♪ ♪ (Ry Maxa) I'm sailing the crossroads of the Ancient World.

This stunng coast attracted Greeks, Persians, Romans, Ottomans, and a host of others.

They call it "A Blue Cruise," and blues come in every possible shade here on The Turquoise Coast of Turkey.

(woman) "Rudy Maxa's World," proudly sponsored by The Leading Hotels of the World.

Quests for travel begin at LHW.com, where you'll discover a collection of nearly 450 unique hotels worldwide... including the distinctive family of Taj hotels, resorts, and palaces.

♪ ♪ Every quest has a beginning-- online at LHW.com.

Additional funding for "Rudy Maxa's World" provided by: Medjet.com, medical evacuation membership protection for travelers.

Take trips, not chances.

And by... Yokoso!

Or "Welcome to Japan."

And by Delta--serving hundreds of destinations worldwide.

Information to plan your next trip available at delta.com.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ [flute & drums play in bright rhythm] ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ (Rudy) Sailors love it for the winds; swimmers and snorklers for the clear, clean water.

Beauties come here for fresh Mediterranean feasts.

Historians can't get enough of the ancient ruins.

And culture seekers immerse themselves in the religion and lifestyle.

Along this breath-taking coast layers of civilization weave together in a rich tapestry of history, culture, and adventure.

Blue Cruises typically sail the area between Bodrum and Antalya on Turkey's southwest coast, taking in whitewashed towns and classical ruins.

Just north, Ephesus is the crowning glory of ancient sites.

Step onto a Blue Cruise and step out of time.

The rhythm of dawn, day, and night, the onboard feasts, the sun, and the shimmering sea slow down time.

And when the boat docks at the ruins of an ancient city, it's easy to feel the past come alive.

Some of the best Greek and Roman ruins aren't found in Greece and Italy.

They're in Turkey, and they're found in the most lonely and evocative settings.

Many of Turkey's most enchanting ruins are those discovered by boat.

Cruising into Knidos, as so many ancient sailors once did, is a heart-stopping experience.

Knidos occupies the tip of the Datca Peninsula where the Mediterranean and the Aegean Seas meet.

In ancient times, it was a place where boats frequently hold up as the wind shifted here.

A Greek colony, Knidos, prospered from the sea traffic.

Famous as a center of art and culture in the 4th-century B.C., the city was dedicated to the Goddess of Love, Aphrodite.

A famous Greek sculptor created a statute of the Goddess, and it stood here, the first free-standing female form.

The statute became a must on the tourist route for the ancients.

The Byzantines destroyed it, but Roman copies give a sense of its allure.

Bodrum's a jumping off point for Blue Cruises, and this harbor is lined with gulets, the gorgeous wooden boats that mainly motor rather than sail these waters.

This sprawling whitewashed resort is jam-packed with boats.

A Crusader castle rises from the harbor, and bougainvillea smothers the houses.

At the height of summer, Bodrum sizzles with activity around its many shops, restaurants, and clubs.

Bodrum has exploded as more and more people buy vacation homes here.

The tourism industry is booming.

Still, the resort never lacks charm, and the long waterfront promenade is always lively at night.

♪ ♪ Countless wooden boats for hire can be had in Bodrum.

These gulets are very old vessels built of wood.

They were used for fishing and carrying amphora, or vessels, filled with olive oil and wine.

Over the years, the gulet has evolved into its present form with a broad beam and a wide deck.

What makes a gulet distinctive?

It is the shape?

It's also shape, also the back of the boat.

It's a little bit fat, and it's not like a European boat.

European boats you see is very small backs, and the middle is very big.

These boats are nearly the same shape as coming, not like very narrow.

It doesn't narrow at the front, right.

But it's all for pleasure.

All pleasure.

Nobody's fishing with gulets anymore.

No, no, it's past.

And if I wanted to buy one for my personal pleasure, how much might a gulet cost?

It depends on the meter, of course, but around like a 25-meter gulet is 2.5 to 3 million euros.

Maybe I won't be buying a gulet to call my own!

♪ ♪ (Rudy) The Mediterranean coast teemed with sea traffic in ancient times, a vital military and trade route.

Seafarers in the Classical Age kept close to shore for safety and for gathering provisions.

They always put into shore for the night.

In 1982, a sponge diver came upon a ship wreck off the coast between Bodrum and Antalya.

♪ ♪ For 10 years, divers pieced together the remains of the 14th-century B.C.

shipwreck, the "Uluburun," the oldest in the world.

On display at the Bodrum Underwater Museum are the remains of the ship and the "Uluburun's" 20 tons of cargo.

More than 18,000 artifacts were recovered from the seabed.

This astonishing collection includes tons of copper ingots as well as products from all over the Mediterranean-- elephant tusks, hippopotamus teeth, scarabs, gold jewelry, and ostrich eggs.

It took divers some 22,000 dives to recover the shipwreck.

Finding the right Blue Cruise requires a reputable agent or a local contact.

Talk to a captain.

Look at pictures.

Or better yet, find someone who's been on a particular cruise, and ask what their experience was like.

Now, you can sail for 3 days, 4 days, a whole week.

I think you'll have the most fun if you put together a group of your own friends and charter the boat yourself.

It's a beautiful boat!

From Bodrum, my boat heads out to sea hugging the coast as the ancients did, stopping in secluded coves.

Most cruises come complete with captain, crew, and cook though experienced seafarers can man their own ship.

Greek, Roman, and Byzantine ruins, Lycian tombs, Crusader castles, and Ottoman fortresses, the Turkish coast is an age-old mix of peoples and time, traders, and invaders, pirates, and local fishermen all sailed these waters.

Many of them were on their way to the Roman capitol of Asia, Ephesus.

♪ ♪ The grandest, best preserved, and most visited classical site in Turkey is Ephesus.

Ephesus is a day trip from the coast or a site to hit en route to the blue waters.

Here one is truly in the midst of an ancient city with roads, a theater, public buildings, and baths.

♪ ♪ Ephesus chose Artemis as its patron goddess.

Her statue can be seen in the Ephesus Museum.

The Greek Goddess of the Hunt, Artemis merged with the local fertility goddess, Cybele, and the cult became a tourist attraction very early on.

Their temple to Artemis was proclaimed one of the 7 Wonders of the Ancient World.

Only a trace of that Wonder remains today.

The Great Library at Ephesus was built in 135 A.D., and in its heyday it held 12,000 scrolls in the niches of its walls.

Romans greatly admired Greek literature.

Roman libraries in the time of Augustus had 2 rooms, one for Greek literature, and one for Roman.

In the public baths, people would socialize or talk business.

If they cut a deal, they'd even celebrate here.

For a few coins anyone, a free man or a slave, could at least for a little while live like a nobleman.

Socializing went on here too.

Nobles even brought their slaves along to warm up the cold marble seats.

The theater held 25,000 people for plays and later, gladiator contests.

The Christian Apostle Paul preached here and caused a riot when he proposed banning the sale of statues of Artemis.

The angry mob chanted "Great is Artemis of Ephesus!"

♪ ♪ The terraced houses of Ephesus revealed the luxury in which the city's elite lived.

The floors of the houses were decorated with mosiacs... ♪ ♪ and the walls with frescos or colored marble.

On the ground floor, the living and dining rooms opened to the hall, and upstairs were lavish bedrooms and guest rooms.

An open courtyard, or peristyle, in the middle of the house, was the only source of light.

More than 80% of Ephesus remains underground, vast treasure waiting for the light of day.

Ah, back to my hotel on the wine-dark sea with rugged shores the ancients knew, seas Odysseus sailed on his journey from Troy.

The cabins on the gulet are small, but many people sleep on deck in the summer.

In a tiny galley, a stunning array of appetizers are whipped up while the captain grills the catch of the day.

[click!]

Cheers!

Serefe!

My friend, Gamil challenges me to a game of backgammon in the Turkey's obsession they call "Tavla."

The rules are slightly different from the ones I know so let's see how I do.

Thank you very much, Rudy Maxa.

[laughs] I see you've played this game before.

So does everyone in Turkey know how to play backgammon?

Ah, 90%, 95%.

It's a 4-6.

I cannot believe that!

It is 4-6, isn't it?

It is a 4-6.

Four, 6, I can't believe that.

Hmm, we'll have the dice checked a little later.

The Goddess of Backgammon is not with you tonight, Rudy Maxa!

[laughs] Sometimes the Goddess shows up late.

Oh man!

C'mon, 4!

Unbelievable!

Oh no!

Oh, my gosh, I can't believe this!

[Rudy laughs] Sorry.

I just need a one to stay alive.

This is not good, not good at all.

♪ ♪ Boats usually anchor in a secluded bay for the night.

Well... a little something for breakfast!

In the morning, the clear, clean waters invite a swim.

Is there a better place to lose your shirt at backgammon than on the Turkish coast?

Generally, from May to October, the weather is gorgeous here.

Is that a true statement?

Actually, we have very nice weather from middle of April to middle of November.

But could happening.

Have you ever seen it rain 7 days in a row.

No never!

Rain 2 hours, then becomes sun again.

Comes like nothing happened before.

The great thing about a Blue Cruise is you decide each day what you want to do-- sun or sail, ruins, or a seaside village.

I'm in need of a shave, and the village barber Yolan is as skilled as a surgeon with a straight blade.

Shave?

Yes.

Oh, good.

Thank you.

I would like my hair short, then shaved here and here.

Okay?

>> Yes.

>> Okay.

♪ ♪ What the heck is this?

♪ ♪ It's a little spicy hot.

Ha, ha, ha!

My goodness!

I feel, I hear things burning.

I smell things burning!

♪ ♪ Ah!

That's very nice and warm, very nice and warm.

Very good, yes.

[crack!]

Ah-ha!

[crack!

crack!

crack!]

No, no problem, thank you.

♪ ♪ [crack!]

No, that's alright, you don't have to do that.

Thank you very, very much.

Well, after many days at sea, it feels good to be clean and shaved and haircut again.

I'm not quite sure what that fire thing was and the crack in the knuckles.

My barber didn't do any of that back in the States.

I think I'm gonna have to have a word with him.

In the little town of Dalyan, I trade my gulet for a riverboat and head up a reed-lined channel.

♪ ♪ The journey is magical in the morning light.

Then suddenly from behind the long grass, emerge magnificent rock tombs carved into the limestone cliffs.

These grand tombs of kings from a city called Caunos date from 400 B.C.

They're carved like temples, with friezes and columns.

The Dalyan channel opens into a lagoon, breeding ground for Caretta Caretta turtles, the world's largest hard-shell turtle.

[speaks Turkish] No!

Don't touch.

In Turkey, that means I'll take your finger off.

Their strong jaws make quick work of the lagoon's blue crabs.

A beach divides the lagoon from the sea, a little strip of sandy paradise.

Back on the Mediterranean, the Blue Cruise continues.

The coast turns more rugged as we pass into Lycia, a wild, mountainous region of Turkey.

The Lycians were as wild as their landscape and fiercely independent.

They fought Persian and Greek dominance and were the last of the regions here to be incorporated into the Roman Empire.

Under the turquoise waters near the town of Simena, staircases lead eerily into the sea, remnants of a town destroyed an earthquake in the 2nd century A.D. ♪ ♪ The city of Simena dates from the 4th century B.C.

The village is dominated by a castle built by the Knights of Rhodes, crusaders fighting against the Ottoman Empire.

The castle ruins contain the smallest Roman amphitheater in Lycia.

Lycian tombs are strewn here and there amidst the fields and carved into cliffs above.

Simena is emblematic of the Turkish coast, a gorgeous harbor, scattered ruins, and crystal-clear water.

Turks and Ottomans have always enjoyed long meals so before the main course, a soup is generally served, and that's followed by a long parade of small dishes called "meze."

Meze are often displayed in glass cases, and diners pick their favorites.

Could I have the yogurt tzatziki?

And the chili salad would be good.

Now I love crab.

Is, there crab in this?

Yes, crab salad.

Green beans are always good for you.

This is my stuffed mushroom.

We make and roast them whole Fish or meat follow as a main course, and the entire meal counts as a feast.

The ingredients are fresh, the spices flavorful and rich, small wonder, since Turkey controlled the spice road.

Turkish people are very particular about food.

The ingredients may be simple, but everything has to be just so.

A 2 kilometer detour inland from the coastal town of Kale takes me to Myra and perhaps the most memorable ancient site yet, a long cliff dotted with dozens of Lycian tombs built between the 7th and 5th centuries B.C.

rises above a Roman theater littered with columns, theater masks, and the formidable visage of Medusa, and not a single tourist in sight.

This is the magic of the turquoise coast.

The nooks and crags along the shore provided cover for the legendary pirates who terrorized these waters in ancient times.

The Roman Empire had the power to stop the pirates, but they turned a blind eye because the pirates sold captured crew as slaves for Roman plantations.

Julius Caesar himself was captured by pirates and held for ransom.

By 69 B.C., pirates halted commerce on the Mediterranean, and Rome faced famine.

The Senate gave unprecedented money and manpower to Roman general Pompeii, and within months he drove the pirates from the sea and returned to Rome a hero.

♪ ♪ One of the fastest-growing cities in Turkey and a common start or end of a Blue Cruise, Antalya feels like a huge city compared to other towns along the coast.

Antalya is named for its founder, King Attalus of Pergamum.

After Antalya became a Roman city, the Emperor Hadrian visited in 130 A.D. Townspeople built a triumphal arch to celebrate his arrival.

Restored Ottoman homes in the old quarter now house restaurants and boutiques.

♪ ♪ In Antalya's old historic bazaar there's a friendly family atmosphere.

The tea vendor has worked here 25 years.

Salesman show off their wares with no pressure to buy, and shops offer a veritable feast of Turkish delight.

Oh I like that!

The black and red, very nice.

Thank you!

Now what is this?

This is Turkish delight made of honey and with pistachio and ginseng inside.

Pistachio and ginseng.

Yes, and honey.

Honey?

It's not very sweet, not really sweet.

Yeah, honey also sweet.

Is all this made by villagers?

>> Yes.

>> I didn't know there were this many varieties of Turkish delight.

(Rudy) Bright, blue glass medallions turn up everywhere in the market.

These are amulets to ward off the evil eye.

So this is the Eye of Medusa?

Yes.

And it's meant to ward off evil?

I've seen them in taxis, on houses, people wear them.

All over in Turkey.

How many of the evil eyes do you own?

I haven't counted really.

I have many of them.

More than 5 or 10?

Many more than that.

I really like to carry even on me one of these.

That's one of the oldest traditions.

A mere 15 kilometers from Antalya, Perge is believed to have been founded by Greek heroes returning from the Trojan War.

The city we see in ruins is mostly Roman.

The only remaining Greek structure is the city's gate.

Down the length of Perge's main street a water channel trickled and sparkled in the sun, a device used to cool off the hot summer days.

In the 2nd century A.D., a prominent woman, Plancia Magna endowed the city with works of art and architecture.

Perge became renowned for its great beauty.

Archeologists have uncovered hundreds of statutes and richly carved tombs.

Back in Antalya, Perge's artifacts are collected in one stunning exhibit in the Antalya Archeological Museum.

The Hall of the Gods displays some of the gods and goddesses that adorn the city.

But it's the Room of Sarcophagi that quietly amazes.

Here's Medusa warding off evil and elaborate scenes of battle and lust carved into stone tombs.

One final ruin, a little gem, the most perfectly preserved theater from the Ancient World at Aspendos.

Theatergoers paid at the gate and were issued a clay medallion with a theater mask on one side and their seating assignment on the other.

The theater was built in the 2nd century B.C.

and was hugely popular.

People would spend the entire day watching plays here.

♪ ♪ The acoustics in this theater are so amazing that the actors could be heard from any seat.

Yet the actors themselves couldn't hear anyone in the audience talking.

♪ ♪ Time is elusive in the Turkish coast.

It languishes in the long afternoons, slipping away quickly at sunset.

Centuries suddenly vanish in the lonely ruins.

And in the port towns, one day melts into the next.

Million dollar yachts, a Lycian tomb, Mediterranean feasts, a fluted column in the grass.

The joys of The Turquoise Coast offer a rare mix of time and tradition.

Listen, if I could make time stand still, I'd do it right here and right now!

Believe me, I'm working on it.

Reporting from The Turquoise Coast of Turkey, I'm Rudy Maxa.

lyi Aksamlar!

(woman) For information on the places featured in "Rudy Maxa's World," along with other savvy traveling tips, visit... To order DVDs of "Rudy Maxa's World" or the CD of world music from the series, call or visit... ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ Cc--Armour Captioning & Twin Cities Public Television ♪ ♪ "Rudy Maxa's World," proudly sponsored by The Leading Hotels of t World.

Quests for travel begin at LHW.com, where you'll discover a collection of nearly 450 unique hotels worldwide, Including the distinctive family of Taj hotels, resorts, and palaces.

Every quest has a beginning, online at LHW.com.

Additional funding for Rudy Maxa's World provided by Medjet.com, medical evacuation membership protection for travelers.

Take trips, not chances.

And by... Yokoso!

Or "Welcome to Japan."

And by Delta--serving hundreds of destinations worldwide.

Information to plan your next trip available at delta.com.

[orchestral fanfare]