Letter from Pamakkale

To...

Thanks for catching me up on your news. Pleased the super doper pregnancy is going smoothly and that you are at the putting your feet up stage. I am sure the big sister in waiting will love her new roll, I have always enjoyed it myself. 

Good to hear football in the Boo is going well. I have had some very amusing conversations trying to explain Aussie Rules to non Aussies as it turns out no one has ever heard of it!

My explanation of the game goes something like: ‘they have to bounce the ball, but it is oval shaped and hard to bounce, and you can tackle and no one wears any protection other than a mouth guard’. After all the hours I have been subjected to football talk you might think I would have a better handle on the game! 

 After a week or so living as close as I could to the water it has made me a little sad to head inland today, luckily between the lovely scenery of mountains and small countryside towns, my book and my tunes I managed the bus ride, which was at least two hours longer than I expected. 

I think someone chucked me on the local bus and pocketed the difference in the fare. Most of the ride was ok, except for the last 40mins which was on a second hotter and more cramped bus. It is an interesting experience catching a bus and having no real idea when to get off. My trick is to just stick with the other tourist looking types, that works at the moment as I am on the tourist trail. It turned out that the last and most horrid part of the ride was unnecessary as a lovely man from my hotel had come to collect me, if only someone had told me! 

Anyway I made it to my home for the night and it is my first real hotel room since I was in Tanzania. I am all for dorm rooms for saving dollars and making friends, but tonight I love my room with its clean bathroom and real shower, as opposed to the shower over the toilet type arrangement I have gotten used to. I am happy to fly solo tonight and hang out in my beautiful room. At the moment I miss all the friends I made on the boat, so I am not ready to do the new friend thing yet- in a day or so I will be back to being social.   

The travel thing forces me to be much more social than my at home self, or perhaps the energy that normally goes into work gets sent into a different direction.  Whatever it is making so many new friends is absolutely one of the most special things about travel, but it is tough also- too many goodbyes! Not to mention all the folks back home who I miss as well. 

I have been on the road about two months now and am about to start thinking through ‘doing Europe’, but before that I have a few days of sight seeing and then, (and this is something I decided when I  arrived this afternoon) I am going to have a week off from tourist-ing to have a rest and do some writing. I just have to find myself a perfect nook. 

I am visiting Pamakkale tomorrow, and am a little afraid that it is going to be a tourist hell hole. 

Sending tons of love from Turkey, Sandy

PS. Thought I should add a post Pamakkale post script. 

The ancient city of Heirapolis was a spa town, built next to the mineral spring which the creates strange phenomenon of the white calcium travertines. 

Because the remains of the city are in such close proximity to the spa people tend to wander about the ruins in their bikinis – it seems no opportunity for tanning can be missed.  

The city was relatively tourist free, and I loved the amphitheater but the ‘healing’ water at the Cleopatra bathes was so full of people that I was not tempted to test it.

The terraces were also crawling with people, but the bizarre blinding white landscape was something not to be missed and I happily dunked myself along with everybody else.

PPS. I am going to use my letter to you for my blog also so if you want to see the accompanying pictures you can go to flamingorover.blogspot.com.