Ramble
Quest - On Another Planet (Pamukkale).
After Cappadocia, the spectacularly white, cascading travertines of Pamukkale are probably the next most photographed site in Turkey. I, like most people, was enticed to a visit solely on the basis of these photos, which depict tourists in bathing suits lounging about hot pools in a seemingly alien landscape. The travertines, caused by calcium deposits from nearby hot springs, look so much like snow and ice that even while looking at them up close, it is difficult to convince yourself that they are not cold.
Thanks to an early start, unseasonably cool weather, and the war in Iraq, I have these amazing travertine pools entirely to myself for about an hour. I choose a choice spot on a ridge, put my hands and feet in the warm (yes, warm, not hot) running water, and gaze out over petrified white waterfalls. Truly, it feels like I'm on a distant planet, some kind of Ray Bradbury Martian ideal where the air is breathable but the landscape is of another world.
Eventually, the spell is broken when two Turkish families arrive and, ignoring about 50 posted signs, tromp all over the place with their shoes on, taking photos. Time to move on.
The Romans built the important city of Hierapolis atop the hill, channeling the hot water, which they believed to be healing, into a spa. The resulting ruins are far more extensive than I'd supposed. The theater and necropolis areas are particularly impressive. One burial mound comically has a large stone phallic symbol on its top. Just what was this guy trying to say?
The small museum is worth a quick look but I spend most of the day either lazily soaking my feet or strolling about the hillside. It's a marvelous spot, out in the country and surrounded by lovely mountains. One full day is enough time for it though.
Judging by all of those photos I've seen of Pamukkale, I'm sure this place can become terribly crowded at times. Even now, during a slow period, it seemed a bit busy in the late afternoon, when the tour groups arrived in waves of buses. Since there are (shamefully) some motels on the historic site, you can get in at any time. Come early and have the place to yourself as I did.