These heavily wooded, secluded Turkish anchorages have captured our hearts. This evening we're sharing an anchorage called Amazon Creek with just one other boat. We're at the head of this small inlet, sitting in less than 2m of water with our anchor out and a long line tied ashore. Earlier today we took the dinghy up the narrow creek at the NE end of this inlet and it was a bit like taking a Disney ride through the jungle. At the end of the creek we found a restaurant and campground called Club Amazon, quiet now but clearly a popular place in the summer.

We just returned from a walk along a gravel road that follows the shoreline and I took the picture above on the other side of the penninsula, looking southwest. It's been a rare overcast day, but the cloud cover began to break shortly before sunset.

Since leaving Turgutreis we've found three delightful places to spend the night. We also spent an afternoon exploring the ruins of a once large city built in the 4th century BC on Kedriai Island. The Dorians were the first to occupy the island, followed by inhabitants from the Greek, Persian, Hellenistic, Roman and Byzantine eras. The island is most famous for its Cleopatra's Beach, filled with white sand which Cleopatra is said to have imported from North Africa for her lover, Antony, to sunbathe on. Our cruising guide says that the sand has been tested and that it is not from this region and is, in fact, typical of African sand.

Tomorrow we head back across the Gulf towards Bodrum so we can be closer to Turgutreis, where we will return early Friday morning. We have a day or two of boat projects to tackle before flying to Istanbul for the week on Sunday.