Me at an overlook
Originally uploaded by bastchild.I actually got off my lazy butt and hiked up to this citadel to take this photo.
My glasses, which I had sat upon in Palmyra, finally fell apart later this day, so I am in Kumluca today using cheaper and faster internet, getting more money, and getting a new pair of spectacles.
Friday, June 02, 2006
Me at an overlook
Hussein and me
Hussein and me
Originally uploaded by bastchild.I met Hussein on the bus to Olympos, so we ended up sharing a room at Moonlight, in a strictly non-gay way. He speaks a little English, so I have been learning some Turkish.
I ended up shaving my moustache after this dinner because it was acting like baleen, sieving plankton from the sea. Naaaaaaaasty.
Tree house dwellings
Tree house dwellings
Originally uploaded by bastchild.Even up to three years ago, Olympos was known for its rustic treehouse dwellings, but these are just for show now.
Ruins at Olympos
Ruins at Olympos
Originally uploaded by bastchild.You have to pay 2 YTL everyday to use the path that goes to the beach because it passes by these ruins from the 2nd century. (zzzzz...)
Boats bring daytrippers to Olympos
Boats bring daytrippers to Olympos
Originally uploaded by bastchild.Olympos is a small backpacker strip built around a riverbed 11 km from the main highway about an hour south of Antalya. It's not even a town because it only has pensions and small stores for tourists. I had heard about this place from other backpackers while I was in Syria and Lebanon. Like Dahab, its a great place to do nothing and take a break from all the sightseeing, which is exactly what I am doing.
A room goes for 20 YTL (around $14) which includes breakfast and dinner. An hour after arriving, I headed out toward the beach and heard a couple people call out my name. I found a couple people I had met in Hama two weeks ago and someone I had met in Aleppo. It is a small world on the backpacker circuit.
Buses have airplane-like interiors
Buses have airplane-like interiors
Originally uploaded by bastchild.In Göreme I realızed that I had had enough of sightseeing so I headed to the coast for some quality beach time. I only decided to get on the overnight bus an hour before it left.
Volcano off in the distance
Volcano off in the distance
Originally uploaded by bastchild.Not far from the village of Göreme, I am guessing, that volcano in the distance is what left ashes all over the place.
Underground city in Kymakli
Watch the video I actually don't know anything about this place. Maybe early Christians hide here, fearing persecution. What I did realize, however, is that I was pretty tired of sightseeing, so I headed for the coast on the overnight bus.
Ventilation shaft for Kymakli's underground city
Watch the video The underground city was quite deep and extensive. Ventilation shafts and ports allowed for cooking and lighting without its inhabitants suffocating.
Afternoon in Göreme
Afternoon in Göreme
Originally uploaded by bastchild.
Göreme is a very touristy vıllage, but there are loads of cheap accommodation, which is nice. Fortunately a cheap (1.5 YTL, which happens to be $1) can take you to the Nevşehir, the next big town over, which has cheap eats and internet.
View from my new room
View from my new room
Originally uploaded by bastchild.I moved into another room for the next day as it was too cold to "chill out" (har, har!) in the cave. This was the view from my window.
Göreme cave dwellings
Göreme cave dwellings
Originally uploaded by bastchild.Cappadocia is famous for its "fairy chimneys", a geologic phenomenon resulting from wind and rain erosion of volcanic ash. Or something like that.
It sucks arriving so late at night, but I was able to get this room which thankfully had hot water to wash off the day's sweat. It was surprisingly cold in this cave so the comforter helped.
Antakya
Antakya
Originally uploaded by bastchild.I was only here for four hours waiting for my bus to Göreme. It was a long day from my 0500h bus from Aleppo; I didn't arrive in Göreme until 2345h after changing buses three times. But the buses in Turkey are awesome. There are several different operators, and they're not as plush as Taiwan's buses, but they're still quite nice. It's There's even a steward who brings you refreshments.
Entering Turkey
Entering Turkey
Originally uploaded by bastchild.Yeah, what a suck getting in it was. Fifty people at the window thrusting their passports blindly through the window while the one official stamped away; meanwhile about 20 of us formed a sensible line waiting for two hours to get up to the window as more and more people squeezed up and left. Finally a fight nearly broke out with all the line cutting. The bus threatened to leave without me, but they finally decided to help me get my visa and away we went! Strangely, on the Syrian side there were about eight windows with bored officers waiting for customers. What's up with Turkey?
My smallest room yet!
My smallest room yet!
Originally uploaded by bastchild.Only 200 SP, this place had a fan and a stool. It was hot all night and I actually slept only a few hours before my early bus to Turkey. I think this used to be a balcony.
The ruins inside the Citadel walls
The ruins inside the Citdael walls
Originally uploaded by bastchild.The Citadel ultimately succumbed to time. There was a restored theatre and a mosque here. It blazing hot that day, and I took refuge in the shadow of the wall.
The Citadel in Aleppo
The Citadel in Aleppo
Originally uploaded by bastchild.This is the imposing entrance to the Citadel in Aleppo (normal entry price 300 SP, but only 10 SP with my student id card, ka-ching!). Built on a man-made hill, apparently this fortress was never taken. Invaders circled around it, and after a few days, left, deciding it would be too difficult to breach.
The duty free mall and food court
The duty free mall and food court
Originally uploaded by bastchild.This was not a bad place to hang out for 8.5 hours.
Leaving Lebanon
Leaving Lebanon
Originally uploaded by bastchild.Thıs is the border between Lebanon and Syria. There are big yellow American muscle cars that will zip passengers between Beirut and Syria. I actually got a ride on one of these when I eventually made it through the Syrian side. I had forgotten how smooth those beasts were; it actually made me miss my 1978 Impala stationwagon.
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