The pit that is Hell!
In many guidebooks about Turkey, they recommend a jaunt to Heaven and Hell. Well, it sounds intriguing. Since it’s so far south and there is supposed to be a lot of hiking (specifically 450 steps) involved, we decided to get up before breakfast when it was cooler to check it out. Of course no one was here this early, so we didn’t have to pay an entry fee. I think it’s usually 3 Tl. for each Heaven and Hell. As you pull up in the parking lot, you see two signs one points to Heaven and one points to Hell.
We decided to go to Hell, first….more fun! Well, not really. There is a long driveway up a hill, which we drove, but I’ll bet we were supposed to walk, and at the top is a small, very small, overlook with a white railing. It oversees a huge pit where supposedly some evil-doers were thrown over as punishment. It is a little scary. At the bottom is a river that supposedly was the river that Achilles was dipped into by the heel. I saw nor even heard a river, but I’m sure it’s there some parts of the year. Going to Hell was a quick trip. I think we spent about ten minutes doing this part, so we were ready for the real reward, Heaven!
We drove down the long driveway and parked then found the steps that descended into Heaven. Hey, this isn’t the way it’s supposed to go. I thought Heaven would be an ascent! Oh well, here we go, down, down, down. Soon we come to what looks like a cement church that was not built all that long ago. I’m not sure what the official dates are, but it certainly doesn’t look very old. There’s also graffiti everywhere which doesn’t do much for its ambiance. After the church, you are supposed to go down even more steps and into a cave. I opted out. I’d had enough of Heaven already! But Jim, Cathleen, and Matthew went on and on. I watched as they slipped and slid down into the depths of Heaven. What did I miss? A cave. I’m totally done with caves since Malaysia, so I don’t feel any chagrin at all.
All in all, if I’d known what it was, I would have not done Heaven or Hell at all. The beaches are truly Heaven on the Med, and driving in Turkey can be pure Hell, so yeah, been there, done that. Don’t follow suite. Skip this site!