Day 29 Damavand

Sat in the sunshine at the final camp / hut at 4200 metres. 10:45 am. Drying out sleeping bag - it got some frost on it, sleeping out at 5200 metres last night: it was -1 degree C at 7 am this morning up there. We met the others on their way up to the summit - they'd set out at 3 am from this camp at 4200 metres and met us at 6 am at 5200 metres - going pretty strong. For Simon and I a tedius descent - very cold to get going, but okay once in the sun. Plan is to hang around here for a bit then trudge all the way down to the lower camp. Threw out the crappy Primus stove. Not sure I enjoy this 'mountaineering' business: I mean I am pleased to have gone to the top, especially given that it is in Iran, but would much prefer to go climbing at Stanage or something.




7:55 pm. Walked all the way down to the main road. Impromptu meal with a group of Iranian army people. One guy gave me his Iranian Army Mountaineering badge - I just commented on it and the next thing he'd torn it off his jacket. Took an age to hitch down (just a few miles) to the Hot Rock truck, parked up near Polur. Now staying at the Polur Federation Camp - owned by the Iranian Mountainering Federation - a weird sort of place complete with a huge climbing wall (indoors) but no holds on it; great showers and proper beds too. All being well we can get something good to eat in Polur.

Day 28 Damavand

4805 metres; cold bivouac last night - it was 3 degrees C when we got up at 5:45 am. Beautiful stars last night, but icy wind - sleeping bag just warm enough - could wear a fleece / socks etc I guess. Climbed up from about 4400 metres where we bivouaced; it's now about 8:30 am. Now in some sunshine at last - and the wind has dropped a bit too. After a real fight with the damn Primus - paraffin all over the place, got some soup, tea and cake. Plan to ascend to about 5000 metres and probably make a push for the top today - sort of in my mind at least - not saying this out loud as yet! Can make out some other Hot Rock people below on the saddle region of the mountain. Last night they said they'd climb to 4900 metres - then descend all the way back to the top most hut, only to re-climb all the way back to the summit. Way too hard for me. 1:10 pm 5365 metres and we can now see the upper (final?) reaches of the mountain. Dumped our rucksacks 200 metres below here. Smell of sulphur - lots of little chunks of yellow sulphur lying around too. A bit more nasty scree (is there any other kind?). I have a slight headache - feels like my hat is a bit tight. Windy, but okay in the sun. Writing this sat beneath a really noisy fluttering marker flag.

3:45 pm and we've made it. Summit of Damavand - I think 5640 metres(?). [Actual height is 5610 metres]. We set off from the flag mentioned above, pretty knackered (meaning very tired, as in ready for the knacker’s yard, a place where old horses were slaughtered and made into dog food). Classic thing whereby I'd walk ten feet and then rest and so on. Lots of tedius scree, paths difficult to find, not that it really mattered - just head uphill. Marker flags. Then poles every hundred feet or so. This part is called Doud Kouh (Smoke Mountain). Final fifty metres of height more gentle, but strong sulphur smell; looks like something spewing from an industrial cooling tower. A few more dozen yards brought us to the summit proper. Sadly no awesome views - just some dead dogs(?). Looks like the poor beasts had been vitrified in sulphur dioxide or something - goodness knows! Bizarre indeed. A variety of plaques - but writing is Persian or Arabic. View of the tarn atop the volcano. Lots of silent sulphur mist blowing about.


Quick descent down the tedius scree, back to that noisy flag at 5200 metres. Sleeping bags, sunshine, tea, chocolate muffins. Dozing off - tomorrow morning may rendevous with group coming up - 6 am or so.

Day 27 Damavand

8.5 degrees C and 6 am. Just woke up from bivvy out at 3500 metres. Sleeping bag on yellow foam mat on big sloping boulder. Fantastic stars last night. Slept okay - but in two hour chunks - because of the height I think. Some chocolate; then we'll go up to the next hut at about 4000 metres. This is the second permanent hut on this part of the mountain. Sunshine and easy walking up the 500 metres or so from the bivouac site, arrived at the hut. Several cups of tea - new Primus stove interesting to use - should have brought the instructions I guess. Horrid, noisy, leaks paraffin all over the place. Prefer gas. Not sure about the route up the mountain from here; but at least we are no in the real mountain zone so to speak - scree and snow slopes. Met a Hungarian couple - they said the last three hundred metres had a lot of sulphur smell. Our sport's plan for today is to scout up a further 500 metres then come back here for supper, we will then move up to bivvy at 4200 metres or something. 2:25 pm, moved up 510 metres above the camp. Up here on a recce - nice to be moving without the heavy packs. Cool wind, but fine in fleece jacket. Will push on up another 100 metres or so then go back down for supper. 3:15 pm 4715 metres and cold(ish). No headache. Think we can see the actual top - 'smoke' coming out of it. Waterfall (ice) off to the right and about 100 metres up [called Abshar Yakhy (Icy Water Fall)]. 8:20 pm second bivouac - we are out at 4400 metres. Note: we were 200 m out on the above heights - the final hut / camp is actually at 4200 metres, not 4000 metres. So today we got to 4900 metres, a personal best. A bit of a headache back at the final hut when having supper, but I think it's the stress of being with some of the others! 14 degrees C. Clear skies.

Day 26 Mt Damavand, Alborz Mountains

6:10 am. Drove through the night, slept on the bus - on the floor, under one of the two tables. Just been pulled over by some Iranian traffic cop. Everybody off the bus. Woken by lots of shouting and commotion. Nice early morning - no idea why we have been stopped or exactly where we are for that matter, but I think near the Alborz mountains. 9:00 am and we have been turned back, back down the road we were on to the nearest big town. Some problem about not being able to take the Hot Rock vehicle through one or more of the tunnels. Currently en route to climb Mt Damavand; we are in a minibus, about 2000 metres. [Damavand is located in the middle of the Alborz Range about 66 km northeast of Tehran, the highest mountain in Iran, with a height of 5610 metres, 18,406 feet. A dormant volcano: apparently there has been no eruption of the mountain in recorded history and it is now regarded as virtually extinct.]

6:55 pm. Damavand; bivouac. Just below the final official camp (i.e. second of two permanent camps on this side of the mountain). A beautiful evening. Very still. Cool at this height (3500 metres). Duvet good to have. We started out from the roadhead about 11 am - after a not inconsiderable amount of faffing (present participle of the verb to faff); usual sketch: minibus driver's brother's second cousin is a guide etc blah blah blah: we are driven past the obvious sign pointing to Damavand base camp and head downhill into the valley - to meet this guide - whom we do not need anyhow. Eventually the driver is persuaded to retrace the route back up the hill to the sign to the base camp. Just wasted half an hour. Set off up the path - unclear how far to the first camp - various times up to six hours being mentioned. Hot to walk, drank a lot of water. In the event in only took a couple of hours to reach the first camp, complete with mosque. Not a place to stay however (a) skanky and (b) too low (3000 metres or so) - so Simon and I decided to press on up to where we are now. The plan is to walk up a bit higher, say another 300 metres and then come back here to sleep. We have stove and fuel etc but unfortunately no pan to cook with. But, we have two tins of pineapple which we will eat and then cook in. Summit looks a long way off, but not too high. Some patches of snow higher up: probably in reality quite big, but look small from here. Plan for tomorrow: an easy day acclimatising at about four thousand metres. We will have an easy walk from here to the next hut / camp. 8:15 pm. 3835 metres. Short trek without rucksacks. Feel fine: no headache, reasonable heart rate.

Day 25 Bisotun

3:13 pm; 58.5 degrees C in my tent - but (fortunately) only the thermometer (part of my alarm clock) is in the tent and I am outside...the tent is in the sun too. Anyway out climbing today, some scrappy climbing - principally to retreive the ropes from yesterday - but in the event beaten to it by Sophie. Climbed with Simon: first pitch was good, probably VS 4b. Then lots of wandering about, alternate leads - getting to the top in about four pitches. Not worth doing. Took the opportunity on the walk down from the climbing to take in some of the Bisotun archeology - hot work being 44 degrees in the shade, but felt I should make some effort. This is Hercules resting - apparently on a lion skin, and drinking from a bowl. Behind him is an olive tree, a quiver of arrows and a club, all carved and surviving remarkably well. There is an inscription carved in old Greek. According to the signage, dates from 148 BCE and is probably the youngest Seleucid piece of art in Iran.

8:20 pm preparing to leave Bisotun - definitely the most awesome bit of rock I have seen. Just been speaking to a local Iranian - he thinks it is a pity that the Iranian government doesn't do more to encourage tourism here, and in Iran in general. I told him that I felt it was something of a privilege to visit Iran, let alone climb here. The Iranians are incredibly friendly. Finished my climbing here with a nice single pitch way over to the left; nice stemming, flake crack to left hand side, thence thin climbing up slabby stuff. About VS 4b and reminiscent of the English Lake District. Final ice cream.

Day 24 Bisotun

Up at 5 am to beat the heat. Climbing with Sophie. In the event it was too dark until about 6 am really. Tackled the left hand of the obvious pair of cracks opposite the cafe. I led the first and 3rd pitches; Sophie led the middle pitch - hard 5b (?) - overhanging jamming crack. I'd give the route E1 5a 5b 4c and not at the bottom of the grade either. Another *** route too. Epic struggle to free the ropes after the abseil: prusiked up the fifty metres of rope - reclimbing through the hard stuff to avoid weighting the rope too much. Freed the rope and abseiled - but ropes jammed again. They are still there (9:55 pm). Will retreive tomorrow. Went into the local town (Kermanshah). Not very interesting place really - but probably because we missed the interesting parts. Found internet cafe. Wandered around with Simon. Local food: good but a few flies. Chicken pieces on a metal skewer and flat breads. Taxi back to Bisotun - a real rip off...just an argument over the cost. At the city boundary or limit the taxi driver stopped and took the taxi sign off the car roof - I assume that he's not allowed beyond the city limit or something. He had a spanner in the glove compartment to do this, and put the sign in the boot of the car. Another spanner or mole grip allowed us to open the car windows. Back in Bisotun I did a few more routes - a slab thing (VS 4b ish), then I had a good go at one of those USA-style off-witdths - some sort of natural eroded water channel down the rockface - some (old) bolts. In the end the crack won - it proved too hard when it got steeper at the top, what with my left foot completely stuck in the thing. In the end had to extricate myself onto the rope / extender. Walked along a bit to find a truly immense rock wall - say 100 feet high - looks completely hand carved - a massive undertaking from a long time ago in history.

Day 23 Bisotun, Iran

7:50 am. Sat in the morning sun below a truly awesome crag, Bisotun, 32 km west of Kermanshah. [Bisotun is a World Heritage site, where (amongst other things) there is a bas-relief due to Darius I, dating from 521 BC (when he rose to the throne of the Persian Empire). According to the guidebooks, there are also remains from the Median period (8th to 7th centuries B.C.) as well as from the Achaemenid (6th to 4th centuries B.C.) and post-Achaemenid periods. http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1222 ]

Last night when we arrived below this awesome piece of rock it looked like four pitches or something. Now I can see the true scale of the thing, say at least 16 pitches high! Despite being part of such an important an archeaological site there is a climbing too, and access should be possible, so long as we keep well to the left of the archaeological remains. The crag extends for several km. Indeed this might be the crag to climb on in Iran.

Not a brilliant camping site - (gravel car park), so slept on the bus. Would much prefer to camp though. [Later I was able to pitch my tent amongst some trees.] A good day - started climbing about 8 am, after a breakfast of very runny scrambled eggs. No (climbing) guidebook - just walked up to the foot of the cliff and started up (in hindsight) a very audacious line. First pitch (Simon led) okay, but second pitch unprotected. Climbing up a single fluting - looked like a good crack line, but wasn't. Climbed up twenty feet (5a/b-ish) then had to try and reverse it back down. Scary stuff. Draped a (useless) sling around a thyme (?) bush growing out of the cliff, a few useless wires etc. Anyway, got back down, went left and climbed a wandering line. Simon led a third pitch. Nothing special - but nice to be climbing in Iran! (Yellow line). Abseiled off. 1.5 litres of Iranian Fanta (called Zam Zam) for lunch. Then tackled a three pitch crack climb (all trad) (right hand side of the cliff). Done by others who said it was HS but I'd give it HVS 4c - there was a lot of it and sustained. A fine route (***), needing some power - long too - three abseils to get off it. It's hot here during the day - forty degrees in the shade - important to drink enough water (or Zam Zam). After the second route had a Spiderman Ice Lolly - an odd potato-like taste to this Iranian ice cream. Lots of Iranian women - brought by the coach load - wearing chador, watching us climb: an odd sight to my Western eyes. Seems okay for me to wear (beige) climbing pants and tee shirt. Baseball cap (sometimes helmet) is a must - also found a Buff soaked in water keeps my neck cooler in the heat.

Day 22 Orumiyeh, Iran

Camped overnight in what can be best described as a public park - surprisingly cold. A reasonable night's sleep after pasta and tuna supper. Met quite a few Iranian climbers - one said he'd not been climbing very long and so could only do 5.12 (!). The next guy I spoke to turned out to be the Iranian champion or something - he is meant to be coming with us to Bisoton - he's recommended some 5.13 (!). Nice to chat to somebody about trad. climbing too. 7 am and we are about to set off on some long (at least 12 hour) drive to Bisoton. Should be good since we are planning to have three full days on the rocks there.

Initial impressions of Iran: colder than Turkey; lots of police stops; standard of living seems better than Turkey - difficult to judge and early days of course - but last night we drove past some impressive sculpture etc. This place (Orumiyeh) looks like something of a metropolis. Six lane highways and mountains in the distance. Early morning sunlight. No breakfast. 20 degrees C. 10:30 am and stopped for an hour in Mahabad; lots of interest in us from friendly locals. Must be about fifty people here. Wandered around the bazaar; chatted with locals - I (half jokingly) mentioned tea - two cups appeared (I was with Simon). Suspect sugar is expensive here - the guy had pieces wrapped in paper in his pocket. On the move again; Froggatt-like gritstone outcroppings all over the place. Speed bumps. 28 degrees C, but certainly doesn't feel hot. Fasten seat belts signs and good quality roads. Much traffic. Three-wheeled cart things with 16 horse power engines and exposed rotating machinary. Dust. Sheep herds by the side of the road. 3:30 pm. A lot more desert-like here, with flat, rolling hills. Dry heat, 29 degrees. On the road towards Sanadaj.

6:30 pm Failed to find any internet in Sanadaj; mobile phone not operative. Hot: now 34 degrees. Soon we depart from our first climbing venue in Iran: Bisotun; tourist guidebook talks of 'the immense rock-face'...sound promising.

Day 21 Van, Turkey

Vehicle is fixed [this all happened yesterday evening]: Henry turned up in Bitlis yesterday, about 5 pm. All of us walked back down the road to where the truck had been left at the garage, where by this time the truck had been towed. Henry knew what the problem was - some bolt missing from the transfer box. He had it fixed within the hour...I suspect or at least cannot help thinking why not do better maintenance? Or at least some maintenance? Prevention being better than cure and all that...Drove to Van, arriving about 11 am. Stomach a bit revoluted: probably (a) 1 lt cherry juice (b) two kebabs. A lot cooler - about 26 degrees - we are higher up - probably a few thousand metres. Arid landscapes - some blue green water (reservoirs?); little fluffy clouds. 1:20 pm wearing socks - it's colder - also do I need to cover my feet as we approach the border with Iran? Need to drink better things - today (so far) I've had a litre of cherry juice, one of Fanta and one of Coke - yuck! 3:10 pm second passport check post, just short of Yüksekova (scene of clashes between Kurds and Turkish riot police in 2006), probably 50 km from the border with Iran. These check points are interesting: typically the police take all our passports, but do not actually look at the occupants of the truck. Now just 20 to 30 km from the border with Iran - may explain the increased frequency of the checking. 3:40 pm stopped again! 4:28 pm and we have arrived at the border. Looks very industrial, dusty; we must wait on the bus for further instructions. Gate being opened and we drive through...something out of a Graham Green novel perhaps. Now inside some sort of military compound. Barbed wire fences. 7:30 pm Iranian time. Off the bus amd into a somewhat feckless hall on the Turkish side of things. Passport stamping to leave Turkey, thence into a corridor (longish) - by myself. Turkey behind me, Iran in front. At the end of the corridor a door. Like a regular front door from a big house. Locked - so here I am having left Turkey but not having entered Iran. So I knock on the door. Door opens and some questioning and passport stamping; now in a big hall on the Iranian side of things (with much more ornate woodwork than Turkish hall). An awful lot of sitting (because we're through but the bus isn't yet). Spending time staring at two ornate doors: dark wood, fanlights and square panes, right hand door warped and a waste bin. Not sure what happens next. 8:30 pm and still here: there's some issue re. the truck not being on the Turkish custom system as having left Turkey or somesuch. Suspect not really a problem, just needs time to resolve. Nipped outside onto Iranian soil for the first time. Looking up to the hills - just like Helvellyn; looking down it's a desolate cement dusty compound.; in particular the blowing cement dust (it's very windy here) is not at all nice. A real swirling dust storm. 9:15 pm Absolutely nothing to eat here - a duty free shop selling hairdryers and Breville sandwich toasters. Lots of money changers - but they are missing a trick - why not sell food? 9:30 pm Four Iranian climbers have turned up to meet us. I think this could work out really well. 9:40 pm I think we can get back on the bus - after a final random top locker search. 10:00 pm Iranian time and we are on the bus with the engine running; food for supper being chopped up (onions). Almost out of the compound through final barrier. Spoke too soon! Engine off. 10:10 pm. They now want to see three passports - why just three? Why not see all fifteen? [After this we cleared the Iranian border post and were in Iran proper, still several police check points on the way.]

Day 20 Van, Turkey

Just short of Van - near Batman. 6 am. Slept in truck - across second row of seats - parked up at the back of a gas station. Had chi tea with half a dozen localKurdish guys - very impromptu - Simon and I were meant to be doing some crap with the truck - but the Kurds were much more interesting - and they had tea. Hot last night - but slept okay(ish); dreamed about rocket ships.

Yesterday a lot of driving - but difficult (for Simon) because truck clearly has very little braking capacity: we narrowly missed hitting (of all things!) a police car. Also no lights to speak of. Basically lots of broken windows on this trip / Hot Rock. Yesterday involved a lot of desert type country, a distinct change to the more hilly / windy roads near the Med. Sun has now risen - oddly a bit cold right now; it was a clear night and we are up at 700 metres.

By the way, yesterday we stopped at some city and got a lot of interest from the locals. Simon and I had (peach) ice creams - then some guy who (I think) ran a restaurant in a local mall - invited us over there for coffee. I had a double Turkish coffee; Simon got a burger etc. Noted that people are now not wearing shorts at all - all the local men are in long trousers. All the local women are scarfed. Different to further wset, but we are still in Turkey (or I guess Kurdistan).

6:58 am sat at the front of the truck - awaiting departure; we travel to Van to pick up Henry, and see if the two doctors have got their Iranian visas. 7:55 am stopped to gas up. 600 litres diesel. Free chi for us up on the truck; a bit A group (Duncan and Lianna) and the B group...the A group get their chi first - thought we wouldn't get any at one point. 90 minutes later: still here at the gas station. Some problem about the price of the fuel. As far as I understand it we have been ripped off: (a) the price on the big roadside sign is wrong (too low), (b) some sort of story about having to syphon off diesel(?). Apparently we have been sold 700 litres - despite the tanks holding 600 litres maximum. We are awaiting the police. This police business is becoming routine, and a bit tedius. Was hoping we'd get to Van not too late so I could get on the internet etc. 9:30 am Duncan on mobile to British Consulate.
Anyhow at least I could get time out to wash my feet(!) - in the foot washing station. 12:26 pm - we escaped the gas station, but (somewhat inevitably) we have broken down: Simon cannot get the bus into first gear - something of a problem given the steepness of the hill we are on. 38.5 degrees C. Stuck on a hill, in a mountain pass, little stream off the right. Hot and sticky; no idea what will happen next. 4:03 pm have hitched (with T) into Bitlis - got a lift in the front cab of a big articulated truck: nice and smooth, surprising visibility out front. There's nothing here at all in Bitlis - smells of trash. Hitched back to the broken down truck. We have had news that it's been towed up the hill to a garage someplace.

Day 19 Adana, Turkey

Well, it was hot on the beach! Just seemed to get hotter and hotter through the night - at one point it was 31 degrees C: just had to lie on top of the sleeping bag. Currently parked up outside the huge mosque at Adana (Sabancı Merkez Camii); found a post office and a good (i.e. western style) loo. Both very rare in Turkey. Oddly there seem to be no post boxes as such anywhere - one has to post stuff via a post office. More ice lollies. 36 degrees. Pulled the Silk Road map out of my storage cupboard - we are now on the map as it were. Final thing for the day was passing through Batman en route towards Van.

Day 18 Turkey

3 pm. Very bumpy and windy road along Med coast. Turquoise and green and blues; pine trees, giving some shade, and something of a nice smell. Sat at the front of the truck, up top; very steep roads. Simon an excellent driver. 3:40 pm pulled over by Turkish police - possibly because 50 km back we pinched a load of wood (just lying about the road side). Now following the police car - in the wrong direction (for us, presumably not the police!). Stopped at gas station; possibility of ice lollies at least. 5:40 pm Indeed there were ice creams etc; been here a couple of hours on this Shell station forecourt - we have been told to return the wood. More specifically we have been told to go to some specific layby 50 km further on up the road (in the direction we want to go in at least!), and drop the wood there. Police upstream have been tipped off. I think that the policeman's mother owns the Shell shop and thus profits from ice cream sales. Made to sign lots of bits of paper - but a bit daft since I don't read Turkish. 37 degrees C.

9:40 pm we have stopped for the night at a beach - next to a comprehensive services (open 24 hrs, but no beer). Cooler now the sun has gone down, but still hot enough. Will sleep on the (sandy) beach tonight - no tent - last time I did that was years ago at bottom of Am Buachaille in Scotland.

Today drank: 2 lts Fanta, 1 lt peach juice and 1 lt cherry juice - still feel thirsty.

Day 17 Olympos

Thirty four degrees C, 10 am. Breakfast done and cleared up - usual score some people doing all the work. Campsite pretty disgusting. But I guess it's the end of the trip for quite a few...by the way the breakfast was good: rosemary potatoes, fried up from last night, revoluted eggs and half a loaf of bread each. Observation: food budget is not realistic. Needs to be more flexible. A dollar a day doesn't equal what one has to spend on food each day. In Turkey the food is relatively expensive. Hope for change in Iran.

Climbing in the Canyon region: 5c and wobbled up a really overhanging 6b, with one rest (I count this as a failure, but I suspect this is a la mode for sports climbing, at least on Hot Rock!). A nice 6a (I Hate Tourism), 5b, 6a+, 5c+, and finished the day with an awesome 5a 6b two pitch thing called Muson. Seemed to be overhanging for 35 metres. Genuine pleasure to climb with George.

Day 16 Olympos

Just past midnight, 24 degrees in tent. Nice chat with George and Si over the remains of the fire (from cooking supper) - found out about the 'old school' comments and who made them! Seems we've all had the same comments, so we are in good (or bad) company. Also found out George has climbed to 7600 m on Everest. Cool huh!

A nice day's climbing: walked through Roman ruins to Cennet - hot (very) walking up hill - but amazing to be walking amongst the ruins e.g. perfect cylindrical columns etc. Medeterainian sea looking beautiful (ripply). 5b 5c+ (easy) 5c+ and a 6a+ (with truly awful final wrist jam in a thing like a cheese grater). By the way, before all this, up at 6 am to climb a 5b opposite the camping place - tired! After the Cennet climbing, went for a swim cold but clear - little fishes. Too hot though to sit on the beach. Final couple of routes 5c and 5c+ at the Kadirs in Agac Evleri - the cliff opposite the camping place. Turkish phone card proved good value for calling UK.

Day 15 Olympos

Camping in crappy place: industrial camping I'd call it. Tree house place [Kadir's] - but no proper camping ground. Initially they [Duncan and Lianna] suggested that we camp on the (dry) river bed! You've got to be joking! [Given that the mean diameter of the stones was about a foot.] In the end we camped sort of at the back [of the tree houses]...no real camp ground. Lots of rave noise.

Anyhow this morning (after buying 72 eggs) went climbing in Dershane sector; 5c+ 5c (both good lines - aretes - much better than Antalya), failed to get beyon bolt two on a 6b - too O/H. 6a+ 5c (White Russian) - hard; lunch thence a cool 5a 6b (Homerus + Odise). Fingery - pleased to do the 6b second pitch - suited my style of climbing (whatever that is). Back here on my first cook duty - with Hannah - made onion gravy [plus mashed potato]- went down well - some questions about the stock [cubes] being vegetarian - 'Well, it is in a green packet!'.

Day 14 Antalya

Sat on the bus - truck (they don't like the 'bus' word - but that's what it is). Waiting for Henry (driver) to get back from the local police station: he happened to crash the hire car after dropping Dolphin off. Bode's well? We will see. It's 15:40 and I am hungry: this morning 5a 5c+ and an ambitious 6b (1 fall). Shortly - if Hot Rock can get its act together - we depart for Olympos (two 'o's). Begining to piece together the 'types' on this bus: e.g. older / genuinely seasoned hands - tend to be quiet at times and not desperate to show off their knowledge or lack of it. More later.

Day 13 Antalya

[Writing this] sat on the verandah of the campsite bar. Today's activities: 7 am (after mug of tea), did, repeated 5c+, thence a 5b (a good route much better than it looked)(Fire Starter), at Left Cave, short walk from the campsite. Then breakfast - pancakes - excellent - but could eat more. Nice jam. Did some clothes washing - in bucket bought off George. Hitched down to the market in a pickup with Tia - nice hot breeze. Bought some biscuits etc, nice cherries. Lunch: sat cross-legged on raised platform a la mode. Back at campsite a group of us went climbing up at Magara and thence Sakit: 5c+ 5c 6a+ (cool - a big overhanging route called Nirvana); quick walk to next cave, Sakit: 6a. Really pleased with Nirvna. Very hot walking up to the crag, but now in the shade. By the way, the other day some ex Hot Rock climber asked me this: What grade do you enjoy? I really liked that phrase.

Day 12 Antalya

6:20 am. God, this campsite is stoney: despite the luxury of two Karrimats - not comfortable at all! 23 degrees C in the tent - this tent is no good for hot places. Not enough ventilation really. Off climbing. Feel more relaxed. Cool to do a few routes and maybe read a book during the day. We'll see. Hooked up last night with Andrew to climb today - he's just here for five days. Now 16:30. Sat under the tarp, very hot. This morning was good, but started off badly - rushed cup of tea - Andrew keen; got lost finding crag - sort of annoying - my fault - the crag is actually opposite the entrance to the damn campsite - not 1 km up the road. Really annoying since I'd climbed there a day or two before. Did 5a 5b, recovered George's water bottle from our last ascent (left at top belay). Thence found Gizmo and did 6b - first of the trip for me at this grade; really soft touch though. 5c+, back at campsite. Did a couple more 5bs. Later I climbed with the new doctors - a 6a and a 5b. Noticed that completing a route (especially a 6a etc) gives me a few hours' hapiness! Nice supper, thanks to George and T - spaghetti bolognese (soya). Chatted about climbing - a nice way to pass the hours in the evening.

Day 11 Antalya

It's a hot one today - best to go climbing before breakfast: George and I out from truck at 6:20 am; two good 2 pitch routes: 5a 5b; 5c 5c - done before - but more enjoyable with George. Reminds me of old climbing partner. Eggy toast for breakfast, top roped a 6a+ on the local campsite crag. [Lunch time] Might wander along to see what's happening.

18:20 Still hot! Real solid heat. Not a cloud in the sky. Very little shadow left under the truck tarp - and as the sun sets the shadow area is getting smaller. Led two 6a+: first pitch of Elcipse and some chalked 7-; first really nice on positive holds, second a lot harder than it looked.

Day 10 Antalya

Up fairly early (8 am) - group of us went off to climb a 6c+; of course too hard for me, but nothing better to do, so I went along hoping I could get on a more reasonable route. Annoyed about a comment re. my belaying - too 'old school' apparently(!). Annoyed. Anyhow I climbed the start of the route okay - at least better than the others (Danny is better by a long chalk - but didn't climb it this morning). Breakfast: eggy toast - I like this so don't mind the repetition. A bit of bouldering. One tomato for lunch. Then tremendous climbing with George. A couple of multi pitch routes, plus I failed on a 6a. Pleased to say belaying (old school) worked: a hold got snapped off the final route. 25 degrees C in the tent now at 22:42. Today's routes: 4; 5b (Guzel Manzora) thence Gizmo: 4 5a 5c+. Last route called MPW (first ascentionist's initials I guess) good - fantastic airy traverse.

Day 9 Antalya

Windy last night - some rain too, but now as usual a hot day. Eggy toast, two big mugs earl Grey tea. Climbing: lots of people (just) it about - but I'm still - at least at the moment - on climbing. I wonder if it will dissipate / wear off - suspect not. I've noticed that there's a lot of crap about grades. It seems that most people claim to lead upwards of 7a, yet I think only one (Danny) does; for me I can do 5c / 6a - but did fail on two 6as today. If I cannot do it on sight then I cannot realistically climb at that grade. Noticed that the longer routes seem easier for a given grade. Anyway, today saw me do: Geyik - hot in the sun, okay earlier on, but by 11:30 am sun full on! 5a 5b; 5c 5c; i.e. a couple of two pitch routes. Given VI- or 5.9 USA or HVS 5a UK - stacks up in my mind. Failed on two 6a routes. The day improved with a 5c+ (this is about 5.10a).

Cups of tea, a couple of tomatoes for lunch: apparently not allowed [Hot Rock] tea bags [at lunch time], but had one of my own. Thence Turkish Standard area. 5a, 5c+ and a 6a (VI+ or 5.10b). Last route seemed a lot easier than UK 5c. I like the cliff - overlooking the Jo Si To campsite.

Now back at truck. Still think lots of crap re. climbing - comments like 'my belayer shouldn't be tied down - since it's harder to pay out slack(!)'. In general the group dynamics are interesting. I'd recommend Hot Rock to a psychologist or perhaps an alienist.

Day 8 Antalya

Up early. 5:30 am. Idea was to get on the rock before the sun. Usual faffing - but did five routes. 5b 5b 5b 5c 6a (right hand crag above Jo Si To campsite). Climbing good [in the shade] - but really felt the heat whenever I put my hand into the sunlight.

A bit bored. Would like to do more climbing - but everyone's chillaxing. I guess I need to learn how to do the same. Yesterday, Dolphin made some comment about civilisation versus humanity - not sure what he meant exactly (I was in the middle of a route), but seemed an interesting thing to think about. By the wqay, breakfast was good - perhaps someone felt bad for yesterday's lack of food: lots of eggy bread for Dolphin and I. A pity that this campsite is away from the shops: would really like internet access and maybe a post office.

Afternoon: bored - need more climbing. Hung around the local on-site crag; did a very easy 5b; failed on a 5c (one I succeeded on last night) - funny how we tend to deride those things we cannot do. Anyhow, ended up attempting a 6c on a top rope - okay until the strenuous parts...

Repeated Pene de Diablo, plus a new to me 5c. In the end today I did ten routes. Not bad, huh?

22:02 In tent. Temperature currently 22.5 degrees C. Good supper tonight.

Day 7 Antalya

5:55 am. Up and ready to go climbing - will follow others up in hope of getting a belayer. [Later] Good climbing, 8 routes 5a 5c 6a 5c; 5b 5c 4b(!); 5c - last in glooming light. Annoyed because no supper for me or Dolphin [Our Turkish recruit: I tried to teach him phrases like 'it's a bloody shower' and 'piss up in a brewery' - the latter he got as 'You want to piss me up in a brew house' - 'near enough', I said.]. Earlier today I hitched down to Antalya proper with Dolphin - we took the first couple of vehicles to arrive - which happened to be motorbikes. Turks are so sociable. Our hitch-providers (i.e. bikers) had lunch with Dolphin and I; thence drove us further towards Antalya. Failed to buy any stove or gas - ironically I wanted to buy this so I could cook for myself [and mitigate Hot Rock's meagre food]. And when we got back - no supper...they had 'forgotten'. I'm fed up with how crap things are.

Day 6 Antalya

07:46 am 32.5 degrees C in tent! Getting up - after good sleep (but not enough really) breakfast 8 am. A clear hot day. [Later] Today did some actual outdoor climbing - bolted of course though! Did a 6a, 5c, 5c then a break: it's too hot really in the afternoon. Then did a couple more routes (4 and a 5c) and fell off a 5c - managed to invert in my harness - the first routes were okay - the last one was polished...lots of bullshit re. climbing / climbers. Good supper - plenty of it, generous portions this time so less annoyed. George made tip-top bread pudding. Midnight. 19 degrees C in tent. Starry clear night. Loud cicadas or somesuch.

Day 5 Antalya

Left Istanbul last night - funny to be getting on the truck to drive all the way to Delhi. Long night; cold later on. No sleep. Truck stopped for a couple of hours at about 3 am which was the worst bit - uncomfortable, in part I guess because I am a newbie [so miss out on good sleeping places]. Better after a stop at some midway town about 10:30 am. Bought a couple of pink pillows - an important luxury. Now set up in tent on the campsite [Antalya]. Have guidebook - it was put on my bar tab(!). Very stony ground. A bit annoyed at the very small amount of food provided for supper - not nearly enough, plus I failed to get seconds, having lent my plate out - silly me. This trip will make me a bit selfish I'm afraid.

Day 4 Istanbul

Got back 3:30 am to hostel. most odd mixture of [club] music. Before this we - or at least some of the more 'hard core' went back to the Olivium shopping centre for some more climbing on their wall. All very odd really. So far each day is a bit odd and different, but good. Feet sore. Will probably mooch about Istanbul today. Tonight we drive to Antalya.

[Spent the morning at The Topkapı Palace, the official and primary residence in Istanbul of the Ottoman Sultans, from 1465 to 1853.] Caldarium, tepidarium, frigidarium baths (c16) etc...the Harem was - as promised by colleagues - better than the rest; I have a low boredom threshold, yet quite a lot of the stuff held my attention , mainly the architecture. The old 'black' oil paintings of numerous sultans did not.

Afterwards a poor lunch (probably because place recommended in Lonely Planet guide - probably was good before it got into the guide - like a starred route).

Currently enjoying a double Turkish coffee - medium sweet; need to be back in hostel at 17:00.

Day 3 Istanbul

Yesterday: secret to climbing 8a appears to be going out clubbing to 3 am! Prior to that we went to Marmarisa University for (small) climbing wall - first time I've got a ship to get to a climbing wall (i.e. some ferry from Istanbul to some other bit of Istanbul!). 'Pub' then club. Met Duncan. Nice to be able to get a cake at 2:30 am. Like wall, but a bit small, plus I don't really like climbing walls - too many holds to deal with! I like Istanbul - yesterday morning walked around bazaar. Must buy a towel. Bought a new 'man' bag.

A little annoyed I get asked for small bits of money; a couple of lira here, a couple of lira there. I am probably more 'broke' than the recepients. Looks like another hot day, well, not too hot - I guess it will get hotter later.

12:45 pm On tram to Aksoy - some sort of climbing wall; I have rope and harness etc - promises of 20 metre (!) routes. Hottish. Lots ruins; hazy blue sky.

19:00 Back at [Istanbul] hostel. Spent this afternoon at a climbing wall inside a real western style shopping centre / mall. Called the Olivium Shopping Mall. Indeed a 20 metre wall - a crag for poseurs! Good fun. Expensive medium-sweet Turkish coffee half way through [the climbing]. Not sure it helped the climbing though! Bought a towel. Just need a padlock then I'm set...