From Kas to Demre (This is not just a travel article)

Dear friends, the agenda of the country during the election process has exhausted everyone who is concerned about their country. As one of them, I went to Kaş to walk a part of the "Historical Lycian Way" in order to get away from the political agenda and live three days in nature. Lycia is a civilization that was founded in the 15th century BC and continued its existence for about 2000 years. The Lycian Way is a walking route created by combining and marking the paths starting from Fethiye and extending to Antalya. The route is more than 500 km long, passing through the settlement centers of the Lycian civilization and connecting the Lycian cities. For this route, which I had the pleasure of walking until Kaş before, the route we had set this time consisted of the section from Kaş to Demre. However, like everyone who loves their country and feels the need to find solutions, I also searched for answers to the questions that arose in my mind during this walk. No matter how much we experienced the beauty of a wonderful piece of nature, there were moments when we saw it and felt sad, or when we couldn't help asking "couldn't it be better". For this reason, I thought it would be appropriate in this article to talk about the mistakes of long-term policies and possible future policies rather than current politics. I also wanted to share my impressions of the trip.

Our hike started from inside Kaş. Walking this already difficult route with our camping load made the trek even more challenging. Walking the route, which is normally walked until the beginning of May at most, in the heat of June turned the hike into a challenge in itself. But the freedom of doing the trek not with a group but as two friends outweighed all the difficulties. Even though I had reduced my loads with the experience I had gained from my previous camp-loaded walks, the longer the distances got, the heavier the weight got. With these conditions in mind, we started our hike on a sunny Kaş morning. The bougainvillea-flowered gardens on both sides of the road ascending gently through the bazaar, together with the sea, seemed to herald the beauties to be experienced from the first moment of the hike. 

Although the Lycian Way is a world-renowned route, it is a common situation that the road is frequently interrupted by private properties in large settlement centers. This has two consequences. Hikers may stray from the route marked with red and white colors and a route with a cleanliness problem is created. In addition to construction debris everywhere, the problem of irregular and unauthorized development is unbecoming of a world-famous hiking route. With these thoughts in mind, we left the road and headed towards Limanağzı on the slopes just southeast of Kaş, passing rock tombs and admiring the magnificent view of the bay. Soon we both said "let's go for a swim" at the same time and went down to the shore. After enjoying the wonderful sea a little away from the yachts anchored close to the shore, we set off as fresh as if we were just starting our walk. It is worth mentioning that the place called Limanağzı is not connected to the highway, but it has been turned into a holiday village with bungalow-type houses by a business. Discussing the money needed to stay in this holiday village for three days, we adjusted ourselves to the rhythm of the rising terrain and continued our way over the ridge and up a rocky slope. 

The clarity of the sea and the occasional bird calls accompanying the shores away from people made one question the purpose of life. With these thoughts in mind, we came to Çoban Bay, which has no highway access, and was usually visited by chartered tour boats. The waste accumulated on the shore made me wonder how a human being could do such an evil to his own homeland. Then we left behind this magnificent bay, which stuck out like a long knife into the land, and after a difficult journey we reached Ufakdere Bay (Fakdere on the road signs). The same view was waiting for us here; a unique nature and piles of garbage. In addition, two or three commercially operated buildings were located a little above the bay. Unlike the other bays, there was highway access here. 

After resting for a while in Ufakdere Bay, we walked on the steep dirt road for a while. By now, the fatigue of the hike was making itself felt with the heat. After the road, we entered a rough terrain and continued on our way, taking in the beautiful view to our right. When we reached Üzümcü Bay, the last point of the first day, a nasty surprise was waiting for us. A person sitting on the porch of a small two-storey concrete building with a garden around it, knowing that we had no opportunity to question him, was telling us that the Bay was his private property with the title deed number and that we had to pay 100 TL to set up a tent. I was reminded of Article 5 of the Coastal Law, which states that "The coasts are under the rule and protection of the State. The coasts are open to the equal and free use of everyone. In utilizing the coasts and coastlines, public interest is the primary consideration". The profit greed of local governments, the indifference of the central administration and the resigned acceptance of the people showed that a silent occupation of the country's coasts had begun to grow openly. Of course, there was a highway connection here too, and the waste betrayed the appearance of this beautiful piece of nature. In spite of everything, we set up our tents, tired from the day and the hour being very late. The person claiming to be the owner of the land left with threats to call the Gendarmerie. In the morning, with the first light of the day, we packed up and set off. 

After walking eastwards parallel to the sea for a while, we started walking northwards, away from the sea. After about two hours of climbing, we reached the village road leading through the greenhouses. We came across numerous seedlings of small peppers that had been uprooted from the greenhouses and thrown on the side of the road. We later learned that after a certain period of time, when the products start to shrink, they are uprooted and thrown away because the cost of production and the cost of sale do not meet each other. However, throwing peppers, which are definitely edible, to rot on the side of the road reminded me of the peppers that we pay 30-40 TL per kilo in the markets. Maybe tons of peppers were thrown on the roadside. After resting for half an hour, after a long and difficult descent, we reached Aperlai Bay, where the ruins of the ancient city are located and there is no road access. Our accommodation was again a private property. I must admit that we had a good time in this shabby place where luxury yachts anchor at the pier. We both swam and relaxed and enjoyed the beautiful setting. 

The next day we packed up again at the first light of the day and set off. After a not too difficult journey, we arrived at Üçağız (Kekova). After a short rest, we continued our walk on a route inland from the sea, amidst the scents of sage collected and laid out for drying. Along the way, we saw the ruins of the structures of the Lycian Civilization and went down to the seaside again. When we came to Gökkaya Bay, we left ourselves to the emerald green clear waters with both fatigue and the need to cool off. When we came to Çağıllı Bay not far from the shore, I came across one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen in my life. This beautiful bay, which has no highway access, was clean unlike the others. After enjoying this beautiful beach with small pebbles both on the shore and in the first meters of the sea for about half an hour, we continued on our way rested. As we followed the path from the shore, we could see our destination, Çayağzı, a few kilometers away. Finally, we crossed a wooden bridge and arrived at Çayağzı. The meeting of fresh water and salt water, similar to the one in Patara, was a fascinating sight here. Immediately, we threw off our weights and immersed ourselves in the icy waters of the stream. After 10-15 minutes of childish laughter, we crossed a beautiful beach on foot and our return journey began. 

Conclusion

While these three days of really tiring yet beautiful walks are still fresh in our minds, the questions they have raised will occupy our minds for a long time to come. We have escaped the exhausting agenda of the country, albeit for a short time, but ignoring problems while they continue to persist carries with it the potential to drag us from a beautiful dream into a nightmare. For this reason, I would like to list a series of problems that we have seen in our previous marches:

1. Unless urgent measures are taken regarding the coasts, our country is in danger of losing all its beauties. First of all, the central government should adopt a much stricter attitude towards protected areas and prioritize the protection of nature in cooperation with local governments. The mentality that concretizes the coasts by taking advantage of tourism incentives even though there is no zoning permit is a betrayal of this country. 

2. Seeing tourism only as hotels and concrete structures is shallow without vision. It is an absurd dream to try to generate tourism income by making people who come from all over the world just to walk the Lycian Way regret it. For this, a strict inspection and standardization must be imposed on all businesses along the Lycian Way. The current structure is a plundering scheme that cunningly exploits people's urgent needs. 

3. Campsites should be designated and should be free of charge for hikers. If there is to be a fee, there should be a standard and people should be offered opportunities to meet their needs in a reasonable way.

4. Private properties along the entire Lycian Way should be regulated in a way that does not affect the road. The mentality that threatens people should be combated. 

5. Directional and identification signs along the entire route should be reconsidered and professionally organized. Historical ruins along the route should be landscaped and taken under protection.

6. Central and local governments should act together to develop measures to clean the coasts. 

7. Protective measures should be taken with an understanding that respects the right to life of countless species in the region. Both endemic plant species and reptiles and other living creatures are threatened by randomly opened roads. Construction around this route should be subject to very strict rules and these rules must be maintained. 

Perhaps there is much more that could be said. However, it seems that a valuable walking route of our country on a world scale is gradually losing blood due to an opportunistic and rent-seeking mentality. The cultures that lived in these lands are a historical heritage left to us, and we are a product of these cultures. For the development of tourism in the country, not only the Lycian Way, but also all historical routes and ruins that are experiencing similar developments require systematic work within the scope of a project. Beauties that cannot be restored once they are lost should not be condemned to the private property ambition of individuals, the political mentality that makes concessions to these individuals and the mercy of opportunistic people. It is imperative that both the country and the local people aim for a sustainable prosperity and work to realize it. In short, tourism policies need a moral revolution in every aspect.