Olympos to Patara

So we left Olympos on the 10AM bus, right after breakfast and packing. We were going to leave later but this seemed to work out and we had no idea how long it would actually take to get to Patara. We were on the Dolmus with 10 others from Bayram's who were all headed to meet up with their crew for a 5 day Blue Cruise. These are very popular for this part of Turkey. You get to cruise along the most beautiful coast and from what we could tell, drink as much as you can handle. Depending on who's on it, it can be quite the party. We didn't have the money, nor was this the experience we were looking for so we took the bus to another bus depot (they love dropping you off at random villages) where we got another dolmus to the turn off to Patara. It was another few miles into town so we figured we'd walk. A guy stopped over not long after and offered us a ride and mentioned his family had a guesthouse. This oftimes means you are obligated to stay there and take whatever comes your way but he was cool to give us look and we couldn't really beat the price so we stayed there. I would give a link but it's too small and somewhat desolate in Patara at the moment so only the main hotel is online. But this wonderful Turkish woman welcomed us and hugged us and was so friendly. The family's English was very good which they explained was from the years back when they were busy with English speaking tourists. Now, there is a sense of sadness about the place and there isn't enough money to keep all the little guesthouses up to sparkles, but it was still good enough for us, but we weren't too picky, you can't be when you are on a budget. We spent 2 nights there (I think) and ate at some of the local spots, some of which still have tourist prices even though there are no tourists. Because my stomach was feeling off I ordered a baked potato and a tea and it was like 10 dollars. Oh well, at least we could put a little fuel in their industry. Patara has some beautiful ruins, an amazing beach, and quite a quirky little village.


Some of the Patara Ruins.