Pilgrimage from Arsus to Karagol 24/07/08

Sleeping in I make a slow start and after checking out it's straight down to the beach for a swim. Finding a wonderful little cafe I set my self up for some writing, sit back, relax and enjoy the view over a coffee.

Making a move I only get as far as an internet cafe before wasting another two hours :) By the time I finally leave Arsus it's after four. Finding a great little track off the main road I have a nice walk over the hills. The sea breeze stops me dying of heat exhaustion and an hour later I meet back up with road.

I was told there weren't going top be many restaurants along this way so the first one I spot I stop at for dinner. After a superb meal of fresh fish grilled to perfection I continue on my way.

The heat increases as the afternoon progresses and I'm not happy when my road slopes into a steep incline. All the locals are sitting on the street or their balconies so I receive constant offers for tea and food. The restaurants may be few and far between but really, it's not like I'm ever going to starve to death in Turkey :)

The only problem with all the attention is I'm too exhausted to respond, what is meant to come out as "Thank you so much but I must keep going" instead comes out as a muffled grunt with a grimace in leu of a smile :)

But whenever I need it a cup of tea is always waiting. It means the progress is slow but the people are great and I'm going to be walking half the night anyway so it doesn't really matter.

Darkness falls and the traffic thins out. I'm thoroughly enjoying the walk and slowly drift off into my own little world. My thoughts soon turn to death, which is common when walking on the roads at night, it's a bit hard not to when I get told four or five times a day that I'll get killed walking out here by myself ;) Luckily for me I'm quite comfortable with thoughts of death and am happy to let them run their course...

A cigarette packet appears before me and I go out of my way to step on it. Quite a violent reaction to an inanimate object and I take it as a bad sign. Not five seconds later a gust of wind blows through which chills me to my bones...

Where did that come from???

It must still be about 30˚ and that gust would have been lucky to be 15˚! Strange energy is out and about tonight and it leaves me cautious. Eyeing every passing car warily and spotlighting strange noises in the bush a jumpy pilgrim continues on...

Passing a house someone on the balcony yells out but I can't make out what they say...

"Hello" I call back...

More yelling comes my way but I'm in no mood to stop and see what they want...

"Hello" I yell again and continue down the road...

Suddenly I'm the one lit up in a super powerful torch beam and I have pictures in my mind of some crazed hillbilly standing up there with his shotgun aimed at me. Still in no mood to stop I continue on with the torch beam following me round the side of the mountain. Fantasizing about hitting him with my own torch beam I figure it's probably not the best idea and if it's important they will no doubt come and track me down :)

A small town is appears a kilometer down the hill and after two minutes a car starts up heading in my direction. A big black 4WD zooms past and screeches to a halt after spotting me. Doing a radical three point turn considering the drop off over the side of the mountain it returns to where I'm standing, with me slightly shell shocked...

Tonight is getting too strange! I grip my torch wondering "what now?" as the 4WD pulls up next to me...

A young guy is behind the wheel...

"Jump in, jump in!"

"Thanks, but I'm just walking"

"No, jump in, jump in!"

"I can't sorry, but thanks for the offer"

He doesn't look so happy and drives off back to town. Half the village is waiting for me when I make to the local shop and I realize they must have been able to see my torch light coming down the hill. I recognize a few of them from earlier in the evening when they tried to give me a lift and they think it is incredibly amusing that I've only just arrived when if I went with them I would have been here hours ago.

I'm grateful for the tea and a chance to rest but I have to laugh at their constant attempts to make me stay the night...

"Too dangerous that way! Stay here, you must stay here and walk in the morning!"

Everyone starts making motions like getting shot or having my throat cut, one guy is even acting like his limbs are getting sawn off! Don't now what that's all about ;)

I explain that walking in the evening is much nicer than during the day and that even though there offer is very generous I will keep moving. The sense of unease I was feeling earlier in the evening has worn off, if it hadn't I would happily accept but instead I will keep moving...

They try to scare me with stories of dogs and then in one last ditch effort explain that for the next 20kms there is nothing. No people, no cars, no phone reception...nothing. This actually makes me feel a lot better! I know I'm not likely to be shooting myself or chopping my limbs off so if there is noone else out there I have absolutely nothing to worry about ;)

Around 11pm I get back into it and the walk is wonderful. The road turns to dirt and I only pass two cars and one wild pig the whole way, for the majority it's just me, the rugged coastline and the sound of the waves...

A guy explained earlier in the day that there were heaps of pigs in this area and that I need to camp on the beach to avoid them. Having spotted one already I believe him and search for a suitable beach to call it a day. Around 1am a perfect beach appears and the first thing I spot when lighting it up with my torch is a big pig! So much for them not wondering the beaches :)

The pig scuttles up a nearby mountain and pleased they appear to be more scared of me than I am of them I decide to sleep under the stars. But just in case I keep a big stick and the torch handy... :)