Cyprus Aphrodite, Calamity!
In the summer of 2000, my journey took me to western Cyprus where I, a budding archaeologist, joined a dig at the Tomb of the Kings, Paphos.[1] Working in 90+ Fahrenheit degree (32+ C) weather daily takes its toll on the body, so on off-days our director arranged various field trips to check out local sites. These included natural attractions such as the Akamos Peninsula on the western coastline, a stunning range of cliffs and beaches.
Still bare of hotels and tourists, it seemed like an ideal place to roam and play. So our crew ventured forth with plans to combine a bit of sea cave climbing with a walk in a nearby gorge. To reach the caves, you disembark cliff-top, tunnel down through an opening in the ground and emerge onto a stunning vista - waves crashing against the cliff face with you standing there viewing the entire event close-up. I leapt at the chance to explore the other caves cliff-side. To move along the cliff face one has to jump 1+ metres onto a large reef-based boulder in the sea and leap back onto the shelf. No problem. The first cave we peeked into had its own guests - large irritated bats so we departed to the next. Deciding after another one or two that it was easier to climb up from the original cave, I along with a fellow student headed back along the shelf.
After leaping onto the boulder I was startled when a huge wave hit me. Deciding it would be best to jump at this point, I did, only to miss the cave floor and fall ever sooo slowly into the Mediterranean (did I mention this isn’t a beach!?). My hands managed to grasp onto the cliff floor while my body crashed onto the wall of rocks, leaving my head and hands peeking above the floor at my horrified co-worker with my body slammed against the face of the cliff. Feeling a mix of panic, adrenaline and embarassment, I screamed that I really needed help since my left knee felt broke.
Deborah managed to grab my wrists reassuring me she wouldn’t let go but we soon realized the quandary we were in: I was too wet and heavy to pull up and the pain in my leg prevented me from moving plus there was nothing to grab onto besides my rescuer! I’ll spare you the discussion/shrieking/legs flailing bit. I finally got out by having Deborah release my left wrist so I could slam it down and hoist myself up by dragging my body against the cliff face (ouch!). I felt like a silly Indiana Jones. We somehow got back on top by screaming for help above, but not before falling down on my poor rescuer’s face while attempting the climb.
We wrapped up the near-death experience with a litre or two (the carafe never left my shaking paw) of village wine at a mezze lunch we went to next. All in all, not the experience I had in mind but a definite wake-up call in some ways (p.s. don’t wear runners when sea cave climbing!) and now I have my own war-tale of sorts to tell about my life in the field.
Rocky coast of Akamas Peninsula, Cyprus (2019) photo by: Michal Klajban
This article was previously published in Globe Trekker. Text © Caroline Puzinas, All Rights Reserved.
Notes by Debborah
[1] The dig was directed by Dr. Paul Croft (no relation to Lara) https://ucy.academia.edu/PaulCroft
General information about the Tombs of the Kings - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tombs_of_the_Kings_(Paphos)
Paphos, including the Tomb of the Kings is a UNESCO World Heritage Site - https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/79
Check out this recent article: Claus, P. (2024) The Tombs of the Kings in Paphos, Cyprus are Unique UNESCO Site. Greek Reporter. Published online August 28, 2024. https://greekreporter.com/2024/08/28/tombs-kings-paphos-unesco-cyprus/
