Cisterns

Deep beneath Sultanhamet, there is a curious site. Well below ground, the byzintine cisterns built by Emperor Justinia still exist. They had actually been forgotten about for ages and re-discovered. Locals who had houses would talk of using buckets on ropes to pull up fresh water from a hole in their basement, and sometimes even fish! They were re-discovered and opened as a tourist attraction, fish and all.

It was lovely, damp and dark down there. A good escape from the heat of midday.

There are two pillars with huge carved medusa visages.

They are mysterious in origin, which basically makes it an ideal tourist trap when you claim things like that. "We have no idea how these got here" and "it's a mystery who put these here and why". Sold!

Fethiye

Our last day on the boat.

Our Capitan took ill during the night. Quite alarming, but he could barely get out of bed with the fever chills and flu. The cook and deckhand stepped in and got the boat to a cove when they realized the Captain could barely uncurl himself from a vomiting fetal position, never mind navigate a ship. A new Capitan was ordered up, and they took our sick one to hospital.

After lunch and one last swim in a secluded cove, the boat pulled into port at Fethiye. We said our goodbyes and all went our separate ways. That is, after the rep from the boat had made sure that we paid our tabs.

Fethiye had a booming port and market, but as soon as you climbed the hill in town, it because a desperately impoverished place. Home-made houses made with scraps of plywood and sheet metal and chickens everywhere.

THe rock tombs carved out of the cliffside were most impressive.

There was a fish market in Fethiye. You chose your fish, then you gave it to one of the cafes nearby to cook it up for you.

Çalış beach was a gorgeous place to take in the sunset.

This part of the coast seemed to cater to British tourist, as every other place on the boardwalked served fish and chips and bangers and mash. Because, you know. When you are on vacation someplace where the cooks actually know how to respectfully cook vegetables, you start to crave mushy peas. We avoided the anglos and sat on the beach with our kebaps and effes. Bliss.

I had no idea how beautiful Turkey would be.