Day 13; Liman Agizi (via Kas)
A shorter day today and I aim to have brunch in the coastal town of Kaş which is only 2 hours 30 minutes away by the book. Then it is another 2 hours to my final destination. The route summary for Kaş says "....across the Çukurbağ ova and over the edge of the cliffs...". I should say at this point that ova is Turkish for plain or flat land and that I'll be going over the edge onto a narrow cliff path, or that is the hope.
What would we do without Google Translate.
Today will be fine, but as I head out I realise I may need to adjust my plans and use some of the contingency days I have at the end. It appears that an 8 hour day according to my guidebook may take me 10 hours.
The ova reveals some of the path choices that always present themselves.
The cliff has the usual stunning views but looks daunting.
I start by slipping on the loose earth and take some skin off my hand on the sharp rocks; I have never done a walk that has drawn so much blood. Half way down and the view is amazing.
Today's two and a half hour walk to Kaş takes 2 hours though I started at the right side of town; I need to find a formula for adjusting the given estimates on walking times. It is day 13 and I am hardening to the rucksack load, terrain, heat and distances.
We are familiar with the Egyptian and Greek antiquities that found their way to the UK but Turkey also has some of its treasures removed to the UK. Here the Turkish people are displaying their own history in Kaş.
I have had to book a couple of apartments and these always through up an extra hurdle with respect to gaining access, though as below you may get the offer of a ride on a scooter to save you 30 minutes of road walking; on this occasion I declined.
What would we do without Google Translate.
From Kaş I do the 2 hour walk to Liman Agizi which is pleasant and uneventful passing one of the many bays crowded with parasols.
I am hoping to get a room in a beach hotel in Liman Agizi and relax, maybe swim. In the event I fall off the hillside path into a maze of beach bars, sun loungers, glistening bodies and beach huts. The place doesn't have road access so everything comes by boat from Kaş including the people. I hunt out reception and am directed to a rotund Orsen Wells type figure nursing a cigar and short drink while sitting on a bar stool. He says they have rooms and provides a price. I hadn't quite worked out what I would be prepared to pay even though the next reliable stop was another 7 hours walk away. Anyway, the figure was slightly high and I reject it and wander back to the path again navigating the beach maze. Time would tell if that was a mistake.
It is now after 2pm and off I go pondering my next move and searching out water as I am nearly out and didn't think to refill at the Shangri-la I had rejected. Next stop is a cistern; a half barrel type structure and I can just see things floating on the dark waters inside. I reject that as well. I scrutinise my available resources and see there is a café and campsite reachable by 5pm. That provides something to aim for though what I will find is anyone's guess.
It is a tough walk at times and quite technical along the rocky shoreline.
Just before 5pm I pull into a bay and see a collection of boarded up buildings. In search of a water tap I wander over and do find a man in a café kitchen with a cleaver hacking meat off a bone. The place is deserted and he is in no rush to even acknowledge me. My eye is drawn to the glass fronted fridge and I take 3 litres of water, one fanta and one beer. I ask if there is somewhere to sleep - despite the air of desertion - and the answer is yes for £6 if I have a tent. My tent has been something of a running joke with my fellow walkers as it wasn't clear when or if I would use it and it makes a heavy rucksack heavier. My pitch is up on a small terrace and just big enough.
The 3 hour walk from Liman Agizi to here has been demanding and technical in parts either climbing up rocks with a steep drop if you fall or playing stepping stones with uneven sharp rocks. It hasn't been the easy day I expected.
Anyway, this is my remote sleepover.
Not such an easy day afterall. Having regained some energy I start pitching my tent when my host unexpectedly calls me over to eat. Bread, pasta, rice, tomato, pickled red cabbage and chicken. After that I finish pitching and settle in for some rest. I was grateful that I had stocked up on food in bustling Kaş so tomorrow is sorted. A simple photo as evidence of camping.
