Capidocia to Olympos "Tree Houses"

Here we are in Olympos, on the Turkish coast with a pebble beach (costs $2.00 to go to the beach), but not much is happening today because it is forecast to be 50+ degrees. No, that is not Fahrenheit, that is Celsius. Remember, to convert you multiply Celsius times 9/5 then add 32. So 50 x 9/5 +32 equals 122 degrees F. It is 2:30p.m. now and it is only 43 C (109 F), but it is warming up nicely.

It is so hot here they won't serve you ice water because they say it causes your body to go into shock. I'm willing to take that chance if they would let me.

We are at the Kadirs Tree House camp/motel/bar backpackers rendesvous place; apparently famous, but it burned down last Feb. (electric blanket they said; no word about the person in the blanket).

They have rebuilt the cabins and Dennis and I upgraded from the dormitories set aside for our group; choosing air conditioning over the "party on dude" atmosphere of the dorm arrangement.

Breakfast and Dinner are included, and we are here for two nights; hoping to be able to do some sea kayaking this evening after it cools down to about 100 or so. Many of the group are out "Canyoning" where they walk up a river canyon and then splash and float back down; and there is a hike to the top of mt. Olympos where a natural gas flame has been burning since "the dawn of time"

I am planning to go sea kayaking about 5 pm today if it cools off some; supposed to be some interesting caves and so forth along the shoreline to explore in kayaks.

This is a very popular area with maybe 50 small motels/restaurants along the gorge leading to the beach, although none were very busy today.....could be that the high temperatures make this the off season. Kadirs, however is pretty full of people, and they seem to be of all ages.

On our way here, we stopped briefly at the Ihlara Canyon area, where several early churches are carved into the rocks in the canyon walls. These churches are quite old and very hard to get to---the path is narrow and rocky, and the climb up to the churches is steep. Some of the churches have remnants of paintings and so forth inside.

I talked with a woman from Ismir, Turkey who told me that the Ihlara Canyon site is the second most popular tourist attraction in Turkey, but the crowds here don't bear that out. she also said the minister of tourism for Turkey lives here. That may have something to do with the rating.

Stay cool in Denver, I hear it is only 100 or so.

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