Dalyan and the Lycian wall tombs

The days are long, the weather grows warmer, we chug acoss the smooth waters in the morning and arrive in the early afternoon at another enchanted spot. For instance, Ekincek, "My Marina": quite the most beautiful marina we have ever been to. Carefully tended plants, the wheely-bins demurely covered in hessian coats, the setting truly awesome, steep rugged rocky backdrop, clear clear water (David actually swam here).
Too early in the season for the restaurant to be open. We didn't mind, being still well-stocked with food we'd bought way back in Kusadasi.

This is David and me very happy after the day's trip up-river to Dalyan.

We met Laura and Mark on their beautiful yacht Sabbatical III, also moored in Ekincek. Together we arranged a trip up the river Dalyan, past the Lycian wall tombs (reminded me of the wall tombs near Persepolis). This seems to be a "must". So Mark haggled for us and we agreed on a suitable price and arranged to meet our exclusive river boat and guide at 9 a.m.  next morning.

It was wonderful. Worth every penny! Our guide, Abidin Kurt, is a real expert. He was born in Dalyan and knows the are inside out. And a superb story-teller. Here he is seated in the boat we hired for the day, explaining the history of the Lycians.

We moved slowly up the river, between tall bullrushes, the mountains purpling in the distance, shaded from the sun in our little boat.
Abidin told us about the Lycians, and their conflict with the Persians; all this pre-dating the Romans. I begin to gain a picture of the jigwas puzzle.

We had lunch in another enchated spot, across the water from the Lycian tombs.
And after more wanderings round remains of cities and sniffing round modern markets, we returnbed to the boat and so back to Ekincek.

The theatre at Caunos, gradually being restored to become a historic museum.




An unforgettable day...