Underwater ruins, sarcophagi and carpets Thursday, 24th July 2014

Kaş was a good place, on the touristy side, but attractive with it. We had been at anchor in the south of the bay and took a water dolmus to town. Its main claim to fame were lots of sarcaphogi, carpets, loom bracelets (for those into the current craze theirs they have been making for centuries) and a small Greek amphitheatre made out of ashlar stone. From the outside and side, it looked like a triangle. A small, thin harbour with lots of gulets, manoeuvring was difficult. But we decided to take the boat in for an hour the following day (too hot to stay long), to do a mini-shop and fill up the tanks with water. An overnight stop would have cost us TL50, the harbourmaster said we could stay for TL10 (about £2.85), mainly for the water. When ready to leave again, the nice harbourmaster waived our fee and said come back again, I will charge you then.

In Kekova Roads and here be antiquities galore. Off Kekova island itself is a "sunken city". In the "Roads" on the mainland side, there are also sunken remains (due to earthquakes) of a major town called Aperlae, numerous outlines of buildings, pillars and the odd sarcophagus. And to crown it all is the 4th C BC castle of Simena (now called Kalekӧy), a steep climb up the hill with superb views of the whole of the islands and straits. The city has also been (and the now village still is) only accessible by sea. The "Roads" are sheltered by Kekova island itself and numerous reefs. It can get very windy at times (been fine for us), but the reefs keep the swell, waves and white horses at bay, so the sailing can be fast and furious on flat water if the conditions are right.

The hillsides are littered with hundreds of sarcophagi, imposing stone structures, huge necropoli that have survived where other structures have crumbled, fallen or disappeared. We are at anchor opposite one such hillside, the sarcophagi and eyes of the dead overlooking us. Spooked? Not a bit of it. Our house is opposite an English graveyard. Our second home, Myrica, is now Church Boat. And the neighbours are quiet.