Along the Aegean, Part 3

By now, going 5 days without a proper shower isn't a big problem anymore. It's November anyways and not 35° C anymore. Often enough there are shower options along the beaches (though more frequently now at the end of the season, they are disabled). But there are always water fountains to be found where I can refill my bottles for a quick wash before the night.

Yet I'm happy when reaching Fethiye where Ahmet, a veterinarian, has accepted to host me for a few nights in his house, which he shares with his room mate, a cat (that happily shares the couch with me) and a very old and very friendly dog.

Together we go fishing one day (of course I don't catch anything but instead just manage to loose both bait and hook) but Ahmet catches a squid which is promptly used in a barbecue later.

Fethiye itself is a rather nice looking town with a neat coast line featuring a brand new park that is so shiny and polished, I felt like I was back in Switzerland (apparently, it opened just a few weeks before I came).

Of course, I managed to get in trouble in said park just upon my arrival when I has just finished my post-cyling beer: security made it clear that alcohol was not allowed in there.

I'm staying in Fethiye for quite a long time, 6 nights altogether. One of the reasons is that my friend and cycling enthusiast, has asked to join me while she has a few days off. And so I'm awaiting here arrival in Fethiye with the bus straight from Istanbul.

We are leaving Fethiye in good mood, both being seasoned cycle tourists. Well someWhat, anyways.

As we have enough time to reach Kaş in 2 days I have suggested to cycle down to Öludeniz, then follow the coast as far as we can and cut back through the mountains later to join the main highway leading to Kaş. Only issue is, the maps are not too great and it is not clear whether there is a way and if there is, What condition it might be in ...

We make our way up and down to Öludeniz where I set my new record speed of 72 kph. After a quick bath in the sea (cold but still great) we set off to conquer the mountain, but not before taking some refreshments from the local fruit juice seller.

"You will kill the girl" she says when she hears about our plan. "The road is very steep!"

A few minutes of pondering and I conclude that killing the girl is not a desired outcome. Instead we turn around, following the main roads and set up camp some 2 hours later on a hill in a forest.

Soon after dinner it's bed time. Just when I'm dozing off, I hear some loud bangs coming from the neighboring tent.

"This girl is sure making a lot of noise" I wonder, dozing off again. But a bit later Ece shouts:

- "There's something there!!"
- "Really?" I answer. "I don't hear anything"

Yet, I arm myself with my headlamp and peek outside. Now I hear some rustling as well. And then I see two eyes in the darkness, staring at me: it's a fox.

And only now I realize that the previous noise hadn't been caused by Ece but in fact it was the fox who had stolen our garbage bag and was now trying to get to the pasta leftovers, creating a minor turmoil in the process and spreading garbage everywhere.

A few minutes of midnight forest cleanup later, the garbage was safely attached at a high branch of a remote tree (as it should have been to begin with) and we could sleep happily ever after.

The next morning awaits with two stunning revelations:

1. we have barely made any progress towards Kaş the previous day
2. the leg to Kaş is actually a lot less flat than I had thought. In fact, it's a 1000+ meters in elevation gain

When we arrive in Kaş it is 7.30pm, long after dark. The riding along the coast line during sunset was beautiful and despite the lack of lights on Ece's bike not too risky, as the roads were mostly empty.

It takes another 2 hours until we have eaten and found a place to sleep: right next to the amphitheater, a local tourist attraction. The next day, we take a rest and enjoy the sunshine until Ece has to catch the bus back to Istanbul.