Eastern Mediterranean, Turkey

Although the coastal drive along the Turkish Med is as awesome as you will get anywhere in the world, the roads themselves are shocking and so are the other drivers! There are roadworks and potholes and stretches of winding mountain pass with no shoulder and no crash barriers - quite nerve wracking but Neil did a sterling job of getting us safely through.In Kale, we saw the ruins of Myra; more Lycian Tombs and a Roman Amphitheatre.
There is also a 7th century church here dedicated to St. Nicholas; who was born in Patras and died here in AD 343. He is the original saint who has now become Father Christmas or Santa Claus. It is hard to believe how the legend has evolved into a man who lives in North Pole and brings presents for children, when he came from the Eastern Med and it was well over 40 degrees celcius when we visited. For those who follow this blog, you may recall that this time last year we were in Finland at the Artic Circle, visiting Santa there!
If ever you are tempted to visit Atalya or Beldibi; don't - it's low cost resort tourism at it's worst! But the coastal drive is still stunning with yet more ruins and a few wonderful castles. The campsite and beach at Silifke was great; and then we had to make an unscheduled over night stop in Mersin to replace a leaking diesel pump on Homer.The people who helped us find the garage and all the staff there were very friendly and very helpful. In fact, Turkish people have been super friendly and helpful and eager to chat wherever we have been.