Konya to Beysehir

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Day 7 Saturday 2nd October 2010 57 miles
Up at 7am to a packed breakfast which we ate stood up with no hot brew so we loaded up and then had chai on street outside from chai house next door. Two miles out of town, during which we pushed off a van with a flat battery, and then an 8 mile climb up a very dusty rough road, in the process of being widened, to the top of the col at 1500m before plunging down to the lake . The road then went up and down for miles past women carrying piles of short pine logs from the forest by donkey. I think these were used for making charcoal. We saw our first ancient well operated by a balance beam. As we approached Beyhsehir we saw many orchards and were offered apples by women pickers at the road side. As we came into Beysehir Julia offered to buy one at a trader by a big pile at the roadside. She was given the apple but he would not accept any payment. She said it was the best apple she had ever eaten. Beysehir is a tourist town at the end of a lake created by a dam wall at the rear of our hotel. The old bridge is lit up at night with blue and yellow lights, which gives off a tremendous glow reflected in the water. The evening meal was taken at one of the excellent speciality fish restaurants.

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