Afrodisias

Afrodisias is located approx 90kms from Pamukkale and is one of the oldest sacred sites in Turkey. Dedicated to the ancient Mother Goddess and then the Greek goddess Aphrodite, it was the site of a magnificent Temple of Aphrodite and the home of a renowned school of marble sculpture. 

The tour bus picked up me and my new friend Diana from Australia from the hotel at 10:00 am and returned to Pamukkale approx 4 pm. The sites a  has most preserved structures and statutes than all  the sites I visited in Greece added together. The museum has an amazing collections of beautiful sculptures that we did not have time to read stories behind them. Wish I had more time for it. 

Pamukkale

Pamukkale has been used as a spa since the second century BC, literally means "cotton castle" in Turkish.  Pamukkale is in inland southeastern Aegean Turkey

The travertine features have their origins in the shifting of a fault in the valley of the Menderes river (between here and Denizli). As the fault shifted, very hot springs with a very high mineral content (notably chalk) arose at this location. Apart from the slightly radioactive minerals, the calcium and hydrogen carbonate react to create calcium carbonate (also known as travertine) and limestone. This is what gives Pamukkale its whiteness and created the pools.

I am so glad that I did not take tours from Marmaris which would have left me much less time and freedom to explore the neighboring ruins and sites.

Travertines and Hierapolis: The entrance to the Travertines & Hierapolis is literally a 2 minute walk away from the hotel through town. Entrance cost is currently 20 lira per person and this ticket is valid for both sites for a single entry only on the day of purchase. Bathing in the Travertines was fun while sitting and enjoying the views. 

LThe Antique Pool is filled with original columns and is reported to cure a number of illnesses. I did not get in because of the cost and size of the pool. I and my new friend Annie from Korea had great time and took a lot photos.

From beaches to mountain

I am beach-out after hopping islands for 9 days. I was so happy to see the green mountains on the way out of Marmaris to Pamukkale.

Turkish buses have personal movie players and free wifi. Amazing. However, it is just a bit more reliable than the bus wifi I used on South America. The whole world is making wifi more available, and hope US will catch up. 

Bus services include water, hot drinks and a snack. There are virtually no bus companies that take passengers directly to Pamukkale. The bus dropped me in Denizli and then a fellow passenger got me on a minibus to Pamukkale (about 20 km away).

I checked in the hostel then walked about the town to collect tour information and ate my trout dinner. The village had a Saturday night dance party with pop music yet pretty conservative dance which can hardly compare with the passionate dance in a South American village.

Marmaris, 1st stop in Turkey

I took an international ferry from Rhodes, Greece to Marmaris, Turkey which has beaches, lots of bars and restaurants, plenty of shopping. Marmaris has a busy nightlife with a street devoted to dance music and all the high tech clubbing scene. Bar Street is opposite the busy bazzar. Marmaris is much more westernized than I expected.

Marmaris is primarily a resort that caters for British holidaymakers but recently has become popular with Russian and other Eastern European visitors.

Turkey

Marmaris -> Pamukkale -> Ephesus -> Istanbul -> Safranbolu -> Ankara -> Cappadocia -> Trazon -> Van (bus to Iran)

I cannot wait to experience Turkey’s diverse cultural heritage.

 

Rhodes, my favorite Greek city

Rhodes is famous as the former site of the Colossus, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world and the oldest inhabited medieval town in Europe. It is my favorite Greek town, and my hostel idles right in the center of the old town. Me and my new friend Jean from SFO woke up in this beautiful town and took photos before the crowd flooding into old town. We were lucky enough to ask a few people in old town after 2 am to find our hostel and had a great night sleep.

Medieval buildings, mosques, traditional fountains, oriental motifs, Byzantine and Gothic churches, shops and cafeterias are scattered throughout the Old Town of Rhodes, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is one of the best preserved and most extensive medieval towns in Europe. 

As we wandered from the old town and over the outer wall and moat, it's like stepping back in time. It is also the location of many monuments and several museums.

Palace of the Grand Master of the Knights of Rhodes - can be split into outside, courtyard, outside wall, first floor and second floor. 

The first floor (photos prohibited) contains some artifacts of Ancient Rhodes but is closed - in it's absence, the entrance fee is entirely not worth it. The Archaeological Museum offers more selection and allows photos. Second floor has a variety of later "artifacts" such as mosaics from Kos and other odd bits and bobs, but it has almost no descriptions (probably to force people to wait for a tour guide). The Palace of the Grand Masters was demolished by a gunpowder explosion in 1856 and reconstructed by the Italians as a summer residence for Mussolini in 1940. This knowledge (that this isn't actually an authentic swords and knights castle and is instead basically a souped up country mansion).