Subject:   [adventure!] Melbo - er, Olympos!

Date:   5/7/2004 4:02:21 AM

 

 

G'day mateys!

 

I am in Olympos, Turkey, and have just had two of the best days ever to be

experienced by a human. When I arrived here, I bumped into an American guy

I had met earlier in Romania, and then I met a Turkish guy playing guitar on

the beach. We went out hiking a couple days ago and found an incredibly

beautiful bay with clear blue water and some caves in the rock.

 

Now, any of my ex-girlfriends named Sarah will tell you that I am not really

comfortable with swimming in lakes or oceans, mainly because there are

sharks and other monsters in the water who are plotting to eat me. Or

worse, jump out and scare me. Well, I have been swimming here! Right in the

water! But wait, there's more! I jumped into the water from a 12 metre high

cliff[1]!!! After only about 2 hours of standing on the edge saying 'one,

two, ... wait, wait, wait!'. Then we explored the cave as far in as we

could get, but it was so dark we decided to come back with a light the next

day.

 

So yesterday we went back with some masks and snorkels and swam again, but

the water was too rough and the cave filled up with sea foam. Another

once-in-a-lifetime experience was running back along the rough path and

smashing my head into a low tree branch. The branch actually touched my

skull, and gave me the deepest of the many many cuts and scratches I have

been collecting on my adventure. Now I am having trouble solving simple

arithmetic problems, but I can still tie my shoelaces, so I'm doing better

than half the drunken Aussies here.

 

From here, I will follow the lump of Aussie/Kiwi Anzac travellers to

Capadoccia[2], which is the crazy moonlike landscape where the beginning

desert scenes of Star Wars were filmed. I have become convinced that George

Lucas' ideas come only from his strange combination of travel and racism.

 

My plan was to head out East to Lake Van and Mount Ararat near the Iranian

border, but after sitting on beaches and jumping off cliffs, I won't have

time before I have to get back to Istanbul and fly to Bangkok such

are the stresses of my life ;)

 

Some of you may have noticed that I have stopped uploading travel pictures

somewhere around Italy. I will make a website when I get back and let you

know then. Those of you who noted that I seemed to be losing weight

traveling will be cooked a Turkish dinner when I get home as an explanation

for why I am so much fatter than I looked in France.

 

I hope you are all having fun!

jay

 

[1] Mom and Dad, would one of you please head down to the travel agency and

extend my travel insurance?

 

[2] If one more Turkish person asks 'how ya goin?' in an Australian accent,

I'm gonna scream!