check out the Marina and for Gail and Zoe to catch a bus to Antalya
to pick up Zoe's air ticket, and then returned to Phaselis. We then spent a
couple of relaxing days just swimming and playing Rummy Kub. Magic Carpet then
returned to Finike and we headed for Antalya where we checked out its Marina and
saw Zoe safely on her way to Istanbul and Oz. We then headed back towards
Fethiye and Gocek. We caught up with Magic Carpet at Kekova and Chris and Gail
decided that we would try and do next years Black Sea Rally, if they hold it.
The rally was cancelled this year due to strife.
We were intending on going back to Oz after Xmas and leaving the boat in
Israel (cheap), but decided to delay going home until October next year. This
meant that we now had a chance to put the boat in a comfortable marina where we
could try and catch up with the maintenance. Kemer Marina looked to be ideal so
we booked for six months, from mid October to mid April.
Our postal address for this period will be;
Gone
Troppo
Park Kemer Marina
PO Box. 208,
07980 Kemer,
Antalya, Turkey
We restocked at Fethiye and then went to
Gocek for fuel and the Sunday market. We then headed further west towards
Bodrum. Stayed a few days at Keci Buku where we spent some time with the crew
from Truant II, another Aussie yacht. Climbed to the top of an island and
checked out another old castle. Stopped at several anchorages on the way, one
had really good ruins of an ancient citadel. Amazing how much work went into the
stone masonry, and such fine detail. Then headed for Bodrum, saw the castle and
maritime museum and cleared out for Greece. Bodrum was full of tourists and
associated discos etc. It is
described as the biggest waste of space in Turkey (lonely planet) – a bit harsh
– but not too far off the mark.
Sailed the 10 miles to Greece and cleared in at the island of Kos. Met
the couple off the Aussie yacht Grey Dawn and had a few drinks, their fourth
year in the Med. The harbor at Kos was a bit noisy and busy so we sailed the
next day to Kalyminos. Arrived and went stern to, to the town Quay and saw a
café just onshore behind us that was called the Gove Café. It had a large TV and
was showing the Olympic Games opening ceremony, so over we went. The owner was
busy drinking a beer out of an Arhnem Club stubby holder, it was like being back
home. Had a few beers and enjoyed the show, Gail waved a Boxing Kangaroo flag
that Gazza and Marika gave us. Met quite a few Greek Aussies(Darwin) who were "home" on
holidays. Slept well that night safe and snug in a sheltered harbor. Went for
walks around the town every morning, very picturesque.
The Greeks are slightly more sophisticated than the Turks and of course they are members
of the EU so the range of goods available is better than Turkey. This part
of Greece is also not completely overrun with tourists like Turkey and they
seem to get a better class of tourist – sorry if this sounds a bit snobby- but
we have come across some pretty interesting types.
Greece has bacon and
ham and I cannot believe how much I miss a rasher of bacon in the morning. So we will stock up before going back to
Turkey. Greece has wonderful bread
and savory snacks and cheap wine,
so we are busy walking in the mornings to try to counter some of the
excesses.
The weather is still
fine and warm and we hope it will stay that way until we cruise back to Kemer
for the winter.
Cheers for
now
Gail and
Steve
Gone Troppo
Gone Troppo
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