Jane treks Lycian Way 2022

What a day. I just don’t know how to describe it. In every way it nearly beat me and I have no idea how it didn’t.

We started the day with none of our washing dry so had to pack wet clothes into the suitcase hoping we can get things dry tonight. Breakfast was okay but not great and we were promised a ride 2-3 kms up the mountain which we were willing to take. No sooner did we walk outside and the man took off in his car without us. We started walking and although the first km was on tarmac it was a very steep uphill. With full packs of water on board it’s quite demoralising to hit such a steep incline straight away. The road then turned to rubble and then a track through forest and then back onto a rubble road again. All the time it was steep and I started counting steps and giving myself a breather every 150 steps which soon became every 100. At one stage I realised the noise I thought I could hear was actually my heart beat in my ears and head. It was exhausting. After about 3 km the route went off road over some extremely sharp rugged roads only for us to realise 300mts later that we could have stuck to the road. The road ended at a hut where a bloke sold snacks and where we could fill our water bottles at his water source. The bloke was the one that had driven off without us. It had taken us nearly an hour and a half to get there.

We were then directed to a ladder around the back of his hut and the real fun began. Straight up at over 30% incline over slippery rocks, shale, boulders, fallen logs muddy paths you name it. It was the toughest walk I’ve ever done. We climb over a 1000 metres in elevation. I just about gave up, but the thought of turning around and going back down was just too much. At times I was saying to myself ‘just 20 more steps, just 20 more steps’. When you have to concentrate so hard on where to place your next footstep you don’t have a lot of time to think about other things, but I knew the negative thoughts were creeping in. I really believe trekking is about 80% in the mind. You need a certain amount of fitness but it really is mental toughness that keeps you going. There has got to be a real belief that all you are asking of your body is for it to take another step. I was wondering if I could and thinking it would be so easy to just stop. I had to switch into problem solving mode and work out how to best win this situation, and decided I was just going to take 20 step bites, 30 if there was any sort of flat and just stop for 3 calming breaths. It was going to be my new rhythm. Nearly to the top we stopped and talked to a couple of poms who call themselves Aussie and they let us know we were nearly there but when I asked what the other side was like they just said ‘you don’t want to know’.

Then just when we came to a fork in the trail with another last up section a German man told us to take the alternate path. He said even though it was not marked the path was clearly defined and ended on a road out onto a flat basin. We took it and for the next 15 mins we were heading down. We realised we had passed the high point. We came out onto the basin and found a camping hut to sit and have our lunch. It had taken us 4 and a half hours to cover 6 km.

The rest of the trail was downhill all the way, and also steep for most of it. We lost our way twice and had to double back and also had to contend with the same ankle breaking surfaces. We both had minor slips but managed to stay upright. At one stage we walked along the edge of a huge gully with steep cliff faces that were eroding and collapsing. The gully was filled with scree in parts as the result of landslides.

We entered town next to a camping hut next to a water fountain and were excited to see The Hare from the day before. At least he had dryish digs for the night. He also said it was a very tough day but felt that tomorrow will be easier. By the time we found our guesthouse we had clocked up 7 and a half hours of walking to do 12km. Funny to think that was often a Sunday morning walk to get breakfast at home.

The accommodation is good. We are in a roomy bungalow and dinner was vegetables and beef stew. A welcome change from meatballs. The only dilemma now is getting the clothes dry. The host asked me to choose from three bungalows. Showing the newest one furtherest down the garden. He did mention that the wild pigs might be a bit noisy down there. I chose the one closest to the restaurant- least distance to walk and on the same level.

As we were well on the eastern side of Cirali it was easier to continue on the road out of town and cut north across to the trail rather than double back into town. The first part of the trail was on an easy paved road to Chimaera which is the burning mountain. Once again because the trail goes through this tourist attraction we were expected to pay an entrance fee but at 9:15 no one was about and there was no obvious box to leave money so we started on the 1km steep uphill climb. It was constructed of large stone steps that were often so high it was hard to manage and most people had walked around many of the steps forming a path and shorter more manageable step height. Someone had placed rubbish bins with 100 mtrs markers, sometimes 50 mtrs and sometimes they had been moved so they were not all that helpful in knowing how far you had to go. At least they were in order. It was a tough climb and even though it was cloudy the sweat was soon trickling and my glasses soon fogging up.

The chimaera was fascinating. Small fires and flames coming out of the rocks. They are a natural gas that has been burning for over 2,500 years and at times fluctuate in height and quantity. The guide book suggests going up at night to get the full effect but I think the path up would be too dangerous for me to do in the dark. As usual it had some steep drop offs.

We continued up the mountain and rested on a rock to catch our breath and met the hare for the first time. A young Turkish man with a large pack. He has a few English word and we established that we were all heading to Beycik for the night. He farewelled us, took a step backwards and thank goodness it wasn’t 3 because he would have gone over the side, a 20+ mtr drop. About 15 mins later we passed him having a rest, and went through another Chimaera site, one that probably only trekkers would see.

We got to the top of the mountain and it was a more gentle walk through a forest down towards Ulupinar and then of course another upward road into town. We came across a trout farm with restaurant so had lunch at a table watching the fish in the ponds below us. Not a lot of trout and quite a few fish that almost looked like white goldfish. Interestingly there was not trout on the menu. It was calamari and lamb skewers, both pretty awful but served with a hot flat bread that was nice. We then walked on another 1 km passed several more trout farms with men out front trying to drum up lunch trade and found the store with a water fountain opposite. There was the hare refilling his water bottle. While Danny had an altercation with a party of Russians in the store I went to refill at the fountain. A man was there with about 30 x 5 litre bottles refilling and using both water spouts in tandem. The Hare had ducked in to fill his water bottle so I did the same and got a dirty look. Then a lady from the store came to fill her cooking pot and ducked in as well. It was just too much for the man as his tandem pattern was upset yet again and he let fly. I was out of there.

We watched the Hare walk off down the alternate route and we took the official, which was poorly marked and overgrown. We had to find a tunnel under the freeway and missed it and soon realised we couldn’t go over the road so had to double back and find the tunnel. We were soon on a country road with a steady incline but good footing for most of it. It was just a constant uphill slog for about 3 kms and soon the Hare came up behind us and overtook us. For the first time we saw people picking the pomegranates. We have seen thousands of trees fully laden and it was good to see them finally being picked. At least it made me feel hopeful that someone has a viable market.

We turned onto a forest track which soon also got stony and we had to watch out for the peril of pine needles covering pebbles and uneven rocks. We were both dripping wet with sweat and I was constantly blowing drips of the end of my nose and wiping them of my cheeks and chin. My eyes were stinging and glasses fogging. It was not easy going!

We caught up with the Hare at a river crossing and watched him flit across a log while we more cautiously took to the stepping stones and soon after had to walk up a muddy stream and found him sitting on a chair at the top having a rest. It was then a rock scramble with muddy slippery boots and then a road and another forest walk. The Hare soon caught us at a section where we had lost the markers for about 20 mts. He also was relying on his GPS and found a marker so led the way.

We came to a divergence and he decided to take the green route (the alternative) we stuck with the red route (the official) but after about 50 mtrs realised it was overgrown, no markers and no definitive path. We doubled back and soon found ourselves faced with the hardest stretch of all. It was an extremely steep bolder and rock scramble, with lots a sheer drop offs. At one stage I really didn’t know it I could go on. My legs felt week, everything was wet with sweat and my hands slippery, and I was also aware it was high in the mountains a mist had started and I didn’t have a jumper in my pack and I was worried I would end up cold. With the arthritis in my left knee I had been relying heavily on my right left to do the heavy lifting up steps and I was worried it also had just had enough. Worry and fear are two things you just cannot let into your head at times like this. I was just saying ‘one more step’ over and over. Constantly looking for the next marker, because there was no time for wrong moves and doubling back. At one stage we had been going about 15 mins and I stopped to pull out the GPS to see if we were actually still on trail as it was hard to believe we were and it told me we had gone 20 mts in 15 minutes. So demoralising. Another 30 mins or so we had reached the top and then it was another stony road down to the tarmac and a killer walk for 900mts uphill into town and our Pension, which is also the local store. He offered us a coffee but Danny took a beer. I was too exhausted to take anything. We were sitting outside and I was getting chilly. I couldn’t take my pack off for fear of getting colder. All I wanted was to get in a hot shower. The man who couldn’t speak much English saw my dilemma and went to turn the hot water booster on explaining the the solar system wasn’t much help today. Eventually we were taken to our room. It’s a pretty dusty run down establishment and not much love and care over recent years but at least I got the smallest of hot water trickles and there were blankets on the bed rather than just a tablecloth that the Turkish call a top sheet.

No sooner did I get out of the shower and jump into bed and it started to rain. Oh how lucky were we. That bolder scramble might have been impossible in rain and I wondered where the Hare was finding a dryish camp.

Danny set an alarm for 6.50pm in case we fell asleep and missed dinner but he needed have bothered. It seems we are right next to the mosque so the call to prayer blasted us out of bed. We went down to the kitchen for dinner. Thankfully some hot tomato soup followed by the inevitable meatballs, rice and salad. What I would give for a goat curry or stew! Who should walk in- The Hare. He has found a dry piece of camping area on the terrace outside our room which also doubles up as the junk yard and undercover washing line where my clothes are hanging and have absolutely no chance of drying.

One word or two about the Russians. We passed a few groups coming down the hill today, mainly young people. They are the main tourist in this part and seem to be taking over. We have been told constantly that there are Russian refugees and mainly families and young people who have come for holidays and have refused to go home because of the war. Other young men have come to Turkey to escape conscription. I can’t help wonder what the effect is on the local culture and society. The local Turkish are generally very friendly, welcoming and helpful. Inflation and the lire value is out of control and they realise tourism is their best chance at staying afloat. The Russians generally are rude and pushy and demanding. They are big drinkers in a country that traditionally shuns alcoholic but has realised that selling booze can pay. This morning a group of 7 women and one man all demanded vodka shots at breakfast and dutifully a bottle was produced from the back of the kitchen. I couldn’t help but think of the emotional dilemma of the family running the place, and if in the long run their family values, religious norms and society will change or at the very least fragment. Most families we have talked with declare themselves Muslim but don’t go to the mosque, most have decried that there are more mosques than schools and that schooling is not compulsory, some have been frustrated that their leader places bigger emphasis on religion rather than political and commercial progress, and most are confused about taking the Russians money to prop up their own income but at the same time saying the Russians are driving up housing prices to the extent that the locals can no longer afford to buy a home. I can’t help but think big changes will happen over the next decade.

Guess what it’s meant to be a very difficult days walk tomorrow. We traverse Mt Olympus. The highest point on the trail. The downhill on the other side is meant to be very slippery, but first we have to do the uphill.!!!

The walk out of Adrasan was a double back on the way we had entered the town, along the long beach and passed the river restaurants. We noticed that the tourist boats that had anchored along the shore had gone except for one which was trying to load a few guests in very windy conditions. All the other boats seemed to have been tucked away in the little coves at either end of the beach.

We decided to walk the roads again. It would mean we would somewhat lose the pretty coastline but would give us another day on flatter surfaces and avoid the scrambling up and down steep and rocky terrain. We were both so surprised at how far the town of Adrasan spread with a couple of kilometres of bungalow hotels camping grounds and farms with roadside stalls mainly selling pomegranates, pomegranate juice, lemons, jars of olives and occasionally walnuts, olive oil and lemon juice. There was hardly a home without some enterprise going on and I can only assume there are not any laws or regulations about turning a spare patch of land into a camping ground or bungalow rental. It would be really interesting to see this place in the height off the summer season.

We walked on having one rest stop at. A bus shelter as taking the road means there are fewer opportunities to find a shady rock to sit on. We had another rest stop on a pile of dirt only to find a pretty park about 200mts further along. The park was a memorial to a great bushfire in 2016 which seemed to have burnt out the town of Olympus and a lot of the land around. We noticed as we walked into the town that many of the buildings were relatively new. We have noticed thee Turkish love building a wall. They put great energy and expense into building walls and fences around large plots of land often with elaborate electronic gates and then build really small houses with very small rooms. We noticed a new building works going on in town with once again great energy going into building terraced walls

The township of Olympus had virtually closed up for the season. We tried to buy an ice cream from a vendor but when he took the lids off the containers even he said they were no good to sell. I guess he was just going to keep on using up electricity to thaw and refreeze the ice cream through to next season.

It was another 3 or so kilometres to the ruins of Olympus and before the gates at least a km of wall to wall restaurants and mainly tree house dwellings rather than bungalows. Nearly all were closed and it was quite an eerie feeling walking through

The Lycian way goes straight through the ruins of Olympus, and although the guide suggests it’s free for walkers it’s no longer the case. The ruins are quite extensive and mainly built around 1-2AD. It was a big town, built on both sides of the river and mainly Christian in a land of muslims. The ruins finish at the seaside where the river meats the sea.

It was then a long walk along a pebbly and sandy beach with not many people in the water which was pretty rough and we also noticed lots of rubbish and debris churning in the ways. We then entered the township of Cirali through the markets at the West end of what would be another very spread out town

Once again a long road of restaurants and bungalow hotels. We found a restaurant selling hamburgers (a change from Gozleme) and the owner told us out hotel was down the road to the beach and turn left. We did and then asked for more directions. Another 500 mtrs. About 1.5 kms later new directions suggested another 500 mts. We found it. It must be at the most eastern point of the town. We have a nice room set about another 300 meters inland from reception and the dining area but for once it was a buffet dinner. Grilled fish on the BBQ and it meant not having a table covered with dishes of everything we couldn’t eat and much reduced waste.

We think we have worked out a bit of a short cut to the trail which will take us up into the mountains. It will mean not having to double back into town and adding another 6 kms onto our journey

The walk out of Adrasan was a double back on the way we had entered the town, along the long beach and passed the river restaurants. We noticed that the tourist boats that had anchored along the shore had gone except for one which was trying to load a few guests in very windy conditions. All the other boats seemed to have been tucked away in the little coves at either end of the beach.

We decided to walk the roads again. It would mean we would somewhat lose the pretty coastline but would give us another day on flatter surfaces and avoid the scrambling up and down steep and rocky terrain. We were both so surprised at how far the town of Adrasan spread with a couple of kilometres of bungalow hotels camping grounds and farms with roadside stalls mainly selling pomegranates, pomegranate juice, lemons, jars of olives and occasionally walnuts, olive oil and lemon juice. There was hardly a home without some enterprise going on and I can only assume there are not any laws or regulations about turning a spare patch of land into a camping ground or bungalow rental. It would be really interesting to see this place in the height off the summer season.

We walked on having one rest stop at. A bus shelter as taking the road means there are fewer opportunities to find a shady rock to sit on. We had another rest stop on a pile of dirt only to find a pretty park about 200mts further along. The park was a memorial to a great bushfire in 2016 which seemed to have burnt out the town of Olympus and a lot of the land around. We noticed as we walked into the town that many of the buildings were relatively new. We have noticed thee Turkish love building a wall. They put great energy and expense into building walls and fences around large plots of land often with elaborate electronic gates and then build really small houses with very small rooms. We noticed a new building works going on in town with once again great energy going into building terraced walls

The township of Olympus had virtually closed up for the season. We tried to buy an ice cream from a vendor but when he took the lids off the containers even he said they were no good to sell. I guess he was just going to keep on using up electricity to thaw and refreeze the ice cream through to next season.

It was another 3 or so kilometres to the ruins of Olympus and before the gates at least a km of wall to wall restaurants and mainly tree house dwellings rather than bungalows. Nearly all were closed and it was quite an eerie feeling walking through

The Lycian way goes straight through the ruins of Olympus, and although the guide suggests it’s free for walkers it’s no longer the case. The ruins are quite extensive and mainly built around 1-2AD. It was a big town, built on both sides of the river and mainly Christian in a land of muslims. The ruins finish at the seaside where the river meats the sea.

It was then a long walk along a pebbly and sandy beach with not many people in the water which was pretty rough and we also noticed lots of rubbish and debris churning in the ways. We then entered the township of Cirali through the markets at the West end of what would be another very spread out town

Once again a long road of restaurants and bungalow hotels. We found a restaurant selling hamburgers (a change from Gozleme) and the owner told us out hotel was down the road to the beach and turn left. We did and then asked for more directions. Another 500 mtrs. About 1.5 kms later new directions suggested another 500 mts. We found it. It must be at the most eastern point of the town. We have a nice room set about another 300 meters inland from reception and the dining area but for once it was a buffet dinner. Grilled fish on the BBQ and it meant not having a table covered with dishes of everything we couldn’t eat and much reduced waste.

We think we have worked out a bit of a short cut to the trail which will take us up into the mountains. It will mean not having to double back into town and adding another 6 kms onto our journey

It was a long day scheduled for the walk from Finike to Karaoz but the first 10-12 kms was on a footpath alongside a 4 lane highway. Ramazan suggested that he drive us to where the trail left the highway and he didn’t need to ask me twice. He dropped us off and the rest of the way was on country roads which were mainly sealed. Most of it was fairly flat and went through the usual hundreds of hothouses. It was very quiet except for the vehicles on the road. There is never much noise coming from the hothouses, but you can see lots of people working in them. It’s never ending hothouses and never ending rubbish on the road. It seems that the council bins ( which don’t seem to be collected too often) are for domestic rubbish only. There does not seem to be any dump for industrial waste. The roadsides are littered with piles of bailing twine (it’s used to string up all the individual plants and is not recycled), sheets of plastic that have fallen off the hothouses, plastic seedling trays, stacking boxes, poly pipes, broken pallets, etc. Then the next big ticket items is plastic water bottles, plastic bags and cigarette packages. It seems most men and lots of women and young people smoke. Some people have salvaged some plastic sheeting to make a carport for their cars or a cover for their Woodstock or even a new porch or additional room for their house. We passed a home with lots of kids and really primitive conditions – we assumed it was a gypsy house. All the way the mosques loud speakers were interrupting the mornings activities. It was not the usual call for prayer, but instead sometimes a women and often a man speaking. We had heard it the day before and asked Ramazan. He explained that it was ‘education’. There are 85-90,000 mosques in Turkey and 55,000 school. The strict muslims do not believe in sending their kids to school, the state is happy if they get their education from the mosque.

One hothouse we walked by was different in that it was a very clean plot with no rubbish and the owner was burning the rubbish and tidying up. We walked about 75 mts past and the Jendarma (police) came rushing by with flashing lights and after much yelling and commotion the man was ordered to get a bucket and put his fire out.

The last bit of walking into Karaoz was on a winding coastal road with lots of pine trees and eucalyptus trees. We passed by some lovely beaches and camping grounds, a little harbour and made it into town for lunch as a beachside restaurant. I had the best grilled fish on tour so far.

On our way to the pension we walked by a cafe where there were about 30 men sitting at tables playing a game with tiles. Later on we noticed another couple of cafes with the same set up. After finding our pension we walked back to the beach and were able to use the local jetty with ladder to get into the water. Once again good clear warm water but we could see that a storm was brewing, so didn’t stay long. We had dinner on the terrace and as soon as we got to bed the lightening, thunder and rain started and didn’t ease off until close to dawn.

We had ordered an early breakfast at 7am as it was to be a 28 km walk taking 9-10 hours. We were going to shorten it by getting a 5km ride to the light house, but after the rain it was decided that we would be better off walking the road. The coastal path beyond the lighthouse was rocky and slippery at the best of times, with boulder and rock scrambling and after the rain it was considered dangerous. We were happy to take the road. It was a reasonably steep uphill for about two hours but it was a quiet road and wound it’s way up through a forest. We rested at the top and then it was downhill all the way to town.

At one stage we passed a farm house that had two huge vicious dogs that were showing claws and teeth. The owner managed to control one but not the other and I was praying that the fence would hold him. He had his paws on the top of the wire mesh fence but I knew that my walking pole would not be much of a weapon. It really gave us a fright and we both sat down and regrouped around the corner.

About 3 kms from town we were following our ‘alternate route’ which took us through someone’s orchard. The rain had made the track really muddy and our boots were an inch higher with a layer of mud on the bottom. We also had to step over 2 electric fences. We of course weren’t sure about anything but the GPS told us we were on the track so we persevered and eventually came out on a road along a river. On the river are built restaurants and hotels. They actually have tables and chairs built on platforms in the water, and on the other side of the road is just wall to wall camping grounds and small gozleme and tea outlets. Our hotel was on the beach another km on from where the river met the see. It’s a long brown sand and pebble beach. As we walked along the foreshore 3 men were fishing where the little stream entered the sea and there was a bit of commotion so we watched and then realised that one took a great run up to jump to the other side where his mates were – he didn’t make it and ended up falling in the water (which was only about knee deep). We laughed and gave him a cheer. He wasn’t happy but his mates joined in our cheering. We got our lunch at a pastry shop that actually sold real coffee – not Turkish coffee and not instant coffee. It was our first since Paris.

Our hotel is a converted container, but it’s wide enough for both of us to get out of bed on the sides. The last 4-5 nights I’ve been jammed up against the wall. It also has a great shower which has a screen and you don’t have to worry about the toilet paper getting wet. We celebrated our good fortune by going out and finding a bar that serves alcohol and had a few gin and tonics while it rained again. Soon we saw a tractor coming down the road dragging an old trailer. A young boy was in the trailer yelling but the two men on the tractor were not paying any attention. We saw the men earlier, at one stage they were drinking beer at another stage drinking red wine out of a coke bottle. Anyway the trailer just broke off the struts holding it onto the tractor. Cars banked up both ways. The trailer was full of old stones and roofing tiles. Everyone just laughed and no one was about to help as it was raining and I’m not sure the tractor owner was all that popular. Eventually the cars drivers who were banked up got out and helped push the trailer to the side of the road. It’s still there today and it doesn’t look like it’s going anywhere.

Today has been a rest day. Danny has had a swim but said the water is not that great. It seems sandy beaches Renault in murky water. Today we watched as two navy boats came into the bay. One large and one smaller. They just sailed across and around the bay for a few hours. No one seemed fussed, so I guess it just must have been an exercise of some sort. It rained again last night and again this evening. We are feeling sorry for those out camping on the trail. We have seen 3 individual young men who have all said they have had wet nights and all their gear is wet. Hopefully tomorrow is due to be dry again with thunderstorms the next day. That’s the day we start the slog up our last big mountain range. We are on the home stretch.

Once again the internet is too weak to load photos

It was time to tackle part of the mountain, and we decided to take on some of the downhill. Ramazan drove us up the mountain to Belos, but first it was a stop at the bakers and two huge sacks of bread was loaded into the car and then we were off on a terrifying drive. The mountain road zigzagged upwards with hairpin bends and the car with hardly enough grout to go up. Most of the road was only one lane wide with two way traffic and huge drop offs with no second chances. I was glad I was in the back seat and could hide my eyes at times especially when another car came towards us.

At one stage Ramazan stopped the car on a steep slope put on the handbrake and jumped out to talk to a shepherd and give him some bread. I immediately thought that if I so much as feel the car roll 1 cm I’m jumping out. Next we stopped at another shepherd and his wife who was pulling water from the well for the goats. More bread delivered. Then a lot of tooting at a house but no one came out and then a final stop at a farm house. Ramazan was to deliver bread to that house but also told us we had a 2.5km walk up the track to Belos. Off we went. The track was much the same as we had experienced, rocky in part, slippery shale, and sloping rocks. It wasn’t however very steep, but it was up. The views were incredible and no photo could really give the perspective of how high we were- over 3,000 feet.

We found the ruins and had a look around and through the trees could see another goat heard and shepherd family and dwelling. I couldn’t help thinking that all the shepherds are old and what happens when either husband or wife gets ill or injured. I doubt there would be a lot of health care despite the new hospital in town.

After a break we turned around and headed back down, going through the farmhouse where we had started and watching the lady put out some chaff in troughs for the sheep but they didn’t seem all that interested. Then we started on down the road. A motorbike stopped to pick up a load of almonds from the side of the road and tried to offer to call us a taxi. He tried google translate but thought we were Russian. Another car also stopped to offer us a lift. We got as far as the well where we had seen the lady drawing water and had out ‘packet lunch’. Ramazan had wrapped up in newspaper, a boiled egg, a cooked potato, a tomato, a cucumber, an apple and half a bread loaf – each. Oh and a bag of salt. In the end we left the apples, a cucumber and the salt by the well, hoping that the shepherd or a walker would find it, before the ants. We spent considerable time watching the ants marching home with our breadcrumbs.

We had to make the decision at this point- road or trail, both about another 4km to town. We opted for the road as we had spied the track and it seemed much of the same. At times it was a regrettable decision as the downhill slope on the road was very steep, very constant and hell on the thighs and toenails.

Eventually after a few breaks we made it to town and in our search for coffee found a restaurant near the bakers shop selling desserts. We shared a baked rice pudding and a carrot and pistachio cake. Yummo. We walked through the town which is very dirty and dusty mainly due to the huge amounts of construction going on. There is another two kms between town and our guesthouse, but thankfully Ramazan was driving by and picked us up with about one kilometre to go.

Tonight’s dinner was green beans, followed by capsicums stuffed with rice and meat, followed by a donut type ball covered in honey syrup

Our bags are packed as it will be a long day tomorrow. 29km but the first 12kms or so are on a flat footpath alongside a 4 lane highway. Ramazan has suggested he drive us that section and drop us off where the trail goes off along the rocky coastline. Sounds like a plan.

Having given up the mountain walk we decided to take a short walk out to the local ruins. There are a few walkers in our guesthouse and one had recommend we talk the walk. We also needed to get a few kms in the legs to keep them going as we have some long days ahead.

We headed out on a long straight local road somewhere between 4-6 kms. It went through orchards of mainly oranges and pomegranates. No hothouses – or just a few with vegetables. We spied our first sheep for the journey. One lot being rounded up by a shepherd in a paddock. The other small group grazing in an orange orchard. Finike is known as the orange capital of Turkey, but I’m yet to see any orange juice for sale in the bars and cafes. Along both sides of the road were channel for irrigation and there were lots of tortoises basking in the reeds and mud banks and they slide into the water when they heard/sensed us coming. They must have good eye sight or senses as they were really quick to get into the water and stir up the mud to hide. We also saw a crab.

Then it was the ruins of Limyra. First a few tombs in the hills and then a really pretty stream, with lots of fresh flowing water. There was some old mosque nearby and an old lady was trying to get us to come inside. I’m not sure if she wanted to sell us a rug or get us to pray or perhaps she was going to tell our fortune.

On the other side of town was the rest of the ruins, quite an expansive settlement complete with its own small amphitheater and up behind on the hill more tombs. Two men, manned a kiosk and for a fee of $2 you could get the key to the gate to see the old ruins. We didn’t bother. There is only so much you can guess about it’s history and I’m getting to the stage of ‘seen one ruin seen them all’

On the way home we came across a tortoise crossing the road and took his photo. Then a car came around the corner and waited some considerable time before it proceeded so as not to squash it.

Walking back into town we walked through a new building development with lots of finished apartment buildings and many more in the making. Apparently the Russians are buying up the town and the inflated prices are meaning that the locals cannot find or afford a house to purchase. Many Russians use this coast for holidays and since the war many have chosen not to return to Russia and also recently many have fled their own country. We noticed that all the apartment buildings each have a bbq / pizza oven on the balcony. Cooking with wood or charcoal is definitely still a major part of life.

Hitting the beach which is a mixture of pebbles and black sand, we found a restaurant grilling meat so we chose a lamb kebab each which was served with a variety of salads, one of which even has pomegranate on top. Despite Danny’s expression it was one of our most favourite so far.

For some reason our host served us dinner at 5pm tonight. He is taking another guest to Antalya at 3am tomorrow so maybe that was the problem. With such an early meal we decided to take a walk along the beach to town which is about 2kms away. We were in quest of a drink as our guesthouse only serves water and tea. We tried at several bars along the beach and then in the town, but were told by a waitress that no one sells alcohol in town. We have noticed that the supermarket near us sells beer so maybe tomorrow we can have a drink on the beach before returning home.

Three doors down the road from us is cat heaven. I spied all these cats plus more down the side of the building, which is opposite two skip bins where the local dump their food scraps.