put us in a nissan xterra commercial!

the outdoor, adventurous side of me has been unleashed. after the sail boat dropped us off in the modern, fishing village of kaş, we sea kayaked the mediterranean, paddling over kekova, "the sunken city." since it is prohibited to swim in these ancient ruins, the best way to get up close and personal is by kayaking. the waves were a little choppy, but we saw how two massive earthquakes destroyed and plunged the city underwater.

hopped on a bus to olympos, but spontaneously decided we were done with the backpackers scene (olympos is a haven for them/us) for a while, and hiked along the beach to the sleepy beachtown, çirali. got a "treehouse" - more like a shack on stilts - on the beach. but before we let ourselves pass out, we trekked a couple kilometers at nightfall to chimaera, the eternal flames. a strange, jaw dropping phenomenom.

called in turkish yanartas (flaming rock), chimaera consists of some two dozen permanent gas vents in the ground, grouped in two patches in the lycian mountains. for centuries, these vents have been spitting out fire 24/7. a bunch of myths were made from these flames, of course, and it has baffled geologist somewhat. the trail sign claimed it was the inspiration for the olympic torch/flame that burns during the olympic games, but i don't buy it.

anyway, it was a sight to see. using my trusty, little headlamp to guide the way, we headed toward the bright flames randomly glowing on the side of the mountain. the place reeked of methane. i was curious to see what would happen if i farted near the flame, but i was afraid i'd set my ass on fire...so i held it in.

off to a region called cappadocia that is supposed to have even more amazing outdoor excursions.

is this burning, an eternal flame?