Under The Paws: Dalyan, Turkey - A quick break with my daughter

My daughter had booked her time off from work some time ago and she was to go with a friend, however a car was needed by her friend and the expense of a holiday became too much so she backed out. My daughter had not had a full on holiday for a while so I said I would come if she wanted as long as she paid her way as she would have done with her friend.

Cost was her limiting factor so a five night break was decided upon in lovely Dalyan, Turkey. This is one of the few places we have ever gone back to. It has changed though. We first went 25 years ago and it was a small fishing village with a few hotels, the lake, the beach, the turtles, the sea, the

river, the mud baths,the Caunos ruins and the amazing Tombs. Every approximate 4 years we have returned to see expansion occur, to my horror last time we went in August to a horribly heaving town with neon lights and booming music, my heart sank as I felt Dalyan had lost its peace. However in the day life returns a little to normal. I just wish some of the towns would survey people before they go too headlong into development to find what the people who holiday their want, do they want a mini Marmaris or is the perfection of Dalyan its beauty and relaxing natural nature. I think they need the brakes put on.

Tourists are having an effect, the reeds are now so much smaller than they used to be, the sea turtles are being fed within the brackish water areas so they are coming up the river nibbling people occasionally, the reeds have been sprayed to reduce nibbling flies however what do the local fauna now feed on? When we first came the bird life was wonderful but now is limited! It may have been better to make Dalyan a more expensive place to visit bringing in the tourists willing to spend more for the quietness, the nature, the ruins and the mud baths......ie less is more.

However we went and had a marvellous time........ the morning walk to a quiet riverside Gozleme eatery, to sit watching boats go by with the tombs on the other side of the river lit up with the morning light was magical. A gorgeous glass of fresh orange juice with a searingly hot banana and chocolate gozleme, yummy.

We love hiring a boat to ourselves, with a little negotiation and finding a smaller fishing boat away from the main area a boat can be had for the whole day. We found one gentleman particularly great last time, his boat was lovely and he suggested lovely ways to pass the time. A little fishing or crabbing, a bit of swimming around the rocks and by the beach, a bit of diving into the lake, a lunch of fresh fish caught moments before, a visit to the Sultinaye and mud baths, an evening returning to the village. We found him again this time and yet again we booked and had a marvellous time.We also decided upon a Jeep safari for a laugh. This involves a trip with others in a jeep that gets water chucked at it by villagers and running through shallow rivers spraying water to drench each other, further along visits to streams, rivers and lakes to dip in and a lovely lunch over a river and under shade. So many laughs, just take a plastic bag for money, phones and cameras!!