Dalyan river and "kiss of two seas"
Morning. Hearty breakfast. Saying goodbye to friends found in the hotel with the words: - "I went to Dalyan", we went on an excursion. A trip to Dalyan is one of the most popular excursions to choose from in Marmaris. You can see the ancient rock tombs, very reminiscent of the city of Petra, get smeared from head to toe with healing mud, see the huge turtles Caretta-Caretta. Except Caretta. In addition to Caretta, we also managed to see a very rare black-nosed turtle for these places.
Dalyan is 8 km from Dalaman Airport. In fact, you will return from the hotel to the airport again. Stock up on water and "health" drinks. Since what you will be offered on the road will hit your pocket very hard.
The Dalyan River Delta is a nature reserve under state protection.
The river connects Lake Koycegiz with the sea. A lake of insane beauty, full of fish that are forbidden to be caught. The Iztuzu sandy spit separates the river and the sea. On the shore of which, turtles lay their eggs, and therefore the spit is also called Turtle Beach
On the left is the Aegean Sea, on the right is the river delta. Photo taken from the Internet
Every year the turtles lay their eggs here, each can lay up to 150 eggs. Hatching turtles are trying to get to the sea. But not everyone succeeds, most of them die from blue crabs (which, by the way, can be offered to you as a snack on the boat) and other predators.
Iztuzu Spit washed by the Aegean Sea
The spit is several tens of meters wide and a kilometer and a half long. I was very lucky to see the rough sea.
Very close to the Greek island of Rhodes.
Lake Koycegiz. Along the banks you can often find growing oleander. The plant is poisonous. Turkish women who suspect that their spouse is cheating put a sprig near the dinner bowl with a hint that this sprig can get into the cooked dish next time as a condiment. There is also a story about how the soldiers of the army of Alexander the Great stopped for a halt. We made skewers from oleander branches, and in the morning we went to the forefathers.
If I'm not mistaken, these boats are called dolmushes.
On the opposite shore of the lake, in the town of Sultaniye, there are sulfurous mineral springs and a mud bath.
On the opposite shore of the lake, in the town of Sultaniye, there are sulfurous mineral springs and a mud bath.
Healing mud, contributing to the treatment of arthritis and the musculoskeletal system. Perhaps, having spent a longer period here, I would have stopped complaining about pain in my knees, but so far, apart from the joy of a pig and a surge of emotions, I have not felt anything.
The patients of the ancient sulphurous mud clinic are drying up.
Water in baths with water from sulphurous springs exudes, as I like to put it, "the smell of Thailand". The water temperature is forty degrees. Very hot water.
The stonework is 2000 years old.
Heading to the Lycian Tombs
Near Dalyan is the ancient city of Kaunos (do not confuse it with the Lithuanian city of Kaunas). It is located a little further than the tombs, and accordingly bears the name Acropolis. The tombs are the city of the dead - the Necropolis. The city and the river have their own legend. The son of Apollo, King Miletos, gave birth to twins: the girl Byblis and the boy Kaunos. The twins loved each other deeply, but for Byblis it was something more than love for a brother. Upon learning of this, Kaunos decided to leave the city. He gathered a group of wanderers and went to no one knows where: this is how the new settlement of Kaunos appeared. The sister went to look for her brother. She searched for a long time, and already almost reaching the city, she despaired of her search, sat down and wept so bitterly and, as I understand it, profusely, that the Dalyan River was formed from her tears.
Let's release Byblis and Kaunos, and return to the most important point of our journey - the Lycian tombs, where the ancient kings are buried. The city of the dead is carved right into the rock, above the river. Among the peoples inhabiting this part of Turkey, it was customary to bury the dead as high as possible, since they believed that the soul should be as close as possible to God. Despite the fact that these burials are located high in the mountains and seem inaccessible, among them there are no longer undestroyed. This happened because of the ancient tradition of putting things next to the deceased, sometimes very luxurious, and gold coins were put in the mouth. Things might be useful to him in the afterlife, but why are there coins in his mouth?
So the healing and cognitive day ended. The next day brought us an entertainment and swimming program with a trip on a three-tiered longboat in order to see the confluence of the two seas of the Mediterranean and Aegean.
A pleasant bonus of the sea excursion is the bewitching views. The boat will make stops in beautiful coves, in a place called Turunc, on Kumlubuk beach and some others.
The sea plays with different shades
From this beach, I managed to deliver a couple of pebbles to the boat
Where "there is a kiss of two seas", I did not see it. They pointed a finger - Here it is. Here and there, that's fine. Of course, I expected to see a mixture of two waters. After all, the Aegean Sea is considered the third in the world in terms of salinity. But alas)
At this point and until the end of the album, I leave you to enjoy the views that I hope my photos accurately convey.
Thank you Turkey. Enjoy your trips.
