#4) A Whirlwind Week

I’m finding it exceedingly difficult to summarize and condense a week’s worth of travel into a singular blog post. Even in what seems like such a short span of time I've journeyed to multiple new places, stood in awe at some of the most spectacular sights, interacted with and befriended many interesting and diverse people, and experienced a multitude of different (and sometimes conflicting) feelings. I’ll do my best to give you some insight into the marathon that was this past week of adventures.

A series of buses and trains led me to first to Selçuk – a smallish town in western Turkey famed for being close to the ancient ruins of Ephesus (or Efes in Turkish). (Sidenote: Efes is also the name of the most ubiquitous pilsner beer available here but I’m pretty sure they are unrelated. It’s not half bad, but it’s got nothing on a true Michigan microbrew) As opposed to Troy, these Greco-Roman ruins are the most well preserved in the Anatolian peninsula and perhaps even in the whole Mediterranean region. Walking down the wide promenades lined with old columns was probably about as close as you could get to being transported back to another time. The enormous theater and the elaborately decorated Library of Celsus are the most famous of the landmarks here, but I was particularly impressed by the beautiful frescos and mosaics that are still visible in the remains of some of the houses.

The view of one of the main columned promenades as the sun was beginning to set 

The remains of the theater which was capable of holding up to 25,000 spectators

Me in front of the famed Library of Celsus - I'm a lot tanner than usual from all my travels

I couldn't resist taking this "artsy" looking photo. I met a former professional photographer James and his fiance Belinda while in the ruins who just so happened to have the same camera as I did - he taught me a few tricks about how to get the most out of my photography. So glad I met him early in my trip! 

Along with some great memories, I picked up two new friends in Selçuk, Cate and Bob, and together we caught a train to Pamukkale to see terraces and bathe in the hot springs which give the town its namesake. Pamukkale means “cotton castle” in Turkish and refers to the natural hot springs which carry calcium deposits from deep underground to form soft, white terraces which cover the local hillside and pool with warm water from the hot springs. It was/is believed that the water from the hot springs has natural health benefits so people have been visiting the site for centuries to bathe in the mystical waters – in fact, the ancient Greeks even built an entire city, the Hierapolis, atop the hill in order to be closer to the terrace’s rejuvenating waters. With the size of the city’s ruined Necropolis (i.e. graveyard) I’m a little skeptical of the actual health benefits, but the dip in the terrace’s light blue (albeit murky) water was refreshing and fun nonetheless. Cate had to leave early, unfortunately, to catch her train back to Selçuk but Bob and I decided to stay on the hilltop and wait for the sunset since we were staying in town for the night.

Some calcium deposits and a few terraces - I thought they looked cool against the clouds

These are the real terraces pooled with the "healing" water. Since they are all on the hillside, from the top you can see out to all the Turkish farms that surround the small city of Pamukkale.

These terraces here are man-made and they divert some of the water to fill them for people to bathe in. In the 1960s they had built a bunch of hotels on the top of the hillside that caused considerable damage to the natural formations. When the area was declared a World Heritage Site, they demolished the hotels and began to protect the terraces and their precious water. You're only allowed to bathe in these concrete pools, but I didn't even mind since the formations are so fragile/vulnerable.

My feet in the murky, warm water

As we waited we walked around and talked for a long time and I really got to know more about Bob and his life. Bob is originally from Indonesia, but he is currently living and working in South Sudan as an accountant for a refugee relief organization. He told me all about his own culture in Indonesia and what conditions are like for people living in South Sudan. He is an extremely passionate individual and he does the work he does because he truly just wants to help people. It was really a profound experience for me to hear about his passions and life.  Just as I will not forget the colors of the last rays of sun reflecting off of the terrace pools, I will definitely not forget what I learned from speaking with him on the hillside.

The view of some of the water-less terraces at sunset. They divert and channel the warm water to various locations throughout the hilltop throughout the day and so some areas were left high and dry. I'm not certain why they do it this way - perhaps there is only so much water during certain seasons? Or maybe the result of the tourist exploitation that occurred in the 1960s?

This one speaks for itself really. Simply marvelous.

Bob and I atop the hillside of Pamukkale. 

After Pamukkale, Bob and I moved on together to Fethiye along the southern Mediterranean coast of Turkey. There was so much to see and do here that it was almost overwhelming - beaches, boat cruises, sea turtles hatching, paragliding, jeep excursions, mountain hikes, diving, kayaking, Lycian ruins and much more. We decided to go see Kayaköy (or Kaya in Turkish) – an old stone Greek village that was completely abandoned after the (forced) population transfer between Greece and Turkey after the Turkish War of Independence in the 1920s. The walls of the 500 houses in the village (they were very adamant about the exact number) are more or less still standing despite an earthquake in 1957 that caused extensive damage, but the straw roofs have all disintegrated with time. The place had an eerie feel to it, especially since we were some of the only visitors there that day. 

The view of Kayaköy from near the roadside entrance

A fig tree growing up through one of the abandoned houses. You can still see the fireplace just behind the trunk and on the right-hand side there is a small cistern that was used to collect rainwater for daily tasks.

This house is in bad shape, but you can tell it was pretty large at one point and there were multiple levels since the fireplaces (in the left corner and on the right) are "floating"

From a hilltop just slightly above the village I spotted a pristine white Greek chapel resting effortlessly on the nearby hilltop and after my boyish nature took hold I was determined to reach it despite what looked like an intimidating slope through some pretty dense trees and shrubbery. With big, childlike grins across both our faces, Bob and I agreed that we would conquer the hilltop and make it to that chapel.

And damn if it wasn’t worth it.

When we reached the top we were greeted with the most amazing panoramic views of the verdant mountains juxtaposed against the turquoise blue waters of the Mediterranean coastline. We could see the farms of the nearby Turkish villages on one side and the boats and masts of the island day cruises of the foreign tourists on the other – the scenery was made all the more complete with the scent of the droppings that were left behind by the mountain goats who had made the chapel their new home. After some extensive gawking and a brief photoshoot, we made our way back down and enjoyed our lunch in the shade of a fig tree growing through the hollowed out remains of one of the stone houses.

The white chapel on the hilltop.

The view from the side of the hill that we had climbed - you can see the various Turkish farms in the area. Even from the top you could still here their goats bleating.

This is what really impressed us - the view of the Mediterranean behind the top of the hill. In the center and right inlets you can make out the various tourist cruises advertised all around town. They were incredibly cheap - around $15 with lunch included - and they'd cruise you around the coast and stop at 5 or so times at the little islands to let you swim and snorkel.

At the end of what was a momentous day I had to say goodbye to Bob – he was moving on to Cappadocia while I stayed behind in Fethiye. I was sad to see him go, but I know we will remain friends forever and we may actually reunite in November when I am in South Africa. I learned so much from him – both in cultural understanding and also in practical life skills. I mean, I never expected I would leave Turkey with a better understanding of how to use Excel to keep track of my personal finances. Who said you can’t be a real adult and a world adventurer at the same time?

Check out the updates to my travel map to see exactly where I've been and where I am now

Also – I’ve gotten lots of awesome feedback about the blog and I’m really glad you’re all enjoying reading it as much as I enjoy writing it! I've heard that y’all want to see some more pictures so check out the separate “Photo Album” pages on the right-hand side to see some more of the pictures that didn't make it into the full posts!