Believing in Karma

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Trip Start Apr 21, 2008 Previous
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  Olympos, Turkey
Thursday, August 28, 2008

Today was an easy day. I just spent the day at the beach.  I actually tried sneaking in without paying but I got busted. Actually, I avoided getting caught trying to get in without paying but still paid. A few travellers told me about an alternate way to get to the beach to avoid the entrance fee. They told me about a dried up river beed by the side of the road that I could walk through that would lead me to a path to the beach. They all took this path and were successful in getting through. SO what the hell. I decided to try as well. It was out of principle that I didnt want to pay those 3 liras. People should not have to pay to swim in the sea. It is there for everyone to use. No one should profit from it.  As I was walking through the river bed, I noticed 3 older Turkish women walking in front of me. They were about 50 yards away from me. It was obvious they were trying to avoid the fee as well. Unfortunately, a man came out from the shrubs and caught them. Each of them were escorted back to the road. Seeing this from a distance, I also jumped back onto the road. Damn! I never succeed when I try these kind of things. That is why I hardly ever try. When I got to the gate of the beach, I paid my entrance fee immediately after the 3 busted Turkish women paid. At least we tried.

I spent most of the day reading up on Iran again. Now that I am going for sure, I need to outline some kind of route. I enjoyed planning the 3 weeks I plan to spend in Iran. I cut out a few places I initially wanted to go to because I just wouldn't have the time. They were mostly 'nice to go to' places and not 'need to go to' places' so it wasnt a big deal to remove them.  I also started paying more attention to how I was going to spend my time in Syria. I still need to get a visa for that country. My alternatives are to get one in Ankara (Turkey), Tehran or at the border which isnt an official way of getting a Syrian visa but I learned it could be done (if they like your face).  I read that I could get a Syrian visa processed within one day if I go to the Syrian Embassy in Tehran. If it takes longer than a day to get processed in Ankara, I'll just take care of it in Tehran.

At supper time I met up with Sarah again. She was still going strong with her DaVinci Code book. I started talking with an older man sitting next to her. It seems like I have perfected the art of starting conversations with people. Anyhow, it turns out that this Aussie guy is riding his motorcycle from Australia to London which means his trip has taken him through places like East Timor, Pakistan, India and Iran. You just never know who you are sitting next to. I was glad I started talking to him. The guy was 1 year into his 18 month trip and had all kinds of great stories. I love meeting people like this when I travel. Some people think my journey is fantastic but it is nothing compared to this guy's.  One thing I was disappointed to hear was that Iran wasn't as adventurous as he thought it would be. He confirmed how friendly the people were and how safe it is but he said that the country was a lot more advanced than he thought. Overall he did like it and said that I would meet more backpackers than I think I will. I guess I will just have to see for myself.

Tim and Holly then joined us after dinner. I realy like them. They are real people and they make the perfect couple. You can tell they were meant for each other. We spent the next 2-3 hours just chatting. I played my first ever backgammon game. It was againt Tim who beat me easily - but not too easily. One funny thing happened that I want to share. Earlier in the day, Sarah asked me if she could buy one of my memory card readers as I had 2.  She really wanted one. I just gave it to her. She felt uncomfortable just taking it from me and wanted to give me something but I told her it was fine. Memory card readers arent expensive anyhow. I explained to her that when I do simple things like this for other travellers, I hope that other travellers will help me out when I need it.  A few hours after I gave her my memory card, Tim learned about how I dropped my camera. He told me to not go anywhere and went back to his room. He returned with a small tripod that he said I could have as he no longer needed it. He siad it would help me avoid dropping my camera in the future (if you remember, my camera was dropped when I placed it on top of a poorly surfaced wall and the wind blew it off). That's karma for you. I believe in it 100%.

By midnight, I had enough of the heat. It was unbearable. By the time I got up from my chair, the back of my T-shirt was covered in sweat. The locals have even commented that this last month has been ridiculously humid. Thank God I have air conditioning in my room.

Tomorrow I will spend the day in Olympos but then take a night bus to Goreme.

Dino Vagabond.
 

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