Sunday 29th July 2012……bits and pieces!!!
Before I start on my day I should explain how I planned to do Turkey…it is a huge country and I only have so many days so I did lots of reading, research and came up with a plan that I thought was workable but like all my plans there is always Plan B just so happens that I have no idea what Plan B is…anyway below is a map and numbers of my itinerary…
So No. 1 is Bodrum where I arrived on the ferry then No.2 is Selcuk where I just came from and No.3 is where I am today…No.4 is where I go to next and then onto No.5 and finally into Istanbul No.6 where I have a flight booked back to England on 9th August.
I tried to encompass as much diversity as I could and so far I am pleased with how the plan is turning out. It was not easy because bus schedules are hard to find on the Internet but with some great help from Turkey forums and especially one lady Angela from Surrey who has helped me so much over the Internet…everything is going really well.
I should also mention that since day 1 it has been very hot every day and I drink gallons of fluids, lots of sunscreen and so far my health is 100%!!!
Ok this morning packed up and walked the few 100 meters to the bus station where I had purchased my ticket to Pamukkle for 20 Lira…the bus left at 9.30am and it was a three hour uneventful journey except it was only a small bus 25 seats and all full but I had a window seat at the front because I used the Pearson etiquette of big elbows getting on first and selecting a seat.
When we arrived in Pamukkle it was an interesting time the bus stopped in the small village not at a bus terminal but at a private bus company office…they told us they would take our bags inside and explain to us directions to our various hotels and arrange for forwarding transportation.
The next town I am going to Side and so I enquired about a bus there and the Korean girl behind the desk who I later found out was married to the owner of the company told me after looking at her computer that the only buses going not to Side but to Antalya and from there I could get a mini bus and the bus times were 2am or 3.30pm. Hence the dilemma it is a 5 hour bus ride and I did not fancy the overnight one too many complications but the 3.30pm would not put me into Side till at least 10pm…but no choice so I booked and paid 25 Lira for the ticket and away I went and walked about 200 meters to my reserved hotel.
The owner met me shook my hand and said he had my reservation and he helped carry one of my bags to my room.
My first truly big disappointment….the bath tub was badly in need of repair!!!
OK I thought it was funny!!!!
The door to my balcony with this view!!
Again spotlessly clean and very nice all this for 25 dollars!!!
It seems that all the rooms I have had and are going to have will not have fridges or kitchens but I will survive and here I have already asked and put some drinks in the freezer for tomorrow.
So I was all settled in by 1pm and decided I needed an afternoon break so went down to the pool and swam and read and drank and snored till 6pm!!!!
So why did I choose to come to this sleepy little village? Good question maybe this will answer it for you!!
As I was relaxing by the pool I got to thinking on the walk here I had seen other bus company offices so why don’t I check with them so when I went into town so I stopped at one office and the man there told me they had a bus to the same place Antalya but at 9.30am ..perfect!! So I went back to the other office where I had paid for the 3.30pm ticket and asked for a refund as I had found a company that would have an earlier bus….the girl that sold me the ticket told me they would do that but it would cost me 10 Lira for the cancellation fee…..I smiled and said “OK but you did not tell me there was earlier buses to my destination”. She smiled back and said “There isn’t with this company”. So I got my 15 Lira back and it was a good lesson. I then went to the other office and paid 25 Lira and booked on the 9.30am bus a much better option for me. I explained what had happened and he told me I should complain to the tourist police in Antalya. I just thought it was a good lesson for me for future and really I was only out a couple of dollars.
The story gets interesting because on the way back to the hotel I passed the girl’s husband sitting outside a coffee shop…he asked me to come over and he knew all about the story and he told me that there is stiff bus competition and that perhaps his wife did not realize I wanted an earlier bus….I thanked him for stopping me and told him that I did ask for an early bus and she told me no. He then said that he did not want me to go away angry and unhappy with my time in Turkey and that he would give me my 10 Lira and he would pay for the cancellation fee. I was impressed with this offer and told him that in no way was I upset and I love the country and the people and it was a good lesson for me to learn and I will know in future to check around. I also told him I appreciate his kind offer but no that I am an old back packer and it was a good lesson..we shook hands and away I went!!!
I did not pay the 20 Lira to go into the site will save that for tomorrow but at the base is this beautiful water park
where I enjoyed walking around!!
Looks like snow!!
There was a small section where you could walk on the rocks and the small pool but there was a security person there making sure that everyone took their shoes off.
The beautiful lake is fed from the springs off the mountain..
There was even a slide like area for these kids!!!
They knew they were being photographed and smiled and smiled for me…who does that young girl look like????
Could that not be my Paola and Daniela????????? She is lovely and afterwards like my girls came over and I showed her the photo on my camera!!!!!
Paola and Daniela would love it here!!!!!
I came back to the hotel and walked through the village
Had a nice dinner in their restaurant by the pool…I get Internet but not in the room but down in a common area by reception.
I am looking forward to going to the site and seeing the ruins and I might even make a deal with the owner to borrow his scooter for a couple of hours to explore!!!
Ina sent me this photo of our dinner together..thanks again for being a wonderful hostess even if you ate most of the food!!!!
Yashi Kochi
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