Just 40 minutes away by bus from downtown Marmaris is the resort of Turunc, nestled along a beautiful bay with crystal clear blue waters and lush hills planted with olive grove and pine trees. Although several large hotels are already present in this town, due to the relative distance outside of Marmaris, the town remains by and large much more subdued compared to the resort district of Icmeler right on the outskirt of Marmaris.
The reason I went to Turunc is because I wanted to visit the ruins of the ancient settlement of Amos. Located about 3km outside of Turunc, it takes approximately 45 to walk to Amos from Turunc. On a nice day it is a very pleasant walk along a slightly winding hillside road which affords some of the most stunning views of the sea around Marmaris.
After I had returned from the visit to Amos, I thought it would be nice to have some refreshments at one of the seaside places in Turunc. Yet it was still low season, and none of the beachfront restaurants or cafes was open for business. In many resort areas all along Turkey's Mediterranean and the Aegean coast, winter months are the time used by locals to renovate their premises. After some searching I found a small corner shop that was still open in the winter and asked the shopkeeper if there is any ice-cream available. He looked at me, amazed, and said there is ice-cream but I was the first person to ask for it in 2012.
So, with my ice-cream in hand, I walked all the way up the harbour pier and found a nice little corner to enjoy my ice-cream and the marvellous seaviews that open up in front of me. I can very well imagine how busy this little settlement would become in the summer months, with tourists from all over Europe lining up its beach and the waterfront. For the time being, the level of tourism development is still acceptable in Turunc; hopefully this place could stay away from the preying eyes of real estate developers and would not get caught up in the spree of construction frenzy that has come to destroy some of Turkey's formerly pristine and exceptionally beautiful beach paradises.
The minibuses that connect Turunc with downtown Marmaris depart from in front of the tea garden next to the canal that runs through the centre of Turunc. The fare costs 3.50TL per person in 2012.
Copyrights@2012. All text and photos by YC Cheng. All Rights Reserved.
So, with my ice-cream in hand, I walked all the way up the harbour pier and found a nice little corner to enjoy my ice-cream and the marvellous seaviews that open up in front of me. I can very well imagine how busy this little settlement would become in the summer months, with tourists from all over Europe lining up its beach and the waterfront. For the time being, the level of tourism development is still acceptable in Turunc; hopefully this place could stay away from the preying eyes of real estate developers and would not get caught up in the spree of construction frenzy that has come to destroy some of Turkey's formerly pristine and exceptionally beautiful beach paradises.
The minibuses that connect Turunc with downtown Marmaris depart from in front of the tea garden next to the canal that runs through the centre of Turunc. The fare costs 3.50TL per person in 2012.
Copyrights@2012. All text and photos by YC Cheng. All Rights Reserved.
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