| The Scenic, But Missing Waters of Pamukkale |
| Turkey |
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| Pamukkale was my greatest disappointment in Turkey. The lovely pools and cascading waters splashing down from these mineral formations were nearly entirely gone. It looked far more like a desert, complete with large dust storms. I truly hope the Turkish authorities have fully restored Pamukkale since these pictures were taken in 1998. |
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| I had little trouble finding where the waters were diverted for other purposes. This is a motel swimming pool, one of several motels built directly above the "national park". With the motels taking so much water, flow into the scenic pools was extremely limited. Years earlier the government had promised to demolish these motels, but motels still controlled the water in 1998. |
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| I watched enough water flow into this one pool for a few decent pictures at sunset. Better than nothing. But in the video, I expressed my negative opinions quite strongly with both pictures and words. |
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| At least this is a sample of scenic Pamukkale, as shown in the travel posters. The setting sun reflects off the pool. All Pamukkale needs is water, which originally attracted the Romans to come here. |
| If you have a high speed internet connection, watch the Intrepid Berkeley Explorer's free streaming video of this trip, "What the Sultan Saw", by clicking on AdventurePics.com . |
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