Mecca

Right now I am having a beer on a platform surrounded by pilliows in a valley filled with orange trees and treehouses with rocky cliffs sheltering us from the rest of the world. There is a beach just 10 minutes away that's bottom can be seen clearly when it's over thirty feet deep. This is complete heaven!

My arrival here can't be described quite as well. I left Istanbul a couple days ago and flew down to Antalya, on the southern coast. My travel agent gave me pretty good details and I made my way to shuttle to the bus station with no problems from the airport. Now, I was told I needed to make my own way to Olympos, so I got on the bus that was clearly marked 'Otogar - Bus Station'. The bus filled up as I sat there for a half hour and finally departed for what I thought would be an easy ride. The driver kept stopping and people kept getting off...and there was one person left on it, with no bus station in sight, and no one speaks English in this area. I got up the nerve to ask what was going on as it was starting to get dark and I had no clue of the bus schedule to where I was going. When I asked this guy, and he translated in Turkish, the bus driver seemed to get really mad and opened the door and yelled 'taxi!'...being the stubborm bitch that I am...I said no...I paid for the bus to the bus station...it should take me there...and with that, the driver got stopped at a light and jumped out of the bus to let this other guy drive. He eventually dropped me in a field across the way from the bus station and just pointed the direction I needed to head...it was awesome with my pack and flip flops...let me tell you!!! Anyway, made it to the bus station and apparently, there was a bus to Olympos in 3 minutes that I hopped on. After over an hour in a crowded van....just saying 'Olympos' every time the driver looked my way, I was dropped off at a convenience store in the middle of nowehere with a sign that said 11 km to Olympos right outside of it. I waited there for a half hour while furiously scribbling in my journal and giving myself about a 60% chance of making it to my destination that night (it was 9pm...I was seriously considering asking the store owner if I could sleep on his floor if all else failed) when a bus pulled up, grabbed my bag from me, asked me for three Lira and where I was going. By 10pm, I had made it to hippie mecca.

I wish I could've seen the ride down here, because I hung out that night around a campfire with loads of people knowing that there were mountains all around me, but only being able to see the shadows in the moonlight. I was shown to my room, in not a real treehouse, but a cute bungalow amidst the trees. The treehouses don't really exist, but whoever marketed them that way is brilliant! I woke up the next morning and saw the rocky cliffs around me and the beautiful blue sky and knew I would be happy here. And I have been since.

I've been hanging with two of the girls in my room and one staying right below us....all Aussies, of course. We spent the first day on the beach soaking in the sun and swimming all day followed by a night hike to the flames at Chimera...this natural gas wonderland with fires burning (from what I hear) eternally (I'm pretty sure they light them each morning though). Today we all woke up and climbed a Turkish mountain for 3.5 hours...which was incredible! I can't wait to upload the pictures! We followed our very sweaty hike with a couple hours on the beach and a bottle of wine just got set down in front of me to keep us full until dinnertime. The food here is free and fantastic and the atmosphere is everything a wannabe hippie could ask for.

I was actually supposed to get on the boat this morning, but since I was the only one booked on it, I was delayed by a day. I leave tomorrow morning at 10am and am completely happy that I got to spend one more day with my new friends enjoying the Turkish countryside. Can I say that I am in awe of the women that I have met on this trip?! So many women of all ages traveling alone and dreaming the same dreams I have had for the past 10 years. It makes me feel good for myself and the girls that do this from all over the world. It has been wonderful bonding with them and I feel like I have learned so much from the spirit we all share.

Dinner is about to be served and the sun is going down quickly. Jason Mraz is playing in the background and I'm thinking of the Rix wedding I enjoyed just two months ago. I have a feeling this evening will be filled with stories and pictures and sad goodbyes will be had in the morning. But as I'm at the halfway point of this crazy European extravaganza, a couple more days of relaxation and then Eastern Europe awaits!