Kaş and Kekova (Sep 26th)

My last night in Olympos I met two Belgians about my age that were heading west along the coast. We banded together and took the bus to Kas, a coastal city about 3 hours from Olympos. Near Kas is the "Sunken City" of Kekova, destroyed by an Earthquake sometime in the 2nd Century CE. Large boat tours troll the waters day in and day out, but I'd heard that it was possible to see the ruins by kayak, thus allowing a much closer experience. The Belgians were on board so we splurged a bit and joined a tour.


The Belgians - Karel in front and PJ on the rudder

First stop at a Roman ruin
I shared a kayak with Barry, a strong-armed Canadian in his 5th month of a year-long world tour. He paddled while I took photos... ha ha!

Views of the sunken city, which basically amounted to ruins in and around the water... not exactly what the brochures promised but neat nonetheless.

Barry, after we nearly capsized trying to take a photo. Found its best NOT to both lean to one side! That's the village of Kalekoy in the distance, where we had lunch and snooped around the Byzantine castle up top.

An interesting side note: Barry had just been to Iran for a month. Being Canadian he was able to cross the border no problem; whereas Americans have to travel with an official tour and even then may not get in. With US media propaganda as about the only information I get about Iran, it was interesting to listen to Barry's stories. He reported having a wonderful trip- local people were so kind and helpful that he almost got sick of not being able to find a seat by himself! He reported a growing unrest among young people in terms of their unhappiness with a repressive government, and noticed that the general population was not as religiously pious as they are made out to be. Interesting insights for me; The more I talk to and meet other travellers, the more I realize just how similar we the people of this planet actually are. Don't believe everything you hear and see on TV!
View of the straight from Kalekoy (top) and the village from the small harbor (below)