Last night ended for me once the gas stove was turned off and their late night meal of lamb koftas, with tomatoes was being plated up.
To be fair, the Lad cooking runs a restaurant & is big into food. In fact I’d go as far as to say that their lamb chops are some of the nicest I’ve ever had. Tonight’s koftas did smell lovely.
Whilst I sat on the balcony eating breakfast, I marvelled at the silence. Not a sign of movement from anyone at all in the house. This was at 11:40am as well! Seems like the house is on a quiet one today!
I did think about tidying the kitchen, but then decided that wasn’t my mess. And there are 6 ‘dishwashers’ in the house now, not two of course!
It’s been another hot one with temperatures somewhere around 37/38°C today, and getting even higher through until Sunday.
As it turned out, we all had a quiet day because of how hot it was, and for the lads because of what time they went to bed (circa 3am, we think). The first lad finally surfaced at about 2:40pm to get some water & then go back to bed. The rest slowly emerged over the afternoon.
Two of the lads were explaining to Jane that the aircon in their room had broken and stopped working during the evening. I immediately worried that they may not have followed my advice to only have the aircon on when all doors and windows are shut & they are in the room.
Apparently after it stopped, it got so hot they spent the night with the windows and doors open sweating like a sweaty thing.
Jane & I went and checked. One of the lads had turned it on heat mode, but thankfully the thermostat was set low, so it basically did nothing. Easy, if somewhat embarrassing fix. All good, bless ‘em!
By the time I’d showered and got ready to go out, there was only Jane in the house! They’d headed off down into OluDeniz to ‘do a beach club’. Paradise, Billy’s Beach, Seahorse. That sort of thing, then go karting.
We were likely going to end up in Olu as well, having decided that given the heat, we should head 1960 meters upwards into cooler air. Thankfully & coincidentally the very top of Babadağ Mountain is 1960m above sea level.
For a tenner a head roughly (and a 60p Dolmus), we bought tickets up the Teleferik (Cable Car). This was after chancing life & limb crossing the road opposite the ticket office – it really is a dangerous place to cross!
The first 2 stages are in alpine style fully enclosed cable car cabin. Up the steep first section, past the concert venue at 1200m, and on to 1700m, when you leave the cabin & can watch the crazy folk run and jump off the mountain strapped to big aerofoils. To be fair, I’d have a go, but suspect I’d need onto shed some ‘timber’ first! Short flights are not an option.
From there we decided it made sense to heat right to the top and mooch on the way down.
So a nip across to the next cable ride. This is a chair lift. Familiar to anyone who’s been skiing. 2 seats, you flop into them as they swing round towards the back of your knees (or in Jane’s case arse cheeks). Then, you pull the little tail down from over your head & rest your feet on the attached foot bar (or in Jane’s case, just dangle flip flops with curled toes).
This one takes you up to the relatively newly upgraded 1800m Station. There’s a terrace, cafe & another launch pad for nutjobs.
Then there’s the final & pretty long chair lift up to the summit. We were stopped before we could get on though. “Sorry, you must be under 50 to go up. How old are you?”.
I’m so glad that Jane and I are 49.999 years old. I know I look like I could peg out at any time, but I’d convinced him I was an athlete. Jockey Wilson, I said.
We got on and as we lowered the leg/arm/safety bar, I pointed out to Jane that I was surprised how may of the ‘fallen chairs’ they had lined up just where we ‘lifted off’.
To be fair to Jane, it’s actually very high, the mountain does look like it’s made of shale & very unstable and the last cable route is steep, high above what little ground there is, as you follow the saw-edge ridge up to the summit. It’s quite a climb! I felt very ‘Edmund Hillary’. Jane just seemed to be Tenzing, looking at her grip on the bars. (“I’ll get me coat”).
It’s brilliant up there in good weather! There’s another launch pad for the seriously deranged! I presume that’s why there’s an Air Ambulance helipad just across from it.
There’s also a cafe up here in the ‘death zone’ (it’s maybe not that high) along with another really well set up series of viewing areas and a big white pole that seems to have lots it’s top half recently, as we saw it battered & bruised on the way up.
Stunning 360 views, out to Antalya, across to Fethiye (we could see where the Apartment is in upper Ovacik and down (very quickly down!) to Olu Deniz beach where the paragliders all land. Most land.
We took loads of photos & took in the view, although not as much as the couple who were sat cross-legged aligning their chakra, I presume.
We then headed down, which I think is even more spectacular, as your pointing seaward and looking down the mountain all the way. Jane was very brave.
Although we stopped and took a look from each of the Stations on the way down, to be honest, those from the very top spoilt us!
It was on the way down that Jane got a suitably short update from Lurchio. “The road was so busy, the taxi driver kicked us out just into Olu so we’re at the public beach”. Ay, well.
We headed all the way down and once again took our lives into our own hands to cross the road before getting the Dolmus the short way down into Olu Deniz & the beach front.
Jane had a plan. I just followed, occasionally reminding her that she needed to keep looking up as she was walking down the beachfront strip where the paragliders land.
She took me to Buzz Beach Bar, and we sat upstairs, looking out over the sea. Very nice. Stuffed mushrooms (I’m addicted to mushrooms, it seems), fish cakes which were seafood cakes really – no ‘potato packing out in those beasties!
I had a mixed kebab & Jane had a prawn & avocado salad. Food was good. Still think Turtle Bar in Ovacik made a better version of what I had though, being picky.
Olu is dearer generally than Ovacik & Fethiye, in our experience, with Hisaronu somewhere between. Literally.
We took a quick stroll around OluDeniz before heading home. We’ve an early start for breakfast tomorrow! Can’t wait!
The least update we had gave very little info, so we don’t know whether they went go-karting as planned, but they seem to be back on Hisaronu Strip tonight. Maybe even more shopping being done to top up last nights. At least that’s what Lurchio seemed to have done, showing off his Tom & Jerry teeshirt this morning!?
We’re off to bed. The lads’ll be fine & we’ll have half an ear out for them getting back. Most likely hear them fire the cooker up again as well! I did notice there’s another pack of Kofta in the fridge!
Night all! See you tomorrow for some Pomegranite tea!
x