Saturday 12th April, 2014
Having another whole afternoon in Kalkan yesterday allowed me to sort out my poncho issue, if not my iPhone issue. (I just have to wait until my iPhone is unlocked - or maybe my phone has a problem. The SIM is fine.)
I can't find the poncho I brought with me. I may have left it in the UK at the baby ballerina's apartment; or, who knows..... and my little umbrella just can't do the job. Of course, there was not a poncho to be found in Kalkan, so I have had to improvise. I thought about garbage bags, but I decided they were too fragile for the dense, prickly scrub we often walk through. In the end I bought half a kilo of plastic sheeting (way too much but I couldn't buy less) from a hardware store (4TL), a roll of duct tape (6TL) and a pair of scissors (1.5TL).
I'm not proud of my creation - it features a lot more duct tape than you would imagine - but I think it will work. As my father's daughter, I feel cheated that I missed out on the design-your-own-awe-inspiring-solution-to-any-problem gene but, if you miss out, you miss out. And anyway, I can do other things - like, I can spell!
Here are some pics of my (hopefully) last afternoon in Kalkan:
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| Beautifully sunny in the late afternoon! Who could need a poncho! |
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| Development everywhere. Here they are cobble-stoning the street. |
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| Meze for dinner |
This fine, blue morning, I left at 8am, warmed up by walking up to the main road and then hailed a cab to take me up to where I finished my walk yesterday (25TL).
Beautiful climb this morning, in the shadow of the mountain for the first hour, with stunning views of the coast, all the way up to the pass. Then down into the pretty valley of Bezirgan. The village is pretty well deserted, with most houses closed up - apparently, as it heats up on the coast, there'll be a migration back to the mountains. Felt like a good lunch, but couldn't find a cafe open. I did ask (mime) a friendly peasant woman if there was somewhere I could eat, and she said, "Yes" and waved me a smiley goodbye.
It was only 12 noon, so I decided, during a pack-rest, to catch a dolmus back to Kalkan and then another on to Kas. Walking the next section, of three days, on the Lycian Way, depended on having someone to walk with, and my slim hope was that I might meet someone today, heading my way, that I could team up with. Not a soul did I see, again.
Tomorrow's walk Kate describes as "long and tough", and 7 Kate hours and 45 mins, would be at least 10 for me, and that's if markings are clear and easy. The day after is another 7 Kate hours and the next day, although much shorter, has been negatively reviewed as having a cliff ledge to negotiate, a scarcity of markers and no possibility of a dolmus alternative. Also, Kate's map differs significantly from my Maps With Me map, and I'd quite likely have to camp at altitude - I don't need to endure all that.... But very glad I did this day!
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| Going up.... |
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| Advertising I love! |
| Nearly at the pass |
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| Nearly at the pass |
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| At the pass |
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| Wanted a pic of me here |
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| Oh, more mountain.... |
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| Good camping at the top |
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| Shepherd' shut |
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| Shepherd's hut and Kalkan |
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| Another pass |
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| Yayla - good camping if you don't mind sharing with livestock |
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| First view of Bezirgan |
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| Lots of these for storing crops |
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| A Bezirgan house |
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| Bezirgan valley and the pass I came through |
Oh, oh, oh! Here I am in Kas! I quite like this mix of walking and dolmus-ing, as I experience this beautiful country from two very different perspectives. As I left the otogar, a man approached me to see if I needed a pension for the night (50TL B&B). I followed him here to the Santosa Pansiyon and will post this blog before I go exploring.....loving it so far!
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| Interior of dolmus. 6TL ride Kalkan to Kas |
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| Beautiful coastal scenery from the dolmus |
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| Santosa Pansiyon |
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