9/11/07
8:30 a.m.
Istanbul, Turkey
Now, I’m flying into Istanbul after a long 9 hour flight and it looks beautiful! Goodbye states, hello travel!

9/13/07
Tent near Andrasan, Turkey
10 am or so
Well, today is the first hiking day on our trip on the Lycian Way. I arrived in Istanbul on Tuesday morning and Emmett met me at the airport to take me to Sinan’s apartment. Arriving in Istanbul was a bit of a shock, but also really wonderful. I feel like the first day was a blur. We went to an archeology museum with these amazing ruins of tombs and gravestones and parts of buildings. It was really amazing to see such ancient artifacts. We had dinner of kabobs with rice at a small café, and then I took a nap before Sinan arrived back at home from work. It was so good to see him!

Next day, we ran some errands in the morning, then got on another airplane for a quick 1 hour flight to Antalya to start our trip. Immediately, we were struck by the tall, dramatic mountains surrounding the city. The view of Antalya, and an old carnival in front of these amazing mountains was truly memorable. Next, we got on a bus to Olympos, where we planned to start our hiking trip, and after a couple harrowing bus rides through steep canyons and cliffs on one-lane roads, and a cheap dinner of Gozleme, a popular potato pancake dish, we arrived around 10:30 p.m. We got a tiny room in a pension, but it was comfy. Sinan, James and Emmett couldn’t even stand up, so they looked like giants in a mini house.

We awoke this morning to stunning views, ate a cheap breakfast of feta, melon, and bread, and set out on our journey. We first visited the ruins of Olympos, and wow, they were beautiful. We ended up at a beach on the Mediteranean, and swam in the crystal clear sea, and ooed and awed about the beauty of the place. Wow, wow! We then hiked into the evening until we hit water, and set up camp near a spring on a hill top, where we met a goat herder, who nearly invited us into her home. There were these old cottages on the hill, where the goat herders must stay sometimes. We went to sleep to the sound of chanting prayers for the first night of Ramadan. Now, as I’m writing, goats are jingling their bells occasionally, and crickets are chirping. Basically, this is an amazing place!