Manavgat Waterfall, Turkey

Sunday 6 October. Thomson Celebration sails into Alanya on the southern coast of Turkey.

First impressions are very good! There's a massive wall climbing from a fortress all the way up the hillside, reminding us a a visit to Kotor in Montenegro and few years ago. And there's a line of what looks like old fashioned galleons lined up in the harbour. We'll have a closer look in a later entry. Because for now we have to get down and have breakfast before we jump on a coach for an excursion out for the morning.

We'll be visiting two places and start off at Manavgat Waterfall. This is apparently Turkey's most photographed waterfall. It is certainly my most photographed Turkish waterfall... Although it's not too high, it does spread out over the width of the river in a horseshoe shape. In fact its lack of height makes it disappear altogether when floodwaters run off down the river after heavy rain.

But there hasn't been any heavy rain so we can view it in all its glory. Along the edge of the river are terraces of decking set up as viewing platforms and some with tables for picnics or as part of a restaurant. All are deserted at this early hour and I flit from one to another finding different views. So let's enjoy a few photos...

After a while we move away from the waterfall and have a look at a few souvenir stalls. Miss Franny breathes a sigh of relief - they have fridge magnets! There are a couple of stalls selling pomegranates - seemingly to the exclusion of anything else.

Uh oh! We're being called! Time to get back on the bus for our second stop. A funny moment as our guide introduced the driver - whose name has totally by-passed me. I'll make one up... He said, "Our driver is Ahmet - the second best driver in the company!" This got everyone looking at each other in puzzlement.
"The second best? Well, who is the best driver?"
"Oh..." said the guide, "he had an accident yesterday...!"

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