TSummer is still with us and with temperatures in the low 30s and our swimming pool receiving its annual filter maintenance, it was necessary to find some alternative water to sink into. There are quite a few options but we decided today to go to our nearby "developed" beach, Escape Beach. It's about 5 minutes drive from the villa. There are roughly three types of sea swimming options on the island. Developed beaches which have a whole host of facilities including, loungers, umbrellas, cafes, showers etc. Undeveloped beaches which range from tiny rocky coves to enormous sandy stretches and may have a few loungers on but no permanent facilities. Finally, wooden platforms built out over rocky bits of coastline giving sunbathing terraces with steps down into the water. Something for everyone really. The developed beaches and the platforms are obviously kept scrupulously clean by the surrounding businesses. The wilderness beaches might have flotsam and jetsam on them and in the worst case, litter from previous visitors. That said, some of them are absolutely stunning and you shouldn't be put off visiting them i.e. Alagadi Turtle Beach and Golden Beach in the Karpaz. Anyway, today we didn't want to run too far so Escape Beach ticked all the boxes. Another thing to know about the beaches here: whether they are developed or maintained, none of them are private, even the hotel ones. So, anyone can go to Escape Beach and if you take your own chair or sit on a towel, its totally free. If on the other hand you park in the private carpark, use the club loungers and umbrellas or the restrooms, showers etc, you have to pay. It's reasonable, they keep the place spotless. Adults (young children free) will pay 20 ytl ie about £4.25 per person for access to all the facilities for the day. We pay it happily. When we arrived at 0930, it was empty but it is a popular beach and gets quite busy later in the day. When I say busy, there is still lots and lots of space around you. Benidorm it isn't. Escape is a perfect family beach, a large horseshoe bay. The sand is powdery and clean. The sea is incredibly calm and clear and runs out shallow for about 200 metres. You have to walk about 100 metres to get to swimming depth! There are no rocks or pebbles, no sudden shelving. Just perfect! Just off the shore is a little island to explore with tiny sand patches and caves. You can easily wade to it. The whole bay is roped off at the island level to keep watercraft out especially the large gulets that come in for lunch and a swim most days. And also no worry from jet skiers. We had a lovely day down there reading, swimming, sunbathing...... there is free wifi too and an excellent café that serves up some super looking meals. The sea was warmer than our pool and delightful to swim or just wallow in. I'd taken a float down and enjoyed using that. Thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and will have to have another day down there or at another beach before the end of the summer. |
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The weather here continues very hot and dry. It's been a long dry summer and you can see it in the parched look of the countryside. Cyprus has long suffered from water shortages which leads to rationing over the summer months and large areas of the island being made unsuitable for agriculture. In particular the Mesaoria Plain, the huge area of land which lies between the Troodos and the Besparmak Mountains is a dry, arid flatland currently. The water rationing does not affect our house because we have an enormous (20 tonne) holding tank fed by the mains which protects our supply during the 3 days off/1 day on summer period. However, in a small way, compared to the benefits to farmers, having water for irrigation would make a massive difference to the garden. We have installed a grey water irrigation system but this is often not enough during the long dry months of summer.
That is hopefully all about to change! On Saturday an amazing engineering feat came to fruition with the opening of the water pipeline linking northern Cyprus to Turkey. The huge pipeline runs 50 miles under the sea at a depth of 250m and delivers 75 million cubic metres of water a year to the reservoirs here on the north east coast. There is enough to maintain this supply for the next 50 years. The water which has already started to flow will be divided roughly 50/50 between domestic users and for farmers' irrigation. In particular, Mesaoria will be irrigated giving thousands of acres of new agricultural land. Named the Pipeline of Peace, the water will also be available to the south of the island on any re-unification, that has always been part of the promise. We can in any case look forward to a far better supply both of domestic water and range of vegetables and fruit - already fantastic. The irrigation of previously unusable farming land will create a possible surplus for export. Of course there are some political quibbles. The management procedures had been agreed in 2011 when the work began but very recently a group of Cypriot mayors who traditionally control water allocation here decided they would like to manage the pipeline as well. Understandably, the Turkish consortium who built it are very much less than enthused by this idea. Frankly most of us who experience the "expertise" of the Cypriot local government system would also rather the Turkish consortium ran the pipeline LOL! No doubt a feelings-saving compromise has been agreed. In any case, the water is flowing. And of course, there have been howls of protest from politicians in the Greek south who view the entire project as a further Turkish incursion. No matter that the water will benefit the island and has been promised - publically promised - to all areas after re-unification. But then, we must remember that a couple of years ago, in the summer, when the Republic blew up its only power station by allowing a ship carrying illegal arms to be moored next to it for some years, the Archbishop refused all air conditioning to be allowed because it would mean buying electricity - on offer - from the "Occupied". This is akin to condemning people, say in Siberia, to live without heating: the old and vulnerable die. Sigh...... So, let the water flow on..... the Green Island is going to get greener.
So.... this is the difference between a holiday in Villa Rockheart and our stays in the villa :) Yesterday we had to run off and spend the morning doing admin things..... Today, we had to do housework and clean ready for new guests arriving tomorrow night. I have a large store of bed linen and towels so first of all a complete bed change, towel change, bathmats etc. When I'm here I can wash the towels in the washing machine. Bed linen goes off to the laundry. Not because I couldn't wash and dry it, but because I draw the line at the ironing :) Everyone likes nice crisp ironed bedding but it's a pain to do. There are lots of laundries here who do a much better job of it than me so...... Then vacuumed and mopped through. Bob emptied the bins, swept the terraces, tidied the loungers and pool toys. Rick, the pool guy came up and did his Tuesday clean and treat. It was hot so we had a lot of breaks in between all of this. And swims. And reads.... but by about 4 everything was ship shape.
Our nice man from Gunray car rentals came up and dropped us off the letter we need to take the hire car over the border tomorrow. We have to buy a special insurance at the border and this letter is necessary. It gives us permission basically. The insurance will be good for a month so we will have a few trips south to make it worthwhile. Downloaded more from BBC and ITV tonight and watched on the tv. Great to be able to keep up to date. Can't get Sky programmes. To get SKY in Cyprus you need a 1.8m dish and frankly I draw the line..... Houses that have them look like Jodrell Bank. So tomorrow we are driving south across the border and will visit ancient Kourion and have a day around Limassol before picking Mick and Maureen up at Larnaca in the evening. |
AuthorThe Boler family love travel, food and drink. Not necessarily in that order! The villa is our home from home which we love to share with our friends, old and new. Archives
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