Asmalikoy on Marmara Adasi, Turkey
22 July 2018 | Turkey
Dierk and Sabrina
July 22
It was time to leave Istanbul. The destination was to be Canakkale where we all had organised to visit ANZAC Cove and Troy.
The trip back was long so we decided to break it up. A small village on Marmara Adasi was to be the first stop. Asmalikoy is a small hamlet that crouches on a small narrow coastal flat under fantastic juts and crags from above and behind. The setting is almost aerie and angry landscape which is suggestive of JRR Tolkien’s imaginary landscape in his trilogy, The Lord of the Rings.
Anyway we arrived to dock on the quay. As in these areas we saw very few yachts. A couple of Turkish boats were in there. The harbour master directed us to a position on the quay, thankfully he did because the spot we had originally picked would have been to shallow on account of the rocks at the base of the quay. Some of these quays can be problematic because boats like Stella have large spade rudders and need at least two meters depth when you go in stern first. Always go in very slowly backwards, and if not sure check or go somewhere else. We filled with water, but again with many places they have issues with their power pedestals. Many have earth leakage, so our battery charger on board goes into reverse polarity and we can’t charge batteries, so thanks to our solar panels and wind generator we are OK.
Nicky, Mike, Sam and myself went on a recon of the town. In general it looked a bit tired, but there were numerous Turkish people there on holiday. The typical scene where many old guys sitting in the shade outside a cafe playing board games, whilst on the beach people were enjoying the sun and sea. I’m sure this place is not in the Lonely Planet guide.
That night Nicky and Michael found a restaurant, probably the only restaurant at foot of a quarry. It actually looked a bit like a site hut, but we had no where else to go, so off we went. At the head of the quay were a few amusement machines plonked in the middle of nowhere that was reminiscent of. Rosebud in the 1960,s....amazing.
The restaurant was family operated and if you wanted alcohol, you had to sit inside. The outside was reserved for families playing board games. Anyway the meal was home Cooke and absolutely first class. We complimented the family on their food and hospitality.