A week of land cruising - Stage 1 to Pamukkale

We're taking a week's break from the boat and the heat on the coast to do some land cruising by bus. We've left the boat in the marina at Kusadasi and are going first to Pamukkale, then on to Egirdir in Turkey's Lake District. 

Seen from a distance Pamukkale (Cotton Castle in Turkish) looks like an unsightly scar of quarried rock set in the hillside. Get closer and an extraordinary sight unfolds. Layer upon layer of freshwater pools formed by the accumulation of white travertine limestone climb up the hill. Alkaline-rich warm water trickles down the hillside out of underground thermal springs and over thousands of years has deposited the limestone on the slopes to form these iconic pools.

The Romans discovered the place first. To enjoy the healthgiving waters here they built the spa city of Hierapolis, the remains of which can still be seen.

Entering Roman Hierapolis

Leighton inspects the Roman latrines

Tomb submerged in limestone

Pamukkale, now a World Heritage site, is still attracting visitors today - along with the Blue Mosque and Ephesus it's a must-see on most tourist intineraries.  These days they come by the coachload to swim in the constant 38 degrees of what's known as Cleopatra's pool, and paddle in the warm alka-seltzer water on the hillside.

Cleopatra's Pool

On advice from the people at the delightful Venus pension where we stayed, we arrived at the site late in the afternoon after most of the coaches have left. We started at the top of the hill to explore the extensive ruins of Hieropolis. Then it was off with our sandals at the crest of the hill to walk down among the travertine pools laid out below us.


Walking barefoot down the hill is a curious experience. The limestone is rough and ridged like the hard sand exposed on the beach at low tide.

In the pools, the water is like warm tea and sludgy grey mud squelches between your toes.

Leighton cools off in one of the pools

Everyone's supposed to walk down the same way to limit erosion from the hordes of visitors. Half way down, Cathy ignored the notices to keep to the path and took off up a slope to look at a formation of stalagtites she remembered from her last visit here in the 70s until an irate policeman whistled her back down.

This distant figure is Cathy going off-piste

The next day we took the dolmus to Karahayik, determined to see what Alison our friend from Finike described as a giant turd. Here it is.

Leighton holds his nose beside the giant 'turd'

The greenish brown mud here is supposed to be good for pretty much any ailment you can think of. Steaming hot water bubbles out of this revolting looking orifice and flows down into the mud baths. Bathers cover themselves in mud and leave it until it's caked dry before sluicing themselves down to get clean.



Somehow the idea of a mud bath didn't appeal - must be something to do with the sweltering sun.....or the disgusting sulphur smell.  We wimped out and cooled down in the pension swimming pool instead.