A final stop at one of the beaches along the road to Kalkan.
We were forced to stop one more time to view the incredible rainbow descending on the Kas Marina.
Often times our day would end sitting around a table drinking Raki. Raki is a traditional Turkish drink (somewhat similar to Sambucca) which turns cloudy when water is added. I got to hear many stories of Rustem's youth (told by Ali pictured above) and the culture of nomadic Turkey.
How rude of me. I never showed you where we stayed while in Kas. This is the Kas'im Beach Apart Hotel owned by Rustem's friend Ali Yigit.
Day 10
At first it didn't appear it would be a great day for riding. Driving rain lasted through the night and into the late morning. But as we have seen on a number of days, the sun came out around 10:30 AM and dried the roads in a matter of minutes.
Rustem and I were admittedly tired. Our legs had seen quite a few hours in the saddle and more than a few mountain passes. So we decided to make our last ride an easy one. It was off to Kalkan for a 3+ hour ride with a stop for soup and cay.
We spun a high cadence and slowly creep over the climbs. The sun was out requiring only a jersey and shorts. It was very relaxing. The soup and cay in Kalkan was revitalizing as usual inspiring us for the return trip. The slight tailwind allowed us an even easier ride back.
The views were especially breathtaking considering it would be the last time we would see them for a while. Tomorrow morning we pack up and return to Antalya where we will spend the night before our 6 AM flight beginning our journey back home.
About 20 minutes from Kas, the heaven's opened up and it poured fiercely for 10 minutes. It came out of nowhere. One minute sun - the next darkness and rain. It was actually quite refreshing. The sun came back out and dried us off before arriving at the hotel. At the hotel we quickly showered, changed and headed out to the barber. We couldn't resist one last shave and massage. This I will also miss.
It has been an incredible trip. Rustem has shown me yet more of this beautiful country and its' hospitable people. Thank you for following along with us. We hope you enjoyed the daily commentary and the photos and hope they will inspire you to join us for our next trip.
We'll see you back in the states.
