Road Problems, Schedule Changes and A Farewell Lunch in Trabzon, Turkey
The Mt. Kackar trek officially ended in Ayder and we lazed around the small town, buying fruit, and talking to the locals through Jack's translation while waiting for the mini-bus to begin the journey to Trabzon. Ayder is served by a bus route and there were even a few taxis sitting around...View image. The route would retrace an ancient caravan route and take a side valley to Sumela, an enormous white monastery perched on a high cliff above a rushing stream. Sumela Monastery was founded in 386 AD and was the largest and most important monastery in Asia Minor. Perhaps you'll have a chance to see it. We didn't.
The mini-bus finally showed up, loaded the gear, duffels and us and set off for the all-day ride.
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It didn't take long before the bus came to a complete halt. Mud and rock falls made it almost impassable. A short journey became long with a mass of frequent stops while we walked through the glop, waited for road-clearing crews, and sat around until the bus could get through. One passage would be cleared, get out of the bus and repeat.
Not only that, but the airline had changed their schedule and wouldn't fly back to Istanbul until late tonight with most of us changing planes and connecting home immediately. Eventually, we did get to Trabzon, bypassing Sumela because the roads made it impossible and impassable, without a chance to even sightsee in Trabzon and had a farewell lunch/dinner...View image... dressed in muddy and smelly clothes.
The ubiquitous travel problems and glitches aside, jump on a Mt. Kackar trek if you see it offered by a tour operator or contact the ones mentioned in the beginning of this series. The entire Kackar area had my kind of hiking/trekking. Alpine mountains filled with flowery meadows and pristine landscapes. Rugged and imposing peaks. Remote villages and people. What more could a person want?
