Hiking the Datca Peninsula, Day 1

B Dock Netsel Marina

Marmaris, Turkey

Merhaba,

Gwen tries to organize trips to meet a variety of interests. Some of us wanted a “trek” so that’s what we got. We were a small, but very companionable group. The weather cooperated; the hotel was comfortable; and the food really good.

The trek was led by John who has been the leader of several local hikes and who is very familiar with many of the forest trails in the area. We met Wednesday morning at 9 am and were at the start of our hike before mid-morning. Randal continued his work on DoraMac so Rhino Randal came along.

Ru

DoraMac

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In 2013 Rhino Randal came on a day trip to Datҫa, but this was his first hiking adventure.

Turkey’s nine environmental ‘hotspots’ (Datҫa was on the list)

Datҫa and Bozburun Peninsula

Located In the southwestern Muğla Province, this 80-kilometer-long peninsula separates the Aegean and Mediterranean seas. A tourist spot in the summer, it features sandy beaches, many natural beauties, and ancient cities, such as Knidos and Amos. The peninsula is also known from Can Yücel, one of Turkey’s most acclaimed “bad boy” poets, who famously declared in his poem “Testament,” “Bury me, my dear, in Datça, near that view by the sea.”

http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/turkeys-nine-environmental-hotspots.aspx?pageID=238&nID=69042&NewsCatID=340

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Michael, John and Debbie taking the photo of the trail map

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I also took a photo showing the loop trail.

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Views from our lunch spot overlooking the Mediterranean.

Back in Marmaris is was raining, but 40 minutes further along the peninsula towards Datҫa we had a mix of clouds and sun and cool breezes and t-shirt weather.

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Most of the trail was packed dirt road.

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Rhino Randal, me, John and Debbie

Michael used my camera to take the photo. Hard to know how to credit photos when they are taken by someone else with my camera.

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Debbie had requested we see some turtles/tortoises and one showed up each day.

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I think they must have opened the hotel just for us; we seemed to be the only guests this time of the year.

http://www.adaburnu.com/default-eng.htm hotel website

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View from my balcony

We arrived at our hotel around 2:30 and after checking in met up at the restaurant for something to drink. While we were there, a man joined us who claimed to be the hotel manager. He also had a farm nearby with goats and he demonstrated that they were goats by making ‘milking motions.’ Though his English was somewhat limited, Debbie understood him to say the hotel provided a beach area for nudists. After a bit, the restaurant manager brought him a glass of cherry juice mixed with vodka and we began to think it wasn’t his first of the day. John, refreshed from a short nap, came along and suggested a drive to Old Datҫa and off we went leaving our pal to his Vodka and cherry juice. But he wasn’t kidding about the nudist beach.

Turkey’s first hotel for nudists welcomes foreign guests to bare all

By Travelmail Reporter

Updated: 12:32 GMT, 29 April 2010

Nude sunbathers will, however, have to share their beach with the goats and chickens that belong to the hotel owners

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/article-1268851/Turkeys-nudist-hotel-Adaburnu-Golmar-opens-May.html#ixzz3UwZJUTST

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Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/article-1268851/Turkeys-nudist-hotel-Adaburnu-Golmar-opens-May.html#ixzz3UwYyHjvB

Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/article-1268851/Turkeys-nudist-hotel-Adaburnu-Golmar-opens-May.html

Websites about the Carian Trail which included our second hike.

http://www.cariantrail.com/index.php/sections/datca-peninsula http://www.independent.co.uk/travel/europe/the-carian-trail-turkey-on-two-feet-9698085.html