Dalyan

Mud bath and horse

In Dalyan, mud is sought after on the boat route and on the Sultaniye side. That smell, that color, that strange pleasure. Horseback riding is different: the Çandır peninsula, the paths, or the manege. Even on the same holiday, the two often go side by side. Getting out of the mud and immediately boarding the lake can be tiring; skin, sun, then two hours on horseback. The next day or in the afternoon, a short tour is more comfortable.

Leaving muddy days for water and sandy days for land is a rhythm that lovers of this place keep to. Morning by boat and mud, evening by village, next morning by canal. Or the other way around: first the horse, then the mud — that’s fine, as long as they don’t coincide. As far as we’re concerned, the day after the muddy one should end slowly; shower, early meal, early bedtime.

The day of mud is different: the boat, the crowd, the smell, and then the color fading away in the shower. The day of the donkey is different: the path, the birds, and the lack of conversation. Those who love both are already in Dalyan. When you pile both on the same day, both become a bit diluted. It’s nice to take a break for a day, or even to leave one day empty.

The story of Sultaniye is the story of that coast. Whether it was a lake for bathing, a spa source, or a bathhouse, it remains the same as it was in its day. Just tell me how you spent two days there in the summer.