Rest of Turkey--Condensed

Parmakkale was a tad disappointing to tell the truth. The pools of white calcium brimming with crystal blue water is a truth only in pictures. The spring water was drained away years ago by high-rise hotels constructed in the area. The hotels have since been bulldozed, and the water supply is slowly trickling back; however, the pools remain barren.

I thought the nearby Roman ruins of Hierapolis were quite fabulous, my favorite thus far. I absolutely loved the ancient burial site, which is now a scattered field of debris. It felt like a sanctuary that had been abandoned by everyone. Even its dead. Before the site was protected by the Turkish authorities, backpackers used to take refuge in the sarcophagus, because the stones were quite cool, even in the summer. Maybe it's a bit morbid, but I think it would be a terribly interesting place to spend the night.

That night we headed to the port of Koycegiz, where we took a night cruise to some mud baths. (Fantastically squishy but fantastically smelly. Rotten eggs anyone?) I had been hanging out with two really sweet Aussie girls, Bridget and Kat, so it was a lot of fun. (Coincidentally, I had met Kat earlier when I shared a room with her in Riga two months ago!)

The next night we headed to Fethiye, chilled there for a bit, and then I headed to Olympos to fulfill a lifelong dream: sleeping in a treehouse a la Swiss Family Robinson style. My time in Olympos was full of all kinds of stressful decisions: Swim before or after lunch? Lie in a hammock or lounge in deck chairs?

After that we headed to Cappadocia, which is home to hundreds of underground caves and houses, first used by the Hittites. The cave system was really fantastic, and the rock formations are unbelievable. To top it off, I saw these incredible pigeons that did barrel rolls and somersaults as they flew through the air.

We were supposed to stay in this really dodgy place that was "free" with the cost of the fez bus pass. Room 10. It stank like nothing I've ever smelled before, so a few of us chose to upgrade for free to the next room. The Turkish night (also free) was a lot better, and highlights included watching some guys from our tour go belly dancing. Very touristy but extremely fun.

Anyway, that kind of brings me up to speed. I'm in Syria right now. Incredible incredible incredible country. Most generous people ever. Very different from the what the American media portrays. I'll talk about it more later on.

I've hopped on the overland truck (my tour I was talking about earlier), it's sort of like a converted U-Haul. Needless to say the ride can be kind of bumpy from time to time. I am often flung into the aisle, and I am airborne at least three times a day.

Today we traveled on a road that eventually leads into Baghdad, so I took a photo under one of the "Baghdad" exit signs. How crazy is that?