Antayla to Fethiye along the Mediterranean

 Antalya to Fethiye along the Mediterranean

The trip out of Antayla was along a  beautiful coastal road and early in the morning there was little traffic.  We stopped for breakfast at Kemer after riding for about 30 kilometers, and sorry we did, just kilometers of wall to wall luxury hotels, we couldn’t see the beach. The road then went inland and the next three days were an ordeal with high temperatures, high humidity and high mountains.  We struggled up and down steep hills, dropping down to sea level only to have to climb up again. Just before we got to Kas we had a very quick descent for eleven kilometres.  At Kas we took the Lonely Planet’s advice and went to our first proper camping ground since we left Australia, it had it's own private beach, restaurant and bar. We think our little two man tent is small, but here all the other tents were smaller, people really only using them to store their gear or to crawl into late at night. People spent the day on sun lounges by the water in the shade, getting up very early to secure their spot for the day or in some cases sleep on lounges if they had a really good spot they did not want to lose. The over twentyfives yuppy place to be for people from Istanbul.  We enjoyed being able to swim and cool off, the water is a clear blue, not cold, no waves,and no sand as the water laps against the rocky shore, to step off the landing is to be in three metres of water. We spent a few days here and then set off for Fethiye.  Again we had a lovely coastal road and then inland again but while the climbs were not easy, they were nothing like we had experienced further back and we rode shorter days because of the heat. 
Fethiye was another tourist town, the reason we went there was to see the Tomb of Amyntas, a temple façade carved into a sheer rock face dated 350 BC.  There are tombs throughout the town, one in the middle of the street, the town was built around them. We had a rest here, if there was a train to Ephesus from here we probably would have taken it as the heat is oppressive and saps our energy, when it is this hot at home we stay in the shade. {Mad dogs and Englishmen} Like all tourist towns the world over, prices for tourists go up. Cafes and restaurants add 25% service charge, but it does not appear on the menu and no itemized account is given just the final amount, we can see why Mc Donalds are so busy. This was not the case earlier in Turkey so it took us by surprise. 
 We are in the middle of Ramadan, but you would not know it except for the firing of a cannon at the end of the day to signify that people can now eat.  We have only seen one restaurant with a sign on to say it was shut through the day, all the rest are open and local people are eating. We are sure people not caught up in the tourist trade observe Ramadan more seriously.  Also along the coast hardly a head scarf is seen and no veils.  
 Mustufa Kemel, the victorious leader at Gallipoli, is the national hero. He became president and was known as Ataturk “Father Turk” and nearly every town boasts a statue of him and his picture adorns shops, hotels and many houseThere are many, many hot houses here where tomatoes, peppers and melons are grown in the winter.   There are so many they are like a blanket across the landscape.