Day 311 – Pamukkale

On the last stretch of coastal road

On the last stretch of coastal road

Breakfast right at the ocean was still nice even after having had it three times in a row. Pamukkale was the destination for today; it is one of the top experiences in Turkey according to the Lonely Planet. It wouldn’t be a long day on the bike as it is only 200km away from Kaş. So we packed up and left. Flo grumbled about the “service” of the camp ground which meant we couldn’t take the bike to the tent. Instead, all our stuff was transported on a tiny pick-up to the bike…and then we had to strap everything to the bike for the next 15 minutes, in the sun.

Beautiful but rather chilly place

Beautiful but rather chilly place

We followed the Mediterranean Sea for another 100km before turning inwards to get to Pamukkale. As soon as we started to go up into the mountains, it got much cooler again. Flo actually started to feel cold with the compañeros letting the wind through. For lunch, we decided on a picnic once more and all we needed was some bread which was easily found. Then, we turned off the road at a promising looking dirt track, went up a hill and had a great spot with a view. Because of the wind, we both felt like having a nice cup of tea. A bit of organizing later, the cooker was out of the pannier and we got to have a great break.

About an hour later, we were in Denizli, the big town before Pamukkale. The couple from twentyonesteps.net had recommended a camp ground so we knew where we were going. Buying groceries for dinner was all that was left to do. I slightly overdid it when I went into a bakery for bread and left a while later again with baklava and bread. Well, at some point we will not get baklava anymore and that time is approaching fast.

A geese pond in front of Pamukkale

A geese pond in front of Pamukkale

The camp ground was nothing special except that you are right at the terraces of the Pamukkale sight. So even from our tent, we could look onto the white mass on the hillside. However, both of us were so tired that we needed two hours just for relaxing before we thought about anything else again. Starting, we first went to the Nature Park below the hillside. It looked like the entrance might be in there and you got to play around a bit. Looked like fun and it was. 🙂

Entering the real site, we nearly turned around. 35 lira per person is the most we have paid for an “attraction” in Turkey. Flo decided that we’d still do it and I am glad that we did but it hurt our budget. Also, all the tickets had been adorned with “35 lira” stickers and when you looked underneath it said “25”. *hmpf*

More still to go

More still to go

Pamukkale. From a distance, it just looks like a blindingly white hill. The path and the people on it are visible but the beauty lies in the details. The whole hill has or has had water flowing down over it, depositing calcite on every surface. The so-called terrace walk lets you walk up. As soon as you hit the calcite, you have to go barefoot as shoes would destroy the intricate patterns that the flowing water has carved into the surfaces. Some water is still flowing down the hillside and additional pools have been created so getting wet feet is expected. And much fun. I really enjoyed the look and feel of the calcite. Where it is in standing water, it is slippery and soft. With just a little stream of water flowing over it, it is rock solid. Flo claimed that we will have baby-soft feet once we’re back down.

Ancient theater of Hierapolis

Ancient theater of Hierapolis

On top of the hill are the ruins of Hierapolis. We tried to see some of them but first, the museum had an extra entry fee of 5 lira per person and second, the ancient pools had an entry fee of 32 lira per person. Annoyed about not being properly informed at the gates on the base of the hill, we skipped all of it and made our way back down again over the terraces. Still great fun…even the second time around. 🙂 Back on the camp ground, the usual evening routine set in and we were both incredibly tired from a long day.