A message from Hasan Arslan, from Middle Earth Travel which is our member.
Last week we organized a 1 night camp for our Russian customers on Çukur Yayla, the green pasture between Yayla Kuzdere and the summit of Mount Olympos. I came over for this trip from our Cappadocia office and it was my first acquaintance with the Bey Dağları part of the Taurus Mountains. What struck me most was the greenness of the hillsides, the many plants and flowers and especially the beautiful cedar trees. We don’t see anything like that in the Anatolian Mountains.
We took the equipment and food up to the pasture by tractor, driven by Bayram Bey from Ovacık. I was really enjoying the ride for the first 10-15 minutes, but honestly, it took over an hour on a very bad dirt track, so you can imagine how we felt once we arrived.
Finding a flat space for the 11 tents and then placing them between the lovely flowers was a job Bayram and I took upon us, while Deniz and chef Hasan from a 5 star hotel in Kemer prepared dinner.
This was in no way a normal camp. Chairs, tables, glasses, porcelain and candles turned it into a luxury experience. The customers where really impressed with the white table cloths we had arranged as well. Lots of tasty food, a cosy fire and good music made it an evening to remember!
The night was rather cold and some woke up very early because of it. Bayram told me he was up all night as it was the first time ever he spent a night in a tent. The icy water that flows abundantly from 3 sources in the pasture helped waking us up, as did the coffee at breakfast.
After the customers left on foot to climb the summit of Olympos, we packed everything up. Back on the tractor and back downhill (1 hour again…) to the Gül Mountain Hotel of Emin Bey that served as the helpful base for this operation.
Afterwards I realized I had not taken many photos as we were so busy all the time. I guess you should come to Çukur Yayla yourselves to experience a night at 1585 m. altitude!
Hasan Arslan
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