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The Kindness Of Strangers

13. August 2008 | en

So the plan for the day was to drive drive drive and try to make it to Mamure Castle to spend the night there. Like so much on this trip, we only make plans to be able to break them!

The first hitch in our plan was our brilliant idea to see if we could find internet where we stopped for breakfast, and we purposely stopped at a hotel. We were successful in our endeavor, which meant that we were all of 3 hours behind our driving schedule. 2 people, 1 computer, it just does not work! :P

We then headed towards Olympus, one of many points of contention between the Turks and the Greeks. Both claim to have THE Mt.Olympus. But after arriving there (and I recommend it 100%, the ruins there were awesome, and it felt more like we were exploring ancient ruins in Mexico than Turkey) I think its further evidence of the fact they just like to disagree with each other. ;) This Mt. Olympos, despite having a dig on the info poster about the greek origins of the name, makes no claim to being a Mountain of the gods.

By the time we left it was well after 3, and there was no way we would make it to our planned destination. So instead we headed towards Aspendos, with a plan to camp in the mountains there. What we found was a place that had recently been ravaged by fire, and yet we were made to feel welcome and given permission to camp by a farmer who was in the process of rebuilding after a fire that had raged for 5 days. 5 days the beginning of this month. Turkey continues to amaze us with how wonderful the people are. (At least outside the tourist traps that is!)

Tags: Farmers Near Aspendos Turkey Mt. Olympos
Map: N 36° 95.969 E 31° 16.941

Created at: 16. August 2008

Vehicle to this place: Motorbike

You know what it is like to perpetually smell like burnt gasoline, or dirt under your fingernails from tires that refuse to keep their proper shape and pressure. Flies in your face, either too hot or too cold, but you refuse to submit to that fate of

Logbooks written by Fernweh

Verbrannte Erde

13. August 2008 | de

Die Temperaturen steigen. Wir haben teilweise über 50 Grad. Leider wird der Wind der an der Westküste immer wehte immer schwächer. Sobald wir irgendwo halten wird es unerträglich heiß. Wir haben unseren Tagesablauf dementsprechend angepasst. Morgens um 6:00 stehen wir auf, noch vor Sonnenaufgang. Sobald die Sonne das Zelt erreicht muss alles zusammengepackt sein. Sonst wird das Packen zur Tortur. Mittags suchen wir uns meistens ein Plätzchen am Strand und schwimmen eine Runde zur Abkühlung. Oder ein Restaurant mit Klimaanlage.

Kein Wunder, dass bei den Temperaturen die ganze Vegetation austrocknet und Waldbrände keine Seltenheit sind. Heute haben wir bei einem Bauer gezeltet. Sein ganzes Anwesen war abgebrannt. Alle umliegenden Hügel waren schwarz. Eine Tragödie. Es wird Jahrzehnte dauern bis der Wald wieder nachgewachsen ist. Beider Häuser waren nur noch Ruinen. Trotzdem war er guten Mutes und meinte „Es hätte schlimmer kommen können. Manche Leute starben in den Flammen.“