Kas, Türkiye

October 12 – 18, 2022

Türk Rivierası (The Turkish Riviera)

As I write this blog, I’m sitting on a sunbed at an idyllic gravel beach, looking at the crystal clear Mediterranean Sea.

This area is popularly called The Turquoise Coast because of the sea’s vibrant color. When the sun is shining, the sea is an absolutely exquisite shade of turquoise-blue. 

Incebogaz Plaji (Beach)

From where I sit on Incebogaz plaji (beach), the water is only steps away. It’s glassy and calm, like a beautiful lake. It’s about 74 degrees outside. 

There are some clouds in the sky, and some look a little threatening.  We’ve had a few showers on and off the last couple of days, and even some very loud and impressive thunderstorms.

It doesn’t get much better. 

Most of the rain has been at night. We’ve only donned our rain shells once, and it was mostly precautionary. 

Beach Update: One Hour Later

I’m huddled on a cold, white plastic sunbed listening to the rain hit our flimsy, small, rented “sun” umbrella. It’s cooled, and a breeze is building from the south resulting in peripheral rain easily reaching one entire side of my body.  

The sudden rain cleared the beach of almost everyone, especially those who didn’t rent an umbrella. 

We hope to wait it out here, until the sun re-emerges. It’s kind of cozy actually, at least that’s what I’m telling myself. I do wish I hadn’t recently gone for a swim, as my wet swimsuit isn’t helping matters any. 

Kas

Kas is a charming, mid-sized city located in southern Turkey. It is the very center of the historic Lycian region.  The town is bordered by the majestic Taurus Mountains on three sides, and the sparkling turquoise Mediterranean sea on the other.

There are whitewashed houses with red tile roofs, as well as many homes with Ottoman style balconies from the 16th and 17th century. There are plenty of restaurants, shops, and cafes to satisfy any visitor.

Kas retains the feel of a real Turkish town (as opposed to a resort town) with plenty of locals busily going about their lives. 

Kas has an open and inviting main square near the harbor. Cobblestone streets spring up from the edges of the square, most meandering uphill. There’s an abundance of bougainvillea, the stunning hot pink (and sometimes white) flowering vines that seem to grow like weeds here. 

The Theater

The modern town occupies the site of ancient Antiphellos, with still-visible ruins including a theater.  The theater dates back to the first quarter of the 1st century B.C. and seated 4,000 spectators.

Today most people visit for the lovely views of the sea and to watch the sunset.

Beach-Free

There aren’t any beaches in town, but there are a plethora of “beach clubs”. 

Beach Clubs

The Kas beach clubs are set along the steep and rocky coastline in several sections of town. They range from posh to budget.  Our host recommended Leymona, just a half a block down from our hotel. 

Leymona Beach Club & Restaurant

Leymona has a fee structure common among the beach clubs here. The sunbeds and umbrella are free, but you must buy at least 200 lira each ($10) of refreshments, which isn’t hard to do. 

We’d order lunch and a drink (or two) using their app on our phone. Our items were delivered on a tray right to our sunbeds (or we could have gone to a table).  Basically we didn’t have to move at all, except to take a dip in the cool and refreshing sea.  

Since there’s no beach, we entered the ocean from a deck that jets out over the rocks and ocean, with a ladder, like entering a pool. 

Both days we went, the sea was very choppy, rolling and dipping.  I’ve never swam in the ocean in such conditions.  It was a little intimidating, but after I got used to it, it was exhilarating and fun.

The total cost was probably $5-8 more than we would have spent on lunch in the town, but well worth a day of lounging in luxury. 

Now It’s The Russians 

In our past two stops, Dalyan and Kalkan, we were literally surrounded by Brits. Brits are just fine, but Kas feels less touristy due to a more diverse mix of people meandering about, both locals and travelers. 

In fact, Kas is apparently preferred by Russians, and there’s plenty of Russians around. We saw several cars with Russian license plates in town and literal busloads of Russians at the ancient city of Myra, when we visited.  

There’s also a healthy mix of Europeans (& lots of Germans), but it’s rare to see Americans. 

Social Media

Speaking of Americans, I follow many travel sites on social media, most of whom are hosted by Americans, including Explorer Genes.  

Explorer Genes

How fortuitous that Mandy & Greg, who are Explorer Genes, were traveling in Turkey, starting about a month ahead of our trip.  They have an informative and fun blog you can find at https://explorergenes.com/.

Following along with Explorer Genes Instagram and Facebook posts, I got an exciting glimpse of what lie ahead for us in Turkey. I also had a few online exchanges with Mandy, who provided some good Turkey-travel advice and tips.

Fortunate Timing

I was thrilled to discover we’d all be in Kas at the same time. We planned to meet-up for a late lunch-date at a yummy vegetarian/vegan restaurant in town, the Oburus Momus at 2:00 pm one afternoon. 

Steve and I figured we’d do some of the “must-see” sites in town beforehand, then head over to meet Mandy & Greg.

A Little House

Mandy & Greg are staying a ways out of Kas, in a little-house owned by friends they met here in Turkey a few years ago on their first trip to the country. The house is very private and sits on top of a high hill with incredible, sweeping views. They’re a bit remote, so their rental comes with a scooter. 

Be On the Lookout

I knew Mandy & Greg were coming in for the day, since their rental is not terribly close to town. 

As we entered the Kas main square the morning of our luncheon plans, I told Steve to keep an eye out for them, particularly checking out scooters zipping by. Steve said he would, if he only knew what they looked like.  😂.

Well, I know what they look like from their posts on Facebook and Instagram, so it was up to me to examine scooter riders as we walked around town.   

The King’s Tomb

Moving on from the main square, we found the King’s Tomb (so-called), an elevated sarcophagus with its two carved lion heads, perched at the top of a steep cobblestone street. It dates from the fourth century and is mostly intact. 

The inscription carries a Lycian epitaph detailing who should be given the right of burial.

There used to be hundreds of sarcophagi scattered all around town, but most were torn apart and used to build homes and shops through time.  What a shame.

In Search of: Lycian Tombs

Our next stop was a 15-minute walk farther uphill in search of the Lycian tombs overlooking Kas. The entrance signage on the street pointed up to a battered, stone staircase leading up even higher up the hill. Sigh. 

We made the climb, with a bit of complaining (from me). I hadn’t anticipated so much climbing that morning. I wasn’t mentally prepared. 

After the staircase, the dirt path narrowed and continued further upwards.  There were now plants and rocks to maneuver around. 

At the first “landing” (if you can call it that), we stopped. We could see the first Lycian tomb, a stone’s throw away. 

The Tombs

We had a gorgeous and unobstructed view of Lycian tombs from our hotel on the Dalyan River, in Dalyan, a couple of weeks ago. They were majestic and looked unreal from our far off vantage point.  But now we were standing face to face with a Lycian tomb, and it was incredible. 

Carved into the sides of a mountain, the Lycian tombs look like entrances to temples, but they are actually ornately carved facades of ancient burial tombs. 

Just Helping Out

The Lycians buried their honored dead in the tombs high on the cliffs. They believed that magic winged creatures would whisk their dead into the afterlife, and thought it was a good idea to give them a little help by placing the tombs as high as possible. 

What’s Inside?

The tombs have been marred by looters over the centuries, so none are without a large, gaping hole in the door, where someone has bashed it in. Regardless of the uninvited intrusion into the tomb, the beauty and artistry are still easy to see. 

Likya Kaya Mezarları (Lycian Rock Tombs of Kas)

After admiring the first tomb, up close and personal, Steve continued up the mountain to check out a few more tombs, reportedly up the path. 

I elected to stay behind. If something up ahead was worth the climb, Steve knew where to find me. 

The View

I stood alone for a few minutes, just under the first tomb, in the quiet, admiring the view. I watched as a helicopter hauled water somewhere, and I took a few selfies. From where I was standing, I had an expansive view of the town and harbor far below. 

My view looking back up the path was much more limited.  Just above me, maybe 10-15 feet away, sat a boulder in the path that you had to climb over to continue on. From there the path disappeared behind bushes as it wound upwards. 

Who Goes There?

Some movement caught my eye. I assumed it was Steve making his way back over the boulder, down towards me. I turned and saw a woman atop the boulder, carefully stretching one leg down to complete her descent. 

No, it couldn’t be. Could it?

“Mandy?”, I asked. 

The woman looked up at me with a blank stare. Maybe I was crazy, but she looked an awful lot like Mandy of Explorer Genes social media fame. 

She continued looking at me. Her look was part quizzical, part confused, and part apprehensive. Then a light went on. 

“Tracy?”, she asked me, as she stuck her landing and was free of the large boulder. 

Meant to Meet

It was kismet, or something close to it.  Fate just couldn’t wait for us to meet at lunch. It had to be here and now.

Mandy suddenly realized that she had spoken to Steve up the path, and so had Greg. Of course, at the time, they had no idea he was my better half. 

We talked and talked. It was such a joy to spend time with them, both by the tombs and later during our three hour lunch. 

We have a similar travel style, both being budget and slow travel enthusiasts. That being said, Mandy & Greg definitely win both the longevity & budgeting prize. They’ve been traveling with their 40L Osprey packs for four years, and have a self-inflicted budget of $45 USD a day, all-inclusive for the two of them.  Very, very impressive.

We aspire to longer bouts of travel, and know our time will come.  For now, 9 weeks exploring Turkey (with a short detour to Greece) suits us just fine. As for a $45 a day spending limit, we’ll have to work on that one.

Lycia

One of the truly remarkable things about the Lycians is that the Lycian nation, which was very fond of freedom and independence, established the first federation structure known in history. Twenty-three cities in the region banded together in 168/67 B.C. 

Every settlement in the country was represented equally in the parliament, with voting power according to population density, economic power (contribution rate to the union budget). 

The union had a common assembly. The federal assembly met in a different city every year, where joint decisions were taken. A federation president was elected for each year.

The Ruins of Myra and Ancient Lycian Tombs

Knowing there was more Lycian history to see in the area, we grabbed a dolmus (mini-bus) to visit the ruins of the Lycian city of Myra, near the modern-day town of Demre, about 45 minutes from Kas, one morning. 

The Lycian tombs at Myra are magical. Looking at the uniquely carved tombs never gets old. It’s such an amazing look into the past.

Of course, a person’s status determined how fancy a tomb was warranted, as well as the tomb’s elevation. Some tombs were located way down low on the hill and were nothing more than a hole in the rock. 

Location, location, location. Some things never change. 

Myra Amphitheater

The Myra amphitheater (actually built by the Romans) is the largest we’ve visited, holding 13,000 in its heyday.

It’s a Dog’s Life

I’ve mentioned the stray dogs and cats in previous Turkey posts, but it still never ceases to amaze me how the stray dogs, in particular, are such a part of the community.

The stray dogs here in Kas, and everywhere we’ve been in Turkey, seem healthy and well fed. With so many dogs around, you’d think they’d be begging for food at all the outdoor restaurants, but they aren’t.

We haven’t had a single dog bother us. Cats however, are massive beggars. And pushy too. They’ll jump right up on your lap, and even onto the table!

Most dogs here are large breeds, some are very large. I’d estimate many to be well over 80-90 pounds.

At first glance the strays seem to be wandering the city, but once you’ve been in town for a week (or longer), you start to see patterns. The dogs around our hotel, for instance, tend to be the same ones that we see over and over. And they each have a role.

The Neighborhood Watch

One dog, a youngish, brown, lean dog, is our street’s overseer. He stands in the road, typically in the mornings, and takes close inventory of all that’s happening (on his street).

We watch him every morning from the rooftop terrace as we have our breakfast. He’s always standing in approximately the same location. He doesn’t bark at every vehicle, just some. There’s no telling how he decides which vehicle deserves a bark or two, and which vehicle deserves to be chased.

Thank goodness he’s there to keep us all safe.

The Elder

There’s a very senior black lab (looking) dog around that sleeps most of the time. He’s technically not a stray. He belongs to one of the hotel staff, but he may as well be a stray because he wanders wherever he wants, whenever he wants.

He is often sleeping in inconvenient locations inside the hotel lobby (like blocking the stairs), but we also see him sleeping at the restaurant next door, or down the street.

The Others

There are countless dogs around town that we’ve seen over and over. Many of them look alike, and I’m sure they’re related. One thing they all have in common, is they are friendly, calm, and have sweet dispositions.

They make the most of their day, then sleep wherever they happen to lie down, be that in a busy walkway, in the main square full of families and couples, or anywhere that suits them.

The surprising thing is how everyone walks around them, no matter how much they are in the way. It’s like there’s an unwritten doggy respect code that I’ve never encountered anywhere else in the world.

Let sleeping dogs lie. Yes, indeed.

WINS & LOSSES

Cigarettes: Ugh

By far, the biggest downside of traveling in Turkey (and many other countries around the globe), for me, is dealing with second-hand cigarette smoke. I have a huge aversion, and likely an allergy, to cigarette smoke. It’s not a good thing for me to be exposed to cigarette smoke, and exposed I am, all day, every day.  

There’s no getting away from the smoke, as hard as we try.  We check the wind direction, then pick the farthest table at one end of the (outdoor) restaurant or sunbeds, upwind from all others. But the darn wind has been known to shift, and it does. 

Apparently pretty much everywhere and anytime is a good place to have a cigarette, I’ve learned. Even our hotel hosts smoke out front or after serving our breakfast. So even our non-smoking hotel smells like smoke. 

Kaşık Mantı Ev Yemekleri

I’ve mentioned Manti in my previous Turkey posts. Manti is a Turkish comfort food. It’s full of carbs, creamy, and oh, so yummy.  Basically it’s like small tortellini’s topped with rich, tart, Greek yogurt and spicy tomato-chili sauce. 

Well, here in Kas, they have a whole restaurant dedicated to the all-mighty Manti, Kaşık Mantı Ev Yemekleri. The restaurant sits right on the main square in town with colorful little chairs that look like a preschool on steroids.  

They offer both vegan and meat Manti on the menu and it’s only 60 lira, or 3 US dollars for dinner. It has a 4.7 (out of 5 max) rating on Google. In the evening there’s a line of people just waiting to get a table. It’s that good. 

Final Beach Update, 4 hours later:  

We are sitting under an overcast sky, still on our white plastic sunbeds. The rain lasted only 20 minutes. 

The temperature has climbed back to a pleasant 74 degrees. There’s a slight on and off breeze. I’m feeling hot enough to take a swim. 

AccuWeather says it will start raining again in 84 minutes, so we’ll start our 30 minute walk back to our hotel in about an hour. 

Another lovely day in Turkey. 

Next Stop: Cirali, near Olympos, Türkiye