Kocak Otel Pamukkale

... it is very neat. It is actually a UNESCO protected site, and they control the water flow &#305;n a way that only certain pools are f&#305;lled at certain times so to preserve the site. Sean found the methods they use to do this to be very cool. <br><br>As if that wasnt enough, once you walk up to the top of the calcified falls you get to an ancient site of ruins, Hierapolous. People lived there to be close to the falls, as they believed they had ...

... after 4 days, a new personal record for brevity of ownership) and set out for the coast. The plan was to hit Ephesos first thing the next day, but in fact we stayed at the neighboring town of Selcik and Rachel's hotel instinct guided us true. We stayed at a place with warm water, good WiFi, a swimming pool, and best of all, just around the corner from some random unmarked ruins scattered all the way down the hill to the very pleasant main street ...

... so on at Selcuk bus station, to discover that in the end everyone ends up on the same clapped out poor impersonation of a Ford Transit was rather disconcerting. It was actually colder outside when we stopped for a tea break and not a hint of lemon cologne, free tea etc anywhere. However, the highlight has to be that the bus driver did not actually know the way.<br><br>Pamukkale is perhaps ...

... to Hireapolis & Pamukkale. We had to dump our gear in a neighbouring town and take a Dolmus to Pamukkale. Now normally, being the only tourists on these things, it's pretty obvious where we want to get off - and the driver will indicate this. However we found our way getting further away from the white terraces we'd come to see. We then came to the gate of Hireapolis and after some local help were let out. Turns out though, this was a good thing for us, as we were at the far ...

... I tell him we are going to look at a open air museum and will be back in 1 hour. We go just down the street to have a look and it is still locked up. We read the signs and take some pictures. They are Roman building foundations. The city has taken some care to cover them over to protect them from the elements. We go back to the pension and it is locked up. We knock, nothing happens. He has gone out. Our key won't fit to open the door. I go next door to a ...

Pamukkale is nowadays a shamelessly resorty town built next to one of the great natural wonders of the world. A river with waters very rich in calcium flowed over a gently sloped falaise several kilometers in length. The result is a blindingly white cliff face undulating for kilometers, with dozens upon dozens of shallow pools of water separated by smooth chalk walls over which water flows gently. The Romans recognized this as a wondrous place, so they ...

... to think we had gotten a dodgy deal again, but the car came and took us to Ephesus again. The ruins were very good, especially the library and some of the fountains. The streets were still intact and you could just imagine how extravagant these cities would have been back in the day. The theater was huge, and could seat 25,000 people, but it was in a fairly sorry state. It is an amazing place, and one you should see if you are in the area. We also ...

... quite an important centre of learning. There was also a spectacular theatre carved into the hillside. Then went on to Pamukkale. No cotton and no castles either (dunno what they were thinking when they named it) but some odd looking white cliffs with blue water pools protruding from the hill (that's obviously a much better name for it!).

... the calcium deposits) and there is a stream of calcium enriched water (with a soothing temperature of 36 degrees) to sit and put your feet in if they get too sore. It's like a really nice natural foot spa. Once at the top of the hill I set about exploring the Roman ruins - which is the ancient city of Hierapolis . The main feature of the sight is the "antique pool" which is where you can bath in the ancient springs filled with submerged sections of ...

... but instead provide a crooked wooden raft up a tree which is large enough to shelter a double mattress - only just. As it turned out, our decision to take the low budget room was a good one. The hot water broke so we were upgraded to a slick, renovated suite well above the standard of something we would actually pay for on this trip! After our discovery that the Hieropolis ruins and the travertine springs (the two sites of ...