Olympos

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No, not the Olympus that the Olympic Games stemmed from, but a lovely place on the Mediterranean coast of Turkey.

There are also roman ruins here (yes, they're everywhere!) but there is so much more to this place than a bit of history. It's developed into a backpacker mecca with a long, scenic dirt road lined with backpacker hostels, many of which feature treehouses to sleep in. We stayed a Kadir's, a Middle Eastern icon according to the Lonely Planet, and I can see why! In peak season it would go off, even in the quiet season as it is now it was pretty busy, and a really funky place. The treehouses and rooms were all named after various things backpackers would find familiar, I stayed in Iluru (sp? sorry Aussies) and the two that stood out for me were Brotown and Jandal Whare. Though one of the the (Australian) occupants of the Jandal Whare couldn't work out Whare and stuck with Whore. Not quite the same Stuart!

Olympus is right on the coast, but the township area is separated from the beach by a 2km stretch of Roman ruins, and so it's all surrounded by forest, with a stream running along, a very relaxing and cool place to be. But you could do trekking, rock climbing, diving, riding, you name it...

We had just one night so we relaxed and had a few drinks, and in the morning wandered down to the beach. No sand here, not like a beach at home. It's very pebbly, but not grey like the UK, but with multicoloured pebbles, green, brown, red, pink, blue, you name it. Very cool! The sea was so clear and the sun so warm that swimming in underwear became de riguer for the morning. And it stands out as one of the loveliest swims I've had! It's quite salty here, not as much as the Dead Sea, but you certainly can stay afloat without really trying. Neat!

Simply another place in Turkey where it would be great to spend more time. Going from the various deserts in the Middle East which, though captivating, were totally different from anything in my experience, to green, rolling landscapes, striking, mountainous scenes and sparking beaches in Turkey is so much like coming home, it's a lovely place to be.

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