So it begins

Ancient Wonders

Published Date : October 25, 2004

We were up bright and early this morning for a Turkish breakfast – a hard-boiled egg, feta cheese, and delicious fresh bread with a choice of apple tea or Turkish tea.  Oh, and cucumber and tomato too of course!

We had arrived after dark last night, so it was an incredible surprise this morning to find that our hostel was overlooking the ruins of the Temple of Artemis!  Once considered one of the seven ancient wonders of the world, not much remains of the temple today.  There are a few columns and collapsed walls scattered through the field, but much was under water.

Leaving Selçuk and Artemis behind, our destination today is Ephesus.  We met our guide – a Turkish woman whose name I have no chance of remembering – who took us around the ruins for 3 hours.  Estimates are that only 10% of the city has been excavated.  What has been cleared covers about 1 square kilometre.  After passing through the gates of Hercules, we wandered through the small theatre, the library, the brothel (always an important stop!) and the large Amphitheatre. 

While we were there, Sahir, one of the English girls on our tour, was set upon by a group of Ukranian tourists who insisted on taking her photo.  She’s of Pakistani heritage and has a really great flair for dressing conservatively yet stylishly – her headscarves are always elaborate affairs!  Anyway, these tourists refused to accept that Sahir is from London and kept trying to get her photo until our guide managed to rescue her.

Speaking of guides, I think it’s definitely worth using one for Ephesus.  There’s just so much information and history here, it would be a shame to miss out on the stories behind the ruins.  Also, a competent guide can filter out all the little details and give you a really good feel for the site. 

Another thing to keep in mind if you plan on visiting this site, is the crowds.  Despite being late October it was exceptionally busy, so I can only imagine what the crowds would be like in high season!  Apparently, up to 8000 people can pass through in one day.  The heat can also be unbearable.  It was about 28C when we left at noon.

On our way back to the hostel, we stopped at a tiny restaurant for a traditional lunch.  We were introduced to Gözleme, a traditional Turkish dish somewhat like a crepe or pastry filled with spinach and feta.  Apart from the overdose on tomatoes and cucumbers, I’m really enjoying Turkish food!

The afternoon was ours to do what we wanted.  I spent most of that on the internet, catching up on emails and typing up my journals.  There were only two internet cafes in town and only one of them had service.  The connection was slow and unreliable, but beggars can’t be choosers. 

Meeting up with a couple of the English guys on my tour, we set off to find somewhere to change some money. I’ve mostly relying mostly on ATMs so far, but I had to change a traveller’s cheque today.  The only bank in town that would change money charged a whopping 10,500,000 Lira ($10) per traveller’s cheque.  Luckily I only had one to change, but some of the English guys had to change 3 or 4.  Ouch! 

We spent the rest of the evening just chilling at our hostel’s rooftop bar.  Life is tough.

Natural Wonders

Published Date : October 26, 2004

Yesterday it was Ancient Wonders, today is Natural Wonders and the white calcium pools of Pamukkale.  Wayne dropped us off at the top of the cliffs and we had the morning to explore at our leisure.

My first stop was the ruins of the ancient Roman city of Hierapolis.  The natural hot springs have been in use as a spa since the 2^nd century BCE, making this a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  The fantastic views from the top of the amphitheatre were impeded by a hazy smog along the horizon.  There is still a working spa on site, but the ancient building is now an archaeological museum.  The Roman’s never cease to amaze me with their abundance of architectural and engineering feats!

For me though, the travertine terraces were the highlight.  Unfortunately, they’re almost entirely closed off for swimming and wading now.  Apparently, the sunscreen and body oils from all the visitors were turning the cliffs black so they’ve prohibited most wading except in a few areas at certain times.  The path down the cliff is also altered on a semi-regular basis to preserve the calcium deposits.  Despite the limitations, it was a really enjoyable couple of hours making our way down the cliffs.  Being out in the sunshine, enjoying the warm water and the fresh air, it was a fantastic way to spend the morning.

Wayne was waiting for us with the bus at the bottom of the cliffs.  After a leisurely lunch, we were back on the road again. Our destination for the night was Lake Köycegiz. 

We’re staying in a hostel again for the next couple of nights – Tango Pension.  This time I’m sharing with Molly (UK), Andi (Kiwi), and Adele and Sarah again.  After a great dinner of chicken shish and watching a highly disturbing performance by a male belly dancer, we headed out for a night cruise on the lake.  We went to some hot springs on the other side of the lake and some of us enjoyed a mud bath and a refreshing dive into the much cooler lake.  Three bowls of punch were provided on the cruise and there were several large bottles of wine and vodka emptied into them.

The trip back was a bit of an adventure as people enjoyed a bit too much to drink.  The drivers thought that we wanted to go all night so they took the long way back, zig-zagging across the lake and actually stopping at one point until we told them to get moving again.  Ruth ended up passed out in the toilet and Scott decided it would be a great idea to jump in and swim back the last couple hundred metres.  About 5m from shore a rope got caught in the propeller and we were stuck there for 15 minutes while Matt jumped in and sorted things.  A very eventful evening!