How did people make the decision to set off? In fact, what was he on for? What made people actually fall in love on the road? Longing, longing, desire to get closer, to meet, to get away, to see new places, to know new people, to try new things, to test yourself, to taste new things, to know yourself and its limits. What was it?
I realized that for me it’s actually none of this. I’m going after the scent. Since I have learned to discover the scents of memories, I only smell them on the road. Everything else is already in it. Smell… The road has dust, rain, cold, people, food, nature, longing, longing, hugging, loneliness and even music. Even every color on the way has a smell.
The Lycian Way, which means a total of 540 kilometers, 2000 years, and the Land of Light, illuminates my way with every journey. We set ourselves at Dalaman Airport at 07:00 in the morning on the Lycian Way, where I walked a hundred kilometers two years ago, and the rest of which I finished with a motor, one year ago.
From Dalaman to Fethiye, we arrive at Fethiye at the end of the road, which takes about an hour with the vehicles of both Havataş and Muğla Municipality. At the Gar2 Restaurant, located at the bottom of the bus station, we are waiting for the brother of Abdurrahman who will make our decision among home-made and breakfast alternatives and make our last purchases from Carrefour, directly opposite him, and take us to Catchy Camping.
Upon departure from Fethiye, I first embrace what I missed when we arrived at Cathcy Camping, located at the Alaca Mevkii at 2750 meters; Fortunately for my life, whenever I say that I have learned new things about life, about people, about friendship, faith, love, love, in their own ways, with wide hearts, endless spirits, laughing from their lungs to dear friends.
We drink our coffee, set up our tents and settle in Catchy. In this place where there are also areas where you can set up your own tents, you can also stay in bungalows whose names are Olive, Grape, Almond, and Fig.
Cathcy Camping is located at the beginning of the East Lycian Way. Kabak Bay is at the meeting and crossing point of Sydma Ancient City, Paradise and Pirate Bays. We spend our first day chatting at Cathcy Camping, where we arrive at around 12:00 on Saturday, relaxing in the open area within a short walking distance.
9 months ago, the key to my 10-day trip with my motorcycle that changed many things in my life was the sunset in Alece and the phrase “Nothing is external.” As we approach 7:00 in the evening, we leave the camping area to see the sunset that a person must see before leaving this world. We prepare ourselves for the eternal gift of the universe, proceeding from the places where the goats roam on the rocks. As the sun sets at the point where the Mediterranean meets the Aegean, the universe says, “Here I am right in front of me and live me, as you can!”
The sun is sinking with all its miracles and understands that everything in life creates its own miracle while absorbing human odor of thyme. Once again, once again… When I started this year, when I realized that the starting point of my travels this year was the sunrise, what is interesting is that I decided to start this in the sunset of my life, Alece. For 2017, I could say the sunsets of my life, but 2018 was exactly the sunrise. Now the crimson sun sets before my eyes allows me to understand only the smell of all this, beyond love, life, passion and the road.
Although we spend the night in the tents with a little cold, when the morning meets the sound of the roosters who sing at the dawn and just in time, the human realizes that the warming is not about the temperature. With the advantage of the fact that there are many trails to walk in Alti Mevkii, we set our route as Korsan Bay. Since we are in one of the best times of the Lycian Way, April-May and September-October, the weather is of course ideal for hiking. We complete our day with a 45-minute brisk walk and descend to Korsan Bay and a one and a half hour steep climb.
One of the most romantic things that come to me on these roads is always the paint on the stones beyond the signs. You can find your own way from paints that can be seen as yellow – red, red – blue, without the need for a guide most of the time. These traces, which resemble the fairy tale of Hansel and Gratel, changed the part of the story that left breadcrumbs on the road through the paints used. When you follow, you will find yourself on the Lycian Way, which takes you right in the middle of the fairy tale land, in the middle of the legend.
You will feel silent and step by step, the sounds of the dried pine trees beneath you, the indescribable scents of nature, the unique landscapes and the path you desire to leave more marks on the world with each step. The Lycian Way will enlighten you with every step. This way is a real thankfulness in every step. The Lycian Way will be etched into your memories as the safest way in the world that always nourishes you.
You will thank Allah for giving Teke Peninsula this world and this country. Every way was an answer to me. The answers I got without asking each way, listening myself every way, understanding myself every way. As soon as we find ourselves on the way to greet the sunset as soon as we return to the campground, the only emotion in me is how far we can go as we go step by step as usual. There is always a saying on the mountain: How much longer do you have to look up. Take one step at a time, one little piece. That little piece of each piece takes you to the top. When a person applies this in everything in his life, all difficulties are resolved gradually, little by little.
After getting up early and picking up the tents on Monday morning, we set off as 10 for our plane at 14:30 and I start writing these lines with the answer I found without asking. I’m going after the scent. Every smell, love, experience, meeting, passion, longing, touching, feeling, colors. So what I am actually chasing is the smell of life. Every smell of life is engraved on my mind; road.
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