The travertines, Hieropolis, the spa city + pissing rain

I'm writing this post on the bus en route Konya for the Mevlana Festival, the wonders of smartphones aye?! But read on & be entertained.

The travertines are calcium deposits that form terraces on the mountainside. Looked at from afar, it appears as if snow. To visit the ruins through Hieropolis one must first traverse through these travertines, but barefoot as no shoes are allowed on them. Wohoo!! Now where do I sign up? It does however provide one with a sense of adventure ala Lois & Clark. The travertines are hard to the touch but the submerged ones feel like mud from the floor of Port Dickson. An experience nonetheless.

Hieropolis, the ancient spa city in Pamukkale dates back to 190BC. Hieropolis was a cure centre but sadly as witnessed by the abundance of tombs in Necropolis they may not have done such a stellar job.

The ruins are a sight though, I bet even more majestic in summer or spring with all the play of lights and no rain pissing on your parade. It's a royal pain in the arse walking through the rain with winds lashing, temperatures in the 7°C range.

As usual I shall not keep you, yes you my captive audience for long. May the pictures transport you to Pamukkale through my lense.

The Bosphorus. Then Pamukkale.

The Bosphorus. I first remembered reading about the Bosphorus in some spy novel involving submarines. Having finally laid eyes on it, she did not disappoint.

On a clear sunny sky we set out on a cruise to the end of the Bosphorus. The last stop, Anadolu Kavagi was a fishing village where we got to enjoy some fresh seafood. A welcome I tell you after all the kebabs I've wolfed down.

With a somewhat heavy heart I left Istanbul Saturday night to Pamukkale, a 12 hour bus ride south. Pamukkale hosts the ruins of Hieropolis and travertines. I'll expound on its magnificence once I've visited on Monday.

In the meantime, enjoy this serving of the Bosphorus and Pamukkale.