Gunshots in a lonely anchorage

Kıyıkışlacık and the enchanting remains of ancient Iassos in Turkey would remain in our memories for ever! Our next few stops were less exciting but nevertheless enjoyable.

We sailed back down Asin Körfezi, a small gulf at the eastern end of Güllük Körfezi and made for an anchorage in Çam Limanı, a very large bay which was well protected from the Meltimi winds which were blowing up hard and fast.

On land we could see a couple of small buildings (fishermen‘s huts?) and a herd of goats. The only noise apart from the wind in the trees was the tinkling of the goat bells and the chatty bleating of the goats as they nibbled their way along the wooded area just up from the seashore. Oh and we heard the sound of a gun being fired which was a little unnerving.

Amazingly there were no other boats in this massive bay so apart from the occasional sound of shots being fired it was very peaceful!

On land we walked along a lovely wooded path until we came to a rocky track which turned inland and up a hill.

We hadn’t walked very far before we started to see piles of stones scattered over a large area. A closer look revealed the remains of stone walls and red roof tiles. There had been a village here but it was difficult to know whether it was an old Greek fishing village that was destroyed at the time of the 1923 Greek/Turkish population exchange or something altogether older.

The next day we walked along the sea shore and followed it right round the bay.

After a short walk over an arid open area we came to a small farmhouse which looked as though it was in the process of being modernised.

After being politely warned by an enormous but handsome Anatolian Sheep dog (Kangal Shepherd) not to get too close to his herd, we met the first (and only) people we came across in this lonely bay.

Here was the source of the shots we had heard – a man and his wife sitting at the waters edge having a picnic. The man was sitting with a rifle in his hands. We think he was trying to shoot a rabbit for dinner but we are not used to seeing firearms of any sort in “real life” so it felt slightly threatening.

Well away from our gun toting friend we noticed some ruins in the distance. As we got closer we realised that some of the remains were of a Church but once again, we wondered from what era they were dated.

Further on we saw a fine house with wonderful views but which had been abandoned before it had been completed. This was very new and we felt sure that this building was from the modern era – unlike all the other buildings we came across scattered along the shore.

All the ruins made it a mysterious place with a haunting atmosphere and we wished we could find out more about it.

We sailed on to the next large bay and anchored in a spot that wasn’t named on the chart but has been dubbed “Paradise Bay” by visiting yachties.

While it was a very pretty anchorage we were sad to see that once on land it was less of a paradise and more of a public toilet and rubbish depository.

However, the water was wonderfully clear, the walks around the water’s edge extremely pretty with different pathways to wander along where we could enjoy the lovely views.

After a couple of days we moved on right to the head of the bay and anchored for a night at Kazikli Koyu. It was very quiet and peaceful, and there were no other yachts anchored and not much happening on land either.

We went for a stroll and saw some more deserted stone houses which we felt sure formally belonged to a Greek fishing village before the population exchange.

We found the remains of an old windmill and were amazed to find a small herd of goats locked inside. One or two of them were very curious and jumped up on a stone ledge and stood on their hind legs to have a good look at us.

Our next anchorage was in another large bay at Arbuk Sahil, a beach resort with not much to recommend it except it was very sheltered from the wild Meltimi winds. It also had a big Migros supermarket very close to the beach so we were easily able to get well stocked up with food and wine.

We waited out the strong winds in this super calm anchorage with easy access to go for walks on the beach and on the small island (adasi) of Sapli.

The tiny little island was actually accessible from the mainland by clambering over a line of rocks just below the water – this seemed to be a very popular activity with the holidaymakers staying in the myriad of holiday apartments arranged in neat rows up the hillside.

The weather had calmed down a little so we decided to double back and make for the absolutely delightful seaside village of Gümüşlük. The entry into this lovely little bay is completely hidden until you get past the small islet at the entrance.

You have to be careful as you enter as there is a reef protruding from the rocky promontory (the site of ancient Mydos) opposite the islet.

We motored right to the end of the bay but it was extremely crowded so we retraced our route and anchored opposite the village jetty.

Once ashore, we wandered through the atmospheric village. Although there were a number of restaurants and tourist oriented shops, Gümüşlük still retained its village atmosphere and definitely didn’t feel over-touristy or spoilt in any way.

We went for a walk along the beachfront and then down a small lane leading away from the harbour. Soon we were in the midst of fields interspersed with the occasional ancient ruin. Walking along the rough track it was easy to believe we had gone through a time warp. It felt like nothing much had changed since Myndos was in its heyday in the 4th Century BC.

Later we went for a meal in a cosy restaurant on the beach that we had spied on our walk.

As we enjoyed our pre-dinner drink we realised that the music being played was actually Greek music. Wondering whether we might be mistaken, we asked the very friendly owner to set us straight.

“Yes of course, it is Greek music,” he said. “This a Greek restaurant”. A Greek restaurant in Turkey? What was that about?

“Ah!” Said our host, “Turkish people love the Greek Beach experience!”