Monday June 12th, 9:00 am
Location: on top of the world
How am I here, how did that even happen?
Never In my life have I imagined climbing a mountain this high, unequipped, wearing gap chinos. Just two days ago on the way here, I was marveling at those very mountains, saying to myself: one day you’ll never know, I may climb one of those. And look at me now, I am a total goat, not a wannabe. But let’s leave this story (s) for later.
Friday, June, 9th, 2023
Time: Twilight!
In a few hours, I will be leaving Kargı, where I spent 9 awesome, kinda life-changing days. I will be saying goodbye to the mountains, the bays, and the cozy abode I’ve been enjoying so much. Nevertheless, I was pretty excited about what was in store for me this time … May life take me where it pleases.
Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders
Let me walk upon the waters
Wherever You would call me
Take me deeper than my feet could ever wander
And my faith will be made stronger
I stroll down to the only bay I have not been acquainted with so far. I just wanna hear those crashing waves, and bathe in those glorious first rays, before I make the bus trip to town for a quick workout, food, and supplies. The village I’m heading to is remote, with zero access to anything.
I’m lucky that in Turkey nothing runs as efficiently as the bus system, Otobüs (s) literally go EVERYWHERE on the map. The köy minibüs happens to pass by my village’s main road, ending at Datça town center, so there ya have it. The timetable is scarce though, the timing is weird, and the trip is a bit long, and I will later discover firsthand that those minibusses are stuffed and stuffy (damn hot), but that’s a small price to pay for the convenience of being able to go places without a car or taxi. I was surprised by the tariff though, 25 tl, meaning 50 tl both ways, pretty pricy! For whatever reason transportation in Muğla is the most expensive in Turkey and Datça has the upper hand, it is even more expensive than Istanbul.
Done with my chores, I finish cleaning the house/ packing, say goodbye to Duygu my host, and take off.
Friday, June, 9th, 2023
Time 3:00 pm
Location: Mezgit, a tiny hamlet at the edges of Mesudiye, a village on the Aegean. Mezgit is 200 meters above sea level, has exactly 40 houses (I counted them), and home to 100 families (the math is all wrong I know), and is one of the most beautiful villages I’ve seen in my life.
Günaydın, I smile at the lady walking in the middle of the main road as I struggle to find the trash container, she gives me the biggest smile ever then makes her way up to the old man selling almond oil and fresh almonds at the corner of the bus stop (with whom minutes ago I’ve been having a one-sided conversation with, as in him chat and me smile dumbfounded). I hear two words: Mustafa and Misafir!
I am in my Sweety pie mode, saying hi to everyone, because why not, at the end I am gonna stick around for 12 days and will see the members of those 100 families all the time. Besides, I don’t exactly fit in a traditional village, tanned and muscular … I don’t want them to think I came here with a flying saucer; I want to be approachable and docile.
First 30 minutes in Mezgit I make two new friends, Şengül and Nuriye! N sells almonds and oil (a health hazard, as her plastic container oils sit under the sun for days on end, maybe months even) and Ş is a toothless Badass who I’m pretty sure in a different context would be the fun of all parties. We sat picnic style, our backs to the bus stop (the bus stop is literally where everything happens around here) and chatted and laughed. They teased and giggled about my muscles as if I was showing them some porn videos, they were probably the happiest humans I’ve seen in a long time. But a get-together is not a get-together without a selfie, and they did take ‘em.
Günnuz and Mustafa are my hosts, they have a small guesthouse attached to their cottage, and their grandson Onur rents it out for them. Tiny and frugal but well-kempt and cute, I love it. Onur showed me around their lovely vegetable garden where I can pick my own vegetable, although I won’t need to as Günnuz will always share with me whatever was that day’s fresh pick …. He also showed me the chicken coop ….YUMURTA baby …. But here’s a secret, I bought two dozen fresh farm eggs when I first got here, to save face of all things, because considering how much eggs I eat, I will wipe out the entire chicken population, and then some.
Lana: Onur, what do you do? … Me, I’m a writer
Onur: I know, I read your blog
Lana (gobsmacked) what? I mean you do?
The village sits in the midst of lush olive and almond groves, fig, lemon, and orange orchards, it’s just amazingly beautiful. A tight belt of massive mountains surround it dominating the geography of the whole area. Actually, the drive to and fro Mesudiye literally cuts through the mountains, a marvelous specter from both ends (meaning the bus trip comes with a million-dollar view)
The moment Onur and his grandma left, I went to work, cleaning, scrubbing, rearranging everything, doing laundry, and unpacking. In Kargi, I remained half-packed, not really settling in, I wanted this to be different as I plan on doing mostly two things: hike/ climb and write/ soul search….it’s my chance now; I am completely secluded, it’s just me, my tranquil little cottage and those mountains.
The next morning just as the sun started to show its lovely face I was out to explore the area. The village itself requires no more than 10 mins to cover. I then ventured into the olive and almond groves, absolutely beautiful, I raided (why can’t I use softer more romantic language I have no idea) some orange and clementine trees, how they tasted so good, sweet with a slight tang, I donno how many I ate but I made sure to pack some.
The groves end where the mountains begin; thick green mountains as far as the eyes could see. And as the case all around the peninsula, all roads lead to the sea, and here roads lead to two of the most famous beaches, Hayıtbükü and Ovabükü, which are GORGEOUS (Onur took me for a drive there) but unless I am in for a cup of coffee or a meal (Jason told me in Hayıtbükü is what he considers to be the best restaurant in the whole of Turkey, and I believe him, not only because he cooks and has excellent taste, but he has been all over Turkey, as in literally) I will never step there, it’s your typical beach scene, which I totally hate!
Me checking out the area :)
As I scour the breathtaking area, I pick up a path that cuts through the mountain, and I follow suit, an hour in and it seems clear to me that it may well lead me all the way to the very end, the sea. But it was approaching 9:00 am, time to head back; I have a bus to catch. So I decided to postpone this pursuit till the next day. First day here, I wanted to aquatint myself with the bus system/ route, know my options in terms of bus stops and whether there was anything interesting on the way, second and most importantly there was the big Saturday market where all the villagers gather to sell their weekly produce, an event I can't miss and for good reason; last and since I’ll be in the area already, the gym.
Kargi, when I could not hit the gym
The ordeal took much longer than I imagined, I left the village at 10:00 am and was back at 4:00 pm, adding insult to injury, I devoured all the food in exactly two days, meaning I had to head back today (June 12th ) to town for more food.
Killed by randomness....a bit of trivia for ya:
New hair, new shoes:
I cut my own hair, been doing so for years .... if you’ve ever wondered about my hairdo, there ya go. You’d think that by now I’d be a pro-stylist, but far from it, I have not changed/ improved since that day I said to myself f*&^ hair salons and went for the small paper scissors…. I still use paper scissors
Coco Chanel once said: “A woman who cuts her hair is about to change her life.” I guess it’s kinda the other way around for me. You know I love long hair, but I’m horribly low-maintenance and don’t know how to do what girls do. I like being girly, nice clothes, and looking sexy (lucky me I don’t need to worry about that) I just cannot put the time/ money, and brain it requires, I’m kinda busy for that.
From hair to shoes; my infamous Converse that has served me well for many long years is literally in pieces, no amount of super glue could save them. I also need something I can hike with. I go to a store I know in Datça that sells stocks, as in shoes that have been left out due to some defect. Hiking shoes definitely not in style as I found none, but there was a pair of The North Face (male) that would do the job, a number too large but a bargain at 350 tl. I soon find the defect, they hit at the toes, but I can solve that, well kinda, by tightening the laces a bit.
Privacy concerns:
I cannot lock the door of my cottage! And as it turns out, privacy either does not exist in Mezgit or is too loosely defined. Day 1, relaxing after all the cleaning, feet up yoga style, immodestly dressed. My landlady knocks once and in the light of speed opens the door, walks in, and starts chatting (and of course, I don’t understand a word)
I started eating like a proper Datcan now, but more about my diet later
Day 2, I come back home, and the landlady tells me she left me some cucumbers at the kitchen sink. Meaning she was in my house while I was not there ..... But when one day I come back after a murderous climb STARVING and find some absolutely DELISH mucver waiting for me ... i say the hell with privacy, I'm all yours lady!
A goose chase:
Brett invites me to a meditation session at his house. The sesh is at 4:00 pm, bus passes here between 1:00 and 1:15 and leaves Datça at 5:00, the picture of inconvenience. I take out the garbage (I’m carrying two trash bags, just like I do a farmer’s walk at the gym) I barely hit the road, bags in hand when I see the bus rushing by, terrified to miss my meditation session, I drop the trash bags right there, for everyone to see, and start chasing the bus, it stops I get it, still high on adrenaline, instead of just sitting down I decide to pay the fare (you swipe your transit card) right when the bus is vigorously twisting and turning, and as expected, I lose my balance and as I’m about to hit the floor I grab onto something – no idea till now what it was – hanging near the bus window, and instead of stabilizing me it breaks off, falls on the floor making a big commotion. I curse and just sit down. The bus was full!
I leave Brett’s house late, if I miss this bus I’ll either camp on the road or take a taxi, I’d rather camp on the road. I run to get to the otogar as fast as possible, but my sense of direction for some reason betrays me and I take the wrong turn and end up … well I had no idea, terrified of the prospect I utter a prayer, and at that moment I turn my head and a shabby bus that has seen better days stops right next to me, IT’S MY BUS, head held up high, I get in as if I have been all along expecting it. I guess the driver saw me (the same driver always) looking like a damsel in distress.
The bus drops me at the road across from Mezgit, I see Şengül and Nuriye sitting in their usual spot, I wave, and they wave back but with a giggle, 5 steps and I find my trash bags waiting for me exactly where I left them. I pick them up, walk the loooooooooong walk to the container, and dump them …. a sigh of relief ensues, I don’t want the 100 families in Mezgit thinking I’m a trash Misafir.
So so much more to come
To be continued ….