Uchansu:

  Yes, believe it.  These are the steps leading up to Uchansu (Flying Waters), and I climbed them.  This is one of the "at your own risk" tourist sites.  The strenuous trek up can only be topped by the journey down.  The steps that still exist are rickety and worn.  My pant bottoms stood the test, however. The trek was well worth it.  From the water fall I had an incredible view into Yalta and the Black Sea.   And yes, this was one of the places with an awning designed especially for tying the cloth piece.

Saki:

The town of Saki is known for it's Sanitorium.  The Sanitorium is known for it's special mud baths, massages and rehabilitation facilities.  The mud is cultured in large pits which is a two year process. The area is well guarded by young soldiers and great care is taken to insure the process is done correctly.  Saki is only one of two places in the world that makes the special healing mud.  Within the holding tanks are micro-organisms that produce the mud.  The mud starts it's life in one tank and after a pre-set amount of time, it's moved from that tank to another and so on as it undergoes each step in this process.  When the two years are completed, the mud is transferred for use in Sanitorium and patients are treated for various ailments including but not limited to arthritis, infertility and muscle pain.  During the Soviet regime, Saki's Sanitorium was used primarily by high ranking military officials and the wealthy.   Now, civilians are able to use the facility with a physicians prescription and of course cash payment.  The Sanitorium is surrounded by a wonderful public park and in this photo (left) is an outdoor rehab area for people who have had spinal cord injuries.  Paraplegics or amputees are able to come in here and do weight training on special equipment designed with this very purpose in mind.  After seeing this, it became clear to me why I was seeing a large number of people in various styles of wheelchairs roaming town.