Vacation at the Art Camp:

                He has a stone art house; two stories high, with eight rooms at Kaş’s Çukurbağ village. 

It’s name is Kaş Eflatun Art Camp. Besides painting, photopraphy, marbling (ebru), reiki, crystal theraphy and color treatments.. Producing and consuming organic vegetable and fruit. Those bored of familiar vacation options, can spend 10 days without leaving the garden of Eflatun…

FATİH TÜRKMENOĞLU
fturkmenoglu@milliyet.com.tr

Aydın Çukurova, a graduate of Fine Arts from Marmara University has travelled all around the world. Especially he has spend time in Asia; India, Sri Lanka and Tibet. Reflecting much on the meaning of life, he has decided to settle in Kaş.

First, he lived in a house open to public, especially to children, with a workshop and library. As the number of guests increased and the demand of guests to stay for the night grew more, he found the solution to go to Çukurbağ village. He fixed an old stone house, making his dreams come true one by one. Eflatun Art Camp open for two years now, is born from the philosophy of “Unshared art is unproduced art”.

Less humid than Central Kaş, 450 meters high from sea level, you may need a thin jacket in the evening at Çukurbağ village. It’s only half an hour distance from the center by car. Artists, and those who wish to be artists and art lovers from all around the world are provided with the opportunity of an alternative vacation option.

At Eflatun on the Lycian road, there are six rooms, half of them with showers. Also, those who wish can stay in tents. Open buffet of meals, three times a day are served, all vegetarian with the help of all guests at the kitchen. During the whole day, cherry stem, thyme and corn tea collected from the hill is served.

A typical day starts with Yoga and meditation at the sunrise. After breakfast, those who want, give themselves to art activities. Besides basic art lecture, all needed material awaits those interested in painting, sculpture, ceramics, marbling (ebru) and photography. Eflatun inbetween the Phellos and Antiphellos cities is perfect for hikes. According to the weekly schedule, definitely a whole day is spent for hiking amongst the antique ruins. In the afternoons, the English nurse Ann does Little reiki, crystal therapy and color theraphy.

Hike and art loving tourists who don’t stay at the camp usually drop by to “have tea”. Deep silence is altered by the two hours long classical and ethnic music in the evenings. The conversations grow longer after dinner with candlelights.

At Eflatun, one lives a different life. You try to stop the neighbor Aunt Pembe’s goat from entering the garden, for instance. Or you take eight months pregnant Neslihan out of the vegetable garden to pick up tomatoes for the salad. Making your bed, on the pergola under the tree, with a book in your hands, you doze off. As Aydın puts it, at the  “beautiful people, beautiful energy” center Eflatun, one really freshens up, returning to the city like a car with a zero engine out of car service…

“I don’t have a financial anxiety”

Aydın Çukurova

Prices are very low, can you magane?

I don’t have a financial anxiety, my table is wide. Ones who come to converse are very valuable also. We just keep on living.

Are you here summer and winter?

I am living alone now and here at summer and winter.

We don’t except guests for four months in the winter. Other than that, we always have visiters. Art comes second actually, I love the energy here. It’s great to be with artist and art loving friends from all around the world.

How to get there?

For those who prefer flying, Kaş-Dalaman is 190 kilometers. There are scheduled buses. Also there are shuttles from Central Kaş to Çukurbağ Village, that drop you at the junction of the narrow stone road. There’s a one kilometer long dirt road to the camp. You either call up Aydın to pick you up or if you don’t have load, you walk.

Adress: Eflatun Art Camp, Düdenağız Valley, Çukurbağ Village, Kaş.

Telephone: (+9) (0242) 839 54 29, www.kasartcamp.com

Prices: Everything’s included in the weekly program, 500-620 Turkish Liras per person. For those who wish to stay for a night, everything included is 35-50 Turkish Liras.

“When I saw Kaş”, I said “Okay, this is my home”.

Ann Küçük

Ann Küçük has worked in England as an anesthesia nurse and retired. With the advice of a friend whose married to a Turkish man, she came to Kaş and never went back to her country. She applies alternative treatments at Eflatun.

Were you educated about alternative treatments in England?

Yes, and the hospital I worked for there, would send some patients to me. Crystals have a healing effect. They help keeping energy at balance. Reiki’s benefits are acknowledged by everyone now.

Do you reside here in the village?

I do. Life is healthier here. Villagers apply old methods for healing. Recently, a neighbor told me that she eats stinging nettle seeds for cancer protection. They know what’s good. In the Western culture, patients rely on the doctors for treatment. Here, everyone helps themselves.

What to do?

Besides the programme at the camp, swimming and diving is easy. If you don’t have a vehicle, Aydın helps. Also, tough hiking is necessary. You can visit nearby Myra (Santa Clause), Kekova, Patara, Letoon and Xantos daily.

When you’re at Central Kaş, if you’re up to less healthy stuff, you can have a coffee at Mavi at the town square and chill out. Pasta is delicious at Mustafa’s Cafe Corner. Masters from Barilla have been brought and taught. Prices are convenient. For fish, I tried the Coral Fish and loved it. I ate a plant, naturally sour and salty, it’s name is ‘sea herb’.

Telephone: (+9) (0242) 839 54 29