Last steps through Turkey

They have crawled on all fours, hitched rides, seen stunning landscapes and beautiful sunsets, met amazing people and have had an absolutely incredible journey, mostly on foot.

Ballito’s two turkeys have completed their fourth and final stage of their Lycian Way walk along the Turkish coastline to raise funds for the North Coast Courier Orphan Fund.

Heidie Smith said the fourth stage started with an interesting morning.

“Our next stop was the stunning town of Myra, with its ancient house tombs carved into the vertical cliffs, which date back to before the first century BC. We wondered through the ruins and amphitheatre and felt the energy of thousands of years gone by.”

Next, they went to the busy little harbour town of Finike where they were nearly misled by a very friendly Turkish gentleman.

“He wanted us to book into a friends guest house at one helluva price! Probably double the price we had paid at any previous place. When we said no, he was very sad and proceeded to offer us free tea and the accommodation at half the original price. The Turkish people love to bargain. It is part of their everyday living.”

After a sufficient amount of town bustling, they moved on to a little piece of heaven outside Karoz.

“It was an absolutely delightful little place in the middle of nowhere. There was a private little camp in the middle of the forest with its own secluded beach. It is hard to imagine living in a desolate area like that with no fear and no locks. Food and drinks are left out all night, everything is open and everything is still there the next morning. After a refreshing swim at our own mini, private beach, we left that morning with a hectic climb ahead going past light houses, over rocks and mountains, through forests, along cliffs and down narrow paths.”

Heidie and her daugher, Amber Mendes said the roughly 450km stretch has not all gone to plan and has required some improvisation, but it was an unforgettable experience.

“If I had to sum up Turkey, it probably would be mountains, mountains and more mountains. Since we have started this journey, we feel like we have gone up and down, up and down and up and down again. We have grown and learnt so much together. We hope that you have enjoyed our journey with us and that you will support our very worthy cause.”

While Heidie and her daughter have paid their own way for the walk, they did it to raise money for the Orphan Fund via the Rotary Club of Zimbali. Make a pledge to donate an amount of money per step they walked and make your donation to ABSA Ballito, account number: 9245763008 Also keep an eye on them on Facebook : 1 step at a time.

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