Jane treks Lycian Way 2022

We arrived in on Sunday and we leave tomorrow (Friday) so this is just a summary of our stay and our stay has been jammed packed and there have not been too many spare moments to attend to blogs.

Finding our driver at the airport was quicker than the drive into town, however we were reminded of how big the airport was and the miles we had to walk down long corridors and walkways. Once again it was about 30 mins for the plane to travel from runway to gate. Our hotel is in the Sultanahmet area and the room big enough to open up both our suitcases. It’s also only a 5 min walk to the Blue Mosque so even though we were a lot later into our room than expected we walked up to the mosque on dusk and had a look. Unfortunately it is mostly closed and boarded up for renovations but we were able to have a peep inside. It was then over to Aya Sofya but the lines to get inside were massive and stationary as it was prayer time. We decided to leave it for another day but sat in the square for sometime eating I think our first donar kebab on the trip and watching the world go by. It’s busy and it’s crowded even though it’s end of the high season. There are lots of sprukers, gypsies, beggars, food carts and of course loads of cats and dogs. Possibly not as many cats as we have seen in the villages but still plenty. There are even vending machines in public squares were you can put in some money and get out (or leave out) a cupful of dog or cat food for the strays. The highlight of the night was going into a bar for an aperol spritz and while drinking it the barmen did a dance. The price for two drinks was about $45AUS – we decided it must have been a music/dance tax.

We actually had a bit of a sleep in the next morning – until about 8am. I think we were still catching up on the early mornings in Cappadocia. It was then over to Topkapi palace to get there for the morning opening and beat the queues. It was the usual bedlam of men trying to sell us guided tours, perfume etc. we took our chances on doing it ourselves. Neither of us are good at listening to tour leaders prattling on and being forced to take 4-5 hours when we figured 3 would be enough. Of course it was the harem that was the most interesting and possibly the most restored and preserved. Such beautiful tiles and marbles and a very complex pecking order. Most of the concubines were brought in from other countries as the Sultans didn’t believe in enslaving their own people. Some were very young girls, far from home and with no chance of ever returning. Looking after them were the black and white eunuchs- segregated even way back when. The grounds and gardens were massive and take up a huge chunk of land in an otherwise very crowded city. In some ways there are some similarities to Sydney in that the harbour (Sydney), the Bosphorus (Istanbul) gives a feeling of space and airflow. After lunch we visited the Cisterns – very extensive and very interesting. Just amazing that all those centuries ago they worked out how to dig such a huge cavern under the city, build all the hundreds of supporting pillars and make it waterproof. Centuries before even a horse track had been formed in Australia.

We found a reasonable restaurant for dinner and I ordered an Ottoman meal which was cooked in a clay pot. It’s a great ceremony to open it. The top is wrapped in a wet towel while to bottom is fired in a flame. Then it tapped around a fault line and the bottom falls off and the meal poured into a dish. It’s common to see all the empty pots piled up outside of the restaurants. I’m guessing they probably are not recycled. Nothing much seems to be recycled in Turkey but at lease the city has better rubbish collection than most of the country towns and villages.

We then did an evening visit to Aya Sofya and were actually allowed inside while prayers were being held and once they were finished we were able to wander around most of the mosque. As the guide book says you need to bring binoculars to be able to see the mosaics in the dome but you certainly get the impressions of its opulence and size. There are so many mosques and so many big ones in the city. We did learn that there are around 3,500 in Istanbul alone. I’ve learnt from my visit to Turkey that they love a mosque, they love a wall, they love cats and dogs and they love tooting their horns. Not necessarily in any order.

On Tuesday we decided to hit the markets and do the shopping. As usual when trekking there is really no impulse to buy trinkets or momentos. The thought of carrying them or packing them is too much. We found our way to the grand bazaar and I was pleasantly surprised. I was expecting chaos and tight little laneways and a feeling of getting lost. I remembered Fez many years ago and needing a guide to get you in and certainly one to get you out but the bazaar was very well set out and clean and not too many people harassing us. We spent about an hour finding what we wanted and knowing that we were probably being ripped off and then followed our noses down the hill through more narrow lanes lined with shops to the spice market. In some ways we both liked this even better than the bazaar. Possibly because it’s so colourful and smells wonderful. We dropped all our purchases at home and then hit the trams and funicular to the other side of the water to see where the locals shop. It’s a long pedestrian road with only a single ancient tram going it’s length. There was absolutely no chance of fitting on it’s one tiny carriage so we walked. First stop was an exclusive cake and coffee shop where we had some amazing cakes/ puddings and some pretty good coffee. We were trying to find Galata tower but somehow missed it. There were quite a few shops selling prepared cooked meals for the people to take home after work and I did notice quite a few food delivery motorbikes. I found a potato shop that specialised in baked potatoes with a whole range of fillings to choose from. We walked over the Galata bridge which is a double decker bridge. Cars, tram and fishermen on top, seafood restaurants on the bottom layer.

On Wednesday we decided to hit the water. We booked a trip on the Bosphorus and managed to find ourselves on a smallish boat with only a small group of about 15 people. Danny and I had the top deck mainly to ourselves. It was good to see the city from the water, passing many beautiful buildings – palaces, government buildings and school, luxury hotels, old castles and private residences many of which are old Ottoman houses with preservation orders and restrictions. There is no doubt Turkey is going a long way to restore its heritage. One of the drivers has to be tourism. It seems to be one of their largest industries.

After the tour we headed back over the bridge and found a food stall selling the locally famous fish in roll. Apparently the fish is actually brought in from the Nordic countries and it’s pretty salty but much nicer than I had been warned. It tasted to me a bit like sardines – salty and oily but a reasonable size fillet in a roll with lettuce and mayonnaise. We then decided to find the Womens Market which is actually the meat market and a little bit further out by tram. I was expecting once again an undercover market but instead it was a small road and a little squart lined with butchers shops. The first thing we saw was a tethered goat on the grass. The poor thing was possibly for sale.

There were lots of sheep and goats heads, mostly skinned and lots of cows feet.. not any pig meat that I could see, but lots of offal of all descriptions especially tripe and intestines. Lots of things I really couldn’t identify and lots of awful smells. It was certainly an experience and I thought it interesting that even the local women were using their headscarves to cover their noses to enter some of the shops. At the second last shop we noticed a large cattle head displayed with his tongue hanging out. I would love to know how they prepared that for eating. It certainly would be an effort to carry it home.

We finally gave in an had dinner at a restaurant that we had passed at least twice a day every day. The man had asked us every time to come and eat there, so we finally did and it was a good meal. I had lamb chops and they were excellent, tender, tasty and moist. After finishing off a bottle of wine we decided to try the local raki which we had seen everywhere. It’s really the Turkish ouzo and goes cloudy when water is added. We didn’t get around to trying a hooka pipe. We were going to but then found out that it is tobacco based and takes over an hour to smoke. We could find better things to do with an hour.

It was an early pick up this morning to travel out on a tour to Gallipoli. It was about a four hour trip in a bus and 5-6 hours looking at a lot of the sights that were of most importance to the Aust and New Zealanders and I’m writing this whole blog page in bus on our way back to Istanbul. How do I wrap up the visit and experience? I’m really not sure. The emotion is pretty overwhelming. Our first real stops were ANZAC cove and other landing spots and I really couldn’t stop the tears at one stage. Those poor buggers. The futility of it all. The mountains were not as high as the areas we had walked but they were just as steep in parts and the beach so narrow and absolutely no cover. They were all just sitting ducks with no hope of survival. The Turkish guide for our tour has been doing it for 24 years and I felt gave a very impartial presentation. He really seemed to have the attitude that it was just a shocking waste of life on both sides, that there were no real winners in the conflict even though the Turks successfully defended their land, it was just an awful tragedy every day that both sides engaged in battle. I think one of the most astounding things was that the opposing trenches were just so close to each other, a many points only about 15 mts apart, and they battled over that stretch of ground for days and weeks. At lone pine over 10,000 men battled for days on a bit of land the size of a rugby field. I walked the length and took 135 steps. There are a lot of monuments and statues for the Turks. This is the place that Ataturk showed his heroism and strategic forethought. This is the place where he came to the forefront and eventually developed the Turkish Republic. The Turks have a lot to be proud of, and of recent years have once again put in a lot of effort and money to restore areas and preserve them. According to our guide, the Aussie tourism to the area and the attendance at ANZAC services really started taking off in the late 1990s and in the last 10 years the Turks have started catching up and realising the importance and significance of the area to themselves. There were several bus loads of Turkish tourists visiting the area and several sites that are very new and under constant surveillance. There are now many cemeteries in the area and all the time they are being added to as they work out who might have died in each area.

It will be a very late night once we get home. Hopefully I can use the pretty good internet and load some photos in the morning. Our pick up for the airport is 1.30 for a 5.30 flight. That’s how long it will take us to weave our way out of the city and get to the airport for an international flight and all the security checks we have to have. – and to walk the kilometres inside the airport! We intend to have a Turkish massage tomorrow morning to tick another experience off the list. I’m not sure they will be able to help my feet. The dead skin hasn’t started shedding yet. I think that will happen in a couple more weeks.

Turkey. It’s been a great experience. It gave me lots of surprises. It was constantly different that I imaged it would be. I certainly won’t be lining up for another walk here. Just too tough. I’ve definitely learnt I’m not a trekker nor indeed a hiker. Just a foot traveller. I will do another walk somewhere in the world. It will have a grading of no higher than moderate. I’m sure it will have some tough moments but nothing like the relentless endurance of this one. My vote for the best parts would have to go to Antalya and Cappadocia. I can’t really say that there were any really stand out villages. For a lot of the time we stayed in isolated houses or places and there were no villages to walk around at the end of the days – or we were just too exhausted to walk the streets and get the vibe of village life. In fact more than once we discussed that being able to see village life is something that we missed. We also didn’t actually see many kids, or the interaction between kids and their parents, something that we love seeing in the Mediterranean countries. I would say the Turkish are friendly and warm people who welcomed us as Aussies but even after spending 4 weeks out in the countryside and another week in cities I don’t think I really have any great insight into their way of life. Turkey. It’s been good. It’s a tick from me, but I’m pretty sure I won’t be back in this lifetime.

It was another really start with a bus coming to pick us up before 6am and it was very cold, -2C. We drove into Goreme and joined a row of hundreds of cars, buses and trailers winding their way through the hills to a flat area. Somehow our bus driver worked out were to go and we realised we were parked near a balloon in a row of many balloons being unpacked and gassed up. After being served a snack in the bus we were unloaded into the cold just as the sky was beginning to lighten and then asked to climb into the basket. No easy feat. A brief safety instruction about the landing position and we started moving up. It was far more gentle than expected and more noisy due to the gas and flame. Luckily we were in a compartment next to the pilot and navigator, so we got the warmth from the flame.

As we took off it was extremely busy with balloons jostling for position and many walkie talkies going to let each other know where they were. We also noticed that there seemed to be a model shoot going on in with the balloons as a backdrop. Young women in long flowing gowns running across the dirt being photographed. They must have frozen. We even saw what appeared to be a bride and groom having a photo shot. The ride was just spectacular, going quite high at some points but quite low in the valleys. The sun came up and put a sparkle on everything. Some ridges were lined with people who had paid to see the spectacle from ground level. It was really interesting to see the ground with so many little holes. Too small I think for rabbits but they must have another animal that burrows.

Eventually we landed and had a champagne ceremony. More berry and apple juice than champagne and were asked to tip the ground crew. They were good. We only had two bumps on landing and then the ground crew manoeuvred the basket complete with 28 people on board onto the trailer. We both felt that if there was one balloon flight to have in a life time we had picked the right one.

It was then back to our hotel for a quick breakfast before heading out on another bus to do the green tour of the valley, monastery and underground tunnels. Firstly it was an hours drive out of town to the ‘largest monastery’ in the area. Much like we had seen, caves inhabited over 1000s of years and a number of churches and quarters dug out and built. Apparently the section that was mainly for women (nuns) was once connected but now collapsed so we visited the male area. We were able to photograph the frescos this time and one showed the evil eye which actually seems to have harked back from Christians and Greeks rather than the Turkish – but they are claiming it. Also it was interesting to see that they had dug out communal dining rooms. Long stone benches either side of a long stone table. Then it was another long drive to the valley. I’m not sure of its significance but once again a valley with 12 churches in cave most of which have collapsed. It was a 3km walk through the valley which was very pretty and I couldn’t help wondering why we couldn’t have had some of that gentle walk on the Lycian Way. Then a lunch stop restaurant- trout for me and chicken casserole for Danny.

Another long drive. Its obviously a very expansive area and to the tunnels. This time a community and church underground and down lots of very narrow very low tunnels down over 65 mtrs. Danny sat this one out as for about 50 mts you had to crunch and walk to 1.3 mts in height. Luckily this time I didn’t bash my head but it was difficult. One of the young lads on tour baled as he became quite claustrophobic. It was one thing to walk down over 100 rocky dark steps. Quite another to climb up them. My heart was pounding. They let the bishops live in the lowest quarters for safety and had a number of safety techniques and booby traps for any enemies. They made and drank wine to keep them calm living most of their lives in underground tunnels. 40 minutes was enough for me.

It was then the usual stops, more look out points, tea and coffee and nut tasting and purchasing and then of course another over the top jewellery store. It was all young people on tour except us so of course we were targeted and couldn’t escape soon enough.

Home and a shower before hitting the restaurants. A young Irish couple on tour and staying in our town suggested a place they had used the night before. A man has just opened a medieval restaurant serving meat platters. We had the slow cooked brisket platter complete with baked potatoes, which was really good but we couldn’t do it justice. He tried to give us a free dessert but we were more than complete and ready for bed. It was a very long day. Cappadocia had given us much for the memory bank. A truely unique and fascinating place.

We arrived In Cappadocia mid morning and basically hit the ground running. We are staying in Urgup a small town outside the main centre of Goreme. We have a small cave hotel and our room is amazing but I have to say it’s a bit difficult not having any natural light. You have no concept of night and day. The room is warm with underfloor heating and seems to maintain 25 C despite trying to turn it down.

As we had missed the regular tours our host convinced us to take a taxi who would show take us to 4-5 main spots and wait for us. Off we went with a man who spoke no English but used google translate while driving the somewhat hectic roads one handed. The roads are either new and used for speeding and catching up time or narrow and cobbled and disintegrating. We were dropped off at the local look out at Urgup and then onto the Goreme outdoor museum which is a valley of cave buildings where people lived over 2000 years ago. Most of the caves that are open to view are churches with quite amazing frescos but no photos are permitted as they are trying their best to preserve the frescos. Lots of climbing up hills, ladders and ramps and lots of narrow doors and passageways. Quite like nothing I have ever seen.

The driver then took us to a local horse farm where the owner was excited that I was carrying the Lonely Planet guide and wanted to check his write up in the guide. They no longer catch and break in wild horses but now get most of their stock from reject horse racing stables.

It was then onto another lookout to see the landscape from another angle. Of course at every point there is the usual tourist venders but even they don’t detract from the incredible landscape and the wonder of what life was like for the residents 100s and 1000s of years ago

The off to another lookout, a visit to the castle, the highest point up. Danny climbed it. I didn’t. A visit to Pigeon Valley where most of the cave houses were build just to house pigeons. They were used for both messengers and meat

Home to rest our tired selves and then out to dinner. We found the bes5 restaurant serving lamb shanks is the tandour and a salad with strawberries and sunflower seeds. just lovely.

We spent our last day in Antalya being tourist and taking a tour. We had tried to work out how to take a public ferry around to the cable car and to visit the waterfalls but they were all far apart and it was easier on a tour. Off we went with the gang and it was pretty well organised but long. Thankfully we had free time at most places as of course there were the usual couple of whingers on board. The tour also through in a boat trip of about 40 mins on a boat that was meant to make us feel like millionaires but it was small compared to its neighbours at the dock. The boat just went out along the coast and turned around and came back. It was good for us to see the mountains from the oceans and to see them rising so steeply from sea level and realise that some how we had picked our way through them. The tour leader also through in a ‘lovely surprise’ – a visit to a jewellery store. It was huge, massive. About the size of 4 football fields and we kept on being invited into 2 more apparent rooms where the real diamonds were kept. In the ordinary rooms they kept sky diamonds which are manufactured diamonds in Switzerland and some other Turkish stone that changes colour in sunlight. It was one of those dreadful experiences where and assistant follows your every move and tries to show you something and offers discount. It was a completely overwhelming and unpleasant experience. Probably our worse experience in Antalya.

The tour did include a visit to the old town which of course was where we were staying. However when we got off the bus in front of Hadrians gate there was a large group of school kids all dressed up and singing national songs while being filmed. It’s 99 years on Saturday of Ataturk overthrowing the Ottomans and the republic being declared. We could not pass through the gates for about 10 mins, cutting the city tour in half which suited us as we walked all the streets we had walked the day before.

The whole day was a long one but we did manage to see some parts outside the old city and to ease our bodies back to some normalcy. We are both feeling rather fatigued and realise this particular walk has taken a lot out of us. We packed our bags and ducked around the corner for a pizza dinner at an alleyway restaurant that we had noticed the night before. It had a guy playing a guitar and singing with an average voice, but singing songs mainly from 60s through to 80s. He sung a lot of medleys and broke into Louis Armstrongs Wonderful world at one stage. it brought back memories of celebrating my birthday and catching up with Louie and Al et al in Coimbra Portugal several years ago. After too many drinks at dinner we all sang the song walking home down those very steep, narrow streets with our noise bouncing off the walls.

Well that was Antalya done and dusted. A really lovely little city that I would easily recommend. Just make sure to stay in the old centre and don’t go in the high summer season as I doubt you could move. Late October was ideal

For the first time since being away I actually slept through the night. No 3 hours awake dusting the night and no being awake for the call to prayer at 5 .30am. In fact Danny woke me at 8am. He is never awake before me!

We had a leisurely breakfast and it was good to be able to choose our own from the buffet rather than have it all laid out on the table before us, with a host watching us eat and to make sure we were trying everything. After organising some washing we took to the streets of Antalya. We are staying in the ancient city part which has almost been fully restored. There are a few ram shackled building but in the whole everything has been restored. The buildings are set in tiny cobbled lanes, all one way for cars and some too small for cars. Only residents cars, taxis and delivery vehicles are allowed in the city. During the day there are lots of tour groups going through but in the evening it’s mainly just tourist who are staying within the city. It’s quiet in the streets but the Anatalyans love a night club and also live music so there is always something blasting away.

We managed to take a self guided walking tour of the city. Well of course we would find a walking tour. Actually I found it in our Lonely Planet Guide Book. It was very good. We started at Hadrians Gate and continued through the town to the other side of the harbour. I can help thinking that Hadrian was a busy man building walls and gates all over the world. On the other side of town we had a late lunch at a restaurant looking over the harbour and then caught an escalator down to the harbour. Interestingly the elevator said it took 4 people or 360kgs. We got in with 6 to go down but there was such a line up to go up, 10 plus at a time were cramming in. We managed to find a very quaint museum telling the story of the Ottoman life and customs and attached to it was an old Greek church, now museum, that had an exhibition on animals on currency. I was really surprised to learn that Turkey once had elephants, hippos, bears, lions etc. I wonder which generation wiped them out. Maybe good old Hadrian???

Antalya has surprised us with its beauty and sophistication. It’s clean and really well kept. A lot of sensitive restoration has been achieved, and it’s just really beautiful. As we are really at the end of the holiday season there are very few people around and although the streets are really narrow it’s pretty easy to get around without getting too lost. Another surprising thing is that there are lots of pubs, many of which are English or Irish themed.

We managed to have dinner overlooking the very pretty harbour and I had the mixed grill which was up there with one of the best to date.

Tomorrow we are going on a tour of the waterfalls and also up the cable car. We tried to work out how to do it ourselves via local ferry but it just got too complicated. We will just have to play real tourists for the day.

It was a really early start as we were being driven to the other side of the mountain for our final descent and the finish of the walk. Our itinerary was to walk up and over the mountain but to get to that drop off point it would be an 80 kms drive as there is no direct route only a maze of mountain roads. Tuncay had other transport jobs so to make it easier on everyone we decided on a drop off point that would only give us about 6 kms to walk. Tuncay also got lost and was constantly stopping to use his phones GPS and then managed to drive with one hand while observing his phone in the other. It was a nightmare with him overtaking on mountain corners and more than once I thought we were not going to make it. At one stage about 4 dogs rushed out to bark at the car and I’m sure I heard a thud. He drove on not bothering to check. I knew he was taking wrong turns as I was following our progress with my GPS but as much as I tried to let him know we soldiered on. At the last moment he realised he was wrong and was going to turn around, take us down and try the correct road up. Nope I was out of there. I could see that if we got out and walked we were only about 500 mts off the track about a km further back up the track than we had intended. We got out, watched him turn around and sat down to thank our lucky stars we were still alive.

We started walking down the hill and immediately realised we were being followed by a young dog. We let it go on for a while and had a break at some ruins and hoped it would go away. It didn’t.

It was a pretty walk through the forest but it soon became obvious that most people don’t walk these last two – three days. Many stop at Goynuk which was the old start/finish point. The track was overgrown, hard to find and poorly marked. It was also very slippery in parts. The rocks on some slopes were tiny and it was like stepping on ball bearings. In other parts steep slopes were covered in a thick blanket of pine needles and pine cones. They are also hard to walk on, you just can’t get any grip. It wasn’t long before I took my first slip. Ouch. The dog kept following us and we tried to shoo it home and we tried stopping and seeing if it would go past. Then at a moment where Danny was negotiating a pine needle slope it went into the back of his knees and he went down. Danny swore at the dog and it scurried off but we could still hear it through the bush for a while. We came down picking our way through stony rock falls and onto a road. Yep there was the dog sitting on the road waiting for us! It followed us again along the road and then we had to tune off the road and it stayed put. Finally we had lost it. Once again it was a final zig zag down the last bit of the mountain to the final river crossing. Danny started off on the stepping stones and gave up half way across and just walked through the water. We then came out onto a camping park full of rock climbing enthusiasts. We could actually see several up on the cliff faces. We knew that there was a cafe there but we needed to firstly find the sign for photo opportunities and also our meeting place with Tuncay about another km down the road. We did both but as it was only about 11 am and our meeting time was between 12-2 we walked back to the cafe and manage to get a tuna sandwich the only thing on the menu. Guess who should be there laying on the lawn, our dog. We don’t know if that was his home or if he was still lost and thought it was a hopeful place to get a feed. We walked back to the meeting place and thankfully Tuncay turned up about 15 minutes later. We were done.

It was then another perilous drive into Antalya, though the suburban sprawl and maze of highways and short cuts through back streets and a chunk of road rage to the gates of the ancient city centre. Only certain vehicles are allowed into the city which is a maze of narrow one way streets and ancient ottoman houses. After more directions and a slight mix up of hotels we were there. It was a relief to say goodbye to Tuncay. We have a nice room in an old Ottoman house and for us it was a shower and a lie down and off for drinks at a courtyard around the corner. It is such a pretty town. I think a lot of tourist come for day tours and it’s pretty quiet in the evenings, but they do like their night clubs. The first thing that I noticed is the cleanliness. There is no rubbish. Still lots of cats but not as many as we have seen. We also found a nice restaurant and it was lamb chops for dinner. Quite a nice change from meat balls and a long way from Tuncays efforts. It was also nice to eat later in the evening and get into bed later than 8 pm knowing we didn’t have to get up and put walking boots on tomorrow. The walk is done!!!

Tuncays friend ( we still don’t know his name) drove us up the mountain to our staring point at Elmayani. I don’t think he has driven that way before, nor on mountain roads, nor on dirt roads. Within 5 minutes he stoped the car and went and asked at a house for directions. He was so fascinated with the mountain road that he was constantly looking up for rock falls and constantly looking out at the views. The road was only one lane most of the way and very windy with lots of switch backs. All I wanted to yell out was ‘for gods sake watch the bloody road mate’. At times all I wanted to do was jump out and walk. It seemed a lot safer option. We eventually got to our starting point where a man immediately came out of a house and tried to sell us drinks and tea. I was almost in need of something a lot stronger. On the way up we actually saw 3 cows on the road, our first for the whole trip but they had gone by the time we walked down. The walk down was virtually all the way down on the road we had driven up and we both relaxed and chatted more than the whole walk as it was one of the few times we didn’t have to watch every step nor worry about slipping. It was quite pretty with great views of the mountains and Antalya.

We made it into town around 1 pm and noticed that the only advertised cafe was closed so thought it was going to be another lunch of muesli bars and nuts. We started walking towards home and just as we walked past the mosque there was the call to prayer and we both nearly jumped out of our skin. I have a funny video of Danny singing along but dare not publish it until we get out of the country but soon after I took it a man called for us to come over. I thought oh no I’m in real trouble now, he’s going to take us to task for making fun of the call to prayer. Thankfully all he wanted to do was give us pomegranates, but got quite upset when we only took one and not the three on offer. We ended up giving it to Tuncay.

We walked up to our turn off to Tuncays home and for some reason kept walking and extra few hundred mts. We were actually looking for a shady rock to sit and eat our snacks but we found a road side stall with a few men sitting around drinking tea. We asked if they sold food and the owner opened a fridge and showed us a couple of carcasses and indicated he could cook us meat. It could have been lamb but most likely goat. We sat on his rickety balcony and looked at all the rubbish below. Very typical. There seems to be no concept of rubbish collection, recycling, or protecting the environment. Anyway the usual salad appeared followed by a covered dish and a great voila as he lived the lid which was the meat dish neatly covered by slices of bread. It was tough but tasty. He then brought out a bowl of soup for us to share which was terrible. We couldn’t eat it. It’s their traditional sour yoghurt soup with a bit of rice and a bit of oil on top. It’s usually olive oil but in this case he had used the oil from the meat juices.

It was then home to Tuncays. I managed to put my washing out on his balcony amongst all the cats, their food and litter trays. I’ve lost count of his cats but safe to say there are more than 10. I also managed to stuff his door handle so had to wait for him to get home to retrieve my washing. Dinner was eggplant and rice and the usual salad. Far from inspiring.

After a great meal last night and a late breakfast that included gozleme we took the day off trekking and went to the beach. It was about a 3 km walk across a dry river bed and along a road which was the backs of all the elaborate hotels and resorts facing the beach. Many had water parks with great slides and fountains etc. one was even situated on the non beach side of the road but had its own bridge over the road to its private bridge on the other side of the road. Most were so large the had little golf buggies the guests were using to get around. We found the public beach and hired our sun lounges and hit the water. Coolish but very clear with the usual pebbles and severe drop off to deep water after about 10 mts. No wonder the resorts all had pools. There was no possibility of young kids paddling in the sea. We sat and watched as the resort people played around on banana boats and paragliding..

We then headed back into town and past a huge hotel complex only to be beaten by the one across the road. It was a huge building in the shape of a ship. We actually thought it was a shopping complex and went inside only to be followed by security who asked if we were guests. We then realised it was a hotel and went out. The town had a long boulevard about 1 km long going away from the beach. Filled with shops and designer outlets but there was hardly a person in the street and no shoppers. How the retailers survive is beyond me. Finding lunch was equally puzzling. The only restaurant we could find away from resort alley was only serving their light menu which was basically a breakfast menu at 2 in the afternoon. After some dish which was a type of scrambled eggs and cheese baked in the oven we walked home to wait for Tuncay our next host to pick us up. An hour up a mountain road. Tuncay is a retired pilot and seemed to remember that there are no traffic lights in the skies so why bother with them on the road. He drove straight through a red light on the highway. He then managed to overtake several times going uphill on hairpin bends and blind corners. At times I thought our decision not to walk was a bad one. Maybe we had cheated death yesterday only to be wiped out today.

Tuncays accommodation is back to the very basics. We are sharing a bathroom with someone but not sure who. It may be Tuncay, his gentleman friend, another guest yet to arrive, Tuncay or all three. The guide said an informal home with better that average food, that his wife and son spoke better English. Well the food was the worse on tour. Dinner was rice and butter beans and salad and there is no sign of a wife or son. In fact I’m sure no woman has been in this house for a few years. It took us at least half an hour to work through the plan for the next two days but with the help of google translate and some drawings of cars, walkers and hotels we finally got there. The proof will be if we and our luggage get to Antalya in two days time.

After a somewhat ordinary breakfast but with the surprise of a few walnuts and dried figs we were on our way. To begin with the track was once again a reasonable road with great views but also with mist making photos difficult. We spied our camp from the other side of the valley

Soon the track went off road and through a pretty forest trail and then suddenly came out onto a road. There was a problem. It was about a 15 mt drop onto the road. We looked for an alternative but there wasn’t any other than back tracking some considerable distance to the road we had left as we were pretty sure it was the same road. In the end we took off our packs and threw them down and slid down on our bums. I have no idea how anyone with a full pack was able to go up from the road to the track. It was scary as you never know if it’s going to be a controlled slide and if you will hit a rock.

We followed the road for a bit and then it curved sharply around a cliff and we saw our next BIG problem. It was a cliff with scree and a 150 mt drop. The trail was a very narrow ledge with one point a log across a gap about 2 feet deep. You had to wedge yourself between cliff and log and get across to the narrow ledge on the other side. Starting and finishing was the worse as it was both a step down and step up with nothing much to hang onto to. We made it across and took a breather on more solid ground but then within 10 mts was a scree crossing of about 20-30 mtr once again with a 150 mt drop. I inched my way across trying not to think of anything but the few inches in front of each boot, and whether the ground felt solid. It was not the time for ‘what ifs’. I made it and watched Danny knowing his fear of heights is greater than mine. I saw him make it and his face crumbled for a couple of seconds. Emotionally he was drained and we both said it was the scariest thing ever and nothing old ever be that hard again. Seconds later he realised his phone was missing. It must have come out of his pocket at the log. I took of my pack and with just one pole took to the scree again. I somehow convinced myself I had done it once and could do it again. Unbelievably his phone was resting on the tiniest of rocks jutting out from the cliff in the middle of the log crossing. I knew I had to get down again into the crossing to get the phone as if I reached and missed, the phone or me or both would go. With phone firmly in my pocket it was back over the scree again telling myself not to rush it and just to concentrate as much as the first time. We both walked to safety and just sat and debriefed on what had just happened.

We meanders down towards the river and then struck the boulders. The trail crossed the river a number of times. Sometimes it was just stepping stones, others clamouring over huge boulders and then a log crossing which was not too bad but at the end it was a case of getting off the log in crouching position as the bolder above that you could hold onto had an overhang.

The final peril of this stretch was a climb down a rickety ladder of about 15 mtrs, the main trouble being that some of the rungs were a mtr apart so I actually had to lie flat on the ladder to reach the rungs. If I had had to go up I’m not sure how I would have managed. Just when I hit the bottom The Hare appeared and just went down with the grace of a 33year old. Danny then came down and we all had our photos together, it’s possibly the last we will see of him as we have decided not to walk tomorrow and he will move on.

Straight after the ladder is was a quick walk up onto the mountain and a km later a tent selling tea and snacks. The young man opens it for a couple of months a year and brings everything in on backpack. No wonder his prices were inflated but good on him for providing a service

It then seemed the real walk began. Once again a 4km hike up a mountain. Not as bad as a couple of days previously but still steep. At least the path was more clearly defined so we didn’t have to constantly check the GPS. Also there were a lot more switch backs, zig zagging up the mountain. They can be frustrating as you are aware that you are not making much distance but they often give at least a few metres of flat which is very welcome. We made it up over the top and then it was another 4 km down the other side also on zig zags and a lot more on loose rocks and shale. About three quarters of the way down we came across a very pretty water source on the edge of a spectacular view. A group of three had taken their drinks and nibbles up to take in the view and took our photo and then got me to hold their drink to pretend I had come to their party.

Then down into the gorge. Goynuk Gorge was extremely pretty with beautiful water. It was another 1.5 km to walk to the actual gorge which we were not doing. Instead we crossed the river on stepping stones which were slippery and Danny just took the easiest action and walked through in ankle deep water. We found the cafe area and for once with the best built and best organised cabanas. It was a couple of beers and a gozleme, at 3.30. We were worried that the Naturel Camp was going to be as basic as the Doga and that dinner would be meagre. There were beautiful geese in the water and zip lining adventures going on and the walk out had amazing natural wood sculptures. Another 3 km and we found our accommodation. Actually one of the best so far. A spacious room, a well organised place and friendly people. Only trouble no luggage. After several calls it was to arrive in another 1 1/2. One of the best dinners on tour, salmon from the Black Sea and it was filleted and also dessert and for once a white wine that was drinkable.

We have definitely decided not to walk tomorrow. It’s another really hard day going up to 1,800 mtr again. We really have done enough and we both have very sore feet. The beach is only 2 kms away. We will walk there and hopefully have a swim and a look at the town. We will go with the luggage at 4 pm and take the 1 hour drive in the car.

We were on the road just before 8.30 which was almost a record early start, and straight away it was an uphill paved road back to the main track. Although it wasn’t too steep it was enough to remind our muscles that they had really taken a pounding the day before. The trail took us to a farm house and we were in someone’s backyard. We were lost within 10 minutes. someone yelled from a window to go around the other side and through a gate, over a little bridge and we were on our way again. It was mainly a meandering road through forests and valleys. Quite spectacular views but all was covered in mist and even though the sun was up, we knew photos would not show what we were seeing. I was also having lots of trouble with the GPS app. Every time I took a photo and then reopened the app I would lose our blue dot indicating where we were and the only way I’ve managed to work out how to get it back is to shut down the phone and restart everything. It’s a real pain as sometimes the ground is too rough to be walking and watching the phone at the same time.

The road was once a proper road so in many parts very even. It’s likely it would have been well used connecting the villages but in many parts it’s either been washed away or has suffered landslides and it’s been reduced in parts to less than a metre wide. It seems they have given up trying to repair it and instead just built a new road for cars further up the mountain.

We made the 7 kms into Gedelme in less that 2 hours, very different from the day before. On approach to the village there were two huge houses possibly the biggest we have seen but the village only offered a very run down store and of course a large mosque. Muesli bars and biscuits were the best on offer. The lady from the store was desperate for me to take coffee with her and while we ate an icecream at her outdoor seat she bought out an array of scarves for sale. Instead of more purchases we watch the local lads gathering on their motorbikes who were in turn watching us. Many looked well under 18 and not too many helmets amongst them. From the store we took a tarmac road for about 1 km and more lads were turning up for the gathering, one pair almost playing chicken with us and pushing us off the road.

I was happy to leave the road but soon we were up a steep rocky path that seemed to go on forever. It was no means as hard as yesterday but because our bodies were so fatigued it was difficult. As we got nearer the top we heard the bikes again and soon realised there was a motocross race on and the local lads had probably come out to watch it. There was more up and then of course the inevitable down over a rocky path onto another well maintained mountain road. We were ambling along impressed with our progress and realised we were only about 2 kms from town. We were excited because we would be able to get out our wet washing in the sunshine and actually get it dry. However things changed quickly. Firstly we realised we had missed a turn but a look at the map showed us if we stayed on the road it would be an extra km but it would get us to town. Then it started to rain so we had to stop and put wet weather gear on. Then it stopped raining – gear off as we were too hot and then the road took us straight to a cafe/ house that wasn’t selling any food at all. The lady told us Doga camp was around her house further down the track. It was a narrow overgrown track and at one stage we had to go over a very difficult run down style which had been propped up by various walkers, then down a steep gully which almost meant sliding on our bums and onto the road – which was of course the road we were originally on the other side of the village, but where was Doga camp? After a few mins of discussion about whether it was up or down the road we noticed a sign Doga camp 2 kms. Off we walked frustrated that an hour ago we thought we were almost there. Then the next dilemma- the trail diverged off the road – take the trail 2km or take the road. I tried phoning Doga. No answer. I tried phoning the tour company no answer I tried WhatsApp her no connection. We decided to take the road because we thought it the most likely option given a car was delivering our suitcases. Eventually we found Doga. It’s a series of tiny huts 3×4 mts and camping platforms in the middle of nowhere- our cases were there on the back of a tractor. The shower (thankfully hot water) was of course right over the toilet which leaks and is so noisy we have to turn it off each time it fills. The restaurant of sorts is in a hut/ kitchen where the broken fridge is used as a cupboard and the insides are filled with bung filler to stop the drafts. It was a meal of canned tomato soup with virtually alphabet spaghetti and fairly dreadful meatballs and rice. No dining delight!! There are two doonas on the bed and we will need both as it’s extremely cold – I doubt they have been washed between the last number of users. It surprised us that another 10 guests arrived in dribs and drabs after 4.30 and all have been walking the other direction. Apparently it’s a tough day with tricky river crossings. What joyful news.