Have you ever experienced being played by nature or
“spirits of nature” or mythical forces or probably some invisible residents of
the forest? I’m not really inclined to
believing such things or tales but listen to my story.
Yesterday I visited Kabak which is about 8
kilometers from Faralya, it was my last full day and the end of my 5 days in
the village of Uzunyurt. Today, I woke
up early in the morning, I did not find any guest at my accommodation in
Faralya, except for the owner of the place who bade me goodbye as he will be joining
his family who had left yesterday to visit some relatives. I took my breakfast and had a last look around
the edge of the valley, relax for a while before leaving the place back to civilization.
I took my luggage and before leaving the
place I noticed that, this time, I was the only soul in the place. I walked up to the highway to wait for the
minibus that will take me to Fethiye.
I was standing there for more than half an hour and
no transport in sight. I’ve waited and
waited walking along the length of the road and made a stake that I’m going to
hop on the first bus that will pass by, whichever direction it goes – Oludeniz/Fethiye
on my right, Kabak on my left.
My mind was bidding for a Fethiye direction when
suddenly the minibus that arrived is the opposite direction – on to Kabak. As you may have guessed, I took it.
What
if I stay a night in Kabak?
I did. Upon
reaching the end of the bus route, I took the red jeepney parked at the depot
and asked the driver to take me down to the valley. He dropped me a bit far from Helin Kamp, one
of the campsite perched at the edge of the valley. I was attacked by 3 or 4 ferocious mountain dogs
along the way, I moved down to the edge of the ravine to avoid the raging beasts,
one almost pounced on me if I had not moved fast onto the edge where I could
have rolled down. Luckily, the guy at
the camp below gazed up and saw me, so I was saved. They own those dogs by the way.
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| Helin Kamp below. |
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| Looking at the dogs that attacked me. |
The campsite is beautifully rested on the periphery with the ocean below and rugged green mountain ranges around. It’s very rustic with small wooden huts painted in green speckled around the place, some lamp posts, wooden tables and chairs, a kitchen slash common socializing area with trees, herbs, and fruits growing around the gardens. The owner live at one of the bigger hut on the upper level, and a bit down clinging on the side of the valley is a big thatch-roofed open-sides hall which is their place for yoga. I was in awe by the panorama of the entire valley – the beach cove, the deep blue ocean, the green-covered mountains, I was breathing nature in all its glory.
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| Wooden huts accommodation at Helin Kamp. |
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| Enjoying nature at Kabak Valley. |
The place exudes a hippie vibe, the next house or
neighboring campsite is far away, perhaps 10 – 15 minutes hike up the rough
road. The only guest is a close friend
of the owners and me. My accommodation is
a bit down on the lower level, couple of meters along the edge with the beach
cove in full sight. It’s a detached small
wooden hut with soft beddings shielded by mosquito net with an equally rustic
bathroom where I could see the mountain while taking a shower. It’s very basic and may lack the usual comfort
of a city hotel but I like it a lot. It’s
a camp ground so I would not expect a concrete building that will only ruin the
serene bucolic setting of the whole valley.
I slept like a log with the sounds of the waves cradling me to a good
night peaceful slumber.
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| Breakfast area with the owners of the place. |
Our meals were basically vegetables and fresh salads
of ingredients mostly picked from around the place. I enjoyed every basic but delicious healthy meal
I had.
And
then the inevitable happened – the spirits of Kabak forest played a trick on me. (keep on reading - Part 2)
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