To mark Tourism Week in Turkey, the Kalkan Belediye, Patara Muhtarligi and the Patara Turizm Dernegi, would like to invite everyone to come along to a free day of celebrations on Sunday 19th April 2009.  There are two events in one day.

Firstly, a free barbeque picnic at Delikkemer during the day, followed by a free music concert by Kalkan harbour in the evening.

Tourism Week (Turizm Haftası)
This year Tourism Week started on 15th April and ends on 22nd April.  It's a way of kicking off the season in style.

If you walk into Kalkan at the moment you may see a huge banner across the road saying "Turistin milliyeti değil, memnuniyeti önemlidir...", which roughly translated means "Your (tourists) nationality isn't important, but enjoying yourself is".  AT KTLN we agree with that sentiment.  And let's face it, it's not hard to enjoy yourself in Kalkan. However, if you are around this weekend you can look forward to a couple of extra, exciting free events.

Delikkemer Barbeque Picnic
This is organised by the Patara Muhtarligi and the Patara Turizm Dernegi, and is something of a local tradition.  It's a chance to eat, drink and be merry and immerse yourself in local culture.  And it is completely free.

You need to make your way to Delikkemer (on the Lycian Way) for between 10.00 & 10.30 am.  The meeting point is by the Roman aquaduct.  To get there by car from Kalkan, you drive along the main D400 road in the Fethiye direction.  Go over the brow of the hill and down the other side.  As you reach the bottom of the hill and as the road bends to the right, turn left on to a side road, (before the Fıranz Cafe and before you reach Yeşilköy).  Follow the road until you see people gathering.

KTLN understands that there will be a dolmuş service to Delikkemer from the main bus station in Kalkan, however at the time of publishing this story we don't know what the fare will be, the precise departure times or the number of buses available.

Near to the aquaduct you will find the organisers, plus lots of activity.  There will be a group forming a nomadic procession, including livestock such as camels, horses, donkeys, a herd of sheep, and probably the odd goat here and there.  This procession will walk with you towards the picnic area midway between Delikkemer and Patara.   The walk will take a reasonably fit person around one hour.  Sturdy shoes or trainers are recommended rather than sandal type footwear.

Once at the picnic spot, at 12 noon you can enjoy a free lunch, with water.  It may be an idea to bring your own drinks.  In addition to the nomadic animals, you will have live Turkish music to entertain you.

From here you may continue the walk to Patara along the Lycian Way.  The whole walk from Delikkemer to Patara should take around 3 hours.  Once in Patara people are invited to congregate around The Golden Pension in Patara town, where mini buses will be provided for those who want them, to return to either Delikkemer or Kalkan. 

A small charge will be made for this service, and you may have to wait for the minibus to have a reasonable number of passengers before it departs.  You are of course free to go wherever you choose, and make your own travel arrangements.

Kalkan Music Concert
If you have recovered from your afternoon picnic why not come down to Kalkan harbour in the evening to listen to a free music concert, organised by the Kalkan Belediye.

At 8pm, close to the Fener Bar (near to Kalkan Beach), a group called Yeni Türkü will perform a concert, singing modern Turkish folk music.

Whilst in town, what better way to complete your day than to go to your favourite restaurant and experience some traditional Turkish hospitality, food and drink.