Gobble Up Turkey

Obviously needed the sleep , rising from the dead after 9 hours.

Down to the basement for a pretty good  buffet breakfast, dropped off the washing and headed off for another day of being a tourist.

Same people who accosted us last night repeated the dose and walking on roads was a bit scary as it moved back to a working day.

The crowds were still big with plenty of flag and umbrella waving guides leading packs of people along with big avenue with its mighty obelisks and pretty garden beds and fountains.

Headed for the Topkapi Palace passing snaking lines at the Sophia Hagia and basilica Cistern  which we would visit later. Found the Palace entry after more local guides tried to lure us in to private tours to miss the queues.

We persevered and whooshed through security and only had a 30 minute wait for tickets audio devices. Like every Palace we have visited there is a real sense of opulence with huge gardens, statues, Fresco’s, ornate tiling and a real difference between how the royalty and others lived.

Naturally our first visiting place was the harem where the Sultan had his pick of between 300-500 concubines. They contend they were not slaves, just people stolen from other countries. Most famous one who ended up one of his wives was the daughter of a Ukrainian priest.

The harem was under the control of a black eunuch and other  eunuchs provided all of the services for the harem.

The bathrooms for concubines were very basic compared to those provided to the Sultan and his family, particularly his mother.

Huge greeting rooms were spread through the palace with the level of guest being greeted determining their level of decoration. There were huge fireplaces and thrones in each of them and the tiling, often with quotes from the Koran overlaid, was absolutely magnificent. 

Visited the library and then the Circumcision Room, which was under renovation and access cutoff you might say.

There was a heavy presence of ‘no photos’ signage which everyone ignored and the guards in every room didn’t bother enforcing,

Wandered the gardens and took in the views over the Bisphorus with 300 school kids who wanted to be your best friend with high fives and fist pumps. When you told them you were from Australia, you got the kangaroo hop impression.

Wandered down to the kitchens with their huge dome and chimneys filling the sky. My dear old Dad would have been proud that the Confectionery one held pride of place. 

With kitchens sometimes serving up to 10,000 people the size of platters etc were big to say the least.

Three hours was enough to satisfy the curiosity and we headed for the exit and hauled ourself up some steep stony roads to a lunch spot.

The next assignment was the y Cistern which was an architectural and engineering marvel. A water source under the city which was probably 20-30 metres high and the size of 2-3 football fields with its roof suspended with ornate pillars. It was fed from the Black Sea. The lighting and recently added sculptures gave it an eerie feeling.

Entry prices were interesting, with signage saying overseas guests over 65 were free on presentation of passports. Our ticket seller must have missed the email and we paid full freight. Got to say Istanbul is a very expensive City when compared to other parts of Turkey with some things two and three times dearer. VAT doesn’t help.

Out for another peek at line into Sophia Hagia and it was still ridiculous like most other major attractions, it seems as though tourists are catching up on time lost to Covid. One thing about all major attractions is security, as well as armed Army people at front gates you go through several layers of security.

Headed off for a stroll and managed an ice cream without the show and sat with the usual collection of relatively healthy stray dogs, which you can feed courtesy of coin operated feeders for them and cats.

Later on headed to local bar for a drink, another $10 a beer joint and had our quiet time interrupted by a pretty heated argument between the owner and a cranky customer, which nearly came to blows. The embarrassed owner apologised and gave us one drink free and invited us back for a freebie next time we were near. 

Popped over the road for some ceramic shopping and got some good bargains, until owner realised he had done a bad deal and reneged on the deal saying come back tomorrow.

A bit of a break and it was off to dinner,  wandering down the street recommended by Lonely Planet. Top spot had 100 seats and no customers which wasn’t a great sign, so wandered along getting coat tugged by every spruiker. One guy gave an impassioned plea not to break his heart and offered a free Mezze plate , so after a quick rendition of ‘don’t go breaking my heart’ we went in.

It was a great choice and the theatre with which Jane’s was presented validated the decision. Mine was less spectacular but delicious.

Finished dinner and it was back to the Sophia Hage for a late night effort to get in. We joined a much smaller line, navigated security and then entered the mosque.

It was middle of prayer time so access was restricted, but what you could see was magnificent, especially the dome.

Lots of people sitting around obviously awaiting prayer time to finish, so we followed suit and 10 minutes later had full access to the remainder of the area , with exception of the prayer altar.  It was overlooked by balconies presumably for visiting Imam’s or special guests.

Ticked off another highlight and headed home, without any hydration stops knowing tomorrow’s visit to the Bazaar and Spice Market will be crowds and shopping, my two least favourite things in life.

How unAustralian, we can’t even get to see the Cup here because none of the betting agencies or racing authorities have a broadcast deal.

Today was markets day, so out on the usual route, now on first name basis with all of the touts. We took a slightly different route to check out the Turkish Bath we are going to on Friday morning before heading off to London in the evening.

Baths look amazing based on promotional films out the front, I am just hoping I don’t get the giant who was massaging the client with such gusto he was nearly coming off the table.

We made our appointments and headed for the Grand Bazaar. Grand is an apt description, it rambles on in a grid fashion with so many shops selling the same products you needed to check the faces to see whether you were retreading old ground.

Gold, silver, ceramics , watches, clothes and any Turkish based trinket you can imagine. Pretty sure each and every designer bag, perfume, clothes or watches were knock offs and assessing the quality of jewelry was anyone guess.

The two stand outs were that there was no prices shown, the hawker would turn the item over and quote a starting price and then the haggling began. Looking at the back of some products there was only a barcode no value, so effectively they were imaginary prices.

We had a bit of fun haggling but probably paid overs, as we found some products cheaper in local markets.

The second thing was most sellers were not particularly aggressive and seemed more interested in drinking tea. The guy running around with a tray full of tea was probably busiest person in the market.

After a few hours we journeyed out into the adjacent streets where more of the locals shop and prices were definitely cheaper. The crowds were even bigger and as usual there was lots of argy bargy as there is no protocol for what side of the footpath or car free road in this instance, that you walked on.

I think I saw the smallest adult ever when a man swished past at just over waist height.

We did a little bit of shopping, with Jane now the expert haggler – think I will call her Marvin after the boxer – then headed down the hill to the Spice Market.

What a fascinating place, much smaller than the Bazaar but selling an amazing array of spices, sweets and food based products.

Prices were a bit more evident and owners more engaging . You could have filled up just on the samples. We bought some wares and were treated to some very tasty pomegranate tea.

It was amuch different experience to the Bazaar.

Armed with our bagful of bargains, at least in our minds, it was off on another tram before heading to local cafe for what proved to be another expensive dining experience. Think we are now convinced it’s time to ‘suck it up Susan’ and just eat and enjoy.

A little rest and we reset the compass to head over to the other side of town with a train ride over the bridge , followed by a funicular ride up into the Beyoğlu and Kasimpada areas.

The huge square with magnificent statue and a quaint ancient tram cloaked the fact this was the trendier part of town. A much younger crowd dressed more modernly and every second shop was high end. The cafe’s were smarter in decor and staff dressed immaculately.

The cafe’s had a selection of sweets to turn you into a diabetic just looking in the window. No window shopping for us , we were in having a late afternoon coffee and cake that were scrumptious.

We walked the length of the avenue side stepping a sea of people heading in the opposite direction and got serenaded by the swag of street performers along the way.

A bit more retail therapy , including a stop at potato food shop with great butter sculpture and we were on the downward trip of the funicular and another tram to the start of the bridge.

The place was packed with camera operators filming a Turkish soapier, so maybe we will end up on TV.

We popped down to an underhang of the bridge full of restaurants with magnificent views of the Bosporus . We popped back up halfway along to be greeted by wall to wall anglers all dangling lines about 50 metres down to the water. Looking at their buckets it was difficult to asses whether it was a catch or spare bait.

Another tram ride to the Sultanate area which was still abuzz with people visiting Sophia Hagia and wandering around the avenue. We now know it was the ancient hippodrome where chariot racing was conducted.

Thete will be different racing there on Sunday when the Istanbul Marathon finishes. It’s the only marathon which crosses two continents , starting in Asia and finishing in Europe.

Off home to sleep and dream of tomorrow’s boat trip on the Bosphorus.

Today was moving day and it started with driver dragging both our bags about 800 metres on cobblestones  to board a minibus  with a bunch of Russians, packed in like sardines, all headed for Kayseri to fly onto Istanbul.

Could not see out the windows for the dust, so just watched the clock hoping we would get there by 1030 which was 90 minutes before flight.

No need for worry made it with 5 minutes to spare and after usual security check found there were only a couple of flights due to leave in next 90 minutes.

Ran into a lot of Aussies on a whirlwind 12 day tour with Trip A Deal. Not many seasoned travellers among them and they created mayhem going through front door of plain to get to back seats, despite being told to use back stairs. They then struggled with seating allocation and getting bags into overhead lockers. 

A very smooth flight into Istanbul and Captain dipped the wings to give us our first sight of the Bosphorus before landing and taxiing for about 15 minutes. It was reminiscent of our last flight here and we actually landed very close to where our running race occurred – this time with less urgency.

Got through to pick up area and ended up in a luxury VW transporter for an 80 minute drive to town.

It was fine for first 30 on the freeway where we were flanked by lots of forests. After that it was driving in ever diminishing circles as we wound our way through streets just wide enough for one car, despite being two way. Lots of tooting and yelling and incessant directions from the GPS whilst we dodged cars and people in the amazing old town.

We were in a nice hotel which was very close to the popular tourist spots, with a close up view of the washing from over the road.

Unpacked quickly and headed out for the Blue Mosque about 10 minutes walk away. Got fronted by everyone from restsuranters, to fur sellers  to men selling bananas before reaching the huge avenue leading to the Mosque. It was packed with tourists, hawkers , roving tour guides and stray dogs, all under the watchful eye of the tourist police.

Got into the mosque and was disappointed that most of it was under wraps due to renovations, but along with 500 others we got a filtered view of the famous ceiling dome.

Shoes back on and we thought we would try our luck at the Sophia Hagia. It was prayer time , so no access which created a 500 metre queue to get in. 

We decided to wait till tomorrow to try our luck and headed off to have our first Yeeros of the trip, which we enjoyed under the watchful eye of one of the many mutts in the square. Thought about an ice cream, but the vendors go through an entertainment ritual which means a 5 minute wait for each customer.

Probably should have waited because our alternative was an Aperol Spritz at a local bar  costing us just on $40 for two drinks. Must have been Mosque and dance tax based on location and waiters doing an impromptu folk dance. 

Worn out from the two days of early rising and the trials of dealing with huge crowds again we headed home to bed.

Got an unexpected wake up midway through our slumber when the TV let out a loud pop and died- if that’s what a missing red light means, because we have watched no TV whilst away, other than that showing in background at rural restaurants.

No sleep in today, it was a 500am rising to get ready to be ferried to the balloon takeoff point.

A long, winding journey on a rough road as part of a caravan of buses had us arrive at a field where you could not get any idea of how many people or balloons were about. It was a sea of headlights and for some reason several police vehicles with lights flashing.

Got fed a packaged snack while waiting and then offloaded to watch the balloons get unloaded off trailers and then inflated. As the sunrise neared it was time for the 28 passengers to be loaded on board, which is not a simple exercise. Clambering on board is not full of grace.

All aboard, briefed on landing protocols and it was burners on full blast as we and 100 other balloons took aloft and deftly jostled for air space.

In full sunlight it was amazing to see the brightly coloured balloons at all heights ducking in and out of rock formation so cleverly , where in some instances you could touch the rocks.

Some of the cliffs were lined with sightseers and on the flat ground a raft of young women in long flowing dresses posed for pictures with an amazing backdrop. There was even two wedding groups taking photographs.

As we soared  higher all of the sites we visited yesterday became visible, albeit at a different angle. Again it was photo taking heaven, but deciding on what is a keeper proved difficult.

After an hour we gently floated down to earth, with everyone in the brace position. A very smooth landing was followed by some amazing maneuvers to slightly reinflate the balloon and mount it on the trailer. Then it was a repeat of the earlier exercise this time to get out of the basket. We both made it safely.

Post flight we had a celebratory champagne and got issued our certificate of completion. It will sit neatly next to my 22 Yard Swimming  Certificate issued as a youngster.

On reflection it’s a pretty big exercise which is done daily, weather permitting, for 7 months of the year. With 100 balloons, 6 crew for each and 2800 passengers, along with bus drivers and guides there are oround 3600 people engaged for 4 hours requiring a military precise exercise. At about $400 a ride it generates great revenues for the operators.

It was back the hotel, a quick breakfast and then a transfer to join our tour in Goreme.

With 10 others we set off, firstly travelling to the worlds biggest stone carved monastery. It was huge and multi tiered. It’s thought it was for monks with the mirrored image one across the valley for nuns. The nun’s version has experienced caveins over the years and is not accessible.

There were many different areas including kitchen, dining, prayer rooms/ churches and of course a wine cellar.

Access was via some steep dirt paths and then stairs both modern and ancient. The churches had some well preserved Fresco’s. Some of the connecting tunnels were low , narrow and poorly lit.

Finished there and headed to the Hidden Valley, where 300 steps put you on the canyon floor aside a lovely stream. The mountains along both sides were again carved out and in ancient days used by Christians as hiding places. Some of the lower level ones are still used as tea houses and operators have decorated them with lots of scarecrow like figures.

Wandered for about 4 Kms to the finishing spot , a riverside restaurant where we enjoyed lunch.

Another 40 minute drive then to the Underground City a place where locals took refuge in wartimes etc. With a maximum height of 130cm and a metre wide in some spots it was not built for me. I enjoyed a coffee and watched all of the distressed faces, including one of our group who returned after discovering he was claustrophobic. 

A much svelter Jane did the whole lot  and whist it was interesting she agreed I made the right decision.

The trip to the next spot showed a couple of things about Turkey. One – don’t go into prison unless you want to experience what looked like prison camps during the war, with rows of barbed wire and multiple observation towers with several armed guards.

Two- there will never be a brick shortage, as in the space of about 10 kilometres there was a dozen , each with acres of stock.

Next was two visits to boost the earnings of the guide, an expensive jewelry store like the other day and a specialty food store. Suffice to say she didn’t earn much commission from our spending.

Tour finished with visits to two places we visited yesterday, so we re-enjoyed the views.

Back home for a little bit of rehydration and then dinner at the Barbarian Restaurant,  where plattered  medieval  styled food was served. It was plentiful and we had to reject the free dessert, as we couldn’t get through the main course.

Took our last night time view of the town and headed back home after a fascinating couple of days. Next stop Istanbul and it’s 20 odd million people.

The patter of little feet in the room above had us awake at 400am waiting for the 5 o’clock alarm so we could head off to airport bound for Cappadocia.

Driver arrived early and we were away in a Mercedes and with no traffic at all and in the airport terminal at 630.

Several layers of security later we were sipping coffee waiting for our flight with Pegasus Air, humming away the Ross Ryan song I am Pegasus.

Had the front row seats and a smooth flight over more mountainous country with farmers making most of the flat spots. There was a remarkable number of large lakes and dams which looked pretty full. One significant thing was the distinct lack of trees.

A big left turn around a snow capped mountain and we landed at Kayseri airport which is equivalent of maybe Hobart. Two luggage carousels probably illustrates the size. The cats never disappear with one into and out of the carousel feeder. 

Kayseri was again a city dominated by high rise units – mainly 8-10 stories- and mosques. 

It had a mixture of industry and agricultural. With the latter dominant, it was mainly cropping, with little or no hothouses which had been the case closer to the coast. Looked to be pretty rich volcanic soil and plenty of irrigation.

Within an hour the landscape changed remarkably as we entered the hills and rock formations for which the Cappadocia region is famous. We were staying in Urgur which was  almost abandoned up until the 60’s. It’s now a thriving tourist spot famous for its hotels built into the mountain side.

Ours was amazing with a bath you could do laps in and generally beautifully decorated. Their little Golden Retriever pup got plenty of practice sharpening his teeth on your hand and later in the afternoon became the hotel sweeper.

Wasted no time organising our programme, with a tour  in our own taxi hastily arranged and bookings made for hot air balloon tomorrow, plus a hiking tour.

Our taxi driver was great and we visited the  Fairies ,which are three remarkable structures with delicately balanced stones. Then off to an outdoor museum with a myriad of churches and dwellings carved  in to the rocks, including pigeon houses which were integral to living as food source, fertilizer source and they even used there droppings to create the base for Fresco’s painted on the walls of the churches. Next we were off to the Uchisar Castle which was the main fortress in the area. It was a rambling area leading up to a  castle perched on a rocky outcrop with views as far as the eye could see.

Up more than 300 stairs to the top and it was a postcard panorama. 

I don’t think it matters how many snaps you take here  – it’s a matter of embracing the moment.

Then we headed off to a horse farm where the owner ,who is Turkey’s endurance riding champion, takes in retired racehorses and uses them  for his own eventing, plus a trail riding business. It used to be a home to wild horses, but they have slowly disappeared. He even stables his horses in caves during the winter.

Off to some more panoramic spots where the landscape changed as you looked in different directions, with huge craggy spires, dug  out houses, pigeon houses, huge stone boulders and the occasional flat spot.

After 5 hours we headed home to soak in the atmosphere of our room, try out the bath and enjoy a taste of the local wine and a cheese plate, which we found out was gratis when we tried to pay on the last day.

Went for a stroll through the steep and winding cobblestone streets later in the evening and found a superb restaurant tucked below a floodlit mountainside pockmarked with caves. Won best food on tour mantle.

Early to bed in preparation for our much awaited hot air balloon ride on Turkey’s 99th birthday.

Got serenaded till about 100am by the local disco, before a reasonable sleep where legs finally stopped twitching after the walk.

 Met our tour  group outside Macca’s and from that time on they referred to as the McDonald’s.  

Bus took a taxi driver route heading to the first point of interest, the spot where Dunden Falls cascade into the sea.

Pretty spot and upstream they conduct rafting – there is a reasonable safety net for anyone who goes astray. On the other hand not too sure that the stuffed teddy bear cum  air bag at the end of zip ine would provide a soft landing.

The local ducks seemed to have all the the currents worked out using the eddies to chase food and swim out.

The area was full of hawkers and guys with colourful parrots taking staged pictures. Jane managed to have one popped on her head, but declined the photo.

Wandered further up stream and a group of graduating students could not have picked a better place for photos to farewell life at school.

Just across the stream was a 10 storey government building that  looked to be no more than 5 years old which was being gutted and appently turned into a hotel. It will fit in well with the others that line the seaside beaches all the way from Antalya.

Back in the bus and we headed back into town for an abbreviated Old City tour which started exactly where we left – Hadrians ’ Gate – next door to Macca’s.

Unlike  the last group of kids we saw,  the next were at the other end of the spectrum. More than 40 toddlers dressed in National costume were performing in the gate area as a precursor to Turkey celebrating its 99th anniversary  this morrow after Ataturk gained them independence in 1920’s.

Tour basically covered all of the places we visited yesterday and even used our hotel as an example of how old Ottoman houses had been repurposed.

Back on the bus we headed for the new port to take an hour long boat trip in a similar styled boat to what we were on when visiting the sunken city. It paled into insignificance to tne huge super yachts and cruisers that were moored in the marina.

Trip gave us a chance to look back at the mountains that had been our home for much of the last month. It also gave us some first hand exposure to the navy undertaking live firing exercises only a Km of the coast.

No sooner left and we were back and heading to the cable car ride, up some 450 metres to give a panoramic view of the area.  

The city is a sprawling metropolis of 2.5 million which grows to almost 6 Million at the peak of tourist season. We have been blessed  to be here at very tail end of the season.

Next it was to a local restaurant for food the McDonal’s namesakes could have bettered, with the ‘ not included’ drinks selling at a 1000% markup.

Then it was off to a special location – a jewellery manufacturing plant with five showrooms , each about 50×20 metres full of product and sales staff eager to assist with purchases. The prices were ridiculous, illustrated by the fact they were immediately happy to knock off 50% and give you a $US price – they didn’t quite get currency differences. 

We left empty handed, but not before they shepherded us through another Duty Free  like section, which we traversed at a record rate. The whole exercise was about selling things to tours at inflated prices and the guide getting a cut.

Last leg of the journey was to go  to the head of river where Dunden  falls started. It was a carbon copy of the other place with hawkers and restaurants. The river itself was pretty and dropped over a waterfall before heading down stream. You got a chance to walk beneath the falls and get a different perspective.

Out the front gate and passed up on horse and camel rides and took the more convential transport mode back to town.

Enjoyed dinner in a street side restaurant, serenaded by a solo singer guitarist, who played What A Wonderful World which was quite appropriate given our tour to date and it being a signature song of the crew we walked Portugal with several years ago.

Solved the mystery of our missing laundry, packed and headed to bed early to ready ourselves for a 525 start to go to airport for trip to Cappadocia.

Welcome to life as a tourist. No boots, packs or walking poles for us today, we were officially tourists.

Out of bed at 830, a lovely couryard breakfast, where cereal was available for the first time in a month and a Specsavers moment for me when I added beautifully diced pineapple to my muesli only to find out it was potato.

Spent the entire morning doing a Lonely Planet walking tour of the Old City with guide Jane in charge.  Visited a fabulous Museum with recreations of Ottoman history and an attached information centre where they contend remnants of society dating back 500,000 years were found locally.

Some beautifully restored ruins and a magnificent gate and city wall built by Hadrian were the highlight. The houses with there extended upper deck terraces are amazing.

Found a little vely old Labrador minding the fort who lives bed a  pat and actually started barking when I stopped- proves my theory most of the dogs here just crave attention. At this stage I cannot get as enamored with petting the cats which are more nuisances than anything else,

Wandered down Kebab Alley which was absolutely packed with quaint little eateries before buying a few Turkish yummy things to sample latter in the day.

Headed along the cliff top to the restaurants with wonderful harbour and sea views. The sea was covered in an eerie mist, from which a couple of navy boats emerged and what I though was a mini submarine entered. The min sun turned out to be some sort of mobile diving platform.

Got some lunch with little plastic forks supplied to eat the chips. Jane still does not know whether the chips or the tip of one tines of the fork tasted better.

Headed towards the harbour and jumped into a glass elevator, with a slight shatter in window of one wall , along with 8 other passengers. Hoped the cables held as sign suggested 4 people and 360kg limit and none of the occupants were jockeys.

Got to bottom safely where about 100 people were waiting to go up. Who knows how many trips would  be needed to clear the crowd.

The docks were full of ships all with mythology or marine themed statues on the aft deck. The number tied up suggested not much business.

The area was full of people selling trips, ice creams and trinkets with a tout outside every restaurant trying to lure you in. There was the odd beggar to boot.

Went for a walk along the sea wall which was as wide as two aqueducts – this time with my fears overcome. One side of the wall was the boat harbour and the other the Public beach. They could not have crammed another person onto the beach which was rows of chairs and pontoons. The water was sparkling clear and again amazingly deep just metres from the edge.

Found our restaurant for dinner tonight which will supposedly, 

as the waiter said ,  give us a wonderful sunset view.

Rest  of afternoon spent planning tomorrow’s activities and lazing around before heading out for a pre-dinner drink at a funky little bar and then down to the restaurant.

Sunset had passed but we had a choice balcony seat overlooking the beach were people were still swimming and also magnificent views of the harbour with cliffs illuminated and a laser show.

In the distance we could see the hills where we had walked  with lights sparkling and almost replicating our way down.

Dinner was probably best on tour and local Turkish wine a great complement.  Our waiter and new best friend was very attentive, but I am sure if you looked in Oxford Dictionary under ‘swarmy’’ his picture would appear.

Wandered home through very quiet streets with most  of the day trippers gone and only those staying in the Old City and a few locals eating out. Spied a great spot with excellent live music for dinner tomorrow night. 

Tomorrow booked on an all day tour to see the famous waterfalls, a ride on the cable car and another city tour.

It’s purported that Hippocrates said ’walking is man’s best medicine’, but one has to wonder whether it relates to hiking / trekking because the only medicine involved in this walk was to treat one’s injuries, aches and pains. The mind had little time to absorb the joy.

Perhaps a little more in depth research would have helped, but that doesn’t help now, we can only reflect on what a really challenging undertaking it was and take some solace and pride from the fact we made the 509 kilometres relatively unscathed..

Today started with a pre- dawn rising and early breakfast before leaving to go 30 km downhill and 20km uphill to the starting point on the other side of the valley.

Not sure if it was host’s previous pilot experience, but a check of cars breaks before going down the steep hills seemed reasonable given the outcome of any brake failure.

Got to see an amazing sunrise across the Mediterranean and then headed for the hills, evading a pack of 4 dogs who chased the car. Not sure if the thud as we passed by was a pothole or we collected one. On the way back there was no carcass visible, so they must have survived.

Given the driver often took people to the starting point his balancing the GPS  and checking it every 20 seconds was quite distracting, especially when there was only one road to follow.

As we moved up into the hills a couple of slow cars in front gave him the privilege of overtaking on a hairpin bend, probably 10 metres separated us from hitting another car caming around in the opposite direction.

I sat with my eyes closed for the next few minutes, as we weaved our way through mountain roads just wide enough for one car.

After more GPS watching came a cry from Jane in the back ‘ we will get off here, think we have missed the track start’. Driver dropped us off, headed in opposite direction and we found the steep track down, plus a mangy mutt as a guide

It was steep and rough with many traps hidden by pine needles. Bboth of us took tumbles but mainly skin off, pride hurt and no major injuries.

Wound our way down for about 4 kilometres before a quick road walk and 2 more kilometres of the steep downhill which ended with a water crossing.

Most was on a wall and then some

slippery rocks, which I deftly avoided by going ankle deep in water and giving my boots a much needed wash.

We passed another set of ruins, just for the sake of it

About 200 metres up the road  a sign signalled the start /finish of the walk, though the track went another 700 metres up on to the main road according to the trail guide.

We had officially finished ‘twice’ at 1020pm, some 28 days since we started. Took  the obligatory photos and headed back to a camping ground to wait for our ride to arrive and ferry us to  Antalya 

Where we finished is very popular with climbers and we watched people free climb up some pretty crazy slopes- made you feel a bit of a wimp complaining about slipping off trails.

Jane spent the time reflecting on the great outcome of the golf club annual meeting which saw the silly old men lose the push to eliminate fixed start times for women on Saturdays. Her contribution before leaving played a major part in the success, so happy for her to hold onto the’ cat who got the cream’ smile.

Picked up in the absolute peace of the mountains and within 40 minutes back into the mayhem of Antalya. a city of 2 million and the traffic that goes with it.

The GPS was working overtime, like the horn on driver’s car, as we weaved our way through the one lane streets of the Old City in search of our hotel.

Finally arrived and what a wonderful  finish to the trip down. A hotel spread across 4 old Ottoman buildings and reeking with charm and history. Our room was beautifully furnished and comfortable.

Took a stroll through the town which is amazing. As expected it was  tourist oriented with restsurants, bars, trinket sellers and even Turkish Rug Shops with no ‘Closing Down Soon’ signs.

The architecture was stunning as was the views across the harbour, where ships new and old ferried the tourists around to the scenic highlight spots.

Enjoyed a drink in a garden bar within the courtyard of a grand old house. Surprisingly prices were reasonable, which was maybe a sign the tourist season is winding down or competition post Covid is tough.

A bit more wandering around in a town where dogs are catching up with cat numbers. Both are everywhere you walk, drink or eat.

Then it was a  bit of a  rest  for a body which seems to have realised that the walk is over and time to release the hidden aches and pains.

Enjoyed dinner at a traditional restaurant, where two staff serviced about 60 people and we had a short burst of entertainment from the 5 piece band, before treading deserted quite streets back to the comfort of a full sized bed.

Well looks like the message got through yesterday.

After a breakfast , the same ilk

 as dinner, we were surprised that our other guest was the driver to take us up 9 Kms to the top of the mountain.

We think he was equally surprised by the role on a very narrow, rough and winding road where passing would have been difficult which he would not have done previously.

 His cautious progress did not stop him regularly checking the GPS  ( why I don’t know) , taking in the view and looking for potential rockfalls. It took almost 30 minutes to get to the top and that included a stop to let the only 3 cows we have seen in Turkey cross the road. 

At the top we were greeted by two older folks trying to sell us some provisions- ‘no thanks’  doesn’t cut the mustard up here and we had to walk away with one in pursuit.

Todays walk down on a road  was probably the first time we were able to walk lazily and soak in the amazing scenery. The mountains over here ate huge, rugged and scarred with slips and their craggy outline gives an eerie appearance. 

We could see the town we were going to walk to high on the horizon and were happy with the call to give it a miss, despite the amazing position at the top of the pass.

The hillsides were dotted with the  occasional farm and what looked like holiday houses. On top of the highest mountain behind us stood an ever present mosque.

Still an amazing shortage of animal life and the mountain streams have no water running. Mountain springs must be well disguised but at the same time well used with lots of pipes with running water heading down the hillside.

Came across an unusual garden setting perched on some fenced land on a hairpin bend  – how anybody got to them was the question.

Not too many hikers out today coming up or down the hill, with cars outnumbering them. Car drivers obviously knew the road and went up at a veritable breakneck speed compared to our first timer. That said I think I would have been the same and probably took a bit of wear out of the brakes going down.

Landslips were evident all the way down and in many places protective fencing had been built, but not sure chain wire would stop some of the huge hanging boulders we saw.

Our three hour dawdle down the hill finished near the middle of town, just in time to be serenaded by the CTP which I think I can now recite by rote. I even gave an impromptu rendition on the roadside.

About 20 metres down the road an old local ran to the fence yelling out and Jane thought he was berating me for my singing, it just turned out to be an act of kindness to give us  a pomegranate.

janebstopped for a little contemplation and I found a piece of equipment which would have been helpful days earlier.

Just up the road a car  pulled ip in the middle of the road on a curve and driver had a fine chat about how the walk was- even as traffic flew by.

Headed towards the local market but came across what looked like a cafe. Got greeted like old friends (no wonder after what he ended up charging us) and shown to a table overlooking the rubbish heap.

When asked what was on the menu. He shook his head and opened a huge refrigerator with a side of something in it.

We nodded, not knowing what we were getting, and he carved off a slab and sliced it up before disappearing into perhaps a kitchen area. We could not see because of the three empty refrigerators that were between him and us.

Ten minutes later, it was a bowl of salad and followed by something in a pan concealed under a pile of bread. The voila moment revealed a delicious looking meat concoction. Before eating we asked if it was lamb and received a ‘baa’ replied. Although a little tough it was very tasty.

Halfway through he produced ced a soup  which was basically inedible.

His profit was probably tastier when he charged us 250 Lira. 

Headed home and started the preparing and packing for the final day of the walk tomorrow, when we will finish and ask the one short question – Why?

What a luxury, no alarm, no walk and a lingering 900am breakfast.

The only walk we got was to the beach and return about 5km in total.

The walk into town twisted below the mountain and across a completely dry 30 metre wide river which led to the sea. Makes you wonder when every house, farm and town draws it water from upstream whether it has an impact.

Walking to the hum of a band of quad bikers we ended up in a completely new world. Huge modern hotels and apartments, fabulous roads and kilometre long streets filled with high end shops.

While the hotels and their private beaches were packed with guests there was hardly a soul in any of the shops or on the streets. Perhaps end of season and being a Sunday was the reason.

Access to beach was difficult as Security  Guards were stationed  at each gate making shortcuts impossible.

Finally found the Public beach and paid our fee to have a chair and shade. I asked the Cashier for my tickets in case they checked and his response was ‘ do you really’ – sounds like he might have pocketed the proceeds.

Typical stony beach,  with reef shoes making for an easy entry into slightly chilly water, which was 2.5 metres deep within 10 metres of shore. The high level of salinity certainly let you know where all your scratches were.

After some time relaxing in the sun we walked  back to town and came across and amazing hotel called the TRANSTLANTIK which is built in the shape of a ship and fitted out similarly inside. Thought we would look inside and must not have passed the ‘looks like a rich Russian ‘ test and were politely asked to leave by Security. Suppose wet cosies hanging off the backpack might have been a giveaway that we were not guests.

The town is a little Russia with most stores names displayed in both Russian and Turkish – none in English.

Found a cafe for lunch with usual band of Turkish blokes just drinking tea and eating nothing. Maybe it was because they were only serving the breakfast menu – so we had Spanish styled eggs and usual basket of bread.

We were more in the old town and it really showed that Goynuk is now a town serving the visitors rather than the locals. Along the beach it was like Surfers Paradise and five streets in you were on dirt roads.

The local taxis do a roaring trade on the flash side of town while on the other old men in converted two person mobility scooters were ferrying  people around. 

Interesting building codes here, one 3/4 storey place had all of

Made our way back to accommodation and sipped on a beer waiting to be ferried about 40 Kms back into the hills.

Interesting ride back with our driver, a former pilot,  running several red lights – guess there were no red lights in the sky.

The coastline was beautiful, lined with beaches and fantastic views in both directions. The mountains were craggy giants and we got our first sight of Antalya. It was gobsmacking, firstly there was a huge harbour and in the distance the entire peninsula looked to be occupied by multi level apartments. It was a bit like a Legoland.

The roads were great and often tunnelled through the mountains. There were plenty of police doing random checks- mainly motor bikes. Luckily not speeding vans,  else we would have been pinged more than once.

We branched off through an estate , supposedly built specifically for Russians and Ukrainians, which resembled areas around Mascot airport. Just wondering how relations are presently.

Our trip up to 1200 metres on a windy road passed dozens of cars pulled over on the side of the road with people taking advantage of the sea view and having picnics.

We ended up on a hillside B and B about a kilometre from town with great mountain views from our first floor room, accessed by a stairway which might not pass building code.

Dinner was billed as likely best on tour- it must have been self rated. Yoghurt soup, baked  beans, rice and a frozen pepper. No signs of the much written up wife, only a male guest or a close personal friend joined us for dinner.

As with 99.99% of Turkish B and B’s ,  this was no exception with 6 at one stage with one sharing our sofa seat at dinner. Poor old Lucky had been blinded by the grandson poking him in the eye with a pencil. Jane, the cat lover she is, nearly added to his tale of woe by ‘gently’nudging him under the expandable table which  thankfully did not collapse on impact. Don’t think mine host was too impressed because he picked him up and sat him on his lap while eating dinner muttering something like ‘ he is my family’.

Planned for a shortened walk tomorrow to try and save the guy a couple of 80 Kms round trips and us a ridiculous up and down. Same the next day by amending the trail we will also help both groups out and have some extra time in Antalya.. We think we negotiated the arrangement over dinner, but only time will tell- you can only rely on Google Translate so much.