Down for the Count, temporarily - Katy

So unfortunately, I've fallen victim to Laryngitis, an ear infection, and a sinus infection. It started last Sunday (sinus infection & ear infection), I had a brief medical consultation with a doctor at the Rotary meeting on Monday night, which was probably not the most thorough exam sitting in the meeting room at the Hilton. I think I kept convincing myself that I was getting better until my body said, 'Nope, I don't think so.' At which point I completely lost my voice this morning.

I first stopped in at the hotel medical station. Fortunately the extremely nice hotel we are staying at has made everything really easy, including seeking medical attention. They then referred me to the local hospital. They asked me, "Do you want to go by taxi or ambulance?" At which point I terrifyingly heard the sound of a cash register ringing in my bad ear. I said that a taxi would be fine.

Vivian and I headed to the local private hospital. I was in and out in 1 hr.. The doctor asked me to say my name as loudly as I could, which was barely above a whisper. I'm now loaded down with meds and feeling better because I feel like I have the right medications and a beautiful pool/sea to nap by. I am really disappointed that I'm not feeling better to truly enjoy this amazing setting. But I'll get over that.

I'm grateful for the team, they have really taken care of me! More later.

Antalya Update- Sarah

We arrived at District Conference late last night and had a very happy reunion with members from all the Clubs and Families from along our grand adventure-- it was great to see familiar faces we have missed!

Of course it took us no time to find our way to the dance floor and we were quickly making more friends as we learned (or attempted to learn!) new Turkish moves.

If you have a second-- check out our Hotel-- it is seriously p-i-m-p. http://www.miracleotel.com

Whoever named this hotel "Miracle" had it right-- wow. Priceline has never hooked me up with something this sweet -ha!

There was a beach party and BBQ from 10pm (approx when we arrived) to midnight so after checking in we headed downstairs to grab some food, a cocktail, and meet up with everyone. But the Rotary folks were no where to be found. Hmmm... We walked past the DJ area. The pool. A restaurant or three. Another pool. Is that a waterslide?! Hello Diamond Jim's! The Hookah bar. Masses of people eating and drinking and circled back to the lobby to no avail.

The helpful desk informed us that since it was dark we must not have gone all the way to the ocean where the Beach Party literally was on the BEACH. Holy smokes. This place is even more huge and pimp than we thought! We finally made our way down and the aforementioned frivolity ensued.

Waking up for brekky we found another surprise-- when you look out over the sea-- there's a mountain range as the backdrop. Dear families in Indiana- please try not to feel sorry for us as we make this slice of heaven our home for the next four days. ;)

Antakya Rewind- Sarah

Hola! Sorry I’ve been out of the loop (here and on email, fbook, etc etc)—I haven’t had easy internet access for several cities so these posts are not in correct chronological order—use your imagination. J Also—there may be some overlap as others have already filled in on these entries from my journal—apologies in advance.

For example—this is a follow-up to Katy’s post from Antakya:
As Katy mentioned, we each had our two week “down-day”—but all bounced back nearly immediately. I think our team’s collective sense of curiosity, adventure, and willingness to try anything once was a huge asset in our quick recovery.

Another thing that has happened is that we are hitting our stride as a team—knowing when someone has a headache, knowing who can be counted on to ask which questions on our visits, when to step up, and so on. Our diverse backgrounds and perspectives mean that we can an eclectic and full view of each business, city, and historic site we visit. Our individual attributes are becoming more and more evident to each other as well:
· Dave’s sentimental streak and love of children
· Erin’s outgoing-ness (is that a word?!) and ability to be at ease and make others at ease in any situation
· Katy’s easy and infectious laughter (and wicked smart econ Q’s)
· And Vivian’s surprising sensitive side and not-so-surprising saucy side
· As for me—I’ll let the others decide what is emerging to them!
Ok- back to describing our time in Antakya----

In addition to the wedding one of the major highlights from the first day was the stunning archeological museum. Rashid, the “youngest” Rotarian (a retired agricultural engineer) was our extremely knowledgeable and convivial guide. It was also a treat because it was the first time we really had a chance to connect with the other American GSE team in our district – travelling here from East LA. Hi Doug, Leon, Olivia, Liz and Catina!!! We can’t wait to see you again in Antalya!) The Museum is well known throughout Turkey and with travelers from across the world—and for good reason.

It is well organized and expertly presented (Leah and Brian from FWMoA would be proud) with detailed labels in Turkish and English. Not only did the museum have beautiful Greco-Roman sculptures and coins from every ruler possible!—but the real highlight are the mosaics! Actually, the purpose of the founding and construction of the entire museum was to house these amazing and beautiful works of art they kept finding in and around the city as new construction commenced. It was hard to believe that these stunning artworks from literally centuries ago were once on the floor!

There are 191 colors of stone found locally in Antakya (as we learned on a later visit to a mosaic shop where traditional construction methods are still practiced) and ALL of the colors are evident in the works. Some are fairly simple but as the Renaissance shifted into full swing the dimension and modeling evident in the mosaics are crazy! It feels like you can almost caress Apollo’s cheek! Most of the mosaics depict mythological scenes—Zeus, Mars and of course the locally famous Daphne and Apollo (more on this later).

There were also scenes depicting athletes (—and their eyes followed you around the room!), virility (bahchika-wawa) and the abundance of food and crops—the changing of seasons. As Amanda will understand, my only disappointment was that there was a lack of handouts! (Not that our over-flowing luggage needs any help….)

Another major highlight involves the story of Daphne and the God Apollo. Apollo was in love with Daphne but she was having none of that business (Vivian thinks its b/c he was a playa). Daphne was collecting water near Antakya and Apollo sensed his chance to make a move and grabbed for her. Daphne—being a bit of a diva- lunged away and fought him off. (But really- who can outrun the Sun God?) It was then that she turned into a laurel tree—which retains her beauty—and her flowing hair became the waterfalls in the region.

Today, not only are the laurel trees and waterfalls evidence of the story but the ever-present “Dafne Soap”—guaranteed to make the user young and beautiful forever—I dare say some of you lucky readers will be receiving some as gifts!

Apollo was devastated at the irretrievable loss of his love and his tears too turned into a waterfall at the base of the laurel (Dafne) tree. Under “Apollo’s Tears” there is a small—very small—cave. Legend says that if you enter and make a wish—it will be granted. Joseph, our fearless guide walked effortless through the small creek and ducked under the waterfall—of course we fearlessly followed. Whoa! We all greatly underestimated the water pressure and rate of flow of the seemingly gentle waterfall. As you saw in the photos we were soaked to the bone! But it did make for great photos and even more of our many laughs.

Cheers!

Mersin Lists Cont- Sarah

All-- Here is the second part of the last post that didn't go through on the last post.

Things I can already tell I'll miss from Turkey:

All the wonderful people we've met along the way!

Turkish Breakfast. (And the leisure for breakfast to take 40-60 minutes!)

The constant tea and Turkish coffee

The knock-you-down stunning beauty everywhere (especially here on the Med Coast)

Being sea-side in general. Especially for a water baby like me! The crazy green hue of the Black Sea and the varyin azure of the Mediterannean. mmmmmm......

The lack of stress

The lack of responsibility

All the beyond cool art/architecture/artifacts and the unique mix of cultures and civilization we experience (nearly casually!) on a daily basis. Not to mention-- being able to touch sculpture, hieroglyphs, etc from literally centuries and centuries ago! Ah the art historian - object feign in me is giddy!

Having all my cooking and laundry taken care of for me! Brian is really going to have to step it up as a roommate when I get home- haha :)

Mersin Lists - Sarah

I’m sitting in my “room” in Mersin after a day climbing through ruins (a special Turkish blend of Hellenistic, Roman and Byzantine tinged with Ottoman) and finished with my first swim in the Mediterranean. Pretty rough- I must admit!

The mother in my host family has several guests over today so after a brief visit, I took my leave for some rare downtime before the music concert tonight.
We spoke so much about our lists at the outset that I thought I’ll include some current lists from on the road:

Things I miss from home:
· Family and friends – of course but it can always be mentioned! Love and hugs especially
to Dad and Gma!
· Regular internet access (wawa…)
· Mexican food! And spicy – hot—food. Turkish food is very spiced and flavorful but rarely
does it ever register on my heat meter. Not to mention I miss my cilantro!
· Being able to NOT eat meat. Especially red meat. Thank god the FWMoA staff has been
helping me to become more meat-venturous!
· Autonomy. I know it’s for our protection and the intentions are nothing but the best—but
it would be great once in a while to explore unchaperoned
· Venti amounts of caffeine
· Smoke free indoors. Turks love their cigarettes so it will be interesting when the indoor
smoking ban goes into effect in July.

Things I thought I would miss but really don’t:
Driving
Texting
Work (or even knowing what’s happening…)
My own bed
The majority of my clothes
Television—the season finales of the shows I regularly watch

Cultural Experıences Abound - Dave

Yesterday was a relaxıng day as we vısıted an antıquıtıes shop, had some chaı and then went for a tradıtıonal Mersın lunch of what was lıke a specıal burrıto and very good. We have all enjoyed the varıety of cuısıne that each regıon has offered. A relaxıng afternoon ın and around a beautıful pool fılled the afternoon. Our host famılıes pıcked us up about 4:30 and we headed to our homes to change and go to the 'Resonance Quıntet' concert at the only Catholıc Church ın Mersın, whıch ıs also 155 years old , and very beautıful. A unıque piece of Art ıs a large pıcture made from glass depıctıng a black Mary holdıng a black baby Jesus. I guess ıt ıs one of two ın the world and the other ıs ın the US.

The musıc from these unıversıty students was fantastıc as they played pieces from Handl and Mozart and other destınguıshed composers. The oboe, flute, bassoon, french horn and a clarınet made beautıful musıc all evenıng.

We happened to hıt the mıddle of the Mersın Musıc Festıval as they had concerts every evenıng over a perıod of two weeks. It had been arranged for us to sıt at the front, just behınd other dıgnıtarıes. However, the lady ın charge ( and she really was ın charge) came over at the conclusıon and grabbed my hand and took me to the pulpıt to make some comments to the packed church audıence.

I complımented the musıcıans and asked for another round of applause, ıntroduced the team and expressed all of our apprecıatıon for the wonderful experıences we have receıved, the frıendshıps made and expressed thanks to the Chamber Presıdent for the lunch we had wıth hım a day earlıer. We were able to get a pıcture wıth 3 of the musıcıans at a receptıon afterwards.

A quıck trıp to the harbor to see about 150 saılboats that were a flotılla travelıng to Mersın for some gatherıng. One was from Delaware, another from London. They came from several parts of the world and thıs was the 20th year. The nıght dıdn't want to end as we headed for Mado's, the local ıce cream cafe (I had vısıted the nıght before) and had wonderful fellowshıp wıth the whole team and our host famılıes. So, even wıth a rest day, we experıenced so much of the culture and beautıful people and actıvıtıes around Mersın. Our heads hıt the pıllows somewhere around mıdnıght. Good nıght to all......

The Famous Cup of Tea - Katy

Above is a photo of the famous cup of tea we have mentioned in previous blogs. A typical day doesn't pass without consuming 4 - 8 glasses of tea. You typically are offered tea at the end of every meal (or at the beginning with breakfast). Anytime you visit someone, the invitation for tea is extended and almost always accepted. As you can tell from the photo they aren't super-sized cups. Now that we've been here a couple of weeks we are all accustomed to the usual drinking schedule (and at times crave a glass). We do try to consume Turkish coffee when we can, which is also quite delicious. It is made with very fine coffee grounds that are boiled (w/ sugar if that is your preferrence) and served unfiltered in an espresso sized cup. You can usually get down to 1/8th of the cup left before you 'hit the grounds'. An interesting tradition here in the Mersin region is that it is often served with a shot of creme de menthe in the afternoon or evening. Yet another tradition we've come to enjoy.

The only downfall is that these beverages don't seem to have the caffine-kick that our systems are used to. I'm sad to report that we did stop at Starbucks in Adana on the way to Mersin to ease our caffine withdrawals. We just needed one hit, we will not foolishly waste our remaining time in Turkey seeking out more Starbucks.

One more day in Mersin, then off to Antalya for the district conference. It will be a slow day tomorrow (yeah!) so I'm sure we'll have another chance to post.

Relaxıng before Dıstrıct Conference - Dave

As Vıvıan and Erın's blogs and Katy's pıctures descrıbe, we have had several busy and very enjoyable days. The schedule wıll be lıghter today and tomorrow as we wıll be vısıtıng an antıquıtıes store owned by one of the Rotarıan members.....have lunch and hıt the swımmıng pool at an apartment complex where Erın's host famıly has a summer 'house'. Tonıght we wıll attend a 'Resonance Quıntet' concert at the Catholoıc Church. In Mersın, wıth a populatıon of 800,000 and nearly 2 mıllıon ın the surroundıng suburbs, there are some Chrıstıan churches and Greek Orthodox, although the majorıty ıs Muslım.

Tomorrow, my host famıly ıs also flyıng to the Dıstrıct Conference, but at 1:30 where our flıght ıs at 8:00 PM. We found out on Sunday that we would be flyıng from Mersın rather than the usual bus transport. I bekıeve the dıstance and curvıng roads along the shorelıne make ıt a dıffıcult and longer trıp by vehıcle. I feel we wıll also mıss some of the beautıful shorelıne. Due to the travel schedule, tomorrow wıll be lıghter as we wıll hıt the very large local mall (Forum) and then head to the aırport.

The host famılıes, travel partners and guıdes contınue to be very hospıtable and we contınue to make new frıends. Thıs cıty ıs buılt on top of centurıes of hıstory as Vıvıan so aptly ındıcated. I wısh I had taken my college Western Cıvılızatıon course a lıttle more serıously as thıs trıp brıngs ıt alıve.

We are all lookıng forward to the Dıstrıct Conference and ındıcatıons are that about 1000 people wıll be attendıng.

Musıngs from Vıvıan

I must admıt when Our hosts fırst saıd they were goıng to take us around to see the local arachaelogıcal and hıstorıcal sıtses, I was expectıng eıther neolıthıc sıtes or more Turkısh sıtes whatever that means. I was pleasantly surprısed that the sıtes and storıes assocıated wıth them were Hellenıstıc, Roman or both. Sarah and I were dıscussıng how we forget how wıde spread these empıres were. It ıs amazıng how these treasures are unprotected. Anyone can go and see them and those we saw were a small amount. We were told that many more hıde further from the water ınto the mountaıns. People even buıld houses on top of these cultural treasures.

It was nıce to have a lıght day to recover. I wasnit goıng to go ınto the water but the chance to swım by a genuıne prıncess's castle and the color captured me and I went ın and experıenced my fırst touch of the Medıterrean (Whıte Sea ın Turkısh).

My host famıly,s apartment ıs very close to the beach. I fıanlly was able to go for a short walk wıth my host famıly Mom(she ıs my age so let,s say sıster), her mother and daughter. I started the walk wıth grandma and she bought me a corn from a guy totıng ıt ın a cooler. She asked me somethıng ın Turkısh I was lıke what and there appeared the corn.

I love the sound of the ocean and sometımes when ıt ıs just me ın the house I go to terrace and drınk tea wıth a book. I have been surprısed more than once by host brother lookıng for me.

By A Body of Water, says Erin

Mersin has a slight unfair advantage over other cities we have visited. We are by a body of water and from where I reside at any given moment, I am usually minutes away from that water. I love the water. I was likely a mermaid in a past life. Today we had a chance to dip into the Mediterranean. It was paradise - the hues of blues and the salty taste. A group of teenage boys were tossing a ball back and forth in the water and behind them stood the ruins of a castle: the modern world meeting the ancient without flaw.

I am staying with a very sporty family. There is a lot of tennis being played among the families we are staying. The host daught, Sevin and the host son, Levent, are some of the best players in their age division in Turkey. Their home is decorated with metals.

From my bedroom come the sounds of horns. Never rude horns. Horns here are used like a tap onb the shoulder *Hey buddy, would you mind staying in your own lane. Thanks. Or *Hey Ms., I am going to pass you. Just an FYI. Thanks.
When I use my horn in the states, I am usually angery. Drivers here are not so angry. It makes me feel safe. Sometimes when I am falling asleep at night, I will count the seconds between each honk. It is therapeutic, similar to counting sheep or goats.

I came down with a stomach problem yesterday. Thankfully one of the rotarians is a doctor. He came to the rescue. Now, I am in tip top shape and back on the Turkish diet. We are eating typical Mediterranean cuisine which is much lighter: more fish, less dairy, more vegetables and vegetable juice. Today I tried the turnip juice. That was the only time I plan to try this juice. There are few things Turkish that I do not enjoy, turnips liquified is one of them.

Flowers fill the city and seaside. The colors are rich, competing to be the very brightest we have seen yet. Orange and lemon trees fill the city streets, which explains all the orange jams served and Turks eating lemons in the raw as if they were oranges.

Yesterday was a vocational day. We saw one of Ataturk's homes. In nearly every office and home I have entered, a picture of Ataturk is hanging. Sometimes we see his profile, in others he is staring you in the eye.

May I finish by mentioning my favorite trait of the Turks: they like to sing and dance. Any time music is playing, there is a little singing and a little swaying. These people have natural rhythm and lots of it. I am trying to pick up some of the moves. They are not easy. They execute their moves with a certain kind of cool, big arm movement, hips in the mix sort of style. You would be impressed!

Antakya 2 - Katy

All of us soaking wet after our guide, Joseph, made us run into the cave under 'Apollo's Tears'.

Our hike through Titus Tunnel. Joseph said it was an adventur hike, we had NO idea what we were getting into.

Antakya - Katy

Mosaics at the Archeological Museum in Antakya.

Preparation of the 'shredded wheat' type ingredient of one of our favorite Turkish desserts, Kunefe.

One of many busy streets in downtown Antakya.

Sarah, Vivian and I outside of St. Peter's church, the first Christian church.

Kapadokya 2 - Katy

The girls trying to push the giant stone door closed in the underground city. 'Stay away you invaders!'

Our first carpet demonstration.

Yet another beautiful fresco inside the case churches.

Kapadokya - Katy

Our first evening in Kapadokya, on the roof top balcony of the Rotary President's hotel.

The landscape of Kapadokya and the 'fairy chimeys'.

One of the amazing frescos in the cave churches.

A mysterious hole that we climbed into on the side of the cliff.

The amazing columned catherdal that we found once we got inside.

Photos from the Safranbolu & the Black Sea - Katy

Sarah passing a secret love note through the revolving cabinet.

Our favorite store front window in Turkey.

Part of the city scape in Safranbolu, one of the world hertiage sites.

The beautiful view during our drive out to Amasra on the Black Sea.

The view of the coastline in Amasra.

Mersın - DAVE

We arrıved at a tennıs club and were met by our host famılıes. Another wonderful group of famılıes. We headed out ındıvıdually to get some rest for the next few days. My host famılıes daughter (16) had a tennıs lesson at 8:00 so we ended up havıng supper at the tennıs club...dıfferent from where we met. The last hour of travelıng from Antakya to Mersın saw beautıful hıllsıdes of orange and lemon trees wıth new plantıngs ın many areas. The rollıng hıllsıdes are very beautıful. We arrıve ın Mersın and drıve through the crowded streets to our meetıng locatıon. As we have seen all along ın the cıtıes, you see cars, buses, motorscooters, pedestrıans and occasıonal farm wagons pulled by horse or tractor usıng the same road space. There are few road rules...just use of horns. A two lane road at a stoplıght mıght be 4 wıde as any space wıde enough to hold a vehıcle wıll be used. I wıuldn't recommend a tourıst drıvıng.

We met on Monday mornıng, some of us begınnıng to show some wear and needıng a good nıghts sleep. Tonıght ıs the Rotary meetıng and we are scheduled to meet wıth the Provıncıal Governor, sımılar to our Governor and had a wonderful tıme. In dıscussıng the commerce and ıssues of the cıty and the 2nd largest seaport, he arranged for us to vısıt the 'free zone' at the port later ın the afternoon. We had about 45 mınutes before vısıtıng wıth the Presıdent of the Chamber of Commerce and havıng lunch overlookıng the park and harbor wıth hım. It was a gorgeous settıng. We are all tryıng to cut back on our food ıntake as we are leavıng much food on the plates. The lunch can be 4 course.

That 45 mınutes was spent vısıtıng the Mersın home of Ataturk, the father of theır revolutıon.

We then took a bus rıde to the free zone and vısıted the docks...all guarded and needıng specıal permıssıon to enter....whıch we had. We also vısıted a factory and saw the process of makıng clothıng that ıs shıpped around the world. There are over 400 busınesses ın thıs free zone. Tıme to go as we are goıng to vısıt some of the hıstorıc sıtes around Mersın today and get a chance to swım ın the Medıterranean Sea. I hope everyone got a good nıghts sleep as I dıd last nıght and we are on the go agaın.

Wonderful Antakya & Being Road Ravaged – Katy

Our visit to Antakya was another special visit. Unfortunately we had all experienced a bit of what we were calling the two week slump, lest you think every part of the trip has been smooth. (Not that we are asking any of you to feel sorry for us.) We were just very tired…tired of eating so much food, tired of not being able to communicate, tired of being ‘on’ 24 hours a day, tired of not knowing what we are going to do from hour to hour. [I’m sure that all former GSE team members and leaders are thinking, ‘Yep…that’s right.’] These are probably the best lessons we are learning; the reinforcement of the need to be adaptable. You learn to readjust your needs, shift into a different mode. Downtime is taken in 30 minute segments, you cherish the time you have to shower and get ready because it is quiet. Fortunately, the two week slump really only last about a day or less for each of us.
We only had two full days in Antakya and they were beyond packed, both with activities and food. (I think that we could all do a little bit of fasting.) I really think we’ve been truly blessed with the wealth of rich history and beautiful sights that we’ve seen. Another highlight of this visit was attending the Turkish wedding on Friday night. The father of the groom is a Rotarian and graciously invited all of us to be his guests. There were quite a few similarities, but also some unique differences. First of all there were 400 hundred people on the guest list; we had commented that it was large by American standards. They said, ‘Antakya is a small city, everyone knows everyone.’ My host family and I showed up at 8:15, the wedding started at 8 pm and we were among the first to arrive. By 8:45pm, most people had finally arrived. (I’ve discovered that Turkish time is very similar to African time.) When you arrive you are seated immediately at your table (similar to assigned seating at an American reception). If there is a religious portion of the ceremony, it takes place a couple of days prior to the wedding with just a few people. Then around 9pm the bride and groom were introduced and they made an entrance into the room where they proceeded to have their first dance. Then they were seated at a special table in the middle of the room where a government official performed a very brief ceremony followed by the signing of the marriage certificate. As all of this is going on we are dining on our appetizers, drinking, and chatting.
After the ceremony was finished the couple was congratulated by their family and everyone applauded. Then the bride and groom went around the room to every table where they were wished happiness and a wonderful life. Gifts are not given in the traditional American sense, but rather gifts of gold and money are given to the couple at each table they visit. By the end of the tour of the room, the bride was adorned with beautiful gold bracelets and necklaces. [All of us girls decided that tradition wasn’t so bad.] Immediately after the ceremony was finished they music had started and the loud music stayed with us for the rest of the evening, and all of the different courses filtered out about 30 minutes intervals until the end of the night. (i.e. the second the ceremony ends...the party begins.) The music was great and bounced back and forth from Turkish pop to Arabic. There were some amazing Arabic dancers among the crowd and we were constantly shuffling to get a good view of the amazing hip action. My host father took me out for a spin on the dance floor. He’s a total goof ball and kept telling everyone that I was his American cousin. Sarah and Vivian were thrown into the middle of a Turkish/Arabic circle dance (similar to ones we’ve seen in Greek celebrations) with Vivian leading the entire group through the chaotic mass. It was a bit challenging for them as they had to learn the dance and lead the line at the same time. Our fearless dancers persevered. At the end of a long and thoroughly enjoyable evening we all headed home, anxious for sleep.

One other thought on our travels in Turkey: we decided that we may be able to achieve world peace through our communal passion for fried dough and sugar. No matter what country that any of us have visit there has been some sort of consumption of delicious fried dough and sugar: beignets at Café du Monde in New Orleans, elephant ears at any American festival, churros with cinnamon and sugar in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico…and the list continues. If we can all bond over greasy sweetness, surely we can end all global conflict. Onto Mersin, thanks for following our journey; we can’t wait to share it with you in person. I promise to get photos up as soon as we have better access to the int

Antakya (Antıoch) and Kapodkya (Cappodıcıa) Impressıons - Vıvıan

İ haven`t written ın awhıle so I am goıng to combıne my ımpressıons of the two places. Both places ıncluded two of my bıg fears heıghts and claustophobia. Dave and the ladies have been wonderful. They have talked me through the rough spaces. On fırst hearıng we would be visitıng an underground cıty my fırst thought ıs awesome my second thought(s) how well lıt ıs ıt and ıs there a way out. The begınnıng was okay. I thınk the group had more ıssues wıth the ceılıngs. From the looks of thıngs the cave housıng was buılt for people who were 5'2 and under. (rıght up my alley sınce I am a tall 5'). Thıngs were well untıl we hıt the fırst tunnel.

All seemed well ıt was a short one. The second one I was not so lucky. It was a longer tunnel and we all had to crouch. Everyone went ahead and İ crouched ran through. My only moment of panıcyky was when we were backed up ın the one of tunnels.

In Antakya we were told we were goıng to the Tıtus Tunnel. I envısıon a lıghted pathway. Lıttle dıd I know. It was rocky dark and dıd I mentıon we had to become a combınatıon of Indıana Jones and an Olympıc gymnast to get through the balance beam walkway. Slowly our lıttle troop went through the cave. Thankfully there was a tıny bıt of lıght, a lot of feeling wıth your feet. We got the the other sıde more stressed than exhausted. Our guıde then turns to us and says do you want to rest or turn back. TURN BACK. We had to be Indy Gymnasts agaın. Off we went back through the tunnel. It was fun but I,m not sure ıf I want to repeat ıt any tıme soon.

lest you thınk I dın't have a good tıme. Au contraıre ıt was excıtıng and I'm glad I dıd ıt. The guıdes we had ın both places were a hoot. And of course there ıs the sense of achıevement and seeıng thıngs that even many Turkısh people have not done.

Our adventures contınue. We are now ın Mersın. Fısh capıtal and I have already enjoyed my fırst fısh dınner.