Xeros River Ruins
It looks like the sun is here to stay now, and Cyprus is quickly turning brown. The Asprokremmos is no longer overflowing, and soon, the rivers will no doubt start to run dry again. Before that happens we decided to go for a drive up Xeros Valley, and explore some ruins by the river. If you fancy a paddle, don't wait too long...
Cheeky Glimpse of Foinikas

We start this journey at Foinikas. This is only because we had visitors and we were giving them the tour. That's the dam you can see in the distance. It is no longer overflowing, but it is still nearly full.
Less River

If you compare this shot to our last blog on Foinikas you will be able to see how much less water there is now. Still enough for some dam building though...
Donkey-Powered Buses

We took the road that runs up the floor of the Xeros Valley. If you are going yourself, you need to keep to the bottom of the valley, and resist the temptation to take one of the left turns.
We found these buses along the way. They clearly belong to the donkey farm that you can get to, further up the valley. Why they were parked here I have no idea.
Only In Cyprus

We did this journey twice in a week to get photos for the blog, and because it was fun. The second time, the only donkey bus we found was parked slap bang in the middle of the bridge you have to cross. There was nobody in the bus, nor any sign of a driver. Most bizarre. Anyway, we drove round the bus and took the next turning left, which has signs for the donkey farm.
Distant Monastery

We did our drive in a 4x4. I definitely recommend this. The terrain gets bumpy and the winter rains have somewhat re-organised the roads up the valley.
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The Xeros River Flows!
The River Xeros flows into the Asprokremmos Reservoir, and when that is full, it flows right out again. So where does it go once it leaves? We decided to find out...
The Xeros River in Winter
The Asprokremmos Reservoir is beginning to fill up! At the last count, it was close to 40% full. But where is all the water coming from? The Xeros River is normally close to dry, but now it has become a raging torrent. So let's take a look...
Sinti Monastery
It's time for another guest blog, and this time Max has taken a break from his minerals to show us somewhere a bit more spiritual. Over to you Max... Sinti Monastery is a very important ancient monument and not far away from Paphos, in the beautiful Xeros River Valley. I thought I would take a round trip. In order that people can visit the place all year round (even after a good Winter's rain) in a normal car I took the longer route over the hills where the roads nowadays are all properly surfaced. On the way back you can either take the same road (Winter) or use the short cut along the Xeros river bed which is only 8 km until the next village Nata.Good Pages To Visit

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Paphos Chat has been created for people who like our site and want to chat using Facebook. You can also easily upload photos of any size here. A lot of people are members of the Facebook chat group and the main forum. It's entirely up to you.

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eBookCyprus Road Trip 01: the Kathikas - Panagia Loop
Let me take you on a journey around the region of Paphos, Cyprus. Starting at Paphos itself, we travel to Akoursos, then Kathikas, Kritou Terra and Simou. We continue past Lasa and Kannaviou, before taking in the delights of Panagia. Getting a bit more adventurous, we visit the abandoned villages of Statos and Agios Fotios, before passing through Choulou, Letymbou and Polemi, and rejoining the main Paphos - Polis road.
The route is suitable for all types of vehicle, and requires no off-roading. The guide contains about 130 photographs including shots of all the road signs you need to pay attention to, as well as some of the highlights you may experience along the way.
There are also several maps which will help you keep your bearings.
You can do this journey in a day, or you can break it up into chunks. You can also do it in reverse, to get some completely different views. It is entirely up to you.
