Leaving the Blue Cruise and starting off for the last stretch of my trip was bittersweet. It was sad, of course, to say goodbye to so many wonderful people, and there are certainly worse things I’ve experienced than the yachting lifestyle! At the same time, it was nice to get back to land and see what was in store for the rest of the holiday. We took a short drive from the port to the next destination, and it made me wish I were right back in the water!

The next stop was the tree houses of Olympos, another coastal town famous for beaches, hiking trails, backpackers, and, obviously, tree houses. The town is about an hour removed from any major city and is essentially composed of a network of back-to-back hostels, hotels, and guesthouses offering the same style of rustic-looking wooden cabins set up on stilts. There are little minimarts and restaurants tucked here and there, but most of the food you get is provided or sold by the hotels, with the idea that it’s sort of your little haven in the wilderness (given the sheer number of them, though, there were plenty of options if you wanted to branch out). The area, with all the wooden structures, really looked like a startup camp in America’s old west, and I would not have been surprised if someone tried to sell me a pair of boots or a chamber pot.

At my particular hotel, most of the cabins had simple but modern amenities like a private bathroom and air conditioning, but there were other, cheaper options that consisted of simply a bare room with a dirty mattress on the floor and a rickety fan in the ceiling (I was mistakenly taken to one of these upon checking in, and, while I can handle a rustic adventure from time to time, this was not the time). My room was comfortable, though, despite the fact that I didn’t spend much time in it!

Common area of the hotel, with plenty of picnic benches and cushioned corners.

Path to my bungalow.

For the couple days I was in Olympos, I did a lot of catching up on things I wasn’t able to do while on the boat, which mostly involved organizing photos, writing emails to friends and family, and chatting on Skype. To be honest, it was too hot to really feel comfortable doing much else. I did go on a few short walks and made it down to the beach a few times, but the shade of the common area and the AC of my room almost always seemed the sweeter deal. I don’t consider it wasted time, though. Like I said, I did get some work done, and it was nice to get some R&R after the boat and before the last leg of the vacation. Here’s a few more photos from Olympos, and I’ll be back soon with a double feature on Cappadocia!

Walking to the beach includes a jaunt through some ruins.

The beach was indeed beautiful, but it was rocky and I was unable to make my own shade, so I never stayed long.