The magical rocks of Köprülü Kanyon Milli Parkı and wonderful people (January 2023)

After encountering the fire cats, I traveled to Antalya where I was able to provide Rosiante with some much-needed maintenance. She received fresh oil for her engine, a new oil filter, lubrication for her prop shaft, and a new air filter. These improvements greatly benefited Rosiante, but it was swapping the air conditioning filter that had the most noticeable effect for me. Previously, I had been perplexed as to why I couldn’t get the driver’s cabin to smell fresh. However, after replacing the air conditioning filter, the improvement was remarkable – the cabin now smells like a dream.

I discovered a magnificent beach east of Antalya, where I stayed for a few days. During my stay, I had the pleasure of meeting a very friendly shepherd and his flock of sheep. After that beach, I continued my journey by heading north towards the Köprülü Kanyon Milli Parkı, a truly magical place. It instantly reminded me of the magical mountains of Bulgaria. I embarked on a fantastic hike with a little bit of climbing, and was completely captivated by the unique rock formations. They looked as though they belonged to a different planet, a magical realm inhabited by fairy-like creatures who exist in another dimension, invisible to human eyes…

After completing my 25 km hike/ trail run, I found myself feeling both tired and hungry. I began searching for a suitable place to rest for the night, relax. I drove around, stopped at three different places, and while they were pleasant, they just didn’t feel quite right. So, I decided to keep searching. I examined the satellite images on Google Maps and stumbled upon a spot that looked absolutely incredible. In fact, I was so impressed by it that I thought to myself, “If I had to choose a place to build a house in this area, I would choose there.”

After crossing a small river and navigating through some muddy, tight, and rocky paths, I finally arrived at the spot I had discovered on Google Maps. It was even more stunning in person, but to my disappointment, it turned out to be a dead end, with a fenced private property blocking my way. Just as I was about to turn around, I heard a man calling out to me. We met and talked, and I felt an immediate connection with him.

He had been on Rainbow gatherings and since I learned about these gatherings I was feeling that these gatherings could be something special, something that deeply resonates with me. Although I didn’t make it to the big gathering in Turkey in October, I’m still looking forward to be part of one.

The nice guy in the magical stone land had already started building a special place on his property, with plans to create a camping site next to the gorgeous river, some small natural huts, and establish the surrounding woods as a food forest. He had plenty more ideas and I couldn’t help but feel excited about the idea of participating in something like this myself someday. If you want to learn more or contact him directly, be sure to visit his website. And there is a drone video on Youtube were you can get an impression of that beautiful spot.

He then introduced me to his friend, Seher, who was absolutely lovely and stunning. After my tiring hike, I was quite famished, and they graciously invited me to dinner. Their warmth and kindness revitalized me, and we spent a delightful evening together. If I hadn’t needed to leave Turkey, I would have happily stayed longer. However, the next day I needed to make my way to the port to catch the ferry to Cyprus. Seher wanted to visit her family, so she accompanied me and Rosinante until we reached the bus station in the nearest large city.

Fire cats and friends (January 2023)

Isa and Arne and I reunited at the next beach, which was a gathering place for campers. I enjoy these types of places from time to time, as they feel like small communities. However, I couldn’t imagine how crowded it would be during high season.

We became friends with two nice guys from Turkey. We trained with bo staffs together and had great conversations on a variety of topics. They even gifted us peppers, whisky, clay bowls, a cooling bag, and a camping table. A truly unique combination of items. And when the battery of their car had run out of power Rosinante was able to help jump start it.

There lived a beautiful and lovely cat at that spot. I didn’t know if it was a stray one or if she belonged to another camper but either way we had a good time and during one day she lived with me in Rosinante. I caught myself thinking if I could just take her with me. 

One day, I went on a hike to an old lighthouse and afterwards, I headed to a very special place: the natural fires of Mount Chimaera. It was a truly bizarre place. Flames were coming out of gaps between stones. The source of these fires was natural gas, and it was quite entertaining to blow them out and light them again with a lighter. Barbecuing there was also a lot of fun as well. I couldn’t help but imagine what it might have been like to discover these natural gas deposits in a time before human-made delivery systems for gas, fuel, and electricity existed. It would have been the perfect place to build a town in a game like Civilization.

Maybe the cats who lived there had the same idea and were planning to build their own cat civilization. They didn’t seem to be afraid of the fire ghosts that occasionally emerged from the flames, after all.

At the upper fires of Mount Chimaera, I met a nice French cyclist and we had an interesting conversation about traveling by bicycle and the differences between different forms of travel. Like me, she had already been traveling for over a year. I felt a kind of attraction between us, and when we parted ways, I thought that we might have missed something. Later, when I was inside Rosinante and searching for a place to stay for the night using my smartphone, the nice cyclist appeared out of nowhere. Although I had previously felt like we might have missed something, I felt the desire to find a place to stay on my own. And after I found a place to stay, I thought it would have been nice to continue our conversation.