1/11/2021, Steppe FM : On the lands of southern Anatolia :
We stayed three nights in Selçuk. And for the second time, thanks to Bekir who had offered it to us (a big thank you by the way!), we slept in a hotel after a hard negotiation for the price and the dog. Three nights and therefore four days that allowed us to discover the pretty little town of Selçuk and its surroundings but especially the ruins of Ephesus, one of the largest Greco-Roman city of Asia Minor.
We wait for Nezahat, another friend of Bekir, to visit the great ruins of Ephesus. During this time we are not left out, the changing weather alternates between rain and storm under which we must visit the city of Selçuk, the archaeological museum of Ephesus and the ruins of the cathedral of Saint John. The church was destroyed by an earthquake and the visit of the ruins allows us to realize the impressive dimensions of the ancient church. The ruins are like a labyrinth, one often finds oneself face to face with enormous pieces of carved rock.
The day when Nezahat comes to look for us, the weather is great. She takes us outside the city to have the Turkish breakfast (breads, green and black olives, cheese, honey... and of course a carafe of tea) before entering the site of Ephesus.
Ephesus was the Roman capital of the province of Asia, its geographical location, its port at the crossroads of major trade routes and the construction of the temple of Artemis (one of the 7 wonders of the ancient world) explain its hegemony.
Today there is nothing left of this marvel except a poor column restored with cement, in the middle of a wasteland, a site that I would have done without going to see, especially when it rains a lot. On the other hand, as far as the ruins of the city itself are concerned, it is magical. All day long we walked in the ancient Roman city: we visited the huge amphitheater, discovered the perfectly restored facade of the library, wandered on the main artery lined with columns between the fountains, the temples and the agora. We get lost in the labyrinth of the ancient Roman villas where we are surprised by the exceptional mosaics or graffiti dating back to 2000 years!
In short, we spend five hours under the sun to imagine how the city was two thousand years ago.
Our last day in Selçuk, we spent it wandering in the small city, drinking tea on the terrace and learning to play Okey, a Turkish domino game similar to rummy.
Luck is now on our side because Nezahat has room in her car and is heading in the right direction for us. With her we drove almost 400 km. Thanks to this, we have only 200 km to do in 4 days. It's easy!
The hitchhiking works well, we are invited to eat by one, to drink tea or a beer by the other and we finally meet at the meeting point in Beysehir one day in advance.
We camp near the lake. After a beautiful sunset, the temperature drops quickly. We light a big fire and think about the hike to come. We are going to cross a part of Anatolia: from the lake Beysehir to Antalya by accompanying a horse riding. We don't know at all what it is going to give but it looks cool!
The next day around 2 pm we met Yusuf and Gokan. Yusuf is in charge of the stewardship and Gokan of the kitchen during the hike. He explains to us that our job consists in helping them and in taking care of the orientation during the trips by car. We imagine ourselves already having a rather quiet week to converse quietly with them!
Half an hour later Nico and Ibrahim arrive, Nico is the organizer of the hike and Ibrahim "the cowboy", also guide, is there to learn the route for the next time.
Finally the truck carrying the horses arrives. We tie the six Arab horses to the stakes and start to set up the camp. The hike begins... !
Wake up 7:30 am, the sun is not yet risen and the temperature is low. We blow on the embers of the day before to revive the fire and to put water to heat for the coffee. We help Gokan to prepare the breakfast then the customers arrive with Nico. Four French women, originally from Paris, who know each other since college. They are funny and nice and seem to be there to spend vacations with friends.
Top departure, Nico and Ibrahim have assigned the horses and have finished saddling everyone. They leave first. We quickly tidy up the camp and I get into the first car with Gokan to take care of the orientation. About thirty kilometers later, still along the lake, we stop to prepare the picnic. Apparently, we don't have the same definition of picnic. I imagined a few sandwiches and we set up a beautiful table with a view on the lake. Then we have to light the fire for the tea, another one to cook the meat on the barbecue and fill the water basins for the horses. The whole thing takes the four of us a good hour of preparation! Well, we have to admit that the result is really hot!
The horse team leaves after eating. We still have to heat water for the dishes which Aymeric and I are in charge of. Then we have to play a game of Tetris to put everything in the trailers before starting again. Again I get into the jeep and take care of the route. One hour later, after a tortuous, stony and splendid road we arrive at the place of the first bivouac: on the other side of a dried river a meadow surrounded by the side of the mountains where conifers grow.
It takes us more than two and a half hours to set up the bivouac. First of all, we have to set up the big tent that serves as a dining room and kitchen, then we have to set up the table, the chairs, a tepee that serves as a room for the guests and two other small tents for the shower and the toilet. We also have to make a fire to cook and heat the water for the shower, we need a lot of wood to burn to do all this. Then we help Gokan to cook, Yusuf to install the stakes of the horses, the basins of water and food for the night. We hardly finish when the customers arrive. We prepare an aperitif the time that they have all the time to shower then we put ourselves at the table. We help to serve the dishes. The discussions around the horse go well and the meal is excellent! We take care to heat some water for the dishes which we take care of then everybody meets around the fire to watch the movie of the day already edited by Nico (the result is amazing, he records the most beautiful passages with the gopro and the drone, and the rendering is crazy!) and conserversing until the hour to go to bed.
The next morning, again. We get up around 7 am, we revive the fire and prepare breakfast...
During the seven days that last the excursion, we keep the same pattern. Contrary to what we imagined, our days are really full. The only time we really have for ourselves is in the evening around the fire, once the dishes are done. We get closer to our two acolytes Gokan and Yusuf. Even if he doesn't speak French or English, the four of us share great moments drinking a beer before the customers arrive or struggling on the almost impassable roads.
The road we follow is fantastic. We get lost in the jagged space of the high mountains, follow green valleys where a stream flows, wind through rocky labyrinths, and drive on the side of a cliff. The bivouacs are also incredible, they often have a breathtaking view on a distant peak or a mountain range, especially if they are in the middle of nowhere.
As we start to get used to sleeping in more than luxurious campsites (at this point it's more comfortable than a hotel!) the hike is coming to an end. We finally arrived at the beach after having covered 250 km and several massifs. We prepare a last snack that marks the end of the week. The clients leave for Antalya. We slept one last night camping on the beach and the next day a truck arrived to transport the horses. We load the cars one last time and take the road behind the truck in the direction of Cappadocia!
Halfway there, one of the cars breaks down and we finish the journey, tight and stiff, to Nico's ranch.
We arrive in the middle of the night, we see nothing of the area and hardly any horses. On the other hand, we entered his house carved in the rock...
All we can say... It is promising!