The very sensitive ears of the Hobbit have been burning and now we know why, sarıkanarya has dropped our name again :-) We Hobbits live in Çukurbağ village on the Mediterranean (Lycian) Coast near Kaş. Travellers use the fountain (çeşme) next to our house to fill their water bottles all year long.
If you read all this you can say you have been the victim of a Hobbit braindropping...
NOTE there are two official holidays which happen during your stay in Turkey. Banks and other official places will be closed and some travel may be crowded, plan accordingly. On the 23rd of April is National Sovereignty & Children's Day and on the 19th of May is the Commemoration of Ataturk's Youth & Sports Day.
When you get to Kaş, go to Bougainville Travel and then to Dragoman . They are both very reputable and reliable adventure travel companies and are at the same time concerned about safety. I know Gökhan Türe, the owner of Dragoman and some of his staff and I know they have a good reputation but I have no personal experience diving or other activities with them.
You can ask at either Bougainville or Dragoman staff to please call Dave Crann or tell you how to contact and meet him. Dave is an old British SAS veteran and has spent more than 15 years walking the Lycian Trail, he can advise you about all you can do while staying in Kaş for the price of a cup of coffee!!
When you are at Bougainville, ask for Veske the paragliding team captain and pilot. He speaks pretty good English and is the gentlest and friendliest person I know in a nation of friendly people. I would not paraglide in Ölu Deniz, I have ridden with Veske many times and trust him without reservation. I do not consider Ölu Deniz a safe place to paraglide and Veske agrees. That being said; some people like Oludeniz, I am not one of them. It is one of the most "famous" and unfortunately also one of the most crowded. There are also many paragliders who land on the beach and there are frequent accidents from pilots who are not experienced.
If you plan your paragliding time right, you can fly before you dive and then do your dive course.
At Bougainville ask for Emre Çevikel or Fezz Dikici the chief instructors on the BT Dive Boat. I have known Emre for over 10 years and I worked with him for two years on the dive boat while I was a diver and dive guide. Take a good luck at the different instructors and boat crew on the dive team page. If you like what you see from this post, then contact Emre (bougainvilledivingkas (at) gmail.com) as far in advance as possible before you arrive to reserve your dive course during the time you will be in Kaş. They are having a special promotion for April and May which might interest you.
Activity/Hiking in Kayaköy (near Fethiye):
If you do go to Fethiye, go visit and stay in Kayaköy (Kaya Village) which was a mostly Greek village which was abandoned after the 1923 exchange of population between Greek Muslims and Turkish (Greek) Orthodox Christians. The village was never re-inhabited. Kayaköy was the inspiration for Birds Without Wings by Louis de Bernieres, the same author of Captain Corelli's Mandolin.
Dean and Ayşe Livesley arrange activities in and around the Kayaköy and Ölu Deniz area and sea kayaking. Ayse also teaches Turkish cuisine to travellers. Dean is also a co-author of these books about hiking the Lycian Way and Dave Crann helped him walk and write about the trail: Sunflower Plus Series - Turkish Coast: Antalya to Demre (Michael Bussmann, Gabriele Tröger, Brian and Eileen Anderson, Dean Livesley)
AND/OR you can go visit Mel at Mountain Lodge up near Tlos the ancient Lycian site. (You will need a scooter or rental car but worth the drive. Mel can arrange to meet you at a dolmus stop, call or email her and ask.) A nice "two for one" Mountain Lodge and Tlos and then stop off at Yakapark for an interesting lunch with ice cold water running water everywhere under where you sit in the shade of huge shade trees.
While in Kayaköy, walk up to the top toward the east and down a bit and you can see Ölu Deniz, then you can say you have seen it. There are less crowded and better places to have fun on the beach, Patara being one of them or Kaputaş close to Kaş. Patara is an ancient Lycian site and the largest sand beach on the Mediterranean Coast. You can walk for long distances there away from the beach cafe and find yourself quite alone. (Patara on Google Maps)
Kaputaş is a very nice and small sand beach between Kalkan and Kaş. (Kaputaş on Google Maps)
There are a lot of people who travel to or live in Fethiye and like it. It simply depends upon the type of traveller you decide yourself to be. These are my musings and there will be people on this forum who may even strongly disagree.
A Lonely Planet posting about Fethiye by Karlo (No. 12) - 13-Mar-2011:
AND:
A couple of articles written by John Laughland (The Old Groaner) who lives there:
The Old Groaner-Fleshfest - 05 July 2010
Please Turkey, put your foot down - December 6, 2010
