Kounos (updated)

At 5:15 a.m. the engines of the gullet roared to life, and since they are almost directly beneath our cabin, so did we. Though we stayed in bed for another 45 minutes or so, there was no getting back to sleep.

But despite fears of cold showers or other inconveniences, getting ready for the day was actually quite pleasant. The only complication was that the boat was rocking a bit with the waves, as we left our cove and ventured out into the open sea. But we soon got our sea legs.

It was a beautiful morning on deck, with a cool breeze but bright sunshine and good coffee. Breakfast was abundant, and before we had finished the boat anchored in a new bay. We were met there by a smaller boat that took us on a winding path through a tidal salt marsh up the River Daylon to the site of ancient Kounos.

Kounos has a long past as a settlement, but about the 6th century BC the Greeks turned it into a thriving seaport city with a city wall, acropolis, temple to Zeus, and theater. The Persians took over less than two centuries later, but they were displaced by Alexander.

Most of the current ruins date from Roman times, with some later, Byzantine additions. Like Ephesus, the port had to be abandoned around the 6th century AD because of river siltation.

The site is quite well preserved, and not very crowded. There was one other tour group, and a few couples. Other than these, a number of turtles and several sheep, we had the place to ourselves. Though the sun had grown hot, we explored as much as we could.

On the way back to the boat, a Turkish couple had set up a small stand in one corner of their pomegranate orchard and were selling fresh juice, ice cold. It was unlike the pomegranate juice we get at home — thicker, darker, and much more flavorful.

The river boat had circled around during our tour, and met us at the other end of town. On the way out, we observed a necropolis high on the mountainside, overlooking the river, with several 2nd century BC “temple” tombs carved into the rock.

We returned to our gullet for a late lunch, then lounged on deck with our books as the engines started once again for another journey out into the open sea. We continued east until “tea time,” when we dropped anchor very near shore in another isolated cove.

The water here was so clear and blue that we could see bottom quite clearly to a depth of more than 30 feet. Several of us went for a swim, though the water was rather brisk in temperature. A pair of sea turtles shared the cove with us, and one came very near the boat to entertain us.

Every meal aboard the gullet has been large and delicious. All dishes are of Turkish origin, heavy on vegetables and fruits. Eggplant and yogurt make frequent appearances on our table. Our dinner this evening was no exception to this.

The group lingered at the table for some after-dinner conversation, then we retired. That afternoon of lounging around had made us all quite tired.