(Turkey) White hill, Pamukkale in the middle of summer

[15/06/30~08/07 (D+1437)]

When I looked at the map near Istanbul, I could see Sea of Marmara which is very small. I had to take a ferry to go to Pamukkale so that I could save the time. It was fast ferry that I could not go out on the desk. One interesting thing was there were pray room for men and women.

I was thinking about how to carry my drone. And then I decided to put on the plastic bag just in case raining and put the behind of luggage. A hard case for the drone was expensive, so I bought soft one. I hoped it could stay longer.

There was much bread on a container when I had lunch at a restaurant.

There was a truck carrying a huge longer wing for aerogenerator

Nice scenery along the road

I was invited at a local people’s house when I asked permission for my tent. At the next day, they offer me breakfast.

I printed the photo for a gift to them. They gave me Turkish coffee before I left. I drank Turkish coffee lots of times when I was in Eastern Europe. It was funny that I really didn’t see Turkish drank Turkish coffee. Most of times they only drank tea.

Interesting tool for farming

It was extremely hot and there was a really steep uphill. I was wondering who the hell build this road. Suddenly I wanted to study about building the road.

I had to hurry, but I stopped because some local people was eating fruit from the tree. I was curious, so I watched. Then he offered me to try.

It was the sweetest fruit ever I had.

I wanted to arrive in Pamukkale today that I cycled harder. But then I had to cycle around the dark. When I passed a small village it started dark that I was scared. Fortunately I arrived in Pamukkale not too late dark. I was surprised that Pamukkale was really small town.

I’ve stayed at the hostel near the park. I was used to coming out in the night to have cool air and feel fresh at the park. Daytime was too hot that I liked to go out in the night.

Pamukkale, meaning “cotton castle” in Turkish, is a natural site. The city contains hot springs and travertines, terraces of carbonate minerals left by the flowing water.

Tourism is a major industry. People have bathed in its pools for thousands of years. As recently as the mid-20th century, hotels were built over the ruins of Hierapolis, causing considerable damage. An approach road was built from the valley over the terraces, and motor bikes were allowed to go up and down the slopes. When the area was declared a World Heritage Site, the hotels were demolished and the road removed and replaced with artificial pools. Wearing shoes in the water is prohibited to protect the deposits.

I was disappointed that it looked too different from the picture on online. It was too dry.

Me on Pamukkale

It didn’t take long time to go up to the top of hill. Behind the hill, there was ruins.

Actually it didn’t look much interesting because every ruins was scattered.

I went with Canadian friend whom I met in the hostel. We made joke that the most interesting places in the park was amphitheatre. (Half true)

There was swimming pool which needs another extra entrance fee. It was said this is a special place because the old ruins was under water.

Pamukkale’s terraces are made of travertine, a sedimentary rock deposited by water from the hot springs.

Picture with friend

It would be so beautiful if it was fulled by water.

I tried to find where water was.

I saw this dog last night and I gave some food and played little bit together. She showed me her belly when she saw me again on the hill.

Around the sunset, water was warm at some place. And water was cold at the other place. I thought the temperature of the water depended on which place.

I chose warm place to put my body under water.

At the beginning I was very disappointed because it looked too different from online picture. But after spending all day here I started liking. Specially to be relax at hot spring on the sunset was really nice that I felt like I was relax at the five star hotel.

Another funny thing was I felt like I was on the snow hill on the middle of summer because it was white.

(Wikipedia information about Pamukkale
http://www.sciencetimes.co.kr/?news=%ED%81%B4%EB%A0%88%EC%98%A4%ED%8C%8C%ED%8A%B8%EB%9D%BC%EB%8F%84-%EB%B0%98%ED%95%9C-%ED%8C%8C%EB%AC%B5%EC%B9%BC%EB%A0%88%EC%9D%98-%EB%B9%84%EB%B0%80
)

The video which I took with my drone

After few days at Pamukkale, I started cycling again. When I went far from Pamukkale, I just looked at back and I could see white hill. It was very hot day that I became exhausted easily.

I got permission to pitch my tent at a gas station, so I put my tent behind of building. There was no security camera, but I thought it would be fine. Workers offered me tea that they were kind.

But then something happened during middle of the night which I’ve never ever had on the trip.

During sleeping I suddenly heard zip opening. I screamed out to warn or being shocked. It was worker and he showed me translator with his phone ‘sorry I want to give you coca cola and chips.’ I said no and he went away. I checked clock and it was 1:15 am. What the hell..He wanted to invite me for coca cola and chips at 1:15 am??? So he opened my tent without any asking or knocking???? What the hell was in his mind? He just gave me scary memory. Stupid guy with stupid head…. (I went to sleep at 9:30pm that he must know I was sleeping .Actually it was hot night that I didn’t close one side of main cover. So he could see I was sleeping before he opened zip.. the bad guy opened zip even he saw I was sleeping.)

At the next day morning the cat was sitting at the next to my bicycle while I was having breakfast at a restaurant.

It was too hot that I started early morning. But then I got already exhausted before the noon.

I thought Turkey was developing country. But then I realized they were quite richer than other neighborhood, Eastern Europe. It looked like agriculture was well developed in Turkey. I saw people using animal or hand for farming at Eastern Europe. But I saw everyday that most of people used tractor in Turkey.

Quiet lake

Around 12pm when I was fighting with the heat, I saw one hotel at the small town. I just asked the price. They told $25. So I turned around and then suddenly they stopped me and said $12. There was air conditional and week wifi that I decided to stop cycling and have the rest at the middle of the day.

The view from terrace was good as well. It was cheap hotel that I stayed more than one week and updated my blog.

I thought often that Turkey has beautiful nature.

It was weird sign board. At the left showed “It is thee lanes.” And then at the right “It is two lanes”

Again there was very steep uphill. I was wondering about to make steep uphill is cheaper or not.

I set up tent at somebody’s yard. I was invited at dinner and I could take shower at their house. In the night it was too windy that I could not fall in sleep because of noise from the ten. Then they came out and suggest me to sleep at the inside. After I went to their house, I could fall in sleep well.

It is typical Turkish breakfast that they put the matt and food on the tray at the floor.

Picture with them

Gift for them

Although it was so nice scenery, I had to stop for one or two hours to have break because of too hot weather. I went to a small grocery to buy water, but the owner was worried about my health that he suggests me to not cycle for a couple of hours. And then he didn’t take my money, but give me free water and snack. I thought Turkish were generous and kind. I didn’t want to cycle in the night that after one hour I started cycling again.

It was too hot that I wanted to eat at the outside for the lunch. When I tried to take the picture of the food, suddenly lots of flies came around as like they came to death animal. After taking picture quickly I moved to inside. It was one of most tasty food. Maybe if it is too tasty food, then lots of flying come.

The farmer above the picture was like on the painting.

Once I entered to a big highway, there was cherry tree everywhere. When I bought cherry from street vendor, he put water on the bag and washed.

Soon I had stomachache. I guessed it was because of water which he washed for cherry. I felt like it was one of the most dangerous situations on my trip. It looked like once I got off from my bicycle something would be exploded as soon as possible. Narrowly I found the empty building that I went behind the building and saved my life from tragic.

I kept seeing this sign board on the road.

I thought it was the place where all fruit came and sent to the other place.

On the terminal, there was some funny symbol.

Maybe this was popular around this region.

Before the sunset, there was some city. I went to the center and found a few hotels. The price was only around $11. I had stayed around 10 days here. At the day I arrived, I didn’t do anything but sleeping because of stomachache. I had problem for a few days in a toilet. After a few days relaxing, I got better.

Mouse was broken that I bought very small one. I put it on the center to compare real size.

If I opened the window of the hotel, I could see other building. It was like Istanbul that every building was too close to have privacy. It was too hot but I could not open the curtain. I just took the shower more than two times a day to cool down.

After having breaking, I cycled again.

I saw many tractors on the road every hours.

I felt lucky to have cloud weather which made the day a bit cooler. If it was cloudy, it was not that much hot.

I could not find the place to set up my tent easily. So, I put my tent behind a gas station. I had scared experience last time at a gas station, so I pitch my tent at the place where a security camera was. Workers invited me at their dinner and I was careful as not open my mind easily just in case. It was pity that I cannot open my mind easily for my safety.

At the next day I had typical Turkish breakfast at the restaurant; soup and bread.

In the morning it was a bit cloudy again that I could cycle well.

It was surprised to see people had farm on the semi desert.

After cloud was gone, it got hotter again. When I passed small village, there were cute ducks.

Although it was hotter, I felt good because of beautiful scenery. Then I realized that I went wrong way more than 5 km (3.15 mi). Yup I had to go back on this hot weather.

There was weird thing on the field that I saw many people staying on the tent and they had car. I was wondering that they were gypsy or just workers on the farm.

I thought that I could find the cheap hotel at the next city, but it got dark that I decided to stop at a gas station. There was a hotel which looked nicer. I just asked the price. It was around $40. I asked the worker that there was no any cheap hotel near. He said I had to go to the next city. I was about to set up my tent at a gas station. Then the worker told me he could give me a room for $30. But it was still expensive that I just said thank to him. Then he told me that he would like to help me and wanted to give me the room for $11. Wow.. What a lucky!

It was very nice hotel! But unfortunately I could not sleep well because the room was extremely hot during the night. I could not understand why this nice hotel didn’t have an air conditional. .It was too weird that many houses didn’t have air conditional at the central Turkey. I didn’t think it was because of money. I guessed that they were used to the heat. I tried to think positively. After one month it would be not hot anymore. The heat would be calm down after month! Pamukkale was one of my destinations on Turkey and I had just been there. My next destination was Capadoccia. Yeah, let’s go!