Olympos

Trip Start Feb 05, 2008

Trip End Ongoing

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Where I stayed

saban pension

(Olympos hotels)

Flag of Turkey Olympos, Antalya, Turkey
Friday, July 11, 2008

My bus to Olympos wasn't leaving Goreme until around 9:00 p.m. I
had about an hour to kill so I decided to grab a big ice cold can of
Efes from the local beer stand. Immediately after I sat down on a set
of steps near a young couple, the girl, apparently following my lead,
went and got two beers. When she returned I jokingly said they must be
Canadians. Turns out I was right. That's when I met Sean and Jackie
from Vancouver. They were heading the same direction.

Olympos is touted as something of a throwback to Thailand
beach type accomos and atmosphere. Well... Let's just say, not quite.
I picked a place out of my new Rough Guide, Saban Pension. Dawn from
Kose recommended it as well and she knows Merel, the turkish woman who
runs the place, along with her three brothers (It is unusual to see a
Turkish women in charge.). Sean and Jackie were going to try a
place next door, Bayram's, also recommended by the guide books. The
main road that leads toward the beach and the Olympos ruins is lined
with many such places.

No sooner had I gotten off the local bus that brought us down from
the highway for three lira, I was greeted by an Auzie named Mike. I
guess most of these 'resorts' hire english speakers as hosts/social
conveners. It was a pretty cool place with a nice bar and a big open
courtyard filled with picnic tables, hammocks and little chill out
cabannas. Here 20 bucks gets you a bed in a dorm and breakfast and
dinner.

Jacquay

Including meals that are relatively inexpensive to prepare
serves to help both the traveler and the host justify the slightly
higher bed rate and works to keep everyone in their place drinking the
overpriced ($4!) beers. With the help of Mike, who likes to tip a few
beers himself (haven't really met an Auzie who doesn't), the place is
very social. I fell in with a bad crowd and needless to say, I worked
up quite a tab. Even Cokes were $2.

Within about half an hour of my arrival, Sean and Jackie showed up,
backpacks on. Turns out Bayram's was a little over priced and the
people running the place were dicks. Soon after we all checked in,
Mike introduced us to Josh and Jake Brown, brothers from Lancing,
Michigan. Josh works in Instanbul as an english teacher and Jake who
is also a teacher back in the States was over on vacation.

We spent the next three hot and sunny days (mid 30's) chilling out
at the hostel and the beach. The water was great but it is a rocky
beach--not my favourite by any stretch. It cost roughly two bucks for
the national park entry fee each day to go to the beach. The village
was a tad on the scruffy side, the road dusty and dry. We laughed at
how the pensions would water down the road every morning with hoses the
size of fire hoses until it was muddy. Apparently there is no concern
for water conservation. One evening after dark Sean, Jackie, Ruth and
I took the 90 minute walk up to Chimera where eternal flames burn from
cracks in the rock on the side of a small mountain. Another two lira.
We were soaking in sweat by the time we got to the flames. Looks to us
like they are some kind of natural gas leak. I guess people roast
wieners and such on them from time to time. I wondered what happens
when it rains. Do they go out? Does someone light come and light
them?

Saban was a pretty cool place but there wasn't much inspiring any of us to stay longer. It wasn't that
nice. Mike really works hard at trying to talk people into
staying--it's his job I guess. But even after the second dinner, you
could see the food was pretty institutional (smorg style). And whoa,
the beer prices. So Sean, Jackie and the Brown brothers and I packed
up and headed to Kas. A few others left the same day and Mike blamed
my 'uber personality' for causing the exodus. Ha! That's a laugh