A Lycian Adventure: Day-5 | Tomatoes, Porticoes and Frescos

Patara Beach to Cayköy | 28.9km

Tomato greenhouses for as far as the eye can see

I woke up in a horribly wet bivy bag due to the condensation and dew in the dunes. Everything was damp and covered in sand so I made some coffee, packed up camp wet and set out and down the 5km of beach. Heading inland I passed a gazillion greenhouses, every one filled with tomato plants. I paid eight liras for a brief gander at the Letoon ruins (pro-tip: you can see it all from outside the fence - not worth the entrance fee until and if they excavate more) and grabbed some basic chow and supplies at the local market where I also set out my kit to dry in the sun for half an hour.

Temple of Artemis, Letoon

Porticoes at Letoon

Amphtheatre, Letoon

A long and very dull trek later, after passing more tomato festooned greenhouses, I was in Xanthos, the ancient capital of Lycia, a city that was under siege and sacked twice. On both occasions, seeing no hope and rather than be captured alive, the men burned their women and children alive and then made a final suicide rush at the enemy.

Amphitheatre entrance, Xanthos

Amphitheatre, Xanthos

The frescoes were exposed during excavation at the site,
covered back up for protection and subsequently partially
uncovered by people wanting to pinch pieces as souvenirs.

Dull slogging past more tomato greenhouses and then I picked up a hillside trail that tracked an ancient disused Roman aqueduct. The final part of it was still in use and I camped for the nights by a fast running modern rivulet that fed into it.