BABADAG
Olu Deniz, Turkey. It is incredible that paradise can be so nearby, and yet so unknown. To us, paragliders that is. Olu Deniz is a vacation destination catering mainly to UK market. Although you will find vacationers from other European countries, and I have met people from New Zealand and Japan, most vacationers are British.
I am writing now seating in a local taverna, overlooking the vast sandy beach cove, drinking beer and eating "pide" ( a kind of local pizza consisting of a thin crust topped with minced meat,cheese,tomatoes and eggs - it’s a must). The evening breeze gently rocks the vine leaves, which are the natural roof of the restaurant.
This is my sixth day here. Tomorrow I am flying back home and I am beginning to miss the place already.
Unlike other busy holiday destinations in Turkey, this is a quiet spot. Perhaps because it doesn’t have the busy bazaars or a casino. (All of which can be found a 30 minute drive away). The road ends here. To one side is the sea, the rest are small villages, and mountains. It is about one of these mountains that our story is all about. The Baba Dag, towering 1969 m’ behind me. (Dag pronounced Da means mountain, Baba means Father, in Turkish)
Baba Dag offers three takeoff sites at 1700, 1800 and 1900 meters, facing SW , E and NE / SE respectively, which enable takeoffs with any wind direction.
A straight glide towards the beach, which is the landing zone, gives you an average of 1400 meters above the sea, enough height to lazily fly above the small coves that make up the coastline east of the beach or practice all the exercises you ever dreamed of.
But who wants to glide directly to the beach when you have the friendliest thermals awaiting you just after takeoff. Wide ample thermals 200 - 400 meters wide at strengths of +2 to +5. Day before yesterday I rised from the same spot 5 times. I took from 1700, climbed to 2400 went out on a trip and returned to be lifted up again, just like taking an elevator.
I was in the middle of my XC course before arriving to Olu Deniz. Now, many of the subjects I had learned in theory were becoming clear. Entering a thermal, centering a thermal i.e. finding the area of strongest lift, looking for the next thermal etc.
Today, after a few days of gaining thermalling experience I felt confident enough to go seeking "higher ground". I started at the usual "elevator" rising to 2300, but this time instead of staying in the same area, I flew inland, where a cloud was forming at the south east side of the mountain. I was quickly leaving the shoreline behind me, and although I calculated that I had more than enough height to return, my adrenaline was pumping. Assessing the wind direction in order to find the path of the thermal, I took a left and within a couple of minutes I felt like someone was pulling my canopy up. The vario was screaming, and I turned quickly to stay in this stairway to heaven. In 4 minutes I had gained over 1000 m’. My field of vision was limited to looking down. Above and ahead of me, everything was gray. The temperature had gone down to the point where my hands and face were freezing. Some part of my body was begging to return to the "normal" heights, and sunny weather. Luckily, the better part of me took over and pushed on. I was flying an XTRA, and did not wish to confront it with the turbulence inside a cloud. Instead I started soaring by the cloud, as you would soar a ridge. Going into the side of the cloud, gaining height, and coming out to make a 180 degree turn, go into the cloud and gain more height. At 3700 the cloud was bellow me and due east the shore and the sun due west, and this is where the most incredible sight took place. My shadow was on the cloud, making its own dance with the changes of the cloud, surrounding it, forming a circle was a perfect rainbow. It felt like a divine experience. The view was fantastic. To the NE snow covered mountains, N small cultivated valleys, NW the resort town of Fethye, due W Olu Deniz and the sea. The beautiful , unspoiled Aegean sea. Further W the Greek island of Rhodes could be seen. The flying area comprises of a rectangle 6 km wide by 15 km long. In the middle of the north side is the BabaDag, flying S over a mountain ridge, I flew over butterfly valley, and after reaching the Southernmost point of land, I started flying back towards Olu Deniz.
There is nothing like the cool water of the Aegean sea and a relaxing beer after a flight like this. But somehow , Olu Deniz has a tempo of its own, and in the evening you find yourself in one of the many bars. My favorites are BUZZ and ADI. The latter has got a good disco where the action does not stop before sunrise. There are plenty of restaurants ranging from local to international cuisine. The prices, as in all of Turkey, are a joke.
Accommodation can be found for every budget, from camping sites, bungalows, budget class hotels with bathrooms in the rooms and 4 star hotels with all the amenities.
I don’t believe there is a better spot in the world to combine a good vacation, the beach the sun and the sky.
Good flying,