Archive for the ‘Kas’ Category
Oh joy of joys, yet another water pipe is being buried along the side of the road outside my house. This is the third pipe, the first was a big twelve inch diameter one made of hard plastic that was buried about a metre deep. The second was smaller probably two inch diameter and is being ripped out to make way for this one which is four inch. The works for this new pipe include cutting through everything that crosses the road too, including the pipe that supplies water to my house and my neighbour’s house. It also includes ripping up the concrete “bridge” that I made to cross the gulley that carried rainwater down the side of the road. I expect it will be up to me to make a join from my drive entrance to the road surface but it would appear that a bridge will not be necessary because the digger driver is filling in the the gulley level with the road surface.
Here are a couple of photos, the result will be shown in a day or two.
I’m cut off from the world! Good job I left my car down the road a piece.
Neighbour’s drive entrance.
While a point could be made that I wasn’t informed it was going to happen and other complaints, the fact of the matter is that I am delighted because the lack of mains water in the summer months is something that has plagued us for far too long. There has been very little planning in the expansion of Kaş over the last twenty years and none at all in the development of Çukurbağ village. Of course local businesses wish to take advantage of the expanding tourism and making more hotels and other rental accommodation is an important part of that as are the other aspects of tourism like beach facilities. Kaş cannot remain as it was even though I and many others wish it could, summer tourists are going to come whether we like it or not and they will resort to sleeping by the sides of the road if nothing else is available, sympathetic planning and provision of infrastructure must at least keep up with growing demand. I hope the people in charge can figure this out and react accordingly.
I had a trip over to Meis island a few days ago and before we left it was interesting to see the boats in Kaş harbour being prepared for the new season. Here’s a really cute looking little gulet looking all shipshape and ready for her owners to enjoy the summer.
My favourite of the bigger boats is this one, she has lovely sweeping lines and a very purposeful air about her.
Coming into Meis harbour it was easy to see that they have been preparing for the new season too. Lots of new paint and an air of expectation about town.
But the streets were nearly empty
and the day trippers from our ferry we were almost the only ones there.
Walking around the back streets I saw this tree that had just come into leaf on a balcony
and this heap of soil that had thousands of nasturtiums all over it making a bright show.
My garden has taken on the air of a farmyard today, that description includes the smell. My neighbours left their donkey to eat the weeds a few days ago and I suggested they leave it with me on a more permanent basis because I’ve noticed that it doesn’t get much good stuff to eat. It has to make do with whatever is growing along the roadside, in a few weeks it will be sparse and dried out so my garden will be perfect as we head into summer. I am pleased about it because I can use the manure on the bits I want to encourage too.
I should point out for anyone worried that it is not eating the oleander that is next to it.
Then this morning young Hassan brought their two goats to browse in the corner where there is a lot of young scrub oak (maquis) which they love.
Finally, Aslan turned up, he came bounding up the drive full of the joys of spring and obviously feeling fit and healthy after his bout of sickness. It is heartening to see his recovery and to know that the medication I gave has made a difference.
A bit of catching up to do here, been distracted by a few things recently including power cuts and storms that dampen the enthusiasm a bit. One of the things I like about the weather here is that it will rain like hell for a few days then clear up and be sunny and warm(ish). Today started well but it looks as though some rain is going to arrive before long.
A while ago I got a little Sony Vaio computer, a bit like a net book but not, if you see what I mean. Well now I have my Samsung smart phone I can get emails and access the internet anywhere there is a mobile phone signal so I was wondering what to do with the Vaio. Then I had an idea and hooked it up to my guitar amplifier and accessed BBC Radio 2, now I am sitting here having the delight of listening to Terry Wogan. Some may not be as delighted as me.
Three weeks ago I harvested the olives, I have two trees but only one had olives in it, the other one is too small yet. I got 1.6kg off it and asked Suleyman’s wife Hatice how to prepare them to be edible. I tried one once straight off the tree and nearly made myself sick. So they are now marinading in salt and with another couple of changes of salt to come they should be ready in another six weeks or so. That’ll save me buying any this year.
My New Year’s resolution this year is to take more photographs so I had a drive down to Buyuk Çakıl (Big Pebble) beach to take a few. It looks quite inviting but the water was pretty cold, a couple of the bars/restaurants were open though. Afterwards I went over to the other side of the town to the theatre.
I’ve been told that I shouldn’t call it an amphitheatre because they are completely round and the semi-circular type are correctly called theatres, I didn’t know that. Well ours has had some restoration work done on it since I last saw it, a few people were very upset and disappointed to see concrete in the restoration and let the world know about it too. Personally I don’t think it looks that bad, at least they used white concrete which fits in with the rest of the colour and at least it’s safe from falling down and hurting someone. Actually I doubt many people would even realise it was concrete.
Yesterday I made a couple of cakes, banana and yoghurt. The flour looked a bit unusual and upon inspection it turns out that I should pay more attention when I pick up things in shops because it wasn’t ordinary flour but wholemeal. Both cakes turned out well although with a bit more of a texture than they would normally have. Actually I think I like it more but I need an independent tester to check them out for me before I rewrite the recipe, any volunteers?
The Tourism Festival opened in Kas and a few days ago an art exhibition was opened. Many paintings and other artworks were on display in the streets and shops, here are a few of the pictures I took.
A striking painting by the artist Binnur Aydınyurt from Yeşilköy.
Both sides of this street were hung with paintings and photographs.
This corner was full of metal pots, oil lamps, coffee pots and other decorative items which carried on into the square adjacent.
Here were more metal items, ceramics, clothes and paintings.
This guy made glass pendants and other jewellery. You can see his tools at the end of the bench, he made things while you watch.
These colourful lamp shades are made from little pieces of broken glass, they look beautiful all together on a corner in the town.
To continue from my last post, the bat was hanging from my bedroom ceiling so I left it there with the door and windows shut to stop Stanley the cat taking too much of an interest in it and I went down to Kaş for breakfast with some friends at Küçük Çakıl Plajı (Small Pebble Beach). It really is small too, the actual beach is only about five or six metres wide.
The breakfast at the Derya Beach Restaurant is an excellent creation consisting of lots of little portions of typical Turkish breakfast foods all washed down with copious quantities of tea. Here is what it looks like…
There was also a basket of home made sweet bread buns which came later.
The Küçük Çakıl Beach area at the eastern end of the town is where most of the hotels are situated. There are only two big hotels though, the majority of accommodation in Kas is provided by smaller, boutique hotels like these.
The western end of the town has more small hotels and pensions which cater to backpackers and those with a more limited budget.
When I returned from breakfast the bat hadn’t moved so I left it alone for the rest of the day. I’d been invited to dinner with some friends in the village so in the evening, before I went, I opened the bedroom windows in the hope that it would find it’s way out after the sun had gone down. I also hoped I didn’t end up with a colony of bats in the bedroom! After a very nice meal and some good conversation I got back home to find the bat gone. Success! I hope it was none the worse for it’s experience.
Cukurbagli's Blog 
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