Merhaba
It’s Tuesday, which makes it Happy Hour Night here at Netsel Marina starting at 6pm.
Yesterday morning I joined the Turkish Lesson group at Sailor Point, the small building at the front of the marina that houses the library. During our break we all noticed DoraMac coming along. The marina had promised to move us closer in and had chosen then to do it. Some of the marina staff helped Randal as I was away. They tried one spot first and then another where we are now just mid-way between Sailor Point and Migros Market. It’s almost a perfect location with a lovely view of town. But we are still Med-moored which doesn’t work well for us as the dock is as high as A where we have been so walking the plank off and onto the boat is tricky. But the final plan is that we will soon have a spot where we can be tied alongside just across form the Pineapple Restaurant on the main walkway. That would certainly make going to Happy Hour in the rain easier. (It is raining now at 5:10 pm) We’ll just have to see. If we don’t move we’ll have to get an entirely different plank.
Last night I actually had my first normal night’s sleep. Randal seems to still be on US time but he tends to nap and I don’t. We have been wide awake reading at 3 am since we’ve arrived here. I’m hungry at 3 am ready to get up. It would be 7 hours earlier in Roanoke so that makes no sense at all, but it is what it is…or was as last night I slept quite soundly.
Tomorrow morning the Craft/Art group will meet for the first time. I’ll let you know how that goes.
So far I’ve read Miss Hargreaves by Peter Baker which was only okay but clever. If you liked the movie Stranger than Fiction, you’ll like the book. Margaret Rutherford played the role of Miss Hargreaves at one point and I wish I could have seen that. I’m also really disappointed in the Camino Del Santiago which won best book and travel book awards. It’s not nearly as funny or clever as Bill Bryson or as introspective and well written as Rosemary Mahoney’s Singular Pilgrim. But the little light Fixer Upper murder mysteries my niece gave me are fun.
So that’s it.
Ru
Last Sunday morning, the Dead End Gang Hiking Group (Mary, Rick and Me) joined with folks living at Yacht Marina for their “organized” hike up the mountain behind Yacht Marina. It was 2 hours up, up, up and then lunch at the top with lovely views, and then a pleasant walk down. I got pooped on the way up which surprised me with all my hours of North Cyprus hiking, long walks in Israel, and daily walking in Roanoke. I wish I could tell you the names of the folks who led the hike, but there were too many new people. I think it was Bonnie and Bill, but not positive. And at the end I had to skip ice cream at the market to race away as we’d been invited to a Rebak (Langkawi, Malaysia) Marina Reunion being held that afternoon as many Rebak cruisers are now living at Yacht Marina. I’ll find out next hike, as Mary and Rick and I think we should return the favor and lead a hike up the mountain behind Netsel Marina.
The hike started from the gate of Yacht Marina at 10 am so Mary and Rick and I caught the 9 am dolmus as they only run every hour in “winter.” That gave us enough time for a cappuccino in the bar, a stop at the small marina market, and a visit to the WC before we met the other hikers. There were 14 hikers in all.
Mary and Rick, starting up the dirt road that would lead to the cave and trail up the mountain.
When we stayed at Yacht Marine in the spring of 2011, I would walk up this hill but only stayed on the main dirt road. No one was leading hikes then as they were all out cruising. Rick is taking a photo of our hike leader pointing out the entrance to the Nimara Magarasi Cave. It had poured early in the morning so the stone steps down to the cave were slick. Thankfully there was a rope handrail to hold on to. And a gate often times kept closed was open so we could actually walk down to the cave.
Walking down to the cave.
Our other guide is the woman with the walking stick.
A photo of the sign in the cave which luckily was written in both Turkish and English.
I have added to newspaper articles at the end of the email if you want to read more. I must admit I was starting to feel a bit tired so didn’t pay so much attention to much other than getting myself to the top. Our guide told us that a concert had been held in the cave though I can’t remember if she had attended.
One of our group brought had brought his harmonica so we had a lovely concert of our own!
Looks like something adventurous from an old National Geographic Magazine.
Sometimes black and white shows details missed in color photos.
There were neon green markers and some fading red markers, but the trail was at times hard to find so we ended up taking the harder bits when we didn’t need to. But that was fine as it made going down easier than we had thought it would be.
Stopping for a rest at mystery remains of a building.
Lots of pot chards were visible.
Almost at the top.
View and lunch!
Looking back to town..
Zooming in back to town
A traffic jam on the dirt road was taking place when we retuned back to the marina.
A new marina or something is being built…still being built as it was being built last year.
While sitting on the top of the mountain my phone rang! Randal had gone to Yacht Marina looking for our friends Peter and Kathy from Waver Runner whom we’d met in Indonesia and then been with at Rebak Marina in Langkawi, Malaysia. Heather and David on Milliways who had invited us to their musical “Rebak Reunion” where Kathy and Peter would also be.
Randal and Kathy
Peter is the guy in glasses playing the guitar you can’t see.
This group gets together as often as they can to make music. Maybe one day Randal will join in.
Tapping to the beat.
I was pretty pooped, to say nothing of dirty and sweaty, so we didn’t stay long but most folks are wintering here in Marmaris so I’m sure we’ll see them all again.
TURKEY http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/ MARMARİS – Anatolia News Agency | 9/25/2007 12:00:00 AM
Human presence dating back 12,000 years found in Marmaris
The recent excavation project carried out by Marmaris Municipality in Nimara Cave revealed traces of human presence dating back 12,000 years. The researchers stated that the cave was
The recent excavation project carried out by Marmaris Municipality in Nimara Cave revealed traces of human presence dating back 12,000 years. The researchers stated that the cave was used as a place of worship in ancient times. The cave, declared a protected area in 1999, also shelters butterflies similar to those in Fethiye’s Butterfly Valley.
During the excavations many pieces of glass, bones and coins were found. Marmaris Museum Director Neşe Kırdemir said: "The excavations proved wrong Herodotus who claimed Marmaris to have history dating back 3,000 B.C.” In a press conference last week Kırdemir also called prehistory experts to conduct further research on the area.
In the ground of the cave we discovered about 1,500 colored pieces of glass along with hatchets, cutters of stone and bones. Considering the data obtained, we can mention the presence of a bead workshop in use till the bronze age,” Kırdemir stated.
According to Kırdemir, the cave was a sanctuary used also in the Roman Period. “The two stone terraces that were revealed prove that it was a temple in ancient times. There were pottery and 50 human figures of terracotta, which show us that there was human settlement in the cave in the Roman period.” The research group will carry on excavating the area without harming its ecological balance, as long as it has permission from the related ministry.
Provincial Tourism Culture Directorate Murat Süslü said that cultural and historical presence is of vital importance for tourism. “We were late to set our hands to dealing with our cultural substructure. Our studies now reveal that Muğla’s oldest settlement was in Marmaris,” he said.
Süslü also said that they would also implement environmental planning projects, including landscape research along the two-kilometer road leading to the cave. “We plan on turning the cave into a tourism spot in 2008,” he noted.
TURKEY http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/ İZMİR – Turkish Daily News | 8/11/2007 12:00:00 AM
Old Marmaris cave to become new tourist attraction
A protected cave that hosts butterflies and its surroundings are expected to become a new tourist spot for nature lovers after studies on the archaeology, flora and fauna are completed by the end of the year
Thanks to a recent excavation project carried out by the Marmaris Municipality, the Cennet Adası (Nimara) Cave is to become a new tourist spot. The researchers, who began digging in the area last week, stated that the cave had a history of about 100,000 years and was used as a place of worship in ancient times. The cave also shelters butterflies similar to those in Fethiye’s Butterfly Valley, according to officials.
Local authorities stated that along with the excavations, they will implement environmental planning projects, including landscape research along the two-kilometer road leading to the cave. As result of the project, guests from Turkey and around the world will be informed about the flora and fauna of the region when they visit the new tourist site.
The cave is also important as it shelters a species of butterfly similar to the ones living in Fethiye Butterfly Valley. We plan on turning the cave into a spot for tourism by the end of 2007 at the latest,” said Marmaris Museum Director Neşe Kırdemir.
A team of 25 will continue excavation in the area and will be composed of archaeologists, geology and electrical engineers, as well as architects who will work together to unearth the secrets of the cave.
The 25-person team of archeologists, geologists, electrical engineers, and architects charged with the excavation of the area will work together to unearth the cave’s secrets. Employees of the Marmaris Municipality Department of Technical Services will also participate in the research.
The cave was declared a protected area in 1999.