Pilgrimage from Osmaniye to Dortyol 20/07/08

Mildly cold mist wakes me from my slumber as the spray from the guy watering the concrete next to me sprinkles across my face...

I think they are trying to give me a hint ;) Opening one eye the worker greets me with a big smile. I manage a very strangled "good morning" before quickly disappearing back into dreamland.

Some noise next to me wakes me again, this time I make the effort to get up. The sun is quite high and I'm surprised when the clock shows it is still only 06:30. The owners make an appearance and calls me over for breakfast. What hospitality! Let me sleep on their couch and ensure that I leave with full belly. I love Turkey!

I set off to complete the last few kilometers to Osmaniye, walking through industrial area the streets are still reasonably quiet. A small group up ahead draws my attention, the guy siting looks like he has just had an accident or been in a fight. Two guys are standing over him, whack, one of them clips him over the head and starts yelling. Shit! He's waving a pistol at him! They have already noticed me coming up the road so there's nothing to to other than walk past acting like this is normal... :)

"Good morning"

"Good morning" The guy without the pistol points at the guy sitting "Guilty! Guilty!"

I smile and nod. You're not getting an argument out of me mate...

"Have a good day"

"Have a good day..." Their attention goes back to the poor sod sitting and they resume their yelling...

The other people on the street are paying very little attention as well. Some are curiously watching from a distance but most are just continuing what they are doing. I have to admit this is a pretty wild corner of the world ;)

Passing straight though Osmaniye it isn't long before I reach my turnoff to Erzin. The walk is nice over some small foothills but once again the Turkish haze that sits over everything dulls the surrounding view. Then I get a very pleasant surprise, ripe grapes!!! Yippee :) I knew they couldn't be too far away!

Unfortunately most of the vines still are a bit sour so spotting a store up ahead I go to see if they have any for sale. Now that I've had a taste I've got a craving ;) Instead of grapes there are huge piles of tomatoes everywhere, turns out they make home made tomato paste...

But the universe wasn't about to let me go without. Two kilometers down the road a woman sitting with her three kids spots me, runs inside and returns bearing two big bunches! Amazing how things like that work! The three young girls are extremely entertaining. The older one is super confident and has some great faces to pull at me when I don't understand her Turkish, a fun way to pass twenty minutes :)

Continuing onwards a young guy waiting for a ride to Erzin calls me over for a chat. Barak is a character as well. Deciding to join me walking he chats away constantly the whole 5kms, hardly even concerned that I probably only understand 5% of what he's saying. He takes me to the local internet cafe and after an hour on the net I'm just about falling asleep at the table...

It's incredibly hot but i figure I'll just walk to the edge of town, find a tree and crash out. The plan works and it isn't long before I'm away with the fairies.

I wake to dark clouds brewing in the mountain. Really looks and feels like rain but when I ask the locals they just all laugh and tell me it won't happen. There is a slight sprinkle but turns out they are right. I manage to get within 3kms of Dortyol, tonight's destination, before the clouds clear and a random guy on the side of the road invites me in for dinner...

Ali is typical of the Turkish populace. I stop for a chat, he finds out I'm from Australia then insists on feeding me. Maybe all the Australians that pass through Turkey are as skinny as I am and they think we don't have any food down there ;) But whatever the reason it's a wonderful way to travel!

It's getting dark by the time I leave but the walking is easy and it isn't long before I make Dortyol. There's not much around and hearing the beach is only 2kms away it sounds like a much better option for the night.

So for the fourth time this journey I cross a country to meet the Mediterranean! And what a wonderful sea it is to meet :)

I was dreaming of arriving, dropping my bag on the beach and crashing straight out on the sand but my fantasies are short lived. The high tide level comes within a meter of the road and with the restaurants, car parks and houses there's not much room for pilgrims :( Nothing else to do other than keep walking...

Going to buy a beer some young guys see me leaving and decide to follow. As soon as I find a nice quiet spot by myself they pull up next to me on their bikes :) It turns out to be a blessing, finding out I'm going to camp somewhere close by they point to the house behind us and tell me it's empty. Sure enough they are right and it's a perfect place to spend the night...