Go Explore! Go Travel!
Bath, the following conditions in terms of health are well known: - Relieves stress - Muscular pain and the pain restricted and resolves joints acar - Supports the immune system– Improves blood circulation - Reduces nose tilaniklinarini - Keeps the skin young and fresh
Sitting and relaxing in a hammock is what life is about in Olympos, Turkey. The place is a sort of backpackers’ paradise with an off-the-beaten path feel–though it seems like that had been more the case 3 or 4 years ago. (From what I’ve been told, the area has been developed a lot in the last few years.) Olympos (also spelled Olimpos) sits in a rustic, forested canyon an hours drive south of Antalya. Lined along a dry river bed/road are a bunch of cafes, “treehouse” pensions, bungalows and campgrounds built in old fruit orchards. Each is packed with backpackers from all over the world. Further down the river bed and along the beach are the ruins of Olympos, a Roman and Byzantine port city. We are staying at the Saban Pansion Treehouses which are nice and comfy and we are served a tasty breakfast and dinner everyday. Tonight we were going to head to the Chimaera (not the fire-breathing monster of mythology but a natural gas-fed fire spewing from the mountain side), though it’s probably a tourist trap. Instead we will just hang out playing backgammon, and tomorrow we are off to Cappadocia in central Turkey...
Tonight I am in the southern seaside city of Fethiye. This evening we hiked up to a hill above the city where there were ancient Lycian tombs, some were mixed among the modern- day houses. There was also a fortress from the Crusaders on the hill...
Istanbul can be done cheaply if you’re on a budget. That’s one reason why we chose Turkey to travel. I also think Istanbul would be a great stop for anyone’s European backpack trip, since its so close to the EU’s Eastern European border. While food and drink aren’t as cheap as I had thought, overall Istanbul wasn’t too expensive...
“Pop! Pop!” Muffled bangs echoed off the tall buildings along Istiklal Avenue, the main thoroughfare of the Beyoğlu District of Istanbul. Taksim Square was a half-mile down the road where the blasts originated. The police were moving in on the protest. The street was lined with the department stores and fancy designer chains. Shoppers and protesters walking among the crowds of passersby. Suddenly yelling and shouting began. A large crowd began running by us from behind. We ducked down a side street to escape before things got too out of hand...
The East truly meets the West in Istanbul. Istanbul is a city of the world. The variety of people and cultures here is much more than I had expected. Of course, the Turkish are the most prevalent–-something expected being this is Turkey, after all–-but even the Turkish seem like the amalgamation of 3 or 4 millennia of invaders and traders from Europe, Asia and Africa...
Like music notes floating down from tall minarets in the early morning air, the call to prayer reminds me that it is only 4:30 am. “Allahu Akbar... Ash-hadu an-la ilaha illa llah...” Prayer is better than sleep the call tells me, though being jet-lagged and tired makes me want to do anything but...
