Let me back up for a minute. We LOVE it here! We feel as if we have settled into a small slice of paradise. We arrived in Olympos on the Mediterranean coast of Turkey 4 days ago and have been soaking up this amazing place ever since. We are staying in a tree house in a beautiful, laid back pension. The tree house is a simple 10x10 foot structure on stilts. The frame is built of solid wood 4x4’s and the siding is comprised of planks of tree bark, likely from the same tree as the studs. Our mattress sits on a wooden floor which is covered by a beautiful Persian rug. That’s it and it’s perfect. The showers are about 50 feet away and are piping hot. The price of our accommodation includes breakfast and dinner and thus, we have been feasting on two delicious, home cooked meals per day. The family that owns the pension is friendly and warm. The valley that we are in is surrounded by jagged, rocky cliffs covered with green trees and wild flowers. The clear blue waters of the Mediterranean are about ½ mile walk from our door. In between here and there lies the ancient city of Olympos.
The past two days we have split our time between exploring the ancient ruins and chillaxing on the beach (yes, I said chillaxing…just trying out some new lingo...yes I'm sober). Where was I…the ruins, yes, the ruins. They are everywhere: buried in the trees and bushes, poking out from hillsides, standing tall against the hands of time…at least for now. The Roman Empire has long since vanished from the earth as it was conquered and absorbed by various other empires. The architectural remnants the Romans left behind are still holding out against one final and ultimate invader: Mother Nature. Though the remains of the colossal architectural structures left behind are sights to behold, and have managed to survive for nearly two centuries, when it comes to the final score, my money’s on Mom Nature.
It has been quite unique to have the opportunity to literally climb all over these ruins. Normally, stuff like this has either been restored to something resembling its original state, or it exists behind a glass case in a museum. In Olympos, what you see is what you get. No fences and no restoration. It is as it is, and as tourists we are free to roam, explore and climb. Suffice to say, my wife is in heaven. A little known fact about Johanna is that once upon a time she seriously considered pursuing a career in archeology. If you find this hard to believe, check out her ear to ear grin in some of these pictures.
Today we took a long walk to the neighboring town of Cirali, where we hiked up to the Chimera: a spot on the side of Mount Olympos where open flames shoot out of cracks in the rock. Thank God this wonder of nature was not located in any of the towns we visited in Nepal, as the GI challenges we were both experiencing, upon exposure to these open flames would have undoubtedly led to a mass casualty event.
Have I mentioned that we love it here? We have met some of the nicest people. Turkish people in general seem very friendly. Very easy going and welcoming to travelers, they also seem to have quite a bit of national pride, as the Turkish flag is displayed all over the place. They are fun-loving too. The sounds of laughter filled the air around the groups of vacationing Turks that we saw on the beach. However, of our new acquaintances, our favorites by far are Maureen and Larry from Ireland. They are easily in their 70s, yet seem to have more energy than we do. They travel for a month or more every year. Eight years ago they trekked in Nepal, and I believe covered more mileage and elevation than we did. They arrived in Turkey by way of Jordan (they had planned to travel through Syria, but had to change their plans at the last minute). Yesterday, they did the same 15 kilometer walk to Chimera that we did today. I imagine they did it in less time.
Maureen and Larry are the type of couple that we hope to be in another 30 or 40 years. They possess such a joyful air and passion for life. In story after story, they recounted tales of their adventure travels. In one hilarious bit, they revealed that for their 25th wedding anniversary, they decided to try something new and booked a “package” (as in a pre-arranged travel package, ie; something you would book through a travel agent). I wish you could hear the sound of Maureens’s delightful accent as she said, “After one day we had to leave the package. We bought a tent and camped for the rest of the week.” At this, we knew they were truly more hardcore than we may ever be. They have however set the bar that we will strive for, and we will carry their joyful energy and good nature with us as inspiration.
So, that about covers it for us and our activities of the last few days. No, wait, I’m forgetting something: ping pong. There is a table in front of our pension and we have been giving it a workout. We have not let poor lighting at night or wind and sun glare during the day deter us. We have probably played an average of 12 games per day. After the first day, I was actually sore from chasing the ball around and bending and squatting to pick it up. Now, another little known fact regarding my wife is that she has never before competed at ping pong. In what can only be described as one of the great athletic achievements of the 21st century thus far, she has improved steadily with each game and has started to beat me from time to time. This is in fact quite an achievement due to the fact that a little known fact about yours truly is that I am AWESOME at ping pong.In summary, Olympos has mountains, trees, tree houses, friendly people who make delicious food, a beautiful stretch of beach, ancient ruins, and ping pong. Up until this point we were fully planning on returning home. If we don’t, and you wish to find us, I’d recommend starting your search here.
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