Heading down to the restaurant for breakfast I get the impression everyone around here likes to sleep in. No staff anywhere! Not often I'm the first awake ;) Setting myself up next to the river to write it isn't too long before someone makes an appearance...Breakfast is wonderful, with honey still in the honeycomb it's hard to go wrong :)
After some more writing I make a move out onto road to hitch back to Delialiusagi. My stay here has been perfect. Just what I needed!
Yesterday, being Sunday and overly crowded, left me with a false sense of security. After an hour my first vehicle comes by! The guy's on a motorbike and one look at my pack is enough to scare him away :( Back to sitting in the sun reading...The pansiyon staff told me yesterday the only bus leaves at 5am every morning, I'm starting to feel it would have been a good option. Another hour later, nearing midday, and with me considering going back to the pansiyon to stay another night a car appears...
Pleeeeeaaase stop!!!!!!!!!!!
My joy quickly turns to dismay as it looks full but then it stops and I realize there is one spare spot :) Thank God for that! I have to keep my pack on my lap but beats walking ;)
Back in Delialiusagi and feeling great I head into town to locate a shop. From here it's into the mountains and I don't think I'm likely to find much up there. Town is looking pretty small but luckily I spot the tell tale sign of a bag of balls hanging from a wall...
"Do you have bread?"
"Not now...but have a seat, bread is coming"
"Is there a restaurant in town?'
"No"
Well...not much choice, I sit and wait. Mustafa is a cool guy and we chat away while waiting for the bread. Turns out to be a blessing, soon it's his lunchtime and he invites me back to house house to eat! We have a feast and it's just what I need before hitting the hills, cheers mate :)Stocking up on all the essentials I hit the road. It's five kilometers to Yesilkoy where I'm meant to turn off, I can see a track leading into the hills but is it mine? A group of kids turn up but seem more interested in ridding me of my mp3 player than ensuring I'm heading in the right direction. They finally concede that yes, the track I can see is my road but as I still have my mp3 player with me so I'm not entirely sure whether to trust them...then, I don't really have a choice :)
My dirt track is great! I'm loving the decision to head through the mountains...
But then like all perfect tracks it suddenly ends! What the...?!? Standing in the middle of a small quarry I start to wonder where I went wrong. The only other track I can remember is a a small road 1km back. Must be my road...
Making my way back down I'm not impressed when another road, which I managed to miss on the way up, makes an appearance. How many others did I miss???
An old guy came out of nowhere while I was taking my last break, I head back to the same spot to ask for directions. He's not to be seen so getting out my book I sit and wait. I'll give him 30 minutes :)
Twenty minutes later, hearing some noise in the bushes I call out. The same guy is there and confirms my track. Things are looking good once again...
On my map the road is dead straight over the ridge to the next town, I was hoping for a nice gentle rise to the ridge, then a nice gentle decline back down. Instead my road twists and turns like a really twisty turny thing, lucky for the view or I wouldn't be impressed!
The other problem is, on my map there is only one road. It all looks very straight forward but in reality there are roads everywhere! I just have to guess...
Clearing the last ridge the track levels out on to a big plateau. looking back the view is spectacular and I stand there cherishing the moment, all alone on the mountain tops...
"Hey, hey...!!!"
Snapped back to reality I look around trying to find out who just destroyed my wonderful daydream...
Spotting a small shed with some guys waving I head over for a look...
"Tea, tea...?"
Once again I think I'm in the middle of bloody nowhere and still get an invite for tea! Turkey is an amazing place! Too bad if you ever want some time to yourself though ;)
Turns this is a mining camp, these guys live up here for six months of the year...no wonder they are so keen for a chat :) I even get an invite for dinner but it's getting late and I know if I eat I
won't get any further...A couple of kilometers down the road I get another surprise. A small village appears which I find out from some passing locals has 60 families! And here I was thinking I was in nowheresville :)
The sun sets with spectacular colors and I try to find a camp with a good view East. I would like to watch the sunrise tomorrow but with my valley running North/South it isn't looking likely.
Spotting a small ridge that doesn't look too high, I figure I can camp on the hillside and go for a morning jog to the top. Sounds like a plan...
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