Day 6: Thursday 3rd November 2022

Start: Pamukkale, Turkey

Finish: Kusadasi, Turkey

Currency: Turkish Lira

Temperature: 15 degrees departing Pamukkale, top of 25 degrees

Welcome back my literary friends!

The Hierapark Hotel was comfortable and after a good night sleep, we made our way to breakfast. I have to admit, it wasn’t my favourite breakfast; not because it wasn’t vast or fresh, but mostly because after several weeks of these kinds of buffet breakfast meals, I was really craving some avocado on toast!

Today we are off to the famous Pamukkale Soda formations (200TRY entry). Only a few minutes’ drive from the hotel, the white walls of bicarbonate soda crystals plaster the mountainside as pools of thermal water race downhill. What can I say but wow? We had a fantastic time walking amongst the pools, taking photos and soaking in the minerals from the clay. In the sun, the ambient temperature was very pleasant, however; the solidified minerals themselves were quite cold underfoot when we first arrived. As our guide Mustafa explained, depending on which way the water is running sometimes the pools available for walking through are cold, as the water in them has settled from the night before. He also gave us a great tip; most people only walk the first few hundred metres because the ground is cold and can be difficult to walk on; but keep going! We were lucky enough to attend on a day where the warm water raced down a side chute, giving us the opportunity to walk amongst the cold pools (10-15 degrees or thereabouts) and duck back across to the warmer water to heat our toes. This was only really necessary at 8am, closer to 9.30am the stone had warmed somewhat.

My roommate and I had a fantastic time playing ‘instagrammer’ and walking amongst the icy pools taking photos and soaking up the sun. It is difficult to explain the sheer size of the mountainside coated in the gleaming white walls. Our guide was kind enough to set up a ‘fortress’ where he sat with our bags and shoes, while we wandered barefoot around the mountainside. As we put on our shoes, we picked up a local fresh squeezed pomegranate juice which was the most beautiful shade of ruby. Mustafa made sure to warn me not to spill it on my skirt!

Next, we made our way up to the Cleopatra pools, which a few people wish they’d visited sooner on our stop to take advantage of swimming in the crystal clear waters. The bottom of the ‘pool’ was littered with ancient relics and chunks of columns. It was one of the most interesting looking thermal pools I’ve ever seen.

Further up the hill we climbed to the amphitheatre ruins which have been beautifully restored and offer a lovely view down over the valley below. By 10:45am it was time to return to the bus and depart for our lunch destination. Sadly this was also the window within which we had to drop our ‘6 day’ tour travellers back to the hotel. These handful of travellers booked a shorter tour which includes a local flight back to Istanbul, from which they then fly onward.

On the way to lunch we drove through the cotton fields, watching the white fluff billow atop the short crops in the wind. Lunch was a stop on the road at Obam Restaurant where we ate spit roasted lamb and salads with freshly baked Turkish flatbread. The next drive was approximately 1.5hours to Ephesus.

Ephesus was a beautiful series of ruins from an ancient seaside city which sat on a main trade route in the 10th C BC. Over time the ocean receded, leaving the port city inaccessible via sea and eventually abandoned by the 15th C AD. Mustafa was a fantastic guide, pointing out different parts of the historical site and helping us to navigate the slippery pathways without anyone landing on their behinds!

The Hotel Ramada Suites was very big! As we arrived, the sheer number of tour busses parked in the street gave us a bit of an idea of the type of accommodation awaiting us. Ramada are renowned as an international chain, so I knew the quality would be good. Rooms were comfortable and the amount of food at the buffet dinner was astronomical. I usually consider myself someone with a little self-control but the second a buffet is presented to me, I struggle to resist trying a little bit of everything. The dessert tables in particular are a really big problem for me! Despite knowing that anything with an odd colouring (blue cake, pink slices) is unlikely to taste of anything other than disaster, I still find myself putting a tiny slice of the sprinkle-covered sheet cake on my plate!

After dinner, Mustafa took those of us who wanted to see the town, out in a taxi. We stopped at the beach and walked along the water, taking in the lights on the ocean as the city came to life around us. We took a few photos, including with the all too touristy I heart Kusadasi sign on the waterfront. Mustafa then introduced us to his favourite local joint, Leila, where locals smoked shisha (hooka) and watched the European League Football on large TVs. Our little group had a drink and enjoyed the complimentary fruit platter and savoury snacks as we chatted and people-watched the locals.

Tips:

·        As my roommate said about Pamukkale Soda; Go off season, go early and go far.

Accommodation: Ramada Hotel & Suites, Kusadasi