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 From Marmaris to Fethiye The 'Blue Cruise
You won't know whether it's real or you're
dreaming when you take a Blue Cruise in the waters between
Marmara and Fethiye
where green mingles with blue.
"Blue
you can understand. The sea too. But the Blue Sea is a
conundrum." Poet Melih Cevdet Anday's lines come rolling
off my tongue as the yachts set sail from Marmaris to
Fethiye and the deep blue sea draws my soul straight in.
Add to that the pine trees' luminous green that spreads
over the water as if to cool off, and my entire being is
tossed hither and yon until it lands at Ekincik. Passing
Dalyan, it turns first to Disibilmez and then to the
headlands at SKurtoglu where it plunges into Fethiye Bay,
cutting a wide circle from left to right. Then it's Bedri
Rahmi cove followed by Gocek and from there to the
Dodecanese and then Kayakoy, where it finally lands like a
bird.
 BOONS
OF THE TRIP
Known in antiquity as Physkos, this ancient port city of Caria dates back to 900
B.C. Following the Hellenistic Roman and Byzantine periods and brief rule by the Mentesogulları principality,it
joined the Ottoman empire following a conquest by Suleyman the Magnificent in
1522 and came to be known as Mimaras and its later variations, Mermeris and
Marmaris. Most of the Carian ruins lie in the vicinity of the Bozburun peninsula.
The most important historical structure in the city center is the fortress
erected by Suleyman. Thought to have been built originally by the Ionians,
Marmaris Castle was opened up for settlement following the founding of the
Turkish Republic in 1923. Other Ottoman buildings in the city include the Hafza
Sultan Caravanserai and the vaulted bazaar in the old marketplace. For years a
tranquil town of fishermen and sponge-divers, Marmaris became one of Turkey's
leading centers of tourism starting in the 1980s.
 Whether you arrive by plane at Dalaman or over land, when you've crossed the
last hills down the road lined with pines, you'll encounter a sign saying 'Iste
Marmaris':Here's Marmaris!. This is the best spot for getting a bird's eye view
of the city. When
you reach the coast, you'll either plunge wholeheartedly into the fast-paced
action, or set sail for a quiet holiday on one of the many available yachts and
try to fathom the 'deep blue sea'. The 'Blue Cruise' you'll make from Marmaris
to Fethiye will take you into waters where green mingles with blue, and you
won't know whether it's real or just a dream. Ekincik Bay should be your first
stop after leaving Marmaris. You'll moor at the vaulted quays in the pine-shaded
Semizce 1 and Semizce 2 coves, where you can enjoy delightful evenings at the
clubs and restaurants on the shore. And if you anchor in the open sea off Dalyan,
which takes its name from the area's natural canals and the fishing weirs set up
here, you can not only tour the canals in one of the small boats waiting at the
shore, you can also have a soothing mud bath at one of the nearby spas.
Meanwhile the royal rock tombs, the
ancient city of Kaunos, and Iztuzu Plage,
nesting ground of the Caretta caretta,
are some of the added boons of this route
 COVES
AND ISLANDS GALORE
The islands and the coves of Fethiye and Gocek are far and away the best stops
on this route. No sooner will you enter the cove than an array of incredibly
beautiful islands such as Domuz, Tersane, Gocek, Tavsan and Yassica (fanciful
names that translate as, for example, 'Pig' and 'Rabbit') will rise before you.
Domuz island, so named for the many wild boar that used to roam there, is
covered with olive groves and pine trees. The island also has a harbor naturally
sheltered from the wind. The Yassica islands, where you can watch the world's
most stunning sunsets, are small and have no touristic facilities. Just choose a
patch of land, tie up your boat and take a hike; on the biggest one you'll come
to a lake that makes it all worth the effort. Tersane, the largest of the
islands on the Gocek side, boasts the homes of the former Anatolian Greeks which
were vacated in the population exchange of 1918. Gocek island, first choice for
those who prefer to stay in town and swim at the nearest beach, is an excellent
port for you and your yacht. The minute you get there,
you
can anchor at either the municipal marina or one of the private marinas and
delve
into the town, where your feet will lead you automatically into the narrow
back streets
with their bustling array of colorful shops.
 If hiding out in secluded coves is your thing, you'll encounter scores of them
at Gocek. Kille, Taslica, Sarsala, Hamam and Gobun to mention just a few. At the
entrance to Taslica cove, also known as 'Bedri Rahmi Cove', the first thing
you'll notice are the rock tombs cut into the hills on your right, to be
followed by the figure of a fish painted on a rock by none other than Bedri
Rahmi Eyüboglu himself, one of Turkey's leading painters and poets of the last
century. The green foliage and scent of the storax trees that line Boynuz Buku
from end to end will instantly start you daydreaming. The emerald coves of
Sarsala and Hamam cove with its ancient ruins submerged under the water will be
the most beautiful stops on your trip. When you anchor at this cove, you can
either swim straight out to the baths, or view the ruins from land as you stroll
under the pines. Later, when you set sail once again, you'll come to the coves
of Yavansu and Gobun.
 NATURE
AND HISTORY HAND IN HAND
When you turn towards Fethiye from the coves of Gocek, you will come to three
islands. One of them is known as Kizil Ada, the 'red island', for the reddish
hue the sand and pebbles on its shore take on at sunset. The islands large and
small to the northwest of this island are a favorite place with diving buffs.
Sovalye or Chevalier Island just at the entrance to Fethiye is a spot once
used by the Knights of Rhodes. As you unfurl your sails and head for the
islands, you will turn at Bozburun and Iblis Point to arrive at the Bay of
Belcegiz. Here, where you will find nature and history hand in hand, is the
island of Gemile and, directly opposite it, the village of Kayakoy nestled in
the hills. As Gemile entertains 'blue cruise' enthusiasts with its ruins
dating back to the Byzantine period, it also offers the added boon of the
world's most gorgeous sunsets. A number of ruins have been unearthed in the
excavations that have been under way here since 1991 under the direction of
the
Fethiye Archaeological Museum Directorate and a team of Japanese
archaeologists.
 As
you wander amidst the ruins in the hills, which you will climb at sundown, you
will try to engrave all the beauty on your heart and in your very being when
the sun's red glow falls upon the ruins and mosaics. For they will afford
memories you can return to all winter long. And if you wander out to the beach
opposite the island, you'll be surrounded by children's voices. Save a break
at the beach cafe for later and start your hike up to Kayakoy. Five meters up
the slope you'll come upon an abandoned Greek village in ruins. The artisans'
workshops in this village, which is just these days gaining fame, have started
to open as restaurants. When you've completed your village tour and have
returned to the coast by the way you came, don't forget to have a glass of tea
at the tiny rustic coffeehouse on the shore where you can watch the island
slip into the bosom of the night as you chat with your friends.
 And before you
leave, be sure to visit Kelebekler Vadisi, the valley of the butterflies, one
of the most beautiful coves not just in Turkey but in the whole world. This
cove is not accessible from the sea by your 'blue cruise' yacht. But once
you've arrived at the Oludeniz, make an effort to hire a small motorboat and,
if you can, spend a night here to make another of your dreams come true...
Bron:
THY
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