Keci Buku - Turkey

 

Line of boats all trying to stay on the Turkish side

We are just ambling along, making small hops up the Turkish coast.  As we make our way up the coast there are more and more Greek Islands appearing off the port side.  Often there are no more than a couple of miles between the two countries.  And because you have to make sure you stay in Turkish water there ends up being this long line of boats all crowded together and all going the same direction!  Its the craziest thing but necessary as everyone has to stay close to the Turkish shore and out of Greek water.

Greece in the background

 In planning for this trip up the coast I had read several reviews of this little place called Keci Buku (goat area) and decided that I wanted to stop there and see if it was all that.  And I am happy to say that it definitely was all that.  We loved it so much we ended up staying for a week!! 

Keçi Buku

Keçi Bucu is this beautiful little restaurant quay with a nice little beach. The food was great and the service was impeccable.  They served dinner out on the quay every evening.

Dinner on the quay

Folks here do not eat dinner until fairly late.  Usually, not till the sun goes down which is 8 or 9 pm.  Every evening the restaurant sets the tables on the quay and puts on some music (American music😏) and then folks come out and enjoy their meal.  By that time of day it is cooler and just a nice time to be outside.  We made every attempt to conform but we were usually hungry before 8 pm, so at 6 pm we would go to eat.  However, if you eat something at 6 pm they think you are still going to eat dinner at 9 pm!  We had to explain our American habits to them which, of course, they thought were just crazy.

Talaria at Keçi Buku

So we spent our time swimming every day, walking around the village and eating great meals. There is actually a path up the mountain that you can hike but it was way too hot for mountain climbing!  As a matter of fact that was the only real downside to this little piece of heaven.  The wind does not blow much here which makes it incredibly hot.  Even a little breeze makes a big difference.  With much wind there is quite a bit of swell that comes into the bay and the quay can get quite bouncy.  But that only happened once in our time here.

Caretta, Caretta

 

 

 One afternoon while out for a daily swim this sea turtle came to join us.  We know them as loggerheads, but Turks refer to them by their scientific name: Caretta, Caretta.  We actually saw a few in Kas as well.  The turtles nest around here on several of the beaches.  When you go to the beach the spots are marked to protect the nesting areas and folks are very good about gingerly walking around the turtle areas. 

M and M

 Our intent was to keep going up the coast to at least Bodrum.  But we changed our minds as we would not have much time to enjoy the areas due to our time limitations.  We are planning a road trip to Ephesus while the boat is being worked on anyway. And as it turns out you have to go through Datca and Bodrum to get to Ephesus.  So we decided to make those visits via a road trip.