Ah, Selimye. And to think we almost missed this gem. Our pilot book suggested that Selimye is a ‘magnificent, huge bay, the slopes about it thickly wooded in pine’, so we had to go check it out. Upon arrival, however, we were disappointed to find that there wasn’t really anywhere to anchor and the only places for yachts were mooring facilities on restaurant jetties. Having spent an idyllic three days in Dirsek with nothing but warm, turquoise waters to disturb us I was beginning to think that perhaps now, as fully-fledged live-aboards, the idea of being anywhere but anchor would be viewed as a disappointment. We consoled ourselves with a ‘looks rubbish anyway’ comment, turned round and motored back out with the aim of going a few miles further up the coast to Keçi Bükü. On the way out, however, was a small anchorage tucked away at the NW of the town behind a promontory, and this was to be our home for the next two days.
The heat was now starting to get unbearable. We’ve just found out that Greece is currently suffering from a severe heatwave, and I think we’re getting the same weather here in the Datça Peninsular too. We’re now having to take at least three dips in the warm seas every day, which is a real hardship as I’m sure you can imagine!
The next day we decided to go check out Selimye proper so, like mad dogs and Englishmen we donned our walking boots and strolled the 20 minute walk to the sea front in the blazing midday heat. We hit the first restaurant we came across just to rehydrate on iced tea before continuing along the sea front that is Selimye.
Selimye is really a holiday resort for rich Turks and yachties. Many of the rococo/colonial styled homes here are owned by Istanbulites who come to Selimye for their two month summer holiday. The bars and clothes shops littered down the sea front give the place a very Bohemian feel to this sweet village, whilst the market offered me the chance to buy some material to make myself a new bandanna. My scull and crossbones one is now able to stand up by itself it’s so caked in salt, sweat and suntan lotion. Mmmm, nice.
With the heat becoming a joke Liz and I sloped into a great little bar tucked under various blooming trees and settled down for the afternoon amongst cushions and copies of Heat magazine. Victoria Beckham is still getting a hard time in the tabloids, whilst Kate Moss is getting a ribbing for being ‘ugly’. I see nothing changes in the UK press! It was fun to catch up on some trashy reading but really, do we miss this kind of trivia? I think not.
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