Hotel refurbishment

This large hotel at Pine Beach, which most visitors to Yesilkent will know seems to be undergoing some sort of refurbishment.



Windows are being replaced and the interiors are also being gutted.

Will keep you posted ....

Storm Damage

Do you remember these pictures from the beginning of the month? Well some kind soul has rescued this boat

But this one will be no more ... the storms through the rest of the month have killed it completely












And the pavilion continues to disappear

Some Interesting Facts About Turkey

If you want to read some very interesting facts about Turkey, then please click here or on the link in "Handy Links" in the column on the right.

Go on ... do it now ... you know you want to!

New Money

Below is a selection of the new notes (on the right) as the Yeni Turk Lira (YTL) revert back to Turk Lira (TL)



They are much smaller, fit wallets and purses better. The old notes will be legal tender until 31st Dec 2009, so anyone hoarding them should come over and spend them.

A January Sunday in Didim

After taking a stroll with some friends in the sunshine along Altinkum seafront and enjoying a coffee in the Didim Belediye Tea-Garden on the beach by the harbour ....



we and our friends decided to try our hands at 10-pin bowling.

It's something we haven't done for a very long time, (and one of our friends had never done) and all the more enjoyable for that!

Health and Safety?

Bafa Lake

We took a day out today, and went to the Söke end of Bafa Lake, and watched the flamingoes as they gracefully waded through the shallows.



At the very end of the lake is this small fishing fleet just outside the village of Sarikemer.

And in the village of Yeşilköy were many stork nests like this one on the chimney of this village house.

Myus

Once through Yeşilköy we came across an ancient site called Myus. The signpost said it was a 300m walk from the road, but we think it should have said 5Km



After a much longer yomp than expected we came across this small ruin of a Greek harbour (3BC) which was abandoned after it was silted up with alluvial soil.

It now overlooks the plain of Söke which is the centre of the Turkish cotton growing.

It wasn't easy to get to but it was worth the walk.

Lake Azap

Near the village of Yeşilköy and to the north of Bafa Lake is Lake Azap .... so peaceful and tranquil

Storm Damage

If you needed to know why we take out our boat at the end of October, then here's your answer. This one has been rescued after having it's bottom knocked out ... probably not repairable,



and this one is almost completely submerged as a result of the recent violent thunderstorms.

Below the pavilion between Ladybird beach and Pine beach looks really sad as the weather takes it's toll ...

this is how it looked only two years ago, and note that the smaller pavilion has now completely gone.

However, the sea temperature here is currently higher than the air temperature, at around 15degC.

Over the Christmas period we have come across several couples who decided to take a break here in their apartments or villas, not realising that the weather here can be very wet and cold. We even had a frost last week as the temps dipped down to 0 deg for a few nights. The houses are just not built for it. The air-cons will not heat if the outside temperature is below 5 deg, and if you do have another type of electric heater, then it struggles to keep up with the heat loss through the walls, and that's when it's working, as we do have a number of power cuts. The locals here use a cheap woodburning stove known as a Soba ... not very pretty, but very efficient.

So if you are coming for a winter break, bring your thermals, a good continental quilt and an electric blanket just in case.