Saturday, April 27, 2024

Kusadasi or bust (2 days)






It was a bit of a rough night as we arrived in Izmir at 1:30am and had a bumpy hour drive to our hotel. Finally crashing at around 2:30am, it was unpleasant to hear the alarm so quickly at 7am. Grumbling, we started to get ready for our 8am pickup. However they arrived EARLY at 730am! We were still looking for clothes and had not eaten since setting out yesterday. Hangerly I contacted our travel company and they expertly rearranged our itinerary so that we had a relaxing day and our tour was moved two days later. This turned out to be very fortunate as it was a blisteringly hot day in the city that we got to spend pool/beach side.   Not much to report for the whole day except lounging and drinking and even swimming in the Aegean Sea. The weather was perfect! At night we ventured into town and wondered the bustling bazaar sampling local street foods and pistachio ice cream.  The venders jovially hawked their wears and enticed us at every corner to, “just have a look inside”.  We strolled hand in hand along to waterfront as a spectator sunset evolved.   We crashed early in order to catch up on our beauty sleep. 


We awoke this morning much more refreshed and ready to tackle the day. We were picked up by our tour guide and settled in for the 3 hour drive towards Pamukkale (Turkey’s top natural wonder). Our journey to Pamukkale was a mesmerizing adventure through history and natural wonder.  As we ascended the terraces of the Cotton Castle, the surreal landscape unfolded before us, inviting us to hike and wade in its crystalline waters.  Each step unveiled a new vista of pure white travertine cascading down the hillside, resembling a frozen waterfall.  The locals often referred to this mountain as ‘snowy mountain’ because it does resemble an oddly snowcapped hill in the middle of the desert. 


Our exploration led us to Cleopatra’s ancient pool, where we immersed ourselves in its legendary waters, soaking up the revered health benefits. The allure of the Ploutonion (Pluto’s gate) beckoned, a renovated statue of Hades sitting over a small pond of malevolently bubbling water as it gently flowed from an ancient cave.  This was known as the gateway to the underworld (the door to hell), after causing the death of many people in the ancient times due to toxic gases building up in the cave. 


Amidst the ancient ruins, we discovered another marvel: a vast Roman amphitheater. From its weathered stone seats, we marveled at the enduring legacy of civilizations that once thrived in this land. The landscape here was littered with ancient ruins.   


Sweaty and tired we boarded our transport and headed back to our hotel. 

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