Kusadasi

Day 8

After the balloon flight yesterday morning we flew on to Izmir by regular 737 jet engine – no balloons, no magic carpets.  We were met at the airport and transferred to Kusadasi, sharing the car with a chap from Williamstown, Melbourne so we chatted the whole way.  On arrival at the Arora hotel we were instantly unimpressed with the place but didn’t think we should cause a fuss, perhaps we have been spoilt by the fabulous locations and level of service at the first two places, and this is what we should be expecting. But then we discovered there was no bar fridge and a ‘no alcohol in the room’ rule.  What were they thinking when they booked two Aussies in here? Fancy having a balcony on the third floor overlooking the Aegean Sea (which we sailed on with friends from Butterworth in 1985) but not be able to make the most of it with a sun-downer session,  a-la=Brinkin Drinkin. Not to worry, we try the pool-deck bar, only to discover the service level appalling and the area very untidy, including the behaviour of some of the Rumanian residents.  Deciding not to patronize their restaurant we ambled down towards the waterfront looking for a seafood restaurant and ended up eating pizza and chicken kebab.  We couldn’t actually find a way to access the waterfront and there didn’t appear to be another café or restaurant within walking distance. In fact, nothing of interest within walking distance. To top off the evening we discovered this one restaurant option was also owned by the Arora, how lucky were we? When we got back to our room we still couldn’t enjoy the balcony as the staff were running some poolside games which involved lots of clapping and laughter at people making fools of themselves.  It was time to send an email to the company who organised our tour.  It was a very polite email which started with all the things we have appreciated about their arrangements up to now and then a dot point list of why they should not book people into this hotel in the future.  It was for their own good really, we were not expecting any changes to be made on our behalf.

To cut a long story short after breakfast in the morning we were collected for our group tour only to be whisked off the bus once we got into the centre of town.  We were offered a new hotel to move into at the end of the tour and the tour had been upgraded to a private one.  How impressive!  We had a great day which began with a visit to the House of the Virgin Mary.  Apparently she lived here under the care of St John after the crucifixion, and together they helped spread Christianity to the pagans of the day. It was interesting to learn that Moslems also highly respect Mary, mother of Jesus, it’s just that they believe he was another of the prophets rather than the son of God.  We watched a very devout Muslim man pay heartfelt honor to Mary today. At this site you find the only site where Moslems and Christians pray together at the prayer wall.  Holy water from a spring under Mary’s house is available to anyone who wants a drink, by chance we both drank from the third outlet which our guide later told us was the fount for eternal love. Ahh!  The other two are health and wealth. You can't be gluttons though.

Mary's house, now a consecrated church

This devout Muslim was happy to be snapped

And this font is an blend of all 3 

We then visited the ruins of Ephesus which was the capital of Asia Minor during the grandest period of the Roman empire.   The architectural achievements of these early civilizations fills us with wonder. What a history buff I should be, but I still have trouble putting the names and time periods in order. Thankfully Eric just soaks it all up and I can verify information with him as I write this.  Ask him if you want any more details.

 Walking down the paved Curetes St

The mosaics of the shop verandahs

The 2 storey facade of the library

A lioness guarding the ruins

After lunch we spent some time in Selcuk admiring the ruins of the Temple of Diana (pagan times) then the first church in the area (Christianity) and the first mosque (Islam). All are built within a stone’s throw of each other and can be captured in one photograph.  We were intrigued by the storks nesting on every available column still standing in the town.  Apparently they return here every year to nest and raise their young, they are loved by the townsfolk who have erected some further artificial nesting sites on top of light poles to accommodate them.

Once 1 of the 7 great wonders of the world

On return to the Arora we were able to check out without fuss and we headed back to the centre of town.  Our guide was still with us and he pointed out Pigeon Island where we should walk for the sunset panorama, just 15 mins away. Closer still was the grand bazaar if we wanted to walk to shops, the local beach for a refreshing dip and the best seafood restaurant in town are right across the road from our new hotel, the Onder. Straight away the service was impressive and we are very happy, I’m trying not to look smug (isn’t that a great word?) but I think Eric has noticed. To top off a great day we managed to catch the Crisps, who are currently enjoying a few days in Oslo, for a quick skype session.  With school holidays underway we currently have friends in Scandanavia, The Caribbean , the US and Hawaii, China and Australia.  How does one manage all those time zones? After a delicious seafood dinner we each ordered a glass of the local spirit. Raki tastes like Ouzo, you would think one sip would get you home on a magic carpet but ours didn’t turn up, so we walked home. 

View from our balcony toward Pigeaon Island

 Day 9

Today we travelled in a mini bus to the ancient city of Hierepolis, better known as Pamukkale and famous for its thermal springs.  It was a long drive there and back from Kusadasi but well worth it.  Over the centuries the water, which is highly saturated in calcium bicarbonate, flows over the edge of the plateau and cools, depositing calcium carbonate which forms the white chalky terraces that look something like the cascading rice paddies you find on hillsides in Asia, only snow white. 

The source of the spring was once the centre of the city of Hierepolis, now in ruins, but once well known for its therapeutic health spa. There are lots of ruins to explore the best of which is the theatre which Eric surveyed in detail while I sat in the shade and ate an ice cream. I’ve had enough of exploring piles of rocks for a day or so.  The terraces are amazing but sadly the trend toward a lower rainfall in the area and diversion of the spring water to swimming pools and irrigation means the terrace supply is seriously depleted. Much of what was once a wet wonderland is now dry and discoloured.  Increasing tourism is also applying further pressure, some years ago there were a couple of hotels built right on the site, but they have since been removed for heritage purposes.   You can wade in limited areas of the terraces or opt to pay and swim in the hot springs pool for a further 30 Turkish Lira. We have been spoilt with access to both Katherine and Mataranka Springs in recent years so decided not to bother.  Besides, the water is 35 deg and if we wanted to swim anywhere we would be looking for much more refreshing temperatures on this very hot afternoon!

 One thing we really enjoyed today was the company on the bus.  There was a Venezuelan, a Brazilian, a Japanese/American couple, ourselves and 8 Malaysians. There was a lot of chatter and banter all day which was fun.  Our guide was an older woman who not only shared all the historical facts but also enlightened us with cultural insights into marriage, divorce etc. 

Day 10

It was an early start today as we needed to check out and take our bags with us on the tour of Permagon, a city built by the Greeks from 399 BC. It was built on a hilltop, the approach very steep. Fortunately we were driven, others could take a cable car.  Overlooking the fertile valley, this very important city became the Capital of the Kingdom of Pergamon. There was once an Altar of Zeus here but when it was excavated it went to the museum in Berlin. There was a temple of Dyonysus and a huge library, second only to the one in Alexandria, Egypt.  This one held over 200,000 scrolls which it is believed Mark Antony later gave to Cleopatra as a wedding present.  The ampitheatre, built into the hillside, had the first moveable wooden stage which they could roll to the left or right for changes of scenes.        

So much cultural development but apart from invasions it also suffered from earthquakes and is in ruins.  A funny comment from an Indian Woman in our group today "I'm sick of seeing all these unfinished buildings! Nothing is finished, I'm bored."  When you look at all our pictures of the last few days you have to appreciate what she is saying.

Beyond the town walls was another important site, the Greco-Roman medical centre known as the Asclepion. It is something like the current day spa centre where patients could enjoy the therapeutic benefits of the thermal springs, mud baths, sleeping underground for dream therapy, reading in the library, light exercise in the undercover colonnaded walkways, entertainment in the theatre etc. It was interesting to discover that the current day medical symbol of a serpent wrapped around a rod is actually known as The Rod of Asclepius.

After lunch we found ourselves at another demonstration of onyx cutting and polishing, I’m now in possession of 2 onyx eggs but this one cost me a scalded hand in a silly challenge the proprietor of the business held me to, literally squeezing my hand onto the very hot rock after it had been polished and holding it there while I squirmed.  Not impressed, not encouraged to buy.  

About 3:30 we were deposited at a roadside café to await the bus to Cannakale while our tour headed home.  It was a very windy afternoon and we were glad the wait wasn’t any longer.  The local bus was a pleasant surprise though with a courier on-board who served tea and coffee, very comfortable seats and video screens similar to the ones embedded in the back of aeroplane seats (not that there was much to choose from if you can’t speak Turkish).  

We eventually made it to the Cannakale bus terminal and then found our way onto a local shuttle that dropped us at the door of our hotel with the assistance of a very helpful, young Turk who spoke perfect English.  It’s already 9:30pm and as we eat dinner we can see many people walking the esplanade, enjoying the coolness of the evening.  We join them soon after but briefly, it has been a very long day and tomorrow we have another one.