It was food and coffee for us at breakfast, but our Russian guests added a shot of Vodka. The Russian presence carried on for the entire day with groups of 6-10 passing us going in the opposite direction 

With all these fit young men here you wonder who is making up their military,

Needed an early star for a walk which essentially went from sea level to 1100 meters over an expected 7 hours of walking.

Early part saw the fit and healthy trend with lots of walkers and joggers. The other trend was non observance of the road rules. Firstly a Mum driving with a baby no older than 9 months tucked between her legs and then a granny with a jozzed up mobility scooter with three kids in a trailer arrangement – obviously the school bus.

Weather was very pleasant and we soon reached the national park where there are natural gas fires burning out of the rocks and have done so for 2000 years. 

Too early for ticket man, but soon punished with a kilometer uphill walk on a Roman road to the top. Interesting 100 meter distance markers – they were plastic garbages.

There were six or seven obvious chimneys and the heat was pretty intense.

That kilometer up started the trend for the day with our 3 hour walk leading up to lunch being 95% uphill on very challenging ground. Had a hare and tortoise chase with one young guy who we saw right throughout the day.

It was hot and humid and within 2 hours we were sweaty messes.

The only down part was pretty rugged, with lots of rockfalls and fallen trees  to negotiate, plus a creek crossing on slippery rocks- we both stayed dry.

Found a bit of relief with some dirt road walking into our half way point where we stopped for lunch at a trout hatchery  and naturally had a lamb shush. Main reason was the dead and ailing trout in the pool below our table not being very appealing.

Got ripped off for the first time with operator charging us different prices to what was on the menu and his inability, real or feigned, to speak English made arguing difficult.

Second part of trip was 9 kilometers and an expected completion time of 4.5 hours.

A couple of trail misadventures saw us lose some time early , but we picked it up on some good gravel local roads. Finally found a farmer picking the pomegranate crop. A couple of teams of four were busy transferring boxes from tractors onto transport trucks.

After a solid hour of road walking and scrambling we were both taking less photos, talking less and constantly checking the bearings.

The last hours were a blur as we weaved our way up the side of the mountain often trying to find a foothold. At one stage I think we both would have been happy to be consumed by a wolf. 

A bit of a second wind got us going and we finally broke out onto a main road, which like all trails today wound steeply into town. Our hotel, which also served as the grocery store, had definitely seen better days, but It had a dribble of hot water, clean sheets and prospects of a hearty dinner.

Jane’s bed had an interesting arrangement which was either holding up the ceiling or letting her practice her pole dancing. Her impromptu display after dinner suggests her best pole dancing days are behind her.

We are heading towards the summit at 7700 feet tomorrow, so it will be upwards and onwards again. With quite heavy rain starting just after we arrived it will add an element of challenge we could likely do withou should it continue.

No ride on the cable car for me as the road does not go to the top of the mountain to termination station. You can only gain access at bottom unless you add 4 hours hiking.

I was feeling sorry for our tortoise and hare mate camping out, but the vet yea he announced himself and said he was camping here under cover.

Dinner was a first, no animals hovering around our feet. 

Early to bed and most parts of body aching, already had a couple of cramps in the thigh and suspect a few more tonight. 

It seems the CTP goes a bit later up here in the mountains and it’s right outside our window. Jane and I have started putting our own interpretation to the words. 

Today was a road option rather than the steep and dangerous cliffs, even though it meant an extra couple of kilometres to track end. Then to our chagrin the accommodation was about 1.5km out of town.

Bade farewell to our new Yukon buddies , the cats, dogs, chocks  and forlorn boat captains, with no business,  to tread a busy rural road for about 5 Kms.

Rural is rural and wives and grandma’s still don’t merit a ride up front in truck or tractor, they are dispatched to the tray or the trailer while the male sits up front.

It is a real subsistence environment with many of the houses having little fruit displays they either man or leave an honesty box at.

Our road route was overlooked by the main track high in the rugged mountains and any glance upward cemented the view we made the right decision.

Walking was hot in 27 degree temperatures, with the occasional gust of wind. Air quality was terrible and haze like conditions  often spoilt picture quality or the view.

Even out here building new houses was a priority with order of importance the view, fence, gate, retaining wall- size of house- seemed irrelevant. One development was 5 or 6 tiers up the hillside.

Aside from farming there was a bit of forestry, with something like 7 million trees planted after the area near Olympos was  devestates by bushfires in 2016. There was a great memorial about  the fires with picnic tables, ironically we had sat on a pile of dirt 300 metres beforehand for a break after about 3 hours of walking.

Olympos village was another example of the enormous number of pensions (B and B’s) built in this part of the world. Many are cute bungalow types often with small cafes and bars on the roadside.

We stopped at one outside a camping ground with a gelato sign outside and tried to get a tasty treat. The guy had no idea of the flavours and when he did open the lid they were frozen solid. On reflection we think he may have been one of the campers trying to make a lira.

Down the road was a museum of American collectibles including a gas station. Snapped my first 2 pictures of the place, to be reminded by owner to read the sign ‘no photography’. Hard to think it was very enforceable and the place wasn’t open anyway.

The closer we got to Olympos  ruins the more dense the accommodation and cafes became. Many sat on the edge of a dry river, directly below the towering cliffs. One even had treehouse accommodation.

End of season is pretty obvious with 90% closed and most traffic heading to the ruins. The mountains directly above provided great opportunities for a couple of rock climbers.

The ruins dated back to 300BC and were in pretty good condition. It was an interesting hour climbing through them. Olympos was certainly a major riverside town in its day with access to the sea as well. 

At the end of the ruins it was another world as you popped out onto an amazing beach with torquoise water and a dumping shore break.

The pebbly beach was actually packed with a whole lot of body beautiful’s and it was a much younger demographic than other places. Interestingly water on the edge was full of rubbish so not many swimmers.

Trod the river bed into Corali and there was a local market . In Cirali there was not a bit of spare room on each side of the road. It was a true ‘build and they will come’with accommodation and food. The  place was buzzing with people in cars and on bicycles and a lot of restaurants had good custom.

We enjoyed lunch and then played find the accommodation. You would think the Plaj or Beach Hotel would be right there within touching distance of the water. After at least 5 different sets of directions we walked for 1.5 kilometres without a sign. We even thought about asking police but they and ambulance crew were tied up with a drama on the beach. One last attempt and believe it or not we were 50 metres from home. Not going to be a good starting point for tomorrow with track well to the North.

Found host and it was a 200 metre walk to a very impressive ground floor unit. The whole complex was well populated with about 30 turning up for dinner including another guided group of 7 Russians walking trail in the opposite direction.

Another great shower, but a defective hair dryer which was a slight problem for Jane which turned a little worse when I returned from shopping excursion and mentioned mine host was fanning the coals of his BBQ with one which worked perfectly.

A visit to local shop confirmed the demographic, with me being only one over 30 on both outward and return trip, passing many running or cycling- I was the one hobbling,.

We topped off our vegetarian dinner guest list with one cat and beli be it ot not a hedgehog- the wolf or wild boar must still be coming. Cow and pig are long .odds to turn up.

Our hopes of a cable car ride the day after next were dashed in a discussion with a local guide who politely said that our knees would not make the walk back down.

Tomorrow has a couple of sizable, but manageable, uphills and there is no ‘take the road’ bailout.

Before we did get up Jane mentioned being attacked by mozzies or the like all night. Eagle eye me spotted the likely offender and swatted it with a towel. Bloody tough creature didn’t move – but I guess a screw protruding from the wall was never likely to. Off to Dpecsabets for me on returning.

Today was a planned test day and the knees and feet sure did appreciate it.

Todays breakfast partners were without the crooks,  but they were well replaced by the dogs, who outnumbered the cats.ot does not seem to bother the locals. 

The animals are on a constant trail up and down the road pestering people anywhere food is about.

Spent most of the morning walking up and down the beach and  the main thoroughfare, which were basically deserted except for walkers and local Council guys. Many of the businesses have closed down for the season.

Pebbly beach had two swimmers and a lot of the cruise boats came out of protected moorings and tied up 5 metres from the beach.

Not sure what is happening in the world with wars, but a frigate and destroyer moored in our bay for most of the morning and then headed West.

Managed to revisit the coffee shop for another proper coffee, but deferred to the local food for lunch.

Had a quick swim in refreshing , but murky water caused by the brown sand. Lay upon the Council owned deckchairs waiting for a tap on the shoulder from the fee collector, but managed to avoid the 30 lira charge.

Finalised planning and shopping for tomorrow before repacking our bags to the best of some very heavy rain. Hopefully it disappears tomorrow which starts the last week of our walk.

Have not posted blood here as weak internet won’t upload pictures.

Last night’s big storm , with an amazing lightnig show offshore, played havoc with the sleep. It also dented the confidence regarding handling the state of the track with its steep gradients, scree walking and boulder scrambling.

At our 700 am confab with mine host he suggested to be wary of the slippery conditions. Thankfully , there was an alternate forest walk, which although steep we took.

After breakfast the host walked us up the hill and onto the track which meandered up to about 600 metres, taking up the first hour and a bit of the walk.

Not surprisingly people were building houses high up into the hills, with magnificent views out to the coast. It was a similar trend on the way down over the other side. It’s interesting that they spend so much time having the best external walls, gates and fences yet make internal rooms so small.

Those farming up the valley have a mixture of crops. The persimmon crop must have been poor quality given the number left on the trees.

Shepherds continually moved the goats around with the help of what appeared to be fierce barking dogs. One attacked me and almost slobbered me to death.

It was a more pleasant experience than that a little further down the hill,  when two horse sized dogs made frenzied attempts to get over a 6 foot high fence and prove their worth. The sign on their fence said it all and if they are looking for stars in Kujo 2 – I know where they live. 

The mountain sides were scarred with rockfalls, including the one we are likely to walk in two days time, if we take the high route-13 Kms are scheduled to take 8 hours and hopefully it’s not raining. 

Worked our way off the mountain and the track went through a persimmon orchard, full with fruit and with deep clay soil that soon clogged the boots. Scaling 3 foot high electrified fences with slippery boots made protecting the private parts a priority.

One of the orchards was protected by a 3 legged dog- if you were going to pilfer anywhere, that was the one.

Down on the flat we came to a pretty river with restaurants having dining tables in the river itself. The town also sits right on a long sandy beach which even had a shore break.

Along with countless cafes and restaurants the place is obviously a holiday haven with multiple camping, hotel and B and B facilities. Being end of season it’s not particularly crowded.

The locals also operate offshore boat cruises, but strangely all, or at least most, of the boats are stored on shore on trailers and tractored  down to the beach.

There were five separate swimming beaches, each with a lookout tower, but not a lifesaver to be seen. Swimming at the beach means observance of a list of rules as long as your arm and the local gendarmes appear to police them, traffic movement and locals burning off rubbish.

Beach fishing is also popular, but sometimes it means crossing the narrow river inlet to find a better spot. One local fully dressed tried to do an Olympic medal winning long jump and failed miserably. Not sure a wet and bedraggled fisherman appreciated our whistling and clapping.

One cafe in particular caught our attention with a sign saying it sold “proper” coffee, which saw us immediately detour for a coffee , snack and dessert lunch.

Found our hotel, which essentially consisted of converted storage containers. It was spacious, well appointed and even had a proper bathroom configuration.

Spent more time investigating tomorrow’s route and there is a possiblity of taking a lower, but longer route , around the the mountains which we will investigate.

Went for a walk around the town and realised just how lomg this beach is, with 7 not 5 official swimming enclosures. Followed a couple of unlikely fisherprople to the end  of the seawall and luckily missed having our eye plucked out by a misguided cast of the fishing line.

Spent a lovely  2 hours in a beachside bar rehydrating while the rain poured down outside. Interesting time when a major traffic jam occurred when the local juice selling celebrity’s trailer laden with rocks snapped off the back of his traler. Most people were too busy laughing to help and we were 3 gins into our pre- dinner drinks- basically incapable of providing assistance. 

Being good customers bar owner offered us a ride home – but who would decline the opportunity to side step their way along the path for 300 metres to make home.

Dinner was an alcohol free one of stuffed aubergine and the usual plethora of salads and a foot long loaf of bread.

Suffice to say we slept well with no reason to get up early on a rest day.

Today was supposed to be 30 Kms, with the first 10 on a path between the highway and the beach – as the book put it ‘pretty forgettable’.

Mine host suggested he could drop us off where that part finished and he got no resistance from either of us.

So it was the usual breakfast and a fast and furious run to the drop off point.

The entire route for the day was on varying types of road and our finishing point was the last place on the road, other than the lighthouse 5 kilometres further onward.. 

We were soon into hothouse territory and houses, in most cases , were attached to them. The standard of living could only be described as extremely basic and many had piles of rubbish out the front. One owner was burning a pile and within minutes of smoke rising a pair of gendarmes arrived and supervised him dousing it. 

On the beach side of the road 100 metres away there were much more lavish apartment styled buildings- what a paradox.

Despite the apparent poor living conditions we passed a brand new Mercedes parked beside one hothouse and in the next few minutes two more drove by – must be money in vegetables.

Usual fill of sad dogs and it seems the ones tethered and looking scrawny are the most savage- the others either lay idly or walk over for a pat.

The local Mayor had his face plastered all over the place. Two large new schools, a forest come nature reserve that must have covered 100 acres, plus the only grassed football field we have seen in all our travels. It was in the middle of nowhere and was home of the roosters – literally speaking – as a bunch were pecking there way across the field.

In the farming stakes a whole lot of farmers had gaggles of geese to complement the usual chickens, goats and sheep. Still no live cows visible and of course absolutely no pigs.

Came across another standalone derelict farmhouse occupied by gypsies. Three little rag tag kids came running over to say hello. You heart felt for them living in such squalor.

Whilst building is on the surge  we passed three interesting construction sites. One was a three storey unit complex where they only fully fitted out those occupied- the remainder were at lockup stage and sprinkled around the building.

Closer to the end of the day a three storey unfinished building looked as though it had been abandoned long ago.

The coup de grace was in the finishing town which is probably the equivalent of a lot of South Coast beach towns with lots of holiday homes and units, with a small local community and lots of tourists in holiday times. 

The first floor balcony on the huge two storey duplex had completely collapsed pulling away the sides of house and part of roof. It’s definitely a knockdown and rebuild, probably with a different builder. That said our B and B host told us at dinner it was an legal build and the builders have not been seen since.

Just before a beach stop

we passed a ramshackle old house whose prized front veranda possession was a popcorn machine. Perhaps he was a Turkish Daryl Kerrigan and could not let a bargain slip by.

 We stopped above a small rocky outcrop on the beach, which from reading the sign was spawning grounds for the sea turtles. It probably explained the 15 or so camper vans parked on the beach – perhaps hoping for a sighting.

The coastal road twisted and turned beneath gnarly cliffs , with many loose rocks by the roadside- we had a watchful ear and eye out for any falling ones. The beachside had huge rocks along the shoreline perhaps a sign of previous slips. 

About 5 Kim’s from home got honked and it was our baggage carrier, checking progress and giving some assurance liggage would arrive safely.

In the seaside distance we could see the peninsula we would travel along tomorrow on an 8-9 hour trip with 1000 metres of ascents and descents – just hoping the forecast of 2.2 inches of rain does not eventuate.

The closer we got to Karaoz the more beautiful the beaches got, with the rocky ones with sparkling water beckoning us for a swim.

A little boat harbour and public beach appeared about 4 Kim’s from town. It had the best public facilities and even a mini mosque.

At the 2 km marker old mate the luggage carrier stopped to say a final goodbye on his way back. Ironically,  about 15 minutes later  a car pulled over and it appeared he was touting for business. It was not the case it was our next host seeing if we wanted a ride – we declined and enjoyed the last bit of the walk in on a zig zagging route.

Arrived at the beachside cafe for lunch, called OzLycian. How could two Aussies doing the Lycian Way not respond to that omen.

Restaurant was mainly full of Russians. Jane voted her fish as ‘best on your’ and my chicken was pretty good. It was as a battle with crooks and cats to sit around our feet and scrounge.

Wandered up through town  and at every cafe there were groups of up to 30 guys having a Saturday  afternoon game, the equivalent of gin rummy, but with tiles. They called it OKEY.

Found our B and B with a sea view and a great sized room. The young man who greeted us gave us a wonderful rundown on tomorrow’s walk and even suggested a 5 km short cut opportunity with a ride to lighthouse – we were all ears.

Bathroom continued the weird arrangement of recent times where the shower and toilet are in the same cubicle. Add the bum washing toilet tap and it sure does make ablutions an interesting ecercise.

Went for a swim in the afternoon and beach was a mix of sand and pebbles. Water not quite crystal clear but refreshing.

A bit of shopping for tomorrow and it was home to get cleaned up for another terrace dinner.

If you ever saw the Fawlty Towers episode with the rat our dinner time was equally hilarious. After serving us host was running laps of the terrace with a fly swatter shooing away cats, even managed to give us a few flicks on the way through. With about 5 different cats it was cats a clear winners over the exhausted owner.

More chatting with him and tomorrow’s walk is dependent ion weather as there are many steep ups and downs which are slippery and dangerous. Rather than 30 km, less shortcut, walk it might be a 11 km walk on the road.

We will know at 700am after a weather review in the morning.

What a day to look forward to, heading up to 3400 feet and then plotting a way down through mountainous terrain – who would not be excited.

Farewelled  the Saffies and it was in the car for a call to the bakers  to buy two huge bags of bread, which was a bit puzzling until after dinner our host said he provides bread to the shepherds in the hills 3 times a week.

We then proceeded on a slalom course,up the hill, on a road about one and a half cars wide, taking hairpin bends at ridiculous speed. We stopped on a 25 degree gradient to pass over some bread whilst Jane and  I looked nervously over the edge. That was followed by a little off-road excursion to point out some track entrances and yes a reversal back to main road with a 2000 feet drop awaiting  and poor steering.

Reached the top and got  out to be greeted by a huge dog resembling a lion. He put his paws on my shoulder, looking for a pat.  The dogs over here have that sad look in their eye and respond marvelously to a simple bit of affection. 

A bread drop off for our host and some unexpected instructions- “ it’s a 2.5 walk up those hills to the ruins where you start todays walk’.

It was a scary walk on a very narrow edge hugging path, made difficult by the scree and it’s stony nature. After just under an hour we arrive at the ruins. Not quite as big as others but interesting all the same.

The goats enjoyed sitting on top of them as if it was a sphinx. I tested out a tomb/ tub and realised they didn’t make them in my size back those days.

At least we knew the way back and made better time heading down. We met the shephetd who was filling the feed bins for the  penned up sheep and goats, eager to eat . 

She opened the gate and it was the charge of the white brigade, surprisingly they hit the feed trough and not one bit of food was eaten. We surmised they were only after a drink as the dam level showed almost zero. That said they were shorn and in good condition.

The trip down hill was shared with goats, a couple of shepherds, trucks , scooters and cars. One bloke on a scooter seemed to be trying to arrange a taxi and one of the cars stopped and offered a ride- we declined both.

Most of the walk had been on the road as access down to the trail was too treacherous to consider. The danger was illustrated by a picture of a 40 year old guy who had been killed recently  where we were considering joining the track because it looked a tad easier.

That was enough to make up our minds to stay on the road for the 7 or 8 Kms left to the bottom.

That sobering moment had us stopping at a well and pulling out the packed lunch – it was a mini green grocer  store and had bread to boot.

It was ironic that we watched the ants gathering up our droppings of bread etc and in 25 minutes time people deep in the valley looked about the same size,

The trip down was an absolute thigh burner and found the creaky bits in the knees Looking over the edge was dizzying and the bottom never seemed to get closer. 

At that height I did solve the mystery of the offshore construction from yesterday – it turned out to be two islands with heaps of boats moored around them.

After 2.5 hours we reached the bottom and Jane plonked on a bus seat- probably one which replaced  the original  one we saw now sitting in shephetds yard up the hill.

It was ironic that after yesterdays tortoise hunt one sidled up to us while on bus seat,

Whilst sitting there a message , not a call to prayer, rang out across town. Given nobody rushed into the streets we presumed it was neither an earthquake nor foreign invasion and added that to the post of unsold mysteries.

In town found a cafe and enjoyed some yummy cakes before strolling through the middle of town with its usual myriad of illegal parkets causing traffic havoc. Jane spied the owner of the local hardware shop

Sound asleep in his chair outside the shop- suppose it was late Friday afternoon.

The town is a mass of construction, primarily driven by the influx of refugees from Ukraine, Russia and other annexed areas looking for a peaceful existence . It’s apparently tripled rents. 

On the way home mine host spotted us trudging along the road and promptly did a u-turn and drove us home. He and is wife have been wonderful hosts.

Afternoon spent doing a little bit of planning for tomorrow which is a flat 30 km walk and things to do in Istanbul , in between sipping

a couple of coldies on tne balcony.

Enjoyed a nice traditional dinner, this time with our first dessert – some yummy sugary thing full of syrup.

Bit of Sydney weather on the way with 6 days of rain forecast. We will have to take each day as it comes, especially when there is some remote mountain walking and river crossing,

No major walk planned other thanan 8 km out and back to the Limyra Ruins in the foothills behind Finike.

CTP guaranteed no sleepi in and we were fed and in the car to starting point about 9.

We found out why the town is notorious for citrus and fruit generally after walking 3 gun barrel straight roads with oranges on one side and pomegranates on the other.

We were constantly buzzed by tractors and trucks as we made our way along. Just managed to escape a spraying with some orange tree treatment as the farmer showed scant respect for walkers.

Whilst the local river was dry there was no scarcity of water in the huge channels running along both sides of the road.

They also played home to masses of tortoises, who scurried off the bank and hid amongst algae or buried in the mud, as you neared them. Our attempts to photograph proved unsuccessful.

The farmers mixed cropping with some animals using sheep and goats to keep orchards weed free. There was an amazing lack of hothouses which had been our constant companions in recent times.

Plenty of skinny and mangy farm dogs who despite their bark, really craved a bit of affection.

Must be some cows around as well, as there have been road signs along the way. There was also a couple of skulls attached to telegraph poles.

We finally reached the first pod of tombs carved into the mountain and scrambled our way up to have a peep.

Famous cafe was closed so a swig of water was our morning tea. It’s a shame as the cafe was set on a beautiful stream and even had some seats , either accidentally or deliberately, set in the water.

Went up past a farmer growing tropical fruits, which was a first over here. He advertised guava, avocado, passion fruit and pawpaw to name a few. 

His farm abutted a much larger set of ruins, including a 200 seat Amphitheatre right on the main road. Up further were  much more substantial ruins, where you paid a princely sum of $2 to enter. There were two staff operating the turnstiles and they outnumbered the guests. 

High up on the other side of the road the mountains were dotted with tens of tombs cut into the rocks. Some houses had ancient tombs or ruins in their backyards.

Also much higher up in the hills were huge quarries in spots that looked almost inaccessible.

Further down the road was a stream and type of Roman Bath being overseen by a local who also managed the prayer room.

Finished the tour and headed back along the road playing tortoise Spotto , but they seemed to have amazing hearing and all we would see was them plunging off the bank into a muddy part of the canal. That was the majority of the time. One escapee was actually climbing the rocky cliffs up to the first set of ruins and another was walking across a traffic bridge getting right of way from a local.

Closer to town we came across a decrepit house with tons of rubbish out the back and 6 little tackers, all under 7 playing in a concrete compound. Shame my attempt to photo was spoilt by an errant thumb. They were certainly living a gypsy life and it put one’s life in perspective.

Further along the high rises started dominating the housimg. Sure there won’t be any architectural prizes won for aesthetics – they are plain ugly. Only saving grace is every one has a built in pizza oven on the balcony.

Worked our way along the beach, appropriately named Sandal Beach, and found a beautiful grill place where we had some lamb. It was a ‘no price shown/ pay by the kilo’ menu and we either got a great cheap meal or Jane did not see where the decimal point was on the bill and will get a massive surprise on the credit card.

Had intentions of a swim but it was a bit blowy, so headed for home after getting provisions for tomorrow.

Chatted to the owner about tomorrows logistics and then had a little siesta, until about 4.55 when a knock on the door was followed by an announcement that dinner was ready. 

He could not understand why we could not finish our dinner just  3.5 hours after our lunch. Apparently, it was to allow him to get an early night because at 300am he was driving another guest to Antalya.

We went for a long walk into town to have a drink, but it appears it is a dry town in bars and cafes. Not sure if it is anything to do with religion, but it along with what camel fighting is, are two mysteries to be solved tomorrow.

Back at B snd B chatted to three walkers from South Africa about the way forward, as they are doing it in reverse. Seems there might be a couple of car rides and a cable car ride left for us in the next two weeks.

We looked further ahead in itinerary and will give up a day in Istanbul to travel to Gallipoli. 

Stayed up late – 900pm.

Some sort of technical glitch has prevented us adding blogs photos for these days. Here is a pictorial collage

12th October

11th October

10th October

9th October

8th October

After getting to sleep at 1230 when the music stopped, we were a bit bleary eyed going to breakfast.

Found out that it was the Turkish equivalent of a hens night, with the wedding of a local girl tomorrow. Apparently attendance is a pretty loose arrangement , with our host saying he might go depends how busy he is.

Chatted with US couple who are planning to hike a section of the walk today. No maps, not quite correct clothes and no idea on what state of track might be – so might make it an interesting 3 hours or so.

Walked past mosque, after strange payment arrangement at local store – maybe they are only ones with card payment facilities, and asked whether many people attended. Well maybe not the right question when there are 85,000 mosques which few attend and only 55,000 schools where attendance rate isn’t particularly high nor is quality of education.

Got driven by number one driver to drop off point, but was a bit worried our praise may have gone to her head because she pulled her headscarf over her eyes whilst trying to adjust and just smiled.

Dropped off high above Myra and walked down a steep road with views across the rooftops of numerous greenhouses in one direction and strangely heaps of high rise apartments on the hillsides de in the other.- facing mountains not the sea.

Got passed by the usual coasters and spotted a very big central school, with the noise of kids ringing out.

Struck our first ruin at the bottom of the hill in a park where a lone local was using the free exercise equipment. Sadly when we got to other side of monument we found our first graffiti on a historical piece.

On the flat we passed what only could be described as a Steptoe and son house   The next door neighbour deserved a replacement satellite dish from the provider as it was rusting away.

Whilst hothouses were aplenty there was a sprinkling of orange groves, which we expected in an area known for citrus production.

Lots of beautiful little kids along the way living in very impoverished conditions. 

Unlike other areas there are more dogs than cats and a friendly pat of one created a pied piper effect as we moved along – despite Jane shooing them away.

One thing Turkish people are is patriotic. If there is a pole they will hang a flag, some even emblazon it on their roof.

A seemingly ordinary stretch of road and land soon turned into the entry to Myra Ruins. It was an amazing sight with tombs all the way up the mountain side and a well preserved Amphitheatre. We wandered around taking a raft of photos that will obviously need editing after snapping everything in sight.

Did a bit of souvenir shopping and came across a family with the cutest little 3 yearold charmer. She was an automatic choice for one of Jane’s kangaroo pins and her joy on getting it was heartwarming. We left her holding her pin and finishing off her second ice cream, courtesy of Dad’s leftover.

A local with no vehicle in sight sidled up offering a taxi ride as we left, which we politely declined.

It was a flat road into Demre with no industry visible. We passed the most colourfully school you could wish to see, with kids heading home at 100pm.

Petrol is ridiculously expensive at just under $3 a litre, little wonder everyone defers to a scooter.

Demre /Myra is the supposedly home of Santa Clause and the theme was everywhere.

The sight of an Uber Eats driver sent us on a search for lunch and an ATM. First part was easy. But first couple of banks rejected our cards. Luckily over lunch we heard a guide point one out over the road. 

Lunch was nice, other than the warm beer. I managed to snap a shot of Jane and the chef, under a sign which requires some explanation.

Next it was off to see the Church of St Nicholas, not only famous as Santa, but the patron Saint of Russia. If they are short of troops in Ukraine I know why – half the population are touring here.

It was a beautiful old building which is under restoration. The bits you could see were simple but memorable. Some of the ceiling fresco’s are still in great condition.

When we got home we found out that the plastic covering the floor of the main Chapel was because they had actually found the tomb of St Nicholas recently – apparently good enough for front page coverage on Google.

There are only two archaeologists working on restorative work which still has three years to go. 

Out of the church and it was the Xmas decoration hunt for Jane and baggage minding for me with strict instructions not to pat any more stray dogs.

A rude Russian beauty gave the ice creamseller the rounds of the table about the size of her serving – perhaps if she had looked in the mirror this morning she would have realised the girl may have been doing her a favour.

Flushed with success we were off looking for our pick up point across the other side of town – where else at a bakery.

Passed a carnival, but could not elude the evil eye of the ride operator to snap a shot in the dodgems. Further along an ambitious old scruffy dog lay asleep beneath a huge meat sign on a butchery wall.

Jane found her next car – a BMW convertible into which only she would fit – glad it wasn’t the bag carrier.

Finally spotted the cafe and walked past a flash hotel with a flock of chickens in the front yard. Not sure if they were going on tonight’s menu or escapees from elsewhere.

Waited about an hour for ride to arrive in a country which appears to work on Fiji time.

Got picked up, crossed a huge dry river bed that even had a road through the middle, before doing a Cooks Tour of where we might have walked had we not changed the path to avoid the rugged mountain crossing . It was plain dangerous with steep narrow paths very close to big drops.

It was then again onto the winding coastal road with its hairpin turns and great views of the coast. The hate in him was looking for every opportunity to overtake, which meant a tight grip on the door handle for me.

There were many beaches we could walk to after our 12km return walk to the ruins tomorrow. We also had a look at the finishing line for Friday.

Stopped and triple parked while host collected some freshly baked bread for dinner, then it was off hime to a place now surrounded by high rise unit towers. It’s an old but very clean place with only four rooms.

Only there 30 minutes and it was a call to the table for a vegetarian dinner , served quickly as it was mine hosts wife’s birthday.

Sat around chatting with some other walkers and picked up a few tips for the rest of the trip.

Still trying to work out why our photos are taking so long to load.

Got about 3 days rain predicted and hoping it does not affect flow of river we have to cross on weekend.