Destination: OLYMPOS, Turkey

Up to Olympos

Turkish site boasts ruins, a stunning beach and treehouses

MOUNTAINS WIND DOWN to an ancient Mediterranean cove that lures sailors and landlubbers alike to Olympos.

 OLYMPOS, Turkey -- This is a rare place where you can walk past forgotten, unguarded ruins and wade through a cool stream on the way to an idyllic beach.

 Where a mythical beast breathes fire from the mountains beyond. Where travellers share tales of adventure and activities of merriment before retiring to a tree house for the night.

 This fantasy might well set the scene for a PC game. In the real world, it is a place called Olympos.

 Olympos lies on the Mediterranean coast of Turkey. This ancient site is situated in a tranquil pine forest canyon 8 km from the main highway. A gathering of pensions provide cheap accommodation, mostly in the form of "tree houses" -- wooden huts on stilts.

 Kadir's Y'ruk Top Tree Houses is the largest such pension, with 200 beds on offer. Some huts are as solid as log cabins. Some are built with pine trees rising through the middle of the floor and roof. Others have odd bits of wood thrown together like Bart Simpson's tree house. Never mind that the roosters crowing on the ground beneath can be a pretty rude wake-up call.

 The sociable interaction among the backpackers who kick back here rises from an atmosphere reminiscent of school camps.

 "I planned to stay two days. It's now been five. I'll probably move on next week," is a typical guest's comment.

 There is always a game of volleyball going on while others lounge on wooden platforms covered in kilims. In respect of Turkish custom, you must remove your footwear before stepping onto the carpets to chill out.

 Beer in Turkey is usually the Efes or Pils brews and these are available from the kiosk. At 11 p.m., a bar in a distant corner of the grounds opens. This is set up like a mini-amphitheatre and attracts guests not only from Kadir's but also from other pensions in the area to revel under the stars.

 "This is such a cool bar. It's almost like we're all marauders from another era," said Rachel from Sydney as we sat overlooking the wooden colosseum.

 "Yeah, with Ricky Martin invading us!" fired Alex from Manchester, indicating the party-like atmosphere.

 It reminded me of the Life Of Brian scene at the sports stadium, but more lively. Copious amounts of raki is consumed with some revellers playing the ubiquitous drinking games until dawn.

 Kadir's is a 2-km walk from the beach in scorching, dry heat along a rocky road. Thankfully, there are numerous stalls along the way that sell fresh orange juice. A keen eye perusing the surrounding valley will reveal stone tombs, once part of a hillside necropolis, peeking out through the overgrown forest.

ROCKY STEPS camouflage lodgings nestled in Olympos's mountains.

 Cicadas and frogs constantly hum among the fig trees and orange groves that surround the archaeological zone. Broken quay walls line a shady footpath which is traversed twice by a shallow freshwater stream. The foundations of a theatre and a Byzantine aqueduct and bath with mosaic floors are testament to the stream's importance in past eras.

 The remaining ruins are perhaps evidence that, in antiquity, the sea level was comparatively higher and allowed boats to sail from a harbour into the river mouth. Whilst the history of Olympos is obscure, it is known that the city prospered under Roman imperial rule during the 1st and 2nd centuries A.D. It is believed to have been founded not long after 300 B.C.

 Emerging from the dense greens and dusty browns of the valley, an isolated cove of brilliant turquoise and dazzling white presents itself in stark contrast. Cliffs drop down to the beach. A Genoese fort and the acropolis sit on opposing crags amongst the wild and tangled growth. These ruins are scant and seem long-forgotten but they provide a commanding view.

 The colour of the Turquoise Coast water is a combination of the green forests beyond and the blue sky above. There are numerous rocky inlets beyond the beach which can also be discovered by hiring a kayak.

 The city took its name from nearby Mount Olympos (present day Tahtali Dag), one of 20 mountains sharing the same name in the classical world. It is here that an eternal fire burns . Since the 8th century B.C., it has been known as the legendary Chimaera.

 At Kadir's you can book the night tour for the best view of the Chimaera, trekking single-file by torchlight up the mountainside along a well-worn path. After 45 minutes you emerge from dense woods onto the surreal sight of flames flickering from the ground.

 These flames were once the size of bonfires, able to be seen by sailors out at sea. Now about a dozen holes in the bare rock clearing release the blue and yellow flames that lick at the outside world. Be careful where you sit -- the small fires can be covered by rocks and extinguished only temporarily before the unknown gas is re-ignited.

 This permanent pilot light inspired the local worship of Hephaestos (the Roman Vulcan). In The Ilyiad, Homer attributes the flames to the breath of the Chimaera, a subterranean monster "all lion in front, all snake behind, all goat in between."

 Today the beast is seen daily around the world as the logo for the petroleum company Agip. The shape of the flame is also the symbol representing Petrol Offisi stations throughout Turkey.  

 GETTING THERE: Fez is a hop on/hop off bus service that runs a circuit around Turkey, with stops outside Kadir's every second day. Long-distance buses in Turkey provide excellent service at cheap rates. Dolmus (minibuses) cover shorter runs along Hwy. 400. A local dolmus runs a shuttle service from the turn-off to Olympos every hour down through the mountains towards the sea.

 ACCOMMODATION: Breakfast and dinner are included at Kadir's with accommodation ranging from US$6 for a dorm-style tree house to US$12 for a bungalow with a bathroom. Hot water is restricted to certain times of the day.

 The two-storey main building has a kiosk, dining room, satellite TV and video area, and serves as a travel agency. There is Internet access available and laundry facilities. The English-speaking staff are always helpful and friendly.

 MORE INFO: Contact them by Internet at www.olympostreehouses.com/index.html

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