The Magic Circle

Lycian Way, Turkey.  Bezirgan to the Magic Circle. All through dark of night, dogs bark and howl in unending echoing concert. Seemingly a couple of them consider the surrounds of the campsite home turf and circle around our tents frequently answering other dogs calling in the valley. Lying too long in any one position is…

Bone Dry

Lycian Way, Turkey. Kalkan to Bezirgan. Just a little kindness from a pure heart reaps rewards of lifelong friendship in the canine world. Hobo2 has apparently slept in the gardens of our pension as we tossed and turned with whining mosquitos dive bombing us during the night. After we clomp down the stairs he rejoins us…

Mud Slingers

Lycian Way, Turkey.  Akbel via Delikkemer to Patara. New goals grant new attitudes, new latitudes, new freedoms. ‘Enjoy rather than endure’, our new catch cry enables us to skip slogging up the steep streets of Kalkan with our heavy packs to the village/suburb Akbel that lies hilltop above Kalkan. Hotel Zinbad calls us a cab…

The Ruins, The Rocks, The Beach and a Hobo.

Lycian Way, Turkey.  Patara to Kalkan. The Lycian Way was named one of the World’s ten best walks by the Sunday Times. Our walk today, starting at the necropolis of Patara and winding alongside the beautiful rocky coastline, with views of Patara beach on the Turkish Riviera make this an easy claim to believe. Today…

Xanthos Ruins

Lycian Way, Turkey. Breakfast atop the Zinbad terrace finds us looking out over the nearby white walled mosque to the calm blue Mediterranean and the green hillsides beyond. Azure tranquility and an enormous splendid fresh food breakfast, it’s a heady mix to start the day. Pam is up early as usual, scheming and dreaming in…

The Howie’ Owie

Lycian Way, Turkey.  Gavuragili to Xanthos. Ali’s culinary skills shine again at breakfast. Early morning conversation is all remembrance and plans. A common theme is how completely separate one day seems from the next. Ahhhh Time and perception of it’s flow, my favorite. I chime in with my theory of ‘how the fierce continuous concentration…

Meet the Mediterranean

Lycian Way, Turkey.  Belcegiz to Gavuragili. Tossing and turning on our narrow rubber mats we both wake often. Still chill mountain air of evening stirs violent during the night however our Tempest 300 pitched in the lee of the ridge and stone walls is barely ruffled. I listen as boughs from the big tree above…

Shepherd’s Heaven

Lycian Way, Turkey. Sidyma to Belcegiz. Coat your yufka (flat bread) with thick sweet honey and use this sticky yummy soft gluey spatula to lift adhered scraped crumbled goats cheese and tomato seeds from the breakfast plate. Tart and sweet flavours burst intricately against our palates as we follow our host Sideka’s demonstration of proper…

Rock and Ruin

Lycian Way, Turkey.  Alinca to Sidyma. Breakfast with Gundi and Ulrich passes in a laughter filled blur. From the veranda of the main building the daunting rocky mountainside we will be climbing down seems more cliff than slope. Our guidebook recommends not attempting this path in bad weather and advises that it ‘could be unnerving…

Onwards, ever Upwards

Lycian Way, Turkey.  Kabak Beach to Alinca. The little old white haired, red eyed, dog that has the run of the Olive Garden greets us like old friends as we creak stiff kneed down the concrete stairs towards the wooden balcony surrounding the dining area. I take pictures of him in his lilac coloured studded…