Okaibe - Qartaba via Fatre, Mechan, and Janna

More exploring in the Nahr Ibrahim area.
The aim was to get to Qartaba from the coast while following the river and avoiding busy roads as much as possible.
I was successful in that since there was very little traffic along the way and it became practically inexistent the higher I got.
About 45min from the coast you branch off up and to the left a little after the hydro-electric plant towards Fatre.
Past Fatre, you get into Mechan. Big mistake!
Avoid Mechan at all cost. The locals tend to be overly suspicious and hostile towards strangers passing through.
I was stopped and harassed in the most inappropriate way in this village which really put a sour note on an otherwise very nice hike.
Shortly past Mechan municipality you follow a road that passes right under the St-Anthony Church and continues to a dead end.
From that point there is a small dirt-road which will lead you to the autostad.
After a short stretch on the autostrad, you dip back down into the valley towards Frat and Janna.
The breath-taking view down the valley more than made-up for the earlier unpleasantness.
When I reached Janna, I came across a bunch of campers who really seemed to be enjoying their time and who very kindly offered me lunch.
Sadly, I had to decline their generous offer because I still had an hour of hard climbing to Qartaba.
The laughter and good mood of these nice campers was contagious though. How I wish I had stayed and shared some laughs a few beers with them.
Sure enough, after an hour of hard climbing to Qartaba, I reached the main road at the level of our old friend Challita Supermarket from where I caught a taxi ride down to the coast.
Total moving time 7 hours 11 minutes.