"Squeeze the World"
Thursday, November 02, 2006
stranded in Antalya
We got to the airport without much adventure, but things are still exciting! There's a worker's strike at Ben Gurion Airport so we're still sitting in the Antalya Airport. I'm glad that I didn't pack my computer in my luggage because we probably would have no idea what's going on if it weren't for internet news.
Yesterday was quite a day. The rain let up for a little bit, so we started making arrangements for Perge, the ruins of a nearby city. As we were conferring with our friend the receptionist, we realized that we didn't have the cash required for the trip. He tried to convince us not to go there since it "wasn't interesting" and recommended some waterfalls instead, which was a cheaper trip. So, we said alright, and started the taxi ride. Both of us still had a longing for Perge, and when my travel-buddy spotted an ATM machine, we decided it was meant to be. That was a confusing process, though, since our driver only spoke Turkish. He pulled up to the "chief" who also tried to talk us out of going there. We were fairly adamant, and since I lent him my pen he gave us chocolate.
So we finally reached Perge and it was great! Other than Bet She'an, I'm pretty sure they're the best ruins I've seen. It was cool wandering around and trying to figure out what each bit was. There were ruins from Hittites, Hellenes and Romans, so we were also trying to decide what would have been there when Paul visited. I'll post the pictures later, they really are amazing. I am still in awe of Ancient Empire engineering. Also, we didn't have any rain there and the sky was even clear for a while! There was a German group when we got there, and then an Asian group walked in and out (a shame, really, they missed a lot), but other than that we were alone most of the time. A flock of sheep were in the distance, and though we couldn't see them we could hear them- it sort of added to the atmosphere.
We stopped along the way at a huge waterfall emptying into the Mediterranean, which I'm pretty sure is standard for the taxi company. I saw some guys with camels and I'm guessing that they have an arrangement with them and the other sellers. We managed to not lose any money there, but it was still a great place to see.
Back at the hotel, and on the way to dinner, we realized that we are WAY too passive. One of the photographers for the hotel stopped us and put us through some ridiculous poses until we finally took off. Ah! A bus! I will write more later.
Yesterday was quite a day. The rain let up for a little bit, so we started making arrangements for Perge, the ruins of a nearby city. As we were conferring with our friend the receptionist, we realized that we didn't have the cash required for the trip. He tried to convince us not to go there since it "wasn't interesting" and recommended some waterfalls instead, which was a cheaper trip. So, we said alright, and started the taxi ride. Both of us still had a longing for Perge, and when my travel-buddy spotted an ATM machine, we decided it was meant to be. That was a confusing process, though, since our driver only spoke Turkish. He pulled up to the "chief" who also tried to talk us out of going there. We were fairly adamant, and since I lent him my pen he gave us chocolate.
So we finally reached Perge and it was great! Other than Bet She'an, I'm pretty sure they're the best ruins I've seen. It was cool wandering around and trying to figure out what each bit was. There were ruins from Hittites, Hellenes and Romans, so we were also trying to decide what would have been there when Paul visited. I'll post the pictures later, they really are amazing. I am still in awe of Ancient Empire engineering. Also, we didn't have any rain there and the sky was even clear for a while! There was a German group when we got there, and then an Asian group walked in and out (a shame, really, they missed a lot), but other than that we were alone most of the time. A flock of sheep were in the distance, and though we couldn't see them we could hear them- it sort of added to the atmosphere.
We stopped along the way at a huge waterfall emptying into the Mediterranean, which I'm pretty sure is standard for the taxi company. I saw some guys with camels and I'm guessing that they have an arrangement with them and the other sellers. We managed to not lose any money there, but it was still a great place to see.
Back at the hotel, and on the way to dinner, we realized that we are WAY too passive. One of the photographers for the hotel stopped us and put us through some ridiculous poses until we finally took off. Ah! A bus! I will write more later.
A, 2:05 AM
