Hierapolis Thermal Hotel Pamukkale

November 5th Entry:<br><br>We arrived in Pamukkale in the afternoon of November 1st after a 4 hour bus r&#305;de. A local tour operator tried to sell us some tours as we waited for our ride to pick us up. Our place was cute and the room had a purple canopy and green walls - very interesting choice!! They served us apple tea upon our arrival and then we headed back into the main part of the village to find dinner. I had a yummy falafel wrap and Sean got ...

... at.<br><br>The texture of the stone is strange, almost alien. Firm afoot, smooth, yet not slippery, slightly gritty. The kind of stone you might take to a bath for an exfoliation exercise, yet which would not leave any abrasion.<br><br>I am entranced by the cottonwool.<br><br>The old Roman ruins behind, the town being abandoned in the 14th century after a series of earthquakes, are in good condition. The 12,000-strong amphitheatre is pretty much intact, as is the thermally ...

... otel (I like the Turkish practice of omitting the H from hotel) that had both WiFi and free breakfast. 9 hours later we were checked out, well fed, on the road, albeit cold (me) and grubby (Rachel) after I discovered that our hotel shower doesn't have hot water. OK, Rachel's spidy-sense didn't anticipate that eventuality. Still, we were off to an early start and only a 15 min drive from our destination: Pamukkale and Hierapolis, a combined attraction ...

... the Agora, used to be sprawled aross the nearby field, but all that remains after earthquakes and erosion, is a single column. Our tour concluded with a visit to a natural pool and the stunning and strange limestone waterpools made form the high amounts of calcium in the water. We returned in the evening, and spent the next day lazily hanging out in Selcuk, and buying important supplies for the long bus trip ahead (ie baklava and turkish delight).

... see the party. Today was their election voting day. The polls closed at 5 and now at 7 the man in the area has been re-elected. We can here the music and go up the hill. We are looking down into the town maintenance yard. They have taken all the cars and trucks out and replaced them with chairs and a music man. Everyone is dancing, it is lively music, young and old. The women are dancing in one area and the men in another area. Everyone is happy and having a lively ...

Ephesus first up, an ancient city that has been excavated for over 100 years, another huge complex of ruins and sights, cost 20 YTL Next to Pamukkale, cost 20 YTL, a site for hot springs, with massive terraces of limestone deposits leaving an unforgettable sight of a "white mountain" For another 20 YTL you can have a go in the hot springs, but I found ...

... excited at seeing Clive, they said they had one exactly the same and couldn't believe that we had driven it all the way from England! They had traveled the world extensively, so we chatted to them for a little while. Now at Pamukkale going to look around later when it is cooler, and hopefully less people. Dave has just been abducted by a Turkish man to play backgammon! Pamukkale was both amazing and disappointing. I am not sure if you have seen pictures ...

... to local hoteliers abusing the water source), but it was still worth a stop....but we quickly made a decision that it wasn't worth a night stopover, as the surrounding town was a bit sterile and "dead", and booked a bus out later that evening. We are loving the the spring days....as the sun sets at aout 8pm -ish so it gives plenty of time for site seeing. We hope you like the pics, we had fun getting them, it is ...

... might try and give them a bit of a crack while Ý am here. For as my Gran would say 'when in Rome'....... Now Ý have been receiving a lot of feedback (some good some bad) about my drop toilet bravery. Thanks everyone for your kind words. Your support is being felt over here. Take care everyone and Ý will try and post a photo of our views in the next blog. Cheers Katie

... this 'natural wonder'. So much so, that the first time Ý came to Turkey Pammukale was voluntarily neglected. This time around, we had heard that the place had been so destroyed by tourism that interventions had taken place to salvage what was left. Namely, a group of 5 star hotels perched on the clifftop above the travertines had been demolished after it was discovered that they were diverting the natural springwater from cascading ...