Santa Claus is actually from hell

---

From Selcuk, we went to Fethiye, on the Mediterranean coast. Our main objective in Fethiye was to research and prepare for a journey on a section of the Lycian Way, a 300 mile long trail between Fethiye and Antalyia. We also had time to explore the city a bit. The highlight of Fethiye are the Lycian tombs that are carved into the cliff faces just above the city. The tombs have Roman style columns in front and are quite impressive. Not many people hike up to the tombs, so Dan and I sat in the shade on the steps of one of the tombs for about an hour reading a book on the Lycian Way that we purchased. We decided to hike a section of the Lycian Way between Demre and Finike. This is about a 30 km stretch that would take us three days. So we stocked up on food for the journey and traveled to Demre.

Demre is one of the most unusual places I have ever been. As the bus descended the pass comming in, I could see the city below. Basically, all I could see were hundreds of greenhouses spread out over a large area. Demre has about 15,000 residents but it still has a rural feel. Basically, it felt like a city of 15,000 farmers. It was very strange. St. Nicholas was bishop of Demre, so there were several images of Santa Calus around town. We found the Lycian Way at the end of town and made our way up the trail a short distance and set up camp on hill above town.

Camping above Demre was strange. It was extremely hot and humid, even at midnight, so we did not set up a tent and camped under the stars instead. There are very few lights in Demre so the stars in the clear night sky were amazing. I have not seen the stars this well in quite some time. As I lay on the ground trying to fall asleep, several bright meteors passed above us. At times, it was dead quiet above Demre. However, occassionally a rooster would crow, or a dog would bark, and this would start every animal in Demre howling, and, clucking, and barking. At these times the noise level rivaled Istanbul and it was difficult to sleep. As soon us the first touch of orange appeared on the horizon, the call to prayer blared loudly from the mosques below. The chanting from the mosques was actually quite peaceful as I lay half asleep.

We got an early start to try and beat the heat, but it was useless. By 9:00 it was already so hot that we were sweating heavily and drinking a lot of water. By noon, we were desperately searching for any shade where we could take a rest.

Despite the heat, the Lycain Way was interesting. The trail goes along a road from Demre for a couple of kilometers through some small villages. The Villagers were very friendly and interesting people. Although a city of 15,000 people is less than 5km away, I get the impression that these people rarely travel into town. For the most part, they live as their ancestors have lived for centuries with no running water, no cars, etc. Goats, cammals, and chickens line the road side. All of the childeren know the word "hello" and excitedly shouted it to us as we passed. The kids were very interested in us and always waved as they passed on a motor scooter. The women were reserved and stuck to their own business, but the men warmly greeted us and happily pointed the way to the next village. Once we left the road, the Lycian way climbed a steep hillside. Like many of the mountains around here, the mountain had mostly shrubby vegetation and very few trees. There were many rocks to radiate the heat. Hiking with large packs in these conditions was hellish.

Around noon, we finally found some shade to rest. We stayed there for several hours waiting for the midday heat to pass. I began to become concerned about our water supplies. The landscape here is very dry with no rivers or streams at all. The only sources of water are in the occassional village. Dan was reluctant to turn back. At higher elevations there are Cedar forests that he was very interested in exploring. I finally convinced Dan that continuing on was too risky, given the uncertainty of finding of water, so we turned around and made our back to Demre. The villagers again greeted us warmly, and offered us water from the water cooler in the center of the village (I assume this is their only source of water).

From Demre, we began our journey to Cappadocia in central Turkey. Although our attempt to hike on the Lycian Way was basically a disaster, I did appreciate the opportunity to see rural Turkish life. I also enjoyed meeting the Turks in the cities. Turks everywhere are very friendly, helpful, and welcoming, but the ones in the Mediterranian were especially so. I will try to upload pictures later if I have access to a card reader.

---