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Published: August 24th 2009
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Flames from the mountain
Gases in a certain combination combust when they hit oxygen. “Travel and change of place impart new vigor to the mind.” - Seneca
At first I thought, along with most people I'm sure, that Mt. Olympos was in Greece. It was, after all, where Zeus and the rest of the gods supposedly resided according to Greek mythology. But it turns out there's one in Turkey as well, just spelled differently.
The sleepy town of Olympos lies nestled in a forested mountain region a few miles from the ocean. While there are plenty of opportunities to mountain climb, swim, or explore Roman ruins we were more interested in two other things. The first thing we wanted to do was stay in a tree house. Huh? Yes, I know it sounds kooky, but for some reason the hotel owners here decided that the tried and true method of ground level construction was pure crazy talk. I personally think they all got together and said: "Hey, let's make something unique that will drive tourism here, then we can jack up the prices!" No matter the reason, we were down...or up to try it. If you ever tried to build a fort or a tree house as a kid by nailing
Chimaera flame
Runners tried to carry a burning torch back to their camps before it extinguished, starting the tradition of the Olympic Torch random pieces of wood together then you probably dreamed that someday you'd get to stay in a nice, luxurious treehouse, right? So did I. And once we stepped foot into our treehouse hotel I remembered that long forgotten dream and I realized that...this place wasn't any better than the tetenus-shot inducing, shirt-snagging, leaky, bug spray-slathered piece of junk I made as a kid. Actually mine was probably better, now that I think about it. But, in the end, after staying for a few days we realized that it wasn't necessarily about the quality, but remembering what it was like to be a kid again. Plus, breakfast and dinner were included, and it was a monstrous amount of food. Good food, actually. I did a double take when I found out it was vegetarian. "They should have told me! Harming plants is against my strict meat-atarian belief system!"
The other thing we were interested in seeing was the Chimaera of Mt. Olympos. The word Chimaera means a being that is part human and part animal. This particular chimaera was believed to a mix of snake, goat, lion, and human that could breath fire. After hiking up the mountain in the
Chimaera flame
These flames could be seen from sea, being used as an early lighthouse dark (on a very full stomach) we realized that while Zeus and chimaera no, fire breathing yes!! William Shatner would say: "There's some kind of...FIRE coming out...of the side of that mountain!!!" And Spock would say: "That's highly illogical, Captain, even coming from you." Actually a certain mixture (mostly methane) of gases bubble and brew deep within the earth and escape through vents, igniting as it hits oxygen, creating an eternal flame. Even if you poured a gallon of water on top it would reignite in a few seconds. So actually it doesn't seem hard to imagine that people would believe the never ending fires were created by supernatural means. In fact, people used to carry this special fire back to their villages for ceremonies. They had to run, in fact, down the mountain before their torch went out, creating a tradition that would endure even today: the Olympic Torch Ceremony. Pretty interesting, huh? No? Well I thought so. Oh yeah, we saw some more Roman ruins too.
Next stop: Cappadocia 😱
***TRAVELERS' TIPS***
Don't stuff yourself right before the Chimaera hike. You'll regret it, trust me or the Chimaera's flames won't be the only gaseous eruptions on the mountainside. And bring a flashlight or headlamp.
Get a week's pass to see the Roman ruins and beach. It's only 5 Lyra as opposed to 3 for one day, and there's plenty to see. Even better, try to find someone who's leaving and get their week's pass.
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Sydney
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i'm repenting for not keeping up with the blog
Is this your latest blog post? Do you have anything from Indonesia or Malaysia yet? I promise to be better with reading the blog from here on out. What's the problem with naming the ship "the Salty Dog"?