Day 7 - Saturday - Dalyan, Kaunos Ruins, Mud Bath>

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It was a usual morning getting up, eating the obligatory pieces of bread, feta cheese then checking out of our latest hotel (in traditional good speed). Then we were headed for the gulet boat that would be taking us around the Mediterranean over the next couple of days. First, though, we had a couple of diversions to make.

Having cruised down Dalyan Creek a little way, we alighted at the site of the Kaunos ruins. It is, as people in the group were starting to call these places 'another rubble site'. On this site we found the usual features - a now crumbling theatre, a temple of some kind (whose barely remaining walls hinted at nothing other than a walled structure, but not anything with something as elaborate as a domed roof) and a gift shop. However, every site has its own unique attractions ...

At Kaunos, one thing that caught my eye was the spectacular way that the theatre had crumbled, as if hit in the side with some kind of missile. Huge blocks spilled out of the wound while the mountain goats made use of the unintentional way up to the higher levels where they might chew on whatever they found growing between the bricks. The older goats bullied a young kid who continued to bleat (or whatever is that goats do) loudly for the rest of our stay on site.

There was a vast area which, at first sight, would remain hidden to the unadventurous visitor. Leading away from and below the unimpressive shell that is the Hadrianic baths was a path that was very well preserved and which itself led off to a number of other well preserved foundations. Excavation was still underway, and many of the newly found walls boasted very clean lines. It was evident that even with all this, there was still a great area to be unearthed. This appeared to be true of many sites throughout Turkey - there's a lot out there just waiting to be uncovered by the skilled hands of archeologists.