A Wet Walk.

On our way back to Bodrum we decided to follow the signpost just after Milas to Uyku Vadisi, (Sleep Valley in English). I've been intending to visit for some time and had watched the You Tube clips so thought I knew what to expect.  Our aim was to walk up the gorge to the Gökçeler cave  and see the stalactites. We arrived, parked outside what we hoped was the Uyku Vadisi restaurant but were a little disconcerted at the lack of signs.  A lot of building was in progress and the restaurant bore only a passing resemblance to the one on the internet so I began to wonder if we were in the right place.  The colour co-ordinated staff confirmed that we were on course and directed us to the path to the caves.  I remembered pictures of wooden bridges and stepping stones across streams and rivulets so was attired in sensible trainers and socks as I knew there would be a steep climb ahead, it was therefore confusing to arrive at the first stream to find the bridges had been dismantled.  Off came the socks and shoes for a paddle and then back on they went.  Five minutes later, shoes off, paddle and on again.  I began to curse myself for not properly researching the walk. If you attempt this, waterproof walking shoes are a must.

What no stepping stones?

The settling is a beautiful one with the proverbial babbling brooks and overhanging foliage and as we climbed higher the path narrowed until we had to negotiate a rotten-looking wobbly plank over quite a large drop.   I have two recurring nightmares:  in the first I am sitting a history exam without doing any revision, in the second I have to walk across a narrow plank with water rushing below.  Grabbing on to Teo,  Jake and I got across the plank only to come to a weir.

My balance is not what it was so I bailed out at this point and Dave and Teo carried on the climb, (but not before I'd dithered and had to cross the rotten plank 3 more times) while Kath, Jake and I made our way back to the restaurant.

After a steep climb the guys got to the mouth of the cave only to find the gate locked, so no stalactites but lots of hornets.

Meanwhile the ladies were sipping a cold drink next to the mill wheel and Jake was enjoying a paddle.

Why such a discrepancy between the information on the web and reality?  The business is under new management,  more overnight accommodation is being built and the restaurant is being revamped.  I'm left wondering what has happened to the original owner who developed the site and talked with such enthusiasm about his project.

Dave takes a cold shower 

If I had done my research properly I would have found fellow blogger Natalie's post about Uyku Vadisi and realised that the walk wasn't for me.   I'm glad I'm not the only blogger caught out in  inappropriate footwear.