The Cotton Castle (Pamukkale)

The awesome "Cotton Castle" as seen from our hotel

The overnight bus from Cappadocia to Pamukkale was a luxuriously short 10 hours compared to our 13 hour marathon ride only 2 nights prior that took us from Istanbul to Cappadocia.  I had been excited about Pamukkale ever since I had seen photos online; it just looked magical and otherworldly, and since that had been our theme lately (see Cappadocia blog), we figured, why not just stick with it.

 

Another fantastic Turkish breakfast

We arrived around 0600 in Denizli, the main town in the area.  Thank goodness the bus staff woke us up for the stop.  We had been expecting our large coach to stop in the town’s bus station (silly, I know – I mean who would be foolish enough to believe that a bus would stop at a station?), which would have been almost impossible to sleep through.  Instead, we quietly pulled over to the side of the road where a taxi and a couple of vans were waiting.  Thankfully, the staff on the bus roused us and declared that "we were here."  We groggily (though quickly, as these buses do NOT stop for more than a minute or two) gathered our things and moved to the side of the road with a few other people.  We filed onto one of the vans arranged by the bus company to take us the rest of the way to Pamukkale, and then sat in some ridiculously uncomfortable seats for almost an hour (waiting for a couple of the other bus companies to deposit a few more very fatigued tourists by the roadside.)  Finally, as the sun came up, we proceeded to the little town of Pamukkale.

 

The fantastic travertines!

Arriving in a place either early in the morning or late in the evening has certain advantages and disadvantages.  One of the nice parts is that you get to see a bit more "real life."  You often pass shopkeepers having breakfast, people walking to work, and laundry being done if the weather looks nice.  You can see a place literally wake up and begin the day.  In the evening, the reverse happens – shops are closing, friends and family are gathering to eat, drink and exchange stories about the day, and dry laundry is being put into baskets.  

A perfect day in Pamukkale

I love both of these times of day, especially now that we’ve been on the road awhile and home has become wherever we put our backpacks down (I’ve nicknamed mine "old blue.")  You just seem to get some sense of normalcy during these times of day.  The flipside to an early arrival can be that your hotel room isn’t ready (and might not be for several hours), public transport may or may not be running yet, and you might find yourself pretty hungry with nowhere to find some breakfast.  In the evening, you can have trouble finding a place to stay if it’s high season or a holiday, you might have to pay extra for that cab ride because the bus that would have gone to your neighborhood might not be running anymore, and again, you might find yourself a bit hungry.  In larger towns and cities, these things are less of an issue, but in small places, it’s best to be prepared.

 

Tote's contents in Montenegro (butter container is full of sugar)  =)

This seems like a good time to introduce one of my best travel friends, Tote.  The concept of Tote has existed on our travels for quite some time.  It may take the form of a grocery store plastic bag or a paper sack from a shop, but the idea has been consistent.  Inevitably, while traveling (especially for an extended period of time on a budget), we have tended to accumulate certain things (by choice or circumstance) that we might not immediately need, but could need in the very near future.  Imagine this example:  maybe you didn’t use that last prepackaged jelly container you took to your plate at breakfast, but it sure might be nice to have it in two days when you have to take that early bus and check out of your hotel before they serve breakfast.  You can add your jelly to that partial baguette you didn’t finish during yesterday’s lunch, and voila, you’re set.

 

Blue, blue water

We have added to and subtracted from Tote (yes, cleverly named because he’s a tote bag) a lot so far this year.  France saw the addition of handy plastic bags, a small bag of coffee, single serving Nutella packets (yum), two violently orange plastic cups (a fortunate result of the ill-fated cooler purchasing experience) and paper towels.  In Croatia we added a small bottle of olive oil and a baggie of dried herbs from the market as well as my stock of Nescafe (like I said, it’s best to be prepared).  We would often add a few tomatoes or some fruit to Tote, and within a few days they would be consumed as snacks either on the road or in the hotel.  Waste not, want not, right?  =)  Tote has carried water, soda, bathing suits, towels, lunches, spare plastic silverware, Kleenex, and most recently as I’m writing this in Nepal, loads of hand sanitizer and toilet paper.  

He has battled dirty bus floors, stuffed overhead compartments, taxi cabs, luggage storage facilities and airports.  He’s a trooper.  Every time I think we should clear Tote out and put all of his contents in our other bags, we find new uses for our random bag. =)  The current Tote is navy blue and came from Zagreb, Croatia.  He came with a small hole already in one side, so I got a bargain and he’s proven that he can carry kilograms of stuff without bursting.  I think we’ll keep him until the end.  =)

 

At the top of the travertines overlooking some of beautiful Anatolia

We shall now return to morning in Pamukkale.  Given our early morning arrival, we were not surprised to learn that our hotel room was hours away from being ready as the place was fully booked up.  So, being that it was early and we were still tired, we did what any long term traveler would do and propped our bags between us, stretched out on some couches in the empty lobby, and settled in for a bonus hour of sleep.  We awoke to the sounds and smells of Turkish breakfast preparation and quickly made our way outside to partake.  It was just what we needed.  Our hotel was in a great location – right across from the travertines for which Pamukkale is famous; it was an ideal backdrop for an outdoor breakfast.  The day was beautiful and we felt lucky to be on the road.

 

Pretty calcium carbonate

Lingering over a delicious Turkish breakfast (complete with all-you-can-drink tea and coffee) was a perfect way to spend the few hours until our room was ready.  Once settled, we completed our post-overnight bus routine (shower and a glorious nap), and then headed out for the afternoon.  The word Pamukkale means "cotton castle" and is an excellent descriptor for the town’s main attraction.  The area has many hot springs, and because of their content (primarily the calcium carbonate) spilling over a large area of hillside, the area is coated with brilliant white deposits.  It has been used as a spa for centuries and the ancient Greco-Roman city of Hierapolis sits atop the hillside.

 

Self-explanatory, sorry for the tan lines =)

One of the most fun parts of the travertines is that you are not allowed to wear shoes while walking on their surfaces as it can cause destruction of the mineral deposits.  You can, however, sit or swim (most of them are pretty shallow, so I use the term "swim" loosely) in them.  What all this boils down to is that you get to climb a white hillside barefoot and wearing your bathing suit; and do no forget your sunglasses because when the sun is out, the beautiful whiteness of it all will nearly blind you.  =)  It was definitely an experience.

 

The excellent amphitheatre at Hierapolis

We took our time and enjoyed the way up, with incredible views of southwestern Anatolia all around us.  Once at the top, we made our way to the ruins of Hierapolis as one entry ticket gets you into both attractions.  

Part of the ancient Agora

They were beyond extensive, and we spent the next several hours walking among the ancient buildings, including a very well preserved amphitheater.  Before our travels this year, I had it in my head that these giant Roman theatres really only existed in Rome (i.e. the colosseum).  The truth is, however, that they are all over the lands that the Roman Empire used to control (and most of them much quieter and easier to enjoy than Rome’s albeit fantastic colosseum.)  They are, of course, in various states of repair and disrepair, but their enormity often remains impressive.

 

As we began to wind our way back to the travertines, the sun was just starting to set.  We wandered slowly, taking way too many photographs but enjoying every minute.  It was nearly dark as we walked back down the travertines, now eerily illuminated by the little remaining light.  Walking barefoot in the darkness with the cool water running over our feet on these unusual natural formations certainly transported us back a few centuries within our minds.  One can only hope that the preservation efforts continue in order to maintain this ethereal place.  As it stands now they periodically restrict where we humans can walk in order to allow the travertines to rebuild.

 

We ate Turkish pizza in bed while watching a soccer match neither one of us knew anything about; the perfect end to a fantastic day.  In the morning, it was off to the southern coast to experience more of Turkey’s wonders.  This time, at least the bus ride would be during the day.

Click below for more great shots of the Cotton Castle!