Day 63 Fresh Tracks in Anatolia

It’s OFFICIAL – 2 full months travelling, and I’m closer to the finish line than my starting point!

the Pamukkale travertines.

Pamukkale is amazing! David and I checked into the Mustafa Hotel, definitely a half star establishment, but the price is right and you can’t beat location… it’s literally steps away from the travertines! Turns out there is a fantastic market that happens every Friday inthe nearby town of Akkoy (pronounced like the French word “accueil”), and we decided to start a commitment to eating healthy again. I have slipped a lot lately, and the prospect of putting the bikini back on was daunting enough to motivate a change. We set off on foot, hoping to catch the minibus the 5 kilometers to the bazaar. Turns out we didn’t have to catch any sort of public transport – people are so nice and stop by the road to pick you up! I of course would never consider this alone, but David and I were confident that the octogenarian Turkish couple that picked us up were people we could take on if need be.

The bazaar was cute, and very busy, and MADDDD cheap! We got olives,feta cheese, salami,  and a kilogram each of apples, carrots, cucumbers, bananas, as well as a bunch of dried figs (which are DELICIOUS) for the equivalent of $13. I think this Paleo thing will start off very well indeed!

While we were shopping, an old Turkish man approached us and in hand gestures made it clear that we were to accompany him to his home for tea and breakfast of grapes and melon. Taken aback, we agreed, and were introduced to his wizened little wife, and their granddaughter. The tea was delicious, and we were presented with another bag of figs, as well as about 7 eggplants… we left 5 TL with our hostess as we left,not knowing the protocol, and I hope that was ok! People here are so friendly it’s ridiculous! Now if they could only get the directions thing down…  We were directed to a minibus to go back to Pamukkale, and instead got halfway to Denizli before making the driver pullover and switching to another that was going the direction we had just come from.Ah, life.

We got back to the hotel and grabbed our towels and suits, heading for the UNESCO site. It was $10 entry,but it encompasses quite a big area, including some old Roman ruins known as Hierapolis. I put my knowledge to good use answering some of David’s questions,and just generally talking his ear off even if he wasn’t interested in something. Hey, it’s the first time I feel like I went to school for a reason,I’m going to bask it in ok? The site also houses a huge amphitheater  and some gorgeous gardens. The main attraction though is the beautiful terraced limestone/chalk pools. They are stark white, and the travertines fill up with this clear blue water that’s actually hot! You have to walk barefoot, and there are chalk deposits that squelch between your toes, but the whole thing is pretty surreal. The water constantly runs down the hills, building up the deposits, and there is a moat that protects some of the more delicate travertines lower down… which also provides a great dunking spot! The water rushes pretty quickly though, almost swept the pants right off me! And a poor bigger German lady got washed a little down the way… we tried not to laugh out loud…

 

We spent a good 4 hours here, and then headed back to our accommodation  The lady who runs it was lovely and let us roast our eggplants in their huge fire oven, and we sliced up the salami and ripped into our olives. Dinner is served!

The shower here doesn’t fit in the wall socket, so it’s a handheld… the toilet constantly runs, but it’s become white noise, and the chances of getting locked in there are pretty high.David has let me out twice already when I’ve gotten trapped… It’s only the one night though so no worries! The WiFi is pretty good, and we’re going to watch a movie and go to bed early. The bus to Selcuk is at 9 am, and then we have a 3 hour trip to Ephesus, where we will see more Roman ruins. These are some of the best preserved that Turkey has to offer, so I’m pretty stoked! Then for me it’s off to Bodrum to meet up with Belinda, the Aussie chica that I went to the hammam with back in Istanbul, for some rest on the beaches of the coast. The night bus to Istanbul on the 7^th takes me back in time to spend a whole day before catching the midnight transfer to the airport and jetting to Poland in the early morning! Then it’s cold weather from here on out, until I reach Croatia and Italy that is! A new leg begins!

David at the ruins.

Talk to you all soon!