Might Join a Cult/Commune
I'm currently at a roadside restaurant, a stopping point for regional buses, about 7km from where I want to be. And no more local buses are running there, so I'm going to have to divert to a town with service still running.

This is what I don't like about the Lonely Planet I'm using. It mentioned bus times, so I knew I'd arrive here too late, but it didn't mmention distances or provide a useable scale map. It's these little things that bother me. And it frequently provides inconsistent information. For example, under City A, it may specify travel times to City B, and return times from City B. But you look under City B, and the duration is slightly different, and the departure times don't match. To the extent possible, I think I'll stick with Let's Go. They're pretty much as replete with information and recommendations, but I also appreciate their "picks." It's good for someone who can be indecisive, to have a default choice when serveral sound appealing.

But I suppose it gives me time to write and kvetch. Oh, and I'm sorry about the transcription delays, but Turkish keyboards vary significantly from the US, so typing is a real chore. The letter i, the period, the apostrophe, and the comma are all located in unexpected places.

I've come here from Faralya, my destination after Selçuk. I stayed at a place called George House, which is remarkably close to what I imagine paradise to be like. The town is located up on a cliff, facing west (making for beautiful sunsets), and while accessible by road, it's not a road that goes anywhere important, so it's quiet and feels remote. George House has a series of bungalows and cabins, and it epitomizes what I think Faralya once was. Before the road was put in, the village had to be self-sufficient, since it had no practical land or sea access to neighboring towns. On the George House property, there is a natural spring, which appears to fulfill all of its water needs. Some has been diverted to its pool, and they have drinking water constantly available, free of charge.

They also grow a fair share of produce; the outdoor dining area is shaded by overgrown grape vines.

Honestly, it's just so peaceful and calm. I kind of wish I'd stayed for another night, but I guess I'm still worrioed about missing out on stuff. Bird in tree.

From George's, there's a path down the side of the cliff. It's incredibly steep, and it requires use of the rope guide to get up and down in spots. At the bottom is Butterfly Valley, home to Jersey butterflies. Unfortunately, their high season is spring, so I missed out on seeing swarms. I asked about the path when I arrived, about 5:30pm, but the manager said it was too late to go down; it takes about 45 minutes in either direction (going down isn't any faster, because of the steepness). He suggested another walk I might take, so I went to drop my things in the cabin. But when I came back, it turned out another guy was just about to go down to the valley (and beach).

Phonetically, his name's Christopher, but he's German, and I'm not really sure how he spells it. About ten years ago, he met some young Turks on a train in Germany, and they told him about Faralya. He decided to visit it, and he's been coming back every year. Most recently, he quit his job back in January, and he's been travelling ever since; he's been at George House for the last few weeks. He's now "helping out" there. Anyway, suffice it to say, he knows the path extremely well (though it's also well marked), so I decided to follow him down. Apparently, he goes down for a swim every day, just a bit before sunset.

This decision turned out to be a mistake. He practically ran down the path, and I'm sure he was slowing down for my benefit. It took us maybe 15-20 minutes to get down. I just gave up on the way back up; I was about to heave a lung out.

The beach was amazing. It was a pebble beach, and the water felt like it was over 75 deg. F. I'm a wimp for cold water, and I went straight in.

I also went down to the valley the next morning, but I instead opted for the small nearby waterfall. It was there I spotted the butterflies. The underside of their wings are a beautiful orange, but they would mostly hide on rocks, with folded wings, exposing only the dingy black and white exterior.

When I got to the falls, I thought it was the destination, but I noticed a rope going up the side, frequently passing through the water itself. Maybe it wasn't the safest decision, but I just had to go up. The view wasn't any more impressive, but I got to climb up a waterfall. Totally worth it--since I am neither dead nor maimed.

I really don't see the beach getting over-developped. There's a campsite (or "pretentious hippies," according to Christopher), but it's pretty much impossible to get to by land, except for the path, and I think getting a road down would be an engineering marvel. There's also a water taxi, but I'm hoping development is practically limited. I'd definitely like to get back there some day. Hopefully the path down improves, though! The rocks are fairly slippery, polished over time by hiker's shoes.

Okay, I'm burning moonlight. My entire purpose of coming down here was to see the Chimera at night, so I better get to it. And now that I'm ina dierent town than planned, the walk's considerably longer. Here's to not getting lost and dying!

Labels: bar trip, Faralya (TR)

- posted by roger @ 9:53 PM