Day 24; Yayla Kuzdere

Sometimes when I travel for a month or more I need to leave cards written and ready to post. Today it's my brother's birthday so happy birthday and I hope the remotely controlled card reached you.

Today I get to the highest point so far at around 1,800 metres. I am starting at around 900 metres so the actual climb won't be difficult if the terrain is OK and it is through cedar forest with no warnings in the guidebook. This will see me within 500 metres of the summit of Mount Tahtali, or Mount Olympus as it is commonly called; it is part of the Western Taurus Mountain Range. As you will have noted by now Turkey has a Mount Olympus and so does Greece. It is this Mount Olympus that the city back in Çirali was named after.

Last night's meal at the Pansiyon was - predictably - chicken and rice. Had I stuck to my camping idea it would have been bread and cheese at best so I can't complain. On the way in to the village yesterday I saw a walker washing herself in the water trough of a spring; it made me shudder and strengthened my resolve to use Pansiyons. Though the temperatures are a bit cooler so camping may be back on.

A fine walk out of town through cedar forest. 

Breaking free of the sound of silence in the forest I come to a clearing and hear, loud and clear, Simon and Garfunkle's The Sound of Silence coming out of a speaker from a café setup to cater for the Lycian Way walkers and those on a day trip to climb Mount Olympus. 

I have deliberately tried to make steady progress and now at 1,300 metres I rest and take on food and water ready for the next stretch.

I liked this view as it shows cedars growing from a big lump of rock. It shows that determination not only to survive but to flourish. Though I didn't flourish at this point as I took the least favourable route for the next 1km.

Having got back on track I collide with a young Israeli woman who had taken the better road and we help each other with navigation on the long descent. 

I am calling this a crocus and beside it sage that grows in abundance. 

I am not saying as much as I ought to about the walking. I hope the photos paint a picture and suffice to say that with those backdrops the walking is amazing. Today in particular. My 'toolkit' informed me that there is a Giant Sycamore tree which gives me an opportunity to note the felling of the Sycamore Gap tree in England. 

Checking in to accommodation the guidebook list comes in handy and after a 20 minute wait the owner comes and provides a room. The Israeli woman has checked in as well and we trade. I provide the accommodation list and the GPS Tracks and in return get a book. 

We tend to dismiss anarchists in the UK but we only have to look at Pitcairn island (think descendants of the bounty mutineers) to see how power and democracy can be held by a community of people; even if it isn't clear how the self organising works.

I have a choice of three rooms. The first choice double has me confused as I can't work out the bedlinen so I change to what I assume was a small girls room judging by the glitter on the walls and pink bedlinen. Bedlinen is one thing sure to leave me dumb founded.

Index