A Photo Diary: Travel Turkey in Ten Minutes

Greetings!  I am so glad to be getting back into a good blogging rhythm, which will probably soon be completely upheaved by the fact that I myself am, so to speak, upheaving back to Brighton to continue studying there.  Scary, scary stuff.  In order to distract myself from the daunting task of packing the entirety of my possessions, I therefore thought I'd bring you something similar to my Spain Holiday Round-Up post (except in a different country entirely).  This one's a little more visual though; I've pulled together some of my favourite pictures from the time we spent in Turkey and tried to put them in some kind of order to give you a taste of some of the things you can experience in that particular part of the world, hopefully, all within 10 minutes. 

On the second day, we managed to hire a car (we realised two weeks relying on public transport might not have been the most reliable plan in the world) and took a trip to a local town called Dalyan.  We had some lunch by the water, and found a hotel where we managed to book a Hammam (see my post on the Turkish Bath experience here), before heading off in search of Iztuzu Beach (also known as Turtle Beach).  

 

The drive up gave us a great view of the massive stretch of beach, which sits in the middle of the mountains, bizarrely enough, and is a nesting and conservation area for hundreds of turtles.  This means the opening hours are quite strict (I believe it was 10am - 8pm), but there was still plenty of time to catch the sunset. 

 

 Sarigerme was another great spot we visited a few times.  A little more touristy, this is definitely a much better place than Dalaman for bars and night life.  One of our favourite places we found in Sarigerme was called Street Bar - we spent a whole afternoon there drinking cocktails, using the pool and lying on big 4 poster sun loungers like celebrities.  We actually ended up coming back to Street Bar on the first Sunday night for a foam party, which proved, well, interesting.  Let's just say don't order a Dolphin Special (a particularly intoxicating blue drink comprising of not four, not five, but six different spirits) after already visiting 3 bars and enjoying a few gin and tonics at home before even going out... unless you want to chunder.

In other news, Sarigerme beach is really, really nice.  We made the slight mistake of sitting quite far up the beach on sun loungers we'd hired from the bar.  It was an absolute sun trap, to the point I was slightly worried about getting permanently attached to the plastic that coated the lounger.  In the afternoon we retired to one of the tables (see below... and the best part is you get to eat while sitting on a sofa) for some lunch.  We probably would've been better off taking food with us to eat on the beach as the food wasn't fabulous, but if you're hungry enough, you won't even taste it - I speak from experience.

The ruins of Kaunos, in Dalyan are well worth a visit too.  This was one of my particular highlights.  I don't know if it was because we went at the end of the season, but I actually only saw three other people I could identify as definite tourists (some kind of miracle).  We got a lift across the river with a lady called Mina who only charged us 5tL each to get to the other side via paddle boat.  Once we were across, we had a great view of the huge Lycian tombs carved into the side of the mountain.  We wandered around for a little bit taking it all in before stopping for a quick pomegranate juice (unbelievable, try it) and heading home. 

One thing we read about countless times on Trip Advisor was the 'Twelve Islands Boat Trip'.  So we bit the bullet and booked ourselves tickets which were £18 each and included transfers to the port and a whole day's trip.  We had a great day, making two stops for snorkelling and swimming in the morning, and we even saw a huge turtle swimming in the water alongside our boat.  We'd bought a couple of snorkels the day before to try out, and once we got the hang of them, it was so cool to be able to see all the different colours and sizes of fish doing their thing under the water.  The boat had a diving platform on the upper level too - all I can say is, definitely hold your nose!  After a barbecue lunch served on the boat, we stopped at three islands in the afternoon for more swimming and snorkelling, and got to see some more Lycian ruins including the remains of an underwater lighthouse.  

We also visited the town of Köyceğiz one day to have a little look around before driving on to the massive lake close by.  The drive was beautiful; we had a great view of the lake driving over the mountain roads, and stopped in a tiny village to have a little swim before heading back home via Dalyan for a drink.

One of my favourite places we visited was the bigger city of Fethiye.  Unfortunately I forgot the memory card for my camera when we visited so I only have the photos below which are from my phone!  Fethiye was great though, with plenty of backstreet bazaars, some amazing real leather fakes and Turkish delight which proved too tempting to resist.  It's well worth looking round the fish and fruit markets, which are bustling, smelly, noisy - the epitome of city life.  For around £2 a local restaurant will cook your choice of fish from the market for you, serving with accompaniments and drinks and cooking according to local recipes and experience.  There are some really nice bars and cafes in the back streets, too - we visited one that did great iced coffee, which we found to be a rareity in Turkey, but it was so welcome on that particular day as it was so hot in the city!

Before  heading back to Dalaman, we drove on a little further to visit Blue Lagoon, a beach close to Fethiye and renowned for it's clear water, stunning surroundings, and a few sightings of turtles.  We got to the beach quite late, which was unfortunate because you do have to pay to get in (I think it was around £5) but again it was really nice to see the sunset.  The beach is made up of lots of white pebbles, which was a welcome relief to me after the sandy beach of Sarigerme, the remnants of which I still keep finding in my handbag.  The water is warm, very clean and so refreshing, and there are plenty of little cafes where you can get a bite to eat if you so wish.  It was really nice to visit in the early evening because it was so quiet and peaceful, although we would've liked to stay longer but the beach closes at 8pm.  All in all though, Blue Lagoon is also well worth a visit, and for me, this topped off a fantastic two weeks in a country full of endless wonders.  Great food, great company, beautiful surroundings, endless good weather - what more could you ask for from a place?!

Ruby x

A Review Of Dalaman Akkaya Garden Restaurant

Merhaba!  My dear friends (to use the words of our Turkish tour guide)!  Today I thought I'd do something a bit different, and venture into a new style of blogging I never thought I'd dabble in.  But, finger in every pie and all that... today's post is a restaurant review.  Yes, I can't quite believe it either - fashion and beauty blogger turned globe-trotting restaurant critic (I jest, maybe in my dreams - who wouldn't want to get paid to eat food and then write about it?!).  

The Dalaman Akkaya Garden Restaurant is a mouthful and a half to begin with - what a name! - but having read a few rave reviews on Trip Advisor, and it only being around half an hour from where we're staying we thought we'd be silly not to give it a go.  We phoned up the restaurant first and asked if we could make a reservation, but strangely, owing to their 250 person capacity, they said they were fully booked.  Finding this hard to believe for a Wednesday night, we drove down ourselves in hope that they might have a table left for four.  The drive there is gorgeously scenic, we left around 7.30pm so managed to catch the sunset as we drove over the mountains.  The road there hugs the side of the mountain meaning to your right is a sheer drop, making the trip a little scary but the views are second to none.  

When we arrived at the restaurant, it was pretty much empty.  We were bemused, having been told it was fully booked on the phone, as we were seated by a waiter in one of the treetop tables.   

The setting is great; although we were sitting on one of the relatively closer to the ground tables, it's a lovely idea to sit in what look like big wicker baskets set in the trees.  When we arrived there was still a reasonable amount of light, the sun not quite having set yet, but within twenty minutes it was a bit darker and the waiter turned on yellowy-orange lights above each table.  One problem we did find, and I don't know if it's the same during the daytime, but the amount of bloodsucking insects was horrifying.  What started out to be quite an idyllic setting, soon started hurtling downwards in our estimations to that of a dystopian eating place as we struggled not to be eaten alive ourselves by the countless mosquitoes (among all the other insects we couldn't identify). 

Service was slow, despite the lack of guests, but we were in no rush and had ordered within about half an hour of sitting down.  Josh and I had both settled for the Akkaya kebab, as what I originally wanted (a lamb dish) wasn't available, and Fleur and Jason both ordered a peppercorn steak.  

The food arrived within about half an hour, and just in time as signs of h-anger were just beginning to emerge, as we desperately and violently swatted left right and centre in an attempt to keep the insects off us.  We befriended a little kitten who sat politely at the table, gazing as the steaks were placed down. 

From pretty much all our experiences so far, the food in Turkey is great so we had the same expectation, if not higher, of this place which had come so well recommended on Trip Advisor.  Perhaps if the food had been great, we could've let everything else go, but unfortunately for us, it wasn't.  The beef in our kebab dishes was just a little bit too bland and tough, and was doused in a rich tomato sauce and yoghurt that made the bed of what looked and tasted like Chipsticks very soggy, very fast.  The steak, according to Fleur, was also more than below par.  Having had a great steak with even better peppercorn sauce only a few days prior in Dalyan, she said this by comparison was not worth talking about, in particular because of the peppercorn 'gravy' which was likened to (I hate to write this) Bisto gravy granules.  The true secret ingredients to our meals will remain the Chef's mystery, but we had our suspicions and could not let them go.  

 

We were intrigued by the desserts that we'd seen on the menu so thought we'd give the food another chance and sample some of the sweet treats on offer.  We asked one of the waiters for a dessert menu; I'm not sure if he was struggling with the language barrier but his reply was 'desserts? No.  No desserts.', before swiftly departing without further explanation.  We thought maybe he'd misunderstood us, so waited another twenty or so minutes before another waiter came over and shouted up to us 'You alright?'.  We asked again for a dessert menu and were told there were no desserts but only ice cream.  We were sorely disappointed, to say the least.  Downcast, we asked for the bill, regretting that the meal had no chance of redemption now that we couldn't sample the tiramisu or pumpkin pie.  Another twenty minutes passed before the waiter returned to tell us to go and pay at the bar.  By this point, we were a little peeved.  We discussed that we wanted to voice our disappointment at the lack of food on the menu, the quality of the food we had, and the slow and reluctant service.  We shared our concerns with the staff at the bar, but they seemed to fall on deaf ears.  We paid (almost 200 lira, which is relatively expensive for Turkey) in order to avoid what was rapidly descending into a fully blown argument and finger-pointing debacle, and got out of there as quickly as we could, stomachs just about full but certainly not satisfied, and covered in insect bites that were the most memorable souvenir of our whole meal. 

And that, sadly, sums up our experience at Dalaman Akkaya Garden Restaurant.  We gave it a good chance, but ultimately, it is not a place I would recommend to anyone staying near the area, in fact, I would advise you to steer well clear - there's a McDonald's in Fethiye that we had a more enjoyable meal at last night, no joke, 

Ruby x

Sakklikent Gorge(ous)

Last Friday we ventured out for our first proper excursion to the famous Turkish attraction of Sakklikent Gorge, not too far from Fethiye and Tlos along the South West coast.  I visited the gorge once before around five or six years ago when I first came to Turkey on holiday with my family, and remember it being a must-see.  So we all packed into the little Fiat Albea we've rented, punched some roundabout co-ordinates into the Godsend/SatNav and hoped we'd be able to find the gorge from there.  I didn't take my camera into the gorge itself as it's best to travel as light as possible (ideally nothing) as you never know what might get wet!  So unfortunately I don't have any photos from inside to show you, but in a way, it might be a mystery best kept secret as I really cannot describe how amazing it is inside, it's something which definitely needs to be seen in the flesh.  

You pay 6 lira to enter the gorge (just over a pound), and begin by navigating a wooden walkway set along one of the rocky slopes.  The water rushes below your feet in a wide river at this point, as you walk a little further it gets narrower with smaller rocks.  There were throngs of people, mainly tourists, and I can safely say I have never seen so many selfie sticks in my life.  As you venture deeper into the gorge, the hordes seem to diminish a little, as the terrain gets slightly more difficult.  You do have to be reasonably able-bodied as some parts are trickier than others and involve a bit of climbing.  Luckily, we made it without any serious injuries; the way back was the best as you can literally slide down the rocks where they've been so worn by many a tourist's behind over the years. 

After doing the 4km round-trip trek through the icy cold water that flows through the two vast rock faces, we stopped at one of the many big restaurant/cafes by the entrance to the gorge for a drink sitting literally on the water.  By this point we were getting pretty hungry, and we'd seen a few good looking lunch spots on the way up, so hopped back in the car and thought we'd try our luck.  

We were certainly not disappointed!  Along the road we stopped at one of the restaurants - I'm not sure of the name as none of them are really advertised - where a family were happy to serve us traditional Turkish food.  We ate  fresh lamb and tomato salad dishes with flatbreads (and a few chips, of course), sat cross-legged around a table set on a wooden decking structure covered with rugs and pillows.

It was a perfect pick-me-up to follow our stint in the gorge, and the whole atmosphere made it a day I won't forget.  Turkey really is a beautiful country, and once we away from the beaten track a little more and able to experience the tradition, culture and natural surroundings it seemed a lot less like a popular tourist destination and more like a breath of fresh air, especially visiting from the UK.  

I have so many photos and things I want to write about from our time in Turkey.  In a few days I'll be back in England, and will have to start packing up my room (again) to move into a new house and start my second year of Uni.  Things are getting real, quickly!  Hopefully blogging will provide me with some respite among those maniacal days that are soon to come, but for now I'm going to enjoy what time we have left.  And start thinking about my next post (I've a few ideas up my sleeve).  Hope you're all very well and enjoying the last of the summer,   

Ruby x