Experiencing Parasailing in Turkey

Parasailing has been popular for about 20 years in Turkish coasts. Nearly all hotels provide such service in the beach area.

Getting on a speed boat which has a platform for parasailing is the start of the adventure. First you wear a life jacket and a setup for your legs and body. This setup will let you feel like sitting on a seat on air. Before you fly, sail with boat, lie down on the platform while parachute attached your body setup. Air filing in parachute while boat speeding on the sea. Then thick rope connected to the boat is released slowly. You are flying. Depending on the speed of boat, wind, and rope length you fly up about 80 to 100 meters.

The best feeling is during the first fly from platform. Not much far to boat. Still hear around. You feel much comfortable and safe. When you climb maximum, you feel the pulling force of speed boat or wind. Each has a tendency to drift you either up or down. It may be thrilling a bit when you feel this pull force by wind or boat at 100 meters on air. You grip parachute at that height. Objects on the ground still visible but much smaller. Remote observation is a nice experience. I wanted to take photographs during fly, but later I understand it is not a good idea. You should grip the parachute during the fly.

Trip takes about 10 minutes. At the end the mechanism on the boat rewind the rope to land you on the platform on boat.

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Didyma, Center of Oracle for the ancient Ionians.

Didyma was an ancient Ionian sanctuary. It had a temple and oracle of Apollo. Didyma was the most significant sanctuary in the territory of Miletus. 

The oldest tablets dated back to the 6^th century BC. Most of the sculptures, form the same century, were carried out to British Museum by Sir Charles Newton in 1858, of course with the permission of Ottoman authorities. German excavations made between 1905 and 1930 revealed most part of the temple.

 

The huge marble temple has amazing, 120 giant columns at the front porch. Because the giant size of the construction, it never covered by a roof.

At the back of the porch, temple priests met petitioners. They accept questions for the oracle, and to deliver oracular poems. 

Two tunnel ramps slope down from both sides of the porch to the huge square. This square held the sacred spring. A priest would drink from the spring to produce oracle.

Several impressive sculptures are around the temple, especially the head of Medusa. It is similar to the head of Medusa in the Basilica Cistern in Istanbul.

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