hello.... I'm in Sofia, Bulgaria. We're staying with some friends of this Bulgarian girl we met in Istanbul. I really like this place. Lots of young, artsy types running around. Lots of college kids. Our train ride here from Istanbul was insane! I'll tell the full story when I get a chance. At least we lived through it. Moving on in a few days to Macedonia.

I am in Istanbul right now... waiting for a train to Bulgaria. hehe... For now the plan is to go to Bulgaria, cross over to Macedonia, then Albania, south into Greece then off to Cyprus, and from there catch a boat to Israel, where I'll pick back up on my original route. I'll let you know more as it unfolds.

Much to my disapointment... and probaly to the great relief of most of my family and friends... I have been denied a Syrian visa for the final time this morning, and have resigned myself to the idea that it would not be worth any further time or effort to keep trying even though that renders all of the effort I have gone through so far a waste.
I will return to Cappadocia today where it is much more peaceful and I can fıgure out what my alternate plans will be... of which the foremost in my mind at the moment is to go to Greece for a few weeks and then take a boat to Israel. Unfortunately the guidebooks I have do not include Greece, so I will have to buy a book just for Greece, or just go there with no idea and figure it out as I go.
I'll update when I have decided what to do...

Ok.... sorry folks. I've been busy enjoying myself and haven't written in awhile. I am in Ankara now... going to the Syrian embassy tomorrow morning for the fourth and final time. I will know for sure by tomorrow afternoon whether or not I will be going to Syria, so that will be a relief either way. In that case, I should have saved this for tomorrow, but anyway...

I have been to a bunch of great places and met a few cool people as well over the past 10 days or so. Olympos, Egirdir, Konya, Cappadocia and Ankara... too much to explain in one sitting. Maybe I'll get around to it one of these days.

So, I am well and still alive for those of you that were worrying. Try to make a quick update tomorrow about my visa situtation......

So... I've spent the past few days in Olympos... relaxing and climbing. I leave tomorrow for Egirdir, a large lake, inland north of here. From there I'll go to Konya, and then on to Capadocia. Then to Ankara to get my visa for Syria. It's been great so far, and going inland should be a good change from the coastal resort type places. Then on to the next step in Syria and Jordan.
Olympos is cute little place. Everyone is staying in tree houses... or some approximation of one. The beach is just down the road, with ruins running alongside the trail. There's plenty of hiking, trekking, climbing, swimming etc... enough to keep one busy for a long time. I'd almost stay, but I'd like to get in and out of Syria and Jordan before it is overwhelmingly hot. I think once I get to Israel, the summer heat will be a bit more bearable....

Wow... Butterfly Valley was beautiful, situated in a small cove just out of view of anything. Cliffs on both sides, inaccessible by road. The inhabitants from whom it gets it's name must have been on vacation, but it was still quite nice. There's a long treacherous walk to the top where a small village lays... and another that leads to the bottom of two waterfalls. I only stayed for one night and one morning, but it was well worth it. Back in Kas today... on my way to Olympos tommorow. I went to Saklikent Gorge today, but was unimpressed.

hello.... I am on my way to Butterfly Valley today. Ephesus was very nice. I met an aussie chic and her parents. They were kind enough to give me a ride to Kas, where we spent a couple days. I did a little climbing and touched the Mediteranean Sea for the first time. I finished a book, Jitterbug Perfume, which I recommend to anyone, and traded it for Call of the Wild and White Fang which I found in the dresser drawer of my hotel room. Hopefully the next person to search that drawer will enjoy it as much as I did. My new friends have headed off, and I am making my way to the next stop in this journey. Hope all is well at home and around the world where my friends are.