After our relaxed morning it was back on the bus and off to the pretty white washed town of Kas. It really did feel like we were in Greece, which probably makes sense. Kas is the jumping off point for ferries out to the Mediterranean islands surrounding Turkey, including a couple of Greek islands popular for renewing Turkish visas.   We checked into her hotel which had a little balcony. The Turkish coast, especially around Kas, is quite hilly and the hotel, while just off the main coastal road, was also part way up a hill. Unfortunately the view from our balcony was mostly of the hotel next door.

Once checked in, we went for a wander. Kas is overflowing with picture postcard appeal. Of course that and the ferry wharf mean it is also very touristy. Having said that, by all accounts, it is more authentically Turkish than other coastal resort towns, especially Bodrum. Kas may have a few places offering traditional English breakfast (which we didn’t have the time to experience) but there are so many English (bogans) in Bodrum for a cheap beach holiday that you can actually buy things there with British pounds.

After a short walk down to the harbor, Dan and I decided to wander up one of the hills towards the ocean to find the town’s (Roman) amphitheatre, really one of the first quintessentially Roman artifacts so far on our trip. Kas is essentially a harbor without white sandy (or largely even stoney) beaches. What became apparent as we wandered toward the amphitheatre is that most of the access to the ocean is private, in the same way it is in many areas around Sydney harbor. Many of the guest houses were advertising both English breakfast and day passes for ocean access.

We walked up the hill through some bushland to reach the amphitheatre, which was being restored. It was a simple, yet quite tall structure consisting of a semicircular arrangement of stone stepped seats around a small circular stage area at the bottom. The most striking thing though was the view from the top over the ocean and the town. The entertainment would have to be pretty spectacular to distract you from the view.

After our adventure to the amphitheatre, we wandered back into the town to have a look through the souvenir and craft shops and drink in the atmosphere of the quaint little village. In contrast to the souvenirs and wares available in most of the places we had so far visited, the multitude of craft shops in Kas were more of the artisan variety than the homespun traditional crafts we had seen so far. There were spectacular photos, frames, and for a jewelry lover, it was heaven. Turkey, like Bali, has a focus on silver and there are some spectacular silversmiths in Kas. I found an absolutely beautiful hand crafted silver necklace, shaped like a sail with a graduated blue stone inlay. After seeing how much I admired it, TC decided to buy it for me.

Of course, as Kas is a tourist destination, in between the artisans, there are a wealth of stores selling fake designer handbags and the like. Firstly I’m not really a handbag queen and I’m also not particularly label conscious. I’d much prefer to find an unusual handbag in an op shop than own a Berkin. When it comes to shoes on the other hand, it’s fair to say that half my collection is branded but a large part of that is the quality of design, materials and workmanship. I don’t really see the point in knock-offs. (I Want to Break Free – Queen. One of the true supergroups lead by the ultimate rockstar. Everybody knows Queen and their huge roster is ubiquitous. For this and many other reasons, I have never understood why they have never achieved the legendary status of many of their peers. And this has a stellar video clip as well.)

We hooked back up with our tour group for a dinner at an obvious tourist spot by the harbor. Outdoor dining in a whitewashed courtyard. Our tour guide Mutlu and driver Fadhi joined us for dinner and the menu offered plenty of options including quite a few for our new non-meat eating Canadian friends. Travelling and eating out with vegetarian friends is an enriching experience. You get to try menu options that while appetizing, may slip further down your priority list of things to try while dining with a mob of carnivores.  Having said that I chose the garlic prawns and calamari – fish and seafood is a quintessential part of a Turkish dining experience – but preceded with some excellent meze – humus, artichoke with yoghurt and dill and fruit. As is usual for TC, he couldn’t resist the idea of ice cream after dinner so we wandered across to the park in front of the harbor for a treat.