Pamukkale and Hierapolis

 

This is a long overdue post but I guess that means it's been an awesome summer! In my last few days in Bodrum I jumped on a bus and headed to some of the tourists sites I'd been asked about all summer. Being me, I didn't do any research beforehand and went to Pamukkale over Ephesus (the more popular ancient city near) on the advice of friends. Very glad I did!

 

There is this ridiculously random site in Turkey in the Denizili Province called Pamukkale or 'Cotton Castle' when translated. By random I mean, in the middle of rolling dust and scrub covered hills is a white 'castle' of limestone terraces and hot spring water, topped with the ancient city of Hierapolis. I booked through the hotel and was picked up at the very early hour of 6am for a lift into Bodrum to the coaches which were taking approximately 100 Russian, French, Italian and English tourists to the site. A four hour bus ride with a brief stop for breakfast was made easier by the fact that I am small and can sleep anywhere. Apparently there was a presentation and talk about the area on the way, but I missed it.

 

 

 

Once the bus parked up at the top of the hill after a four hour drive I immediately disentangled myself from the group of tourists I'd arrived with and set off straight for the ruins of the city. Pamukkale was heaving with half-naked tourists (hilarious to watch) and the ruins were wonderfully hot and desolate, but peaceful. I actually ended up writing blog notes sitting on a umpteen thousand year old piece of marble that had fallen by the Necropolis road, pleasantly sunning myself while these awesome lizards baked on the tombstones and the call to prayer echoed around the valley below. Pretty special, especially as there was no one around except the lizards and hundreds of butterflies, birds and bees.

 

 

Anyway! The city is of Greco-Roman and Byzantine eras, rebuilt and expanded at different stages after various earthquakes. Famed for the sacred hot spring waters that flow through and believed to have healing powers, and the city worshipped the God Apollo, and Pluto (of the underworld, probably because of the natural gases that rose up around the city.) Some of the ruins of the Temple of Apollo have had a giant natural swimming pool form over them, and for the bargain price of 30TL you can swim with other tourists in a surreal moment where ancient, natural beauty meets heaving commercialism.

 

 

I spent a fair amount of time giggling at the mud because I'm awesome like that, but it had dried to this awesome crackle effect that had curled up like clay.

 

 

 

 

 

 

So pretty! You can only walk in certain places, and no shoes allowed so that the white calcium carbonate doesn't get muddied or damaged.

 

I paid 70TL for the daily excursion - they are advertised all over Bodrum and it was the cheapest and easiest way to get to Pamukkale but probably not the most efficient. If there are a group of you it'd be good to just hire a car and go because the excursion includes a particularly terrible example of 'traditional Turkish cuisine' (read extremely bad buffet Turkish cuisine) and a stop at a leather factory on the way home - which with the four hour ride each way made for a very long day.

 

I also caught the ferry over to Datca - absolutely beautiful but I forgot my camera. It felt very different to Bodrum and as soon as you get off the ferry you feel a million miles away from the crowds of Bodrum. I wandered through Knidos, another ancient city which was actually spectacularly placed (kinda felt like I was in lord of the Rings oddly.) Don't miss your ferry though! Because it only runs twice a day - once in the morning and once at night (and you'll have to stay the night like I did...)

 

 

 

I didn't really see as much as I liked of Bodrum - in summer it was a bit hard to handle because of the crowds and I was working but one day on our day off Elena and I stumbled upon one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World - the Mausoleum of Halicarnasuss - the first mausoleum ever built. There isn't much left on the site since the British took away anything of significance to the British Museum, and the Knights Templar dismantled it in the first place to fortify the nearby St Peters Castle circa 1400AD

 

 

 

 

There's also this huge amphitheatre at the top of the hill overlooking Bodrum - it's still used today for concerts and plays! The view is wonderful - you can see St Peter's Castle in the background next to the harbour. Elena and I wandered through the back streets until we got to the water and then spent a merry afternoon in wandering around the castle. My favourite part was the glass exhibition showcasing all these very fragile and beautiful glass artifacts found in the various shipwrecks around the area.

 

 

 

 

And then of course we went to our favourite Bodrum fish restaurant - Trata - next to the fishmarket where you choose your fish, pay the monger then have the restaurant cook it up for a 5TL fee. Don't forget to choose some mezzes! We usually end up with cheese stuffed mushrooms, seaweed, smoke aubergine and peppers, and a yoghurt based dish of some sort. And fava of course! And later headed in to the Bodrum shops to try and haggle for the massively overpriced but awesome selection of fake handbags. I got a travel wallet and big leather tote and can now pretend I can afford real Hermes. (Though having arrived in Istanbul and now living in Istinye I've suddenly realised how many Turkish women can and do buy real Prada, Chanel, Gucci and Hermes.)

 

Anyway! How was that for a brain download. I'll try get you an update on Istanbul when I get a moment.

 

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