The Best Things in Life are Free

Although we did not go as far as we planned, we will never forget the experience of the Lycian Way.

The first few days were amazingly beautiful. We stayed in the nicest place - our own little cabin overlooking the valley and dinner by sunset included. Our waiters for the evening were Beyram's two young boys. The beach below was a nerve-wracking experience for me (steep!) but the beach was perfect. The next day, more views, more beach ın Kabak. We were feeling pretty lucky.

Then, without even realizing at first, we started to make the transition into mountain life. We camped one night near a place occupied by çorbans (goat herders), so the next morning they waved us over for çay (tea) and food. Before we knew it we were learning card games from the two of them (Yusuf and Mahmut) and joking around until late morning.

From there, we hiked to a camping spot near Sidyma. A friendly çorban, Cemil, came by and we chatted for a long while. He taught us how to say "problem yok" and a few other things. His English was like our Turkish - a few key words mixed with acting skills. We joined him for dinner with his daughter Fatma, which was a bit of an adventure - eating on the floor from shared bowls, trying not to drop food into our laps. Fatma giggled a lot.

But the highlight for us was also a lowlight at first. The weather turned ugly and we had a day of walking toward thunder and lightning. By the time we got to the mountain pass (Bel), we were drenched and cold. Two more çorbans saw us (an interesting sight for sure) and one, Ahmet, was adamant that we warm up at his house.

We followed Ahmet's directions and his wife Nurten was waiting for us in her driveway. We were whisked into her house and told to sit near the fire until the weather cleared. This was the beginning of an intense 24 hours. The weather kept us there until the next day, and we were literally immersed into a Turkish family of five.

Nurten and Ahmet's daughter Kılıç was very interested in us, but shy. She brought out her English book from school and we learned animals and colours. At dinner she whispered 'I love you' before covering her face ... by now I considered her our expert in English. Nurten and Ahmet did not learn English at school so our conversations just escalated in volume when we did not understand Turkish.

Amazingly, we managed to have some detailed conversations about house prices, growing tomatoes and the local Hodjan,s family (expecting triplets!). But for the most part we were constantly amusing ourselves while trying to act out our words. Nurten teased me by saying 'Anlamadim' the same way I do (it means I don't understand, whıch was often).

By the time the weather cleared we felt strange leaving. We gave kisses and handshakes, then it was time to set out ıinto the big world again. I will never forget that experience of living in the family's kitchen and watching the way their family life unfolded for a day. Later I realized just how basic their living conditions are ... not many belongings, but they had all they needed.