7 Notable Changes---Then to Now

[Brianbern]

Just reflecting round the poolside during our recent holiday in Calis I noted 7 major changes that we have witnessed throughout the years.
While these changes undoubtedly have improved Calis as a holiday destination for us and others, we still miss the previous isolation of Fethiye, the reaction of the townsfolk in finding out we weren't German or French and the surprise from everyone at home that we could possibly consider holidaying in "Turkey" (usually said with a disapproving look ) and,even worse, taking two small children with us.

Anyway here they are, in descending order:

1 Dalaman becoming an International Airport.

2 Not having to travel to London in order to fly to Istanbul and then the bus trips down to Fethiye. (Journey broken at Cesme or Kusadasi and all change at Denizli and Mugla----no direct service)

3 Upgrading of access roads to Fethiye/Calis  (Includes Gocek Tunnel)

4 Accommodation improvement in Calis. (It has come a long way from the         accommodation at Club Caria---believe me!!

5 Improvement to Calis Prom---Removal of cars and laying of an actual   road surface. (I'll never forget having to move your chair in at a Lokanta to allow a car to squeeze past with the accompanying dust and danger ever present)

6 Reliability of electical and water supply.

7  Standard and variety of food on offer in all restaurants (ie in ones we could afford to eat in)

Well that's my seven---Remember my perspective is from now ("dohtage") and my initial impressions of those days ("raymeage") were not to view these inconveniences as anything more as being totally justifiable to reaching a place we cherish.
 Thanks Calis  (By the way is it just a coincidence that since reading this Forum over the last few years I have been targetted by emails which endeavour to supply a regular order of Cialis --- Cheers---  
Brian

[scot]

A good post i liked it.
Bruce

[Brandi]

thanks for post. Love the fact that you had to move a chair to let a car past !! Health and safety is definitely being addressed. You don't see as many unstable loads on vehicles or the whole family, the shopping and a goat on a moped !!

[Brianbern]

Thanks Bruce  
Brandi, you recalled the dolmus-mopeds---This year I spotted these young guys outside Cafer's Vitamin Bar just over the Bridge in Calis. The driver assured me the dog loved sitting there. As he moved off the dog swept its tail up and tucked it in.  

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[Brianbern]

Despite the look of the dog I'm fairly certain that the driver wasn't blind   ---although it wouldn't surprise me in the slightest.  
Brian

[Highlander]

quote:Originally posted by Brandi

Health and safety is definitely being addressed

Not by these painters Brand ;)i

[Scunner]

Interesting topic Brianbern - how long ago was it that you had to bus down to Fethiye from Istanbul?

[Brianbern]

Scunner -- The reply is a little over-cooked as were many of the dishes on offer back then.

First flight we made into Dalaman Airport direct from Glasgow was 1988. The two years prior to that we flew down from Istanbul, thereby allowing us to stop using the buses.
Looking back on it a flight to Rhodes might have been possible rather than flying into Istanbul. But as we had 6 weeks holiday we looked forward to a couple of nights staying in the Sultan Ahmet district of Istanbul.
The two nights in the hotel were paid by a swift trip down to the Grand Bazaar and a chance to flog some duty-free cigs to the carpet shops. At that time British and American cigs were costly and difficult to obtain.
A frequent sight on the streets in Istanbul were the young kids holding a packet of Marlboro and a bag of coloured balls. Pick the right colour and the grand prize of one pack of American cigarettes might be yours.
But as for the buses they were comfortable and tourists travelling on them were quite unusual. We would break the journey down to Fethiye by stopping for a few days in Cesme and then would travel through the night to reach our favourite destination.
We first travelled from Kusadasi (entering Turkey from Samos) to Fethiye in 1982, having seen a poster of Oludeniz on a poster. We just had to see this place. It really was sublime and worth the journey.
Each morning from Fethiye we booked a taxi (really affordable) to transport us to Oludeniz. At that time there were no umbrellas on the beach in the park and the only shade was under the trees.I remember going to an umbrella-maker and having one made--The umbrella lasted a couple of years as we left it in the hotel because we knew we had to return to this fantastic place.
A trip out to Calis or across to Sovaliye would indicate that we had overslept and took the easier option to these beaches. Remember no Air-Con at this time.
I last visited Oludeniz about 5 years ago just to show some friends but it's better to remember it in earlier times.
Liked the Painters Photo, Highlander.
 
Brian

[Sue T]

Can go back a bit further, in '76 you could fly into Izmir and bus to Fethiye, took about 8 hours.
Calis beach had one small hotel at the far end, and shelving flat stones for a beach, with wooden huts for the local forestry workers to spend parts of their summers near the sea.
Olu Deniz, Belcekiz beach had one campsite, Deniz camp, now Buzz bar, the sand spit by the lagoon was completely undeveloped.  From inside the lagoon, by the small rush covered cafe, (well small fridge) where you generally had to chase the goats off the table you would be offered a boat trip to the end of the spit and only Motel Meri nestled under the mountain well off the unspoilt beach.
Hisaronu had not been invented and Paspatur in Fethiye was largely a storage area especially for tobacco waiting for the big companies buyers to come.  There was one small shop selling touristy nicknacs, Nescafe was unavailable and you had to check the open biscuits had not stayed too long by the detergent and absorbed the perfume.  Pinar did sell good butter but you had to be careful it had survived the journey to get to the grocers. Fruit and veg were more seasonal and you could see carrots in the market as long as your arm!
No large boats were moored all along the promenade in Fethiye itself --- ooh I'm getting nostalgic - but neither did you have all the pretty gardens or comfortable chairs in the cafes and few of the roads had proper edges!

Parking was no problem and most of the few cars one did see were ancient models

[Brianbern]

Hi Sue
Thanks for you memories of Fethiye in 1976. When we arrived in 1980 the Kordon Oteli was a new hotel. This hotel was across from the present bus terminus and now has shops in the lower part and the upper storeys have a lawyer's office and the Honorary British Consul's Office.
Did you stay in Fethiye or out at Belcekiz, Sue?
The accommodation at the end of Calis I'm fairly certain was Club Caria, and at that time it looked as if it had been there for several years prior to that.
I recall being told that there were wooden houses along Calis beach. We saw similar wooden houses on the coast road to Antalya.
Interesting to find out they were used for foresters.
 Do you recall The Rafet and The Okya Restaurants? These were near the Bus Terminus near Fethiye Bey Park. There were other places but they were only Take-away Kebab shops.
Any photos taken at that time would be appreciated I'm sure.
Unfortunately I was taking mainly slides at that time and haven't digitized them as yet. Great times remembered and Turkish friendships made then that have endured throughout the years.
Brian