Silifke

Yesterday Dan and I went on yet another Thecla pilgrimage, this time to a cave in Silifke (formerly Seleucia) where she allegedly disappeared into the rocks to escape from some more rapacious Roman soldiers. We checked in at the Otel Ayatekla, where the A/C is more like wishful thinking, but where the beds are clean, the shower is hot, and the employees are incredibly nice. A few kilometers from town is Ayatekla, which consists of the remains of a "cistern," part of a basilica built to serve Thecla devotees, and the sacred cave.



Honestly the ruins aren't much to look at, and the scenery is pretty bleak. But the cave was truly fitting for a saintly abode, beginning with this elaborate gate:



The cave was small, moist, cool, and home to a giant Thecla icon. The lights around the icon weren't working, but that didn't stop us!



After paying our respects to St. Thecla, we made our way over to Narlikuyu, where we took a break at at one of the restaurants surrounding a gorgeous cove filled with clear blue Mediterranean water. At first we just sipped beer and watched the crabs creeping across the rocks next to us, but eventually I couldn't help it anymore. I stripped down to my shorts and sports bra, then jumped in. Dan eventually gave in, too. It was the most refreshing moment of the day.



We finally made our way to the caves of Heaven and Hell, a way up the hill from the cove. The "Hollow of Heaven" starts out as a mildly interesting gorge filled with trees and beautiful flowers, until suddenly a church appears out of nowhere. Even more striking is the fact that the church teeters on the edge of the abyss—the Cave of Hell.



As we passed the church the stairs became extremely slippery. Who knew it could take so much effort to go to hell? I picked my way down with agonizing slowness, made even more agonizing by the fact that I had rolled my ankle on an earlier set of smooth stairs. The worn stones leading into the cave were slick and wet, except for the ones with a sufficient coating of sticky mud. The temperature suddenly dropped, causing me to shiver in my still-damp clothes. The lights in the cave suffused it with a greenish glow, and as we went deeper inside we could hear a distant roar. It is actually a stream of running water, but it's hard to resist fantasizing that you are listening to the distant screams of the damned.



As you turn around to look towards the light, you can see fellow visitors slipping and sliding their way back up the stairs like sinners working their way up through purgatory. Before long, we too were scrambling back up to paradise.



After a night bus trip to Antalya and a connection to Olympos, Dan and I are currently chilling out in a town filled with backpacker beach bums. I spent a few delightful hours on the beach just now, sunning myself and swimming in calm, clear water. After tonight, I will be offline for a few days because we are going on a three night, four day cruise from Olympos to Fethiye. I am looking forward to a few days of relaxation and total lack of responsibility.