We finally said goodbye to our hosts at the little campground by the river. We had a really good time there. When we had arrived, we figured it might be good for a two night stay, and we ended up there for four nights.
There were two things we wanted to see in the area. The Moses Tree, and the Titus Tunnel. The maps all said that the Moses Tree was in a little village on a mountain road, but we figured that if tour buses can make it there, then we can make it there.
But I learned later that the tour buses come at it from the city of Samandag, and we were coming at it from the other side on a little used mountain road.
We made it about 5 kms (3 miles) when we came around a bend and the road just kind of stopped. There was a bridge, but it was more like a pedestrian bridge. There were in fact a few people walking across it, and some people sitting on the wall of the bridge.
We looked at each other and said "Oh... I guess we have to find some way to turn around".
But there was a guy in a small pickup truck behind me, and he saw us hesitating and simply passed us and proceeded onto the bridge. It was pretty narrow, but he fit and after looking at it a little closer, I figured we would fit too.
Driving across the bridge.
Those guys didn't budge. They kind of had to lean back out of the way as Max's mirror went by. But they were friendly enough. When we got to the other side, we got out and walked back.
They insisted we take their photo.
Having a beer at 11:20am.
Looking over one side.
It's an Ottoman era bridge built in the 1700's, but restored in 2019.
Looking over the other side.
The other side of that mountain is Syria.
These horses were working hard!
The road went through several little villages.
And then we arrived at the tree.
The story goes that Moses was out for a walk in the mountains, and he stopped by a stream for some water. He stuck his staff in the ground, kneeled down to have a drink, and when he went to grab his staff, it had sprouted leaves.
And this tree grew from his staff...
The Moses Tree.
We went for a walk down this path.
And it led to this beautiful view.
There are lots of little tourist shops and restaurants in this little village. So glad we didn't go on Sunday, it would have been a zoo.
The orange juice guy.
We each ordered a glass.
Fresh squeezed orange juice for 10 lira ($0.85 CAD, $0.70 USD) per glass.
Then we drove down through Samandag to the coast and found the upper parking lot for the Titus Tunnel. We were lucky when we arrived. There were hardly any cars in the upper lot, and we had read that was the better place for an overnight.
View out Max's window at GPS 36.121439, 35.922178
Yep, this will do!
We went and paid our 15 lira per person entrance fee, and headed along the walkway.
Titus Tunnel was built in the first and second century. It was built to divert runoff water from the mountains that had been flooding the harbor. It is an engineering marvel that took one thousand men one hundred years to construct!
Looking down at the tunnel.
There are several cave dwellings along the way.
Me, standing on a 2,000 year old bridge!
Ruth inside the tunnel.
Looking back.
The entire tunnel was carved by hand.
Roman Inscription.
We made our way all the way through the tunnel. It was wet and slippery, and we really didn't want to go back through to return, so we looked for another path on the other side of the tunnel. The tunnel is 1,380 meters (4,527 feet) long.
The entrance to the tunnel.
There are lots of tombs that haven't been excavated.
I found some old pieces of pottery.
Someone has been digging here recently.
We had to return the same way we came.
Yes, it's a bit of a balancing act!
The entrance fee included admission to Besikli Cave.
It is another rock tomb.
View out the other side of the cave.
Me, at Besikli Cave Tomb.
We went for a walk along the waterfront.
This bike path goes for 26 kms (16 miles).
Sunset from Max's side window.
We were hoping to do some of that bike path this morning, but we woke up to a really strong wind. Not good for bike riding. With warmer temperatures in the forecast, we are now going to make our way inland towards Cappadocia.
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Glad you found the tunnel it looks like a marvelous feat of engineering.
ReplyDeleteWe are glad that we made our way here, it was very interesting to see the tunnel and to walk through it. The whole time we were wondering how they managed to do this all by hand, all we could do was to shake our heads and be amazed by it!
DeleteEnjoying your travels! Thanks for doing this.
ReplyDeleteThank you! We are glad that you are enjoying our adventures. :-)
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