One Million Dollars...I Mean Turkish Lira

We are constantly quoting Austin Powers here, with the ridiculous currency, so many zeros! The exchange is 1.6 million Turkish Lira to one US dollar. Anyway, even though the prices seem huge, everything here couldn't be cheaper. We haven't paid more than 5 dollars a night for hostel accomodations and we have stayed in some very nice places. So much nicer than Greece! After leaving our home at the Tango Pension in Koycegiz, Alison, me, and our new friends (Aussies Karen, Pete, Brigid, and Canadians Marnie and Karla) went on a 4 day boat cruise down the coast of Turkey to Olympos. We shared the boat with 8 brilliant Aussie blokes from Melbourne and Sydney. We all got along phenomenally and right from the start felt like a big family.

Our crew on the Sempatik didn't speak much English, so other than the occasional point to, "Underwater city!" or "cave...swim...20 minutes" we were on our own to entertain ourselves. As Marnie summed it up, "We would cruise, stop in a bay, swim, eat....cruise, stop in a bay, swim, eat." We gave the crew nicknames--Sketchy, Skippy, and Captain. It was a fun, relaxing 4 days and I did quite a bit of snorkeling, got over my fear of heights with cliff diving, and earned the highest compliment of "Legend" with my new Aussie friends.

In Olympos, we are all staying in Treehouse bunks at Bayrams. Yesterday Karen, Pete and I went on a 20 km trek in the mountains to the lost city of Olympos. Last night we checked out the fires of Eternal flame that never go out. Some gas in the rock ignites when it comes in contact with oxygen. Brigid and I sang the Bangles "Eternal Flame" over and over until a tarantula came out from under a rock scaring the crap out of us. A Turk came running over yelling, "No kill! If you do 7 brothers come!" I wonder how he knew exactly 7 more tarantulas would come after us?

Tonight Alison and I say good-bye to our friends and catch an overnight bus to Istanbul to meet up with the Hash House Harriers. Turkey is really a beautiful country and the locals are wonderful people. Alison put it perfectly by stating, "Turks have a saying, you are not a tourist, you are a guest in their country." This is definitely a place I hope to return to someday.

Hope you are all well, I send my love.
Carla