Our last stop before our return to Marmaris was Tomb Bay, outside the town of Gocek. It was a lovely spot. For Ryan and Wesley, it was probably one of their favorites. Fifty meters from the anchored Gone Native was a rope swing hanging from a tall tree....


As we pulled into the anchorage we saw Lycian tombs on the hillside. Actually, much of the coastline we traveled along this summer was called "The Lycian Coast." These people were felt to originate from Antalya (further up the Eastern Turkish Coast) around 200B.C. They were known not only for their seamanship and battle skills, but also for their excellent craftsmanship. Dotted along the coast are a number of rock tombs, and we were in position to hike up the mountainside and explore.

It was a calm day in the bay, and we dinghied over to the small beach. You could see the tombs while across shore, but once we were at the bottom of the hillside, their location was somewhat more enigmatic. So we decided to do the simplest thing....head upward.

Much of the slope was covered in limestone. Many of the rocks had been weathered over time, leaving grooves in the stone which made excellent ledges to wedge ones hands and feet. We had done enough hikes that I had become smarter--wearing shorts over your swimsuit gave you some protection from the prickly trees, gouging bushes, and craggy rocks.

There was no defined paths. We ascended and turned wherever there were open areas between rocks and scrub trees. We were fortunate the temperature had cooled, and we had some intermittent shade from the trees. We continued climbing and Dave unexpectedly came upon a set of three tombs. They were remarkably well intact. Each had an open doorway and large enough for all of us to go inside. In fact, they were so spacious, we could all have lied down and taken a nap!

After a few Indiana Jones photos, we continued up the hill. We arrived to the summit, hoping to find more tombs, but instead we found a Turkish flag. The Turks proudly display their flag on many of the islands and mountain peaks.

It was getting late, and we decided it was time to head back. We weaved and twisted downward. Everyone was heading left, and I eyed a trail covered with pine needles in the opposite direction. "Here's a simple footpath to follow," I thought. I called the others and voila! Another tomb! Like the others, it was well preserved. On the outside were ancient letters inscribed. If you knew the language, you most definitely could have read it.

We finally made it back to the beach. As we scooted along to the Gone Native, we turned our heads one more time to the hillside. Right below the Turkish flag we had climbed up to were yet another set of tombs! We told ourselves you just can't see everything, but we are trying.

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