Kas

Kas is a delightful seaside fishing village on the Mediterranean south coast of Turkey, largely unspoilt by the tourist hoardes and therefore peaceful and quite charming.  Because it is a little awkward to get to, along winding roads and hours away from the closest airports, it gets fewer visitors than more accessible towns like Bodrum and Kusadasi.  We're certainly glad we made the effort to get here, as it has turned out to be a highlight of the trip so far.

Having said how lovely Kas is, describing it as a seaside resort does not exactly tell the full story.  Don't phone your travel agent just yet. There's something you should know - when you read that it's a beach resort, be cautious about the definition of "beach" - this is not a place where you put your bathers on and grab your towel to paddle in the shallows and laze dreamily on sun-kissed sand.  Oh, no. Dear me, no.

Apparently "beach" has another meaning here.  Coming from Australia, we didn't know there was another meaning.  When you decide to swim at Kas beach, you take your life in your hands. Getting into the water is your first challenge.  This is done by jumping off any one of a number of diving platforms along the water's edge.  They are generally about two metres above the waterline and by "waterline" I mean raging torrents of waves crashing against lethal rock walls.

Once you have braved a diving platform (some of them missing vital planks of wood) and taken a flying leap while shouting " Geronimo!!" (or conversely saying your prayers) you then have to deal with the unpredictably frenzied tide which is determined to pick you up and throw you against the rocks.  Suffice to say that we did not swim in the "beach" at Kas.

We did however make a fabulous boat trip today to Kekova, a nearby Turkish island.  As part of that trip, we had the opportunity to swim in the calm and pristine waters of the Mediterranean Sea - what an experience!

The trip also took us to the sunken ruins of an ancient Turkish city called Dolikisthe which had been completely destroyed by earthquakes during the 2nd century.  From the boat and looking across to the small island you can still see the ruined remains of houses, walls, staircases and buildings, whilst gazing into the clear waters the rest of the so-called Sunken City is laid out before you. It was a sight that I will never forget.  It is pleasing that the Turkish government many years ago placed a complete ban on swimming or diving in that area, only allowing boats to pass slowly by. The conservation of this significant part of ancient world history is being respected.

Returning this evening to Kas has left me feeling elated - for the past couple of days I had been thinking Kas was just a sweet little town off the beaten track, where it's possible to spend a few lazy days drinking coffee, wandering the cobblestoned streets and relaxing.  It certainly IS all of that, but as a gateway to a past life, it has been eye-opening.

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