We are back in the zone of internet. Yesterday we hiked from the beach at Kabak to the very small village of Alinca. It was all uphill but as in cross country skiing, I prefer the work of going up to the risk and difficult footing of going down. Still, it was hot grueling work wih beautiful views both near and far. Lesson learned: it is better to look back and be amazed at what you have achieved than to look ahead and be overwhelmed.

When we got to the delightful village of Alinca we got a tiny bungalow and declared the need for a day off from major hiking. This was easier said than done as no small busses come to this hilltop village. The solution--get a ride on the school bus at 7:40 in the morning! Meanwhile we had a good dinner with 2 other pairs of hikers--a couple from Norway and two young women from Germany. Enjoyable conversations, especially when I used my sketchy Turkish to talk to the host and figure out how we might get to our next destinations--Kinik and Patara.

The school bus was a kick. Our host family's 9 year old son walked us to the bus and showed us where to sit. Older children open the door for the younger ones to get in. The bus also picks up packages from some adults on the route for delivery. All very sweet and efficient; nothing like the school bus experience back home.

We were left off at a highway intersection, planning to walk in the direction we were headed until another bus came along. We hardly had our packs on when a van driver and his chatty 3 year old son delivering fresh bread pulled over to offer us a ride. We were delivered to the outskirts of Kinik and bought a loaf of the great smelling bread for lunch later.

We walked into Kinik and found an ATM which is hard to find outside of large cities. Our supply of Lira was low and along the trail, most places only take cash. Then we got a dolmas--small public bus-- to the seaside village of Patara. We were left at a junction again, leaving a 3 km walk to town. As soon as we started walking and I had told Cec that I bet we would have a ride in10 minutes, a van pulled over and offered us a ride. The man wanted to take us to his son's pansyon--which we had already decided to go to if there was a room and internet. Friendly helpful people.

We spent much of the rest of the day on a beautiful, expansive beach and then exploring the ruins of the old city of Patara--going back to 340 BC. Once the capital of the Lucian League--perhaps the first democracy. Fascinating. It was a 3 km walk each way but level. My feet aren't happy, but my shoulders have no complaints as we just took a day pack and Cec carried it. This is great!