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Published: December 7th 2009
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Day 2 in Antalya was my day to explore some of the Hellenistic ruins near Antalya. I decided on a half day trip to the ruins of Termessos, about a 45 minute trip out of town into the Tauras mountain range and national forest. I hopped onto a local bus around noon which dropped me off on the side of the highway at the base of the park. A taxi pulled up and took me up the dozen or so switch backs called the "King's Road" to the park entrance. (http://www.exploreturkey.com/exptur.phtml?id=73)
We must have climbed about 1,000 feet to the entrance and, according to the guide book, I had another 20 minute walk up the unpaved trail section of the King's Road. The cabbie also informed me that the next bus back to Antalya wouldn't arrive until 5:00 pm. What? It was already noon and there was no way it was going to take me 5 hours to see these ruins. Plus, by 5:00 pm it would be dark out. I started to panic. How was I going to get back into town? I looked around me and the park was quiet with very few tourists. It was the Muslim
holiday of Bayram and the off-season. Would I be left here to fend for myself? I started to imagine all of the worst case scenarios that could happen to a woman alone waiting for a bus in the dark on a Turkish highway in the middle of nowhere with no cell phone.
I automatically began to just move up of the trail still distracted and panicked by my worst case scenario thoughts. Maybe it was the loose rock and rugged terrain that snapped me back to the present moment. But I allowed myself to stop, take a deep breath and think back to my meditation group in Washington D.C. "Breathe deeply", our moderator Lisa would say. "Don't run toward the future and start creating realities in your head. Remain in the now. Stay present". I had a zen moment and slowed down my breathing. I'll be fine. "Enjoy the ruins, take a look around you. Enjoy the blue sky and beautiful mountains. Take some pictures. Follow the guide book." I heeded my inner voice and threw out a prayer - take care of me and get me back safely. Up the hill I went.
I saw what remained
of the outer and inner walls of the city. White slabs of stone built into the hillside. I passed by the gymnasium and bath ruins taking in the breathtaking views of the Antalya mountains as I climbed up. Once at the top, I went directly to the theater; one of the most well-preserved Hellenistic amphitheaters in the world. It was built along a steep drop off and it was hard to imagine how any culture could have sustained itself in such a rugged environment, let alone even build these massive structures. I climbed over stones to get into the amphitheater. Unlike the U.S., these parks still maintain a kind of rugged charm. No accommodations are made to make touring these ruins easier. I had to be careful not to twist an ankle or fall between the huge slabs of stone that interrupted the trail. As I made my way from the trail to the theater. I asked a few Turks if they would take my picture. Luckily, the fellow was a photographer and knew how to work my Canon Rebel XT, probably better than I did.
After taking in the views from the theater, I climbed around more stones,
wandered into a small open field, climbed up to some ruined temples, peered into the cisterns, and made my way through the overgrowth to more ruins. I crossed paths several times with the other tourists; a French family who brought their 3 young children up to the site, a few German couples, the Turkish photographer and his friends and other Turkish families. I lost myself in the scenery and the exploring, and felt relieved not to be alone, especially since my transportation back to town was still uncertain.
After about an hour more tourists had arrived. I felt confident I could go back down the hill and find a ride home.
As I began my descent, 3 Turkish women in their 20's, with whom I had crossed paths several times, started up a conversation and asked where I was from. I said America and they brightened up and began peppering me with more questions. Their English was good and by the time we got to the bottom I had explained that I was living in Ankara and working for the U.S. government. I asked if they could help me find a way back into town as I explained
the situation with the bus. They spoke to their father and kindly offered me a ride.
On the car ride back, there was quite a bit of Turkish chatter and basic efforts in English to find out more about me and for me to learn about them. At one point there was a long stretch of Turkish interspersed with giggling. I had no idea what was being said but they all kept looking at me. Finally, the middle daughter asked me, "Do you like Obama?" They all laughed and I gave them an enthusiastic, YES. "Obama is good!" Then their father exclaimed, "George Bush no good, no good", and they continued on with Obama, Obama.
After that exchange the oldest daughter turned to me and asked if I would come to their home for Turkish coffee. '"REALLY - WELL YES, I'D LOVE TO." I couldn't have imagined that my day would end like this.
We arrived at their flat which was in that drab concrete slab, rectangular high rise architecture with broken sidewalks and debris scattered around. But inside, the house was well kept, sparking clean and sunny with a nice Mediterranean cross breeze. After more broken English
and long awkward pauses they invited me to sit down for a small Bayram meal. I had lamb, rice (palau), stuffed bell peppers (dolmus), bread from the village, and tomato salad. Afterwards, we sat in the living room and had our Turkish coffee and a baklava-like pastry.
The two oldest daughters walked me back to my hotel in the old harbor. We exchanged e-mails and they invited me to come back and visit them again. Next time, they would take me to their farm near the Kursunlu waterfalls ( HYPERLINK "http://www.alaturka.info/index.php?id=2519&L=5" http://www.alaturka.info/index.php?id=2519&L=5) where they grow pomegranate trees and raise chickens. I said I'd love to return and would bring my husband for them to meet.
My Thanksgiving weekend couldn't have left me feeling more thankful; thankful for the hospitality and kindness of the Turkish people, thankful for my husband who encouraged me to visit Termessos, thankful for my new job in Turkey, thankful for my meditation group and practice, and thankful that the Turks love Barack Obama.
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Christiaan
non-member comment
Antalya sounds great!
Great post. Nice to see public diplomacy at work in Antalya. I can wait to visit there!