Before arriving in Kemer, we stopped at several anchorages either to break up the passage into reasonably short days or to allow time reach a harbor to avoid predicted high winds/seas. So from Marmaris, we traveled 49 nm to Fethiye; then 57 nm to Kas where we anchored in a sheltered anchorage and hung out for a few days for improved weather (there were high winds and seas preventing us from moving on); then 16 nm to Kekova Roads and finally 57 nm to Kemer.
We arrived in Kemer on November 1 to find that many of our wintering friends from last year were back again. Most people who make it this far west in the Med. tend to either stay for two winters or in many cases, never leave! We have friends here from all parts of the world that have been in this marina for several years. The Turkish people are extremely friendly, helpful and courteous. The marina staff is anxious to assist in any way possible to make your stay here enjoyable. Plus, there is so much to see in Turkey that one winter just isn’t enough time. Other cruisers are here to make a southern passage via the Red Sea while others have just made their way through the Red Sea and are moving west into the Med. So, Kemer is somewhat of a crossroad in the cruising world. Because of this, we have met cruisers who are on their final leg of a circumnavigation. Of the over 100 cruisers wintering here, we have boats from the US, UK, Sweden, Finland, Austria, France, Holland, Australia, Denmark, Germany, Canada, France. Language is not a problem as just about everyone speaks English.
Winter at Kemer is chock full of activities: aerobics; tennis; bridge; chorale; PC classes, weekly cinema trips to a large shopping center that shows the most current movies; weekly trips into the Antalya Cultural center for symphony performances, opera, and ballet; a monthly symphonic quartet that plays at the marina clubhouse; Italian, French, Turkish lessons; art group; weekly hikes/bus trips to key historic sites; belly dancing; celebration dinners for all important holidays (Thanksgiving, Christmas, Santa Lucia, Valentines Day, Robert Burns, Australia Day, St David, St Patrick, Easter, etc.). Every birthday and anniversary is celebrated with a lovely cake topped with candles for everyone in the marina. There is hardly a dull moment.
While in Marmaris, we made good friends with a few Turkish guys from who we were purchasing beautiful handmade Turkish carpets and kilims. We were so impressed with them that we have begun to purchase them for resale. Keep a look out for our upcoming storefront webpage where we will be offering beautiful items we find along our passage. Since we were learning more about Turkish carpets, we made arrangements with our Marmaris friends to spend time with them this winter when they traveled into central Anatolia Turkey to purchase carpets directly from the women who weave them. We were invited to spend several days with the parents of our friends in a traditional Turkish village home. The family did not speak any English but we got by with our friends interpreting for us and hand signals always help. The family was most welcoming and friendly. They made us feel like family members and treated us to wonderful, homemade Turkish meals. While we were there, our friend’s cousin was getting married, so we, too, went to the wedding celebration. We spent about 3 days travelling into remote villages to visit the homes of the women who weave the carpets. We were also fortunate to be able to buy a few carpets while there, some new and a few beautiful older ones. We will offer these, as well as some others, on our storefront.
We originally planned to participate this Spring in a rally of about 80 sailboats that will sail south from Turkey to northern Cyprus (Turkish), then Libya, Syria, Israel and Egypt. After careful consideration, we decided to visit Egypt by air while wintering here. So, last week, we flew to Istanbul and connected with a flight to Cairo. Before leaving Turkey, and through the internet, we pre-arranged with a Cairo-based group to provide us with an 8-day tour of Egypt. We were met (3:00 am) by the tour agent who expedited our visa and customs check-in process and then were driven to our 5 star hotel, the Safir, for the night. After a very nice buffet breakfast, our tour guide and driver took us to the pyramids of Giza. These are the three famous pyramids situated on the Giza Plateau and were built during the 4th Dynasty of the Old Kingdom (2686-2181 BC). Guardian of the Plateau stands the leonine Sphinx. Walking among these structures surrounded by the Sahara, traditional men on camel and horseback was a great experience. After a nice lunch of broiled fish and typical Egyptian appetizers and breads, we headed for Memphis and Sakkara. Sakkara’s monuments span 3000 years. The Step Pyramid of Djoser is a remarkable structure built in the 27th century BC. This was the first pyramid built with stone rather than mudbrick. Here we had the opportunity to go down into one of the tombs. The ancient city of Memphis was the capital of Egypt during the Old Kingdom and most of the Pharaonic period. What little has been discovered at Memphis is displayed in a small open-air museum in the village of Mit Rahina. On display is the colossal limestone statue of Ramses II. In the garden are more statues of Ramses II and an 18th Dynasty sphinx, at 80 tons the largest calcite statue ever found. After a full day of touring, our guide drove us to the Giza train station where we boarded the overnight/sleeper car to Aswan. During this trip we were served dinner and breakfast, certainly nothing to write home about.
We arrived at the Aswan train station early the next morning and were met by another tour guide and driver. Off to the dock where we boarded a motorboat taxi across the Nile to our next 5 star hotel, the Isis Pyramisa. In the afternoon, we met our tour guide, along with another American couple, and by private van visited the famous High Dam and Philae Temple. The High Dam was built with the support of the Soviet Union between 1960 and 1971. Our next stop was the Temple of Philae, actually now situated on the island of Agilika. After the building of the Aswan Dam (1898-1902) the temples were partly submerged; then with the building of the High Dam, the monuments were relocated to the island of Agilika; this project took approximately 8 years to complete. The most impressive remains here include the Kiosk of Nectanebo II, the Temple of Isis, the Gate of Hadrian, the Temple of Hathor, and the Kiosk of Trajan.
In the afternoon, Terry and I elected to take a private motorboat trip to a nearby Nubian village along the Nile where we were able to see typical Nubian homes, rooms, and lots of children hoping to sell their dolls, etc. By the way, tipping (called in Egyptian, baksheesh) is relentless among the Egyptians, and we must say it is a bit much after 8 days. Baksheesh is generally expected after any type of service, but we were also asked to give baksheesh for no service at all.
The following morning, we joined a large convoy that traveled 3 hours through the Sahara to Abu Simbel. In the 1960s, Lake Nasser threatened to engulf these spectacular temples. UNESCO cut them from the mountain and moved them to an artificial cliff back from their original position. The Great Temple, 13th century BC, and the smaller Temple of Hathor are an incredible sight. The Great Temple was built to honor Ramses II and has four colossal enthroned statues of Ramses II wearing the double crown of Upper and Lower Egypt. These statues were buried in sand for centuries and were discovered in 1813 by a Swiss explorer. The reliefs inside the temple are in superb condition depicting Ramses II defeating Egypt’s enemies. The Temple of the goddess Hathor, was built by Ramses II to honor his favorite wife, Queen Nefertari.
Back from Abu Simbel, we boarded a Nile River cruise ship that would be home for the next three nights as we sailed north along the Nile River. All of the cabins provided a riverside balcony and the accommodations were full board (breakfast, lunch and dinner). We set sail around 4 pm and made our first stop in the evening to visit Kom Ombo city and temple. The Temple of Kom Ombo is the result of the temple’s dedication to two gods, the falcon god Horus and to Sobek. It was interesting to tour this site at night with the fantastic lighting effects.
Back to the ship where we continued through the night to our next stop, Edfu City. The Temple of Horus at Edfu, which was buried under sand and silt for nearly 2000 years, is the largest and best preserved Ptolemaic temple in Egypt. Its construction took 25 years to complete. The large colonnaded court leads to the first hypostyle hall. Our next stop river stop was at a small site in Esna. Here, all Nile ships wait to pass through the locks, we think this happened in the early morning hours.
Back to the ship where we continued through the night to our next stop, Edfu City. The Temple of Horus at Edfu, which was buried under sand and silt for nearly 2000 years, is the largest and best preserved Ptolemaic temple in Egypt. Its construction took 25 years to complete. The large colonnaded court leads to the first hypostyle hall. Our next stop river stop was at a small site in Esna. Here, all Nile ships wait to pass through the locks, we think this happened in the early morning hours.