Kadir’s hosts a large buffet dinner included with your stay, and we made it back just in time for it. Now the numbers in the restaurant counted about fifty, but was still well shy of the 1000 or so Gokhan had promised. It appeared that besides a long-term Spanish couple, we were the only non-Turks in the place. Even though the vibe was jovial, we decided to pack our alcohol and head towards the beach in our quest for nature, and perhaps another party.
The evening temperatures were dropping rapidly, and we found ourselves wandering the ancient Roman ruins trying to find shelter from the wind. We pushed on nearer to the beach but the mercury continued to drop. At this point Lord Disney and Lilia decided to return to Kadir’s in search of warmth. Our remaining trio knew a fire had to be made, but we needed supplies and more suitable clothes. Alone in the dark, we trekked back towards Olympos.
An ancient archway.
The village was lively, but far from pumping. We decided that the fire could wait, and we began to climb high into the forest above Olympos. The drifting waves of Turkish techno dissipated between the branches and soon we were in total silence. The higher we climbed the more in tune our senses became. The crack of twigs beneath our feet, the wafting fragrance of pine leaves, the shapes and figures of every individual tree coming to life as our eyes adjusted to the darkness; each sensation was heightened as we trudged determinedly towards an unseen summit.
At some point we realised the precarious position we were putting ourselves in, with no lights or protective gear to guide us as we clambered over jagged boulders. We found a flat stone to lie on, and instead made base and discussed with excitement what the New Year held for the three of us. Will declared with gusto that 2016 would be “our year”, and in our confident sense of drunkenness we felt the same way.
The river running towards the beach.
Suddenly, as can only be described of fireworks, a kaleidoscope of rainbow flares scattered across the tinted sky. Faint cheers of joy echoed up the valley as people far below us celebrated the end of 2015. We had lost track of time and subsequently missed the countdown. But for us it did not matter. Perched on our high rock surrounded by the soothing yet wild nature, we were exactly where we wanted to be.
Once motivation had returned we scrambled back down the mountain and onto the dried riverbed. We remembered our plan of building a fire and returned to Kadir’s to gather equipment. Just after midnight there was a noticeable increase in attendees, but no impressive numbers as we had expected. Sneaking into our room we packed our bags, grabbed some food and water, and got ready to depart once more. We decided to go for a walk to try and find Lord Disney and Lilia, and had no luck. In the restaurant there was perhaps a half-dozen people, but we noticed a stream of curiously dressed partiers wandering upstairs to the bar. In a last bid of hope, we followed. What we encountered was mesmerising.
Every square inch of space was teeming with intoxicated and ecstatic Turkish people, simultaneously foot stomping to “Cotton Eyed Joe”. It was like the scene out of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, where a hallucinating Thompson walks through a casino bar, confronted with dinosaurs and monsters happily grooving to the throw of dice and cards. At Kadir’s there were no monsters, but hundreds of costumed locals dancing and cheering, sporting face masks and glitter paint and frilly hats. Transporting from our solitary post on a rock high in the mountains and into this bedlam was intense.
We did a loop of the bar and instantly became separated. Guys shook my hands and girls danced with me. I was passed a bottle of unknown alcohol and took a heavy swig, much to the elation of the randoms who had passed it to me. I bumped and jived and twisted my way back towards the stairwell where I met up with Will. A conga line bounced past, and Alex was tagged onto the back of it. The party was wonderful, but on a level we were not prepared for. An older man grabbed my arm and started screaming in Turkish. I couldn’t tell if he was angry or just drunk. I smiled and pushed past him, making a quick decision to exit. This party was cracking, but in our hearts we knew we had to be back out in nature, as we originally intended.
Lord Disney and Lilia materialised in our room just as we were exiting. They opted to stay and avoid the unnecessary frigidness of a winter’s night. A trio once more, we skipped to the beach.
No comments:
Post a Comment