Leaving Ourselves Behind

After a seven-hour drive from the conservative fold of Konya, through rich agricultural land and twisty mountain roads, we spilled out onto the sparkling coast of the Mediterranean Sea. While my first impression of the town of Kas (pronounced Kash) was that it reminded me of Greece, I’m quite sure the Turks would bristle at the comparison. They have their very own seaside paradises to be proud of and Greece has no exclusive hammerlock on crystal waters.

Kas is a small walkable town and our hotel is about a 5-minute stroll into the centre. Our room is tiny – you could swing a cat in it (no exaggeration), but the owners are kind and hospitable and the view from our balcony makes up for it.

So does the breakfast. Turkish breakfasts are a sight to behold. Every place we have been before has laid out a spread, but this is by far the best, the most varied, the tastiest – we literally run up to the terrace each morning to savour the best meal of the day.

This part of Turkiye – the beaches of Antalya province – draw the holiday-makers from Britain and Russia and China in droves, but Kas is still slightly off the tour bus trail and now that we’re into October, the crowds are gone. What remain are enough tourists to keep the party going and the bright, warm, sunny days make us feel like it is still summer.

I want to start with the swimming, because honestly I could spend many days of my life doing just this.

This part of the Mediterranean Sea is a palette of greens and blues you will never see in North America; so crystal clear you can easily see 30, 40 feet down to the bottom. The water is not cold, nor is it warm; it is just right. Salty, buoyant and so refreshing – you barely need to move to stay afloat, the sea holds you and lets you simply be. If this is not therapy, I don’t know what is.

There is a little pebble beach just down from our hotel, called, aptly enough, Small Pebble Beach and we swam there twice, just to cool off in the later afternoon.

But our two memorable water days were just outside of Kas. On our first, we joined up with a boat tour of just 19 other tourists to see the famous Sunken City of Kekova Island and spend the day jumping off the boat.

The boat tour was an eight-hour excursion that began with a van ride to another town and then we all hopped on the double-decker boat to begin our adventure.

Over 2000 years ago, a huge earthquake claimed the city of Simena – it simply slid into the sea and was lost forever. Until recently, people were allowed to swim and kayak freely in the area, but people being the evil beasts they are, that practice had to stop due to theft of ancient artifacts. Now we are all either on boats or on guided kayak tours.

As we approached the island, the captain slowed down so we could see remnants of the city shimmering in the clear water.

Our small group was a delight – Americans, Dutch, Canadians, Indian, Turkish, British and a family of five from Uzbekistan who now live in Australia. When we weren’t chatting with each other, having Turkish tea, or eating a fabulous lunch, we were jumping into the sea at least four or five different times. We wished we had our snorkel gear with us, as visibility was 100%.

Our final stop was the teensy Simena Village; known for its steep, no-car, labyrinthine alleys and its fabulous homemade ice cream. We climbed around for an hour, sure we were wandering into people’s private yards, but it seems everyone is connected and trespassing is not a thing.

A stop for caramel ice cream, then back down for the ride home.

Our next fabulous adventure was to grab a water taxi from the harbour over to the nearby bay to spend the day at Limanagzi Beach. We could also have hopped onto the 6-km. segment of the famed Lycian Way that travels from Kas across the ridge and down to the beach, but then we thought, ” Nah” and took the taxi instead.

On the way to the taxi, we saw this guy, swimming right by shore.

Now this beach area has four or five different beach clubs; most of them quite similar. The taxi makes three stops, and we were headed for “Mustafa’s” place, at the recommendation of our host.

These were the other beach clubs.

This was Mustafa’s place. I didn’t take a photo of the club, but it had seen better days; stained sunbeds, broken umbrellas and dodgy-looking decking.

We were kind of stuck there, realizing too late that our host was not offering us the best option, he was helping out a friend.

Time to “reframe.” What we did have was the same crystal water, the same view and a lovely, warm host who served us very good food. So, in the end, we got what we came for – a beach day with water, sun, food, drinks, reading and napping.

And now, on to the town of Kas, which dates back to the Lycian period of the 14th and 15th centuries. It is a small town made up of whitewashed buildings that climb the hills and cluster down to the harbour.

Kas is filled with street scenes just like these ones: shops, cafes, flowers and colour

Kas is filled with beautiful shops and quality curated goods. This store specialized in drape-y linens, and most of the time the linen-swathed proprietor sat outdoors, thin and serious, moodily smoking cigarettes. Smoking in Turkiye – they’re bringing sexy back.

Of course, not all shops are so aesthetically discreet. Some just go for the direct approach; although, c’mon – what parent or grandparent would not be tempted to hoist their kid on the back of this big old cow?

And then, there’s history – The Old House.

Images of Turkiye’s President Erdogan are everywhere and unlike North America, where personal opinions about leaders are freely expressed, it is far less the case here.

As is the case in most small coastal towns, life revolves around the centre square.

The harbour.

The simple joy of fishing off the dock. We noticed a number of free-range kids in Kas; old enough to have common sense, but still young by North American standards to be out alone at night. That childhood we all remember…did it exist?

And finally, some images of ancient Kas. Although we are headed for some epic ruins, there are remnants in and around Kas as a reminder of its history.

The King’s Tomb, 4th century BC

The Ancient City of Antiphellos amphitheatre. We know we should have climbed to the top, but it was so blisteringly hot that we just took shelter under the olive trees and admired it from a distance.

And now we head to Feithye, another town on the Mediterranean with an ancient Lycian past.