Antalya, Turkey

By the time we hung our hammocks in the bramble like holly trees we it had been traveling for 30 hours without much sleep.  In the heat of the day but the cool of the shade we napped among the limestone cliffs of the Taurus mountains in southern Turkey.  I couldn't quite imagine how I had gotten there to that place, a small climbing camp in a little known part of the world surrounded by some of the best limestone cliffs ever climbed.  It seemed like so far away but at the same time quite easy to reach.  JoSiTo is a small climbers hostel set in the mountains in a quiet farming village.  The locals were unaware of what they had above them until some German and Turks began establishing routes on the cliffs.  The farmers, unfamiliar with the gear, yelled at them to come down or risk falling.  The camp includes a kitchen and commons area within a few minute walk to hundreds of sport routes where climbers mingle and piece together conversations in whatever common language they share.
By the first day we had established a solid routine that included coffee, breakfast and climbing as many routes as we could before dark.  It was an unreal glimpse at an amazing little piece of climbing culture.