Mount Olympus and Egirdir

Trip Start Jul 13, 2006
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Trip End Jul 06, 2007


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Saturday, September 30, 2006

We went to Mount Olympus which is a huge backpackers hangout and it reminded Deb and I of the kind of place that we would have loved to hang out in 25 years ago. There are tree houses everywhere, we upgraded after the first night. The place is famous for the eternal flame or chimera. Methane gas for centuries has been burning on the mountainside, visible to ships passing by on the sea.
On the way to Cappadocia we stopped in at Egirdir to break up the drive. During the night I started to hear this faint drumming sound. It got louder and louder and looking out the window I saw this old man walking down the street beating away on his drum. He had a great rythym going which was it quite enjoyable except that it was 3 am. We found out the next morning the Ramadan had started where Muslims fast during the day for a month. The gentlemen was waking everyone up to eat before the 5:30 am sunrise and they tip him as a thank you. I'm still not clear on why it takes 2 and a half hours to make a breakfast of tomatoes, cucumber and boiled egg. At dusk a small booming firework is exploded into the air (rather disconcerting for the tourists nearby) that signals the end of the fast and the Turks with forks poised for the signal tuck-in.
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