Meeting even more of the locals

Well , today was the day for meetings and greeting. We were walking with Lisa and Tim from NewfounIdland who we had met 2 days earlier. We had a fairly short day planned which was due to end camping at the villiage of Sydima surrounded by Roman ruins.

The day took an interesting turn when we stopped at the only shop for days to buy supplies. We sat beside a small local gathering and shared their tea and (after a ritual washing of our hands by the host) turkish delight.

We left the shop and had a four kilometre walk ahead of us up a hillside to Sydima.

We had only gone a few yards when we were met by  an old woman carrying a load on her back. She pointed excitedly and shouted Sydima. We continued following the red and white signs that showed our route and she continued on a parallel route. A hundred metres  later we had to swap over to her route as we met a gully.

She called us over and lead us up the hill.  After about two hundred metres she stopped for a rest and offered us each a chocolate. She kept pointing to a path and saying Sydima and then holding her hands on her cheek, indicating sleep.

We followed. Two hundred metres later she stopped at a cistern (well) and proceeded to wash her feet. She encouraged us to wash and indicated that the water was cool and refreshing.  She then put down a prayer rug and commenced her prayers. We waited, feeling some attachment to this lady we had just met. She then led us up the hill, waiting as we inspected Roman ruins. We went along a stone wall, over walls with makeshift ladders and past a stone raised tomb ( pre Roman) before reaching her house for tea. 

We ate biscuits and drank tea (both mint and aromatic) picked from her garden. She brought out scalfs for Clare and Lisa to try on and she told us about her family (all in Turkish).

We finally left wi the h her pointing u a towards the bedt Roman ruins. 

Looking for the Roman ruins, we met a group of women outside the mosque. No one spoke English and Spanish they asked a 12 year old girl to help. She had school English and didnt understandbsbout ruins but she got the idea and the n showrd us tombs and Greek inscriptions used as building materials on the side of her house.