Koycegiz

Trip Start May 20, 2008

Trip End Sep 15, 2008

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Where I stayed

Tango Pension Koycegiz

(Koycegiz hotels)

Flag of Turkey Koycegiz, Turkish Aegean Coast, Turkey
Wednesday, May 28, 2008

5/28 We had a short drive from Kusadasi to Koycegiz today. Seven kilometers west of Koycegiz we stopped at a beautiful waterfall. There was a short hike to it and a small swimming hole at the base where some local guys and tourists from another van were playing. It was quite hot so the cold water was refreshing. I had some trouble getting to the waterfall and then managing the rocks to get in but finally succeeded. It was so peaceful there and reminded me of the Sierras in California. I could have just laid out on a rock with a book and been very content.

The guide had said we'd just be there an hour so we packed up about then and continued on. The small town of Koycegiz is located on Lake Koycegiz (sounds logical). Lake Koycegiz is almost a gulf off of the Mediterranean but I think there is a narrow piece of land separating the lake from the sea (we are now south of Rhodes which separates the Aegean from the Mediterranean). The wind had created whitecaps on the lake but it was very beautiful. There is no development around the lake and this small town has hardly any tourists

Advantages to visiting before peak season

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We stayed at the really nice Tango Pension a short walk from town. We walked in to check out the town and our guide showed us the small center of this genuine Turkish town. There were no large tour busses, no chain restaurants, and I could not even find a single postcard! I decided this was one of my favorite stops and wish we were spending another day here.

The pension is really cool with a large front patio area with picnic tables, palm trees and a party bar. Since it's before tourist season the place was empty except for us though. I could just picture the festive atmosphere in a month or so. My room was large and had a nice balcony, tv and AC! I have not turned on the ac or tv but they may get used. The bathroom is interesting though since there is no shower stall. There is just a handheld shower mounted on the wall with no enclosure! You could brush your teeth, sit on the toilet and shower at the same time! It seems very efficient but I will make sure I'm not in any hurry.

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Amazing to watch carpet being made by hand!	Bathroom was perfect for multitaskers!	Beautiful promenade for lakefront stroll	Beautiful swimming hole just outside town
Colorful plants are plentiful across Turkey	Cooperative gave us education on carpet making	Hmmm. Can you say trademark infringement	If I don't prune my oleaner it might look similar
Kids enjoying the lake on a perfect day	Mates in search of sweets	Modern or traditional; handmade in Turkey	My new living room rug will support the locals
Single silkworm cocoon yields 1200m of thread!	Taking wool & making thread the old-fashioned way	Tango Pension was very comfy w/nice staff	There wasn't even a postcard of Koycegiz!
Tremendous Turkish pride is evident everywhere

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Comments

rortiz on Jun 3, 2008 at 02:07PM

Hello
Hi Bobby,
Thanks for the updates and photos. I am really enjoying them. It looks like you are covering alot of ground. I haven't visited as much of Turkey has you have but I remember having an impression of Turkey and then getting there and it being completely different in a good way. It was more European than I thought, at least in Istanbul. Is that your take so far? Have fun and keep the blog rolling.
--Ruben