October 8, 2022 - Saturday - Hierapolis and Antalya

We drove to the site of the Roman health spa at Hierapolis. These ruins are quite expansive. People believed the waters would cure almost anything. They did not and many people died. So many that body disposal became such a problem that sarcophagi were required in order to enter. As we drove to the site we passed stacks of sarcophagi in the fields. Not everyone died so the sarcophagi were left behind.

At this place Pamukkale’s Cotton Castle Springs spawn bubbling pools and delicate white cascades of water. This water is calcium rich and over the years it has coated the hillside in white. The flow has seriously diminished over time. It is now electronically controlled to spread the water over  the wide area of the original flows. This is necessary because without this water the white surface first turns yellow and then brown. Significant areas have already suffered this. 

We walked a long way on a wooden path along the top of the hillside at the edge of the cascades. The whole area looked snow covered. Small pools remain just a few inches deep. We watched people wade in these. Saba had warned us against that because the calcium coating is very slippery. Sure enough, we did see a woman from another tour fall. Fortunately she did not seem to be hurt other than her pride.

As we started back to the coach parking lot Alice twisted her left ankle on an uneven stone. She soldiered on. That night she soaked it in cold water and elevated it for sleeping. That has helped some. We will keep watching it. 

We left the springs and took a scenic drive to join the Yazir community in the Taurus mountains. Here we broke into 3 groups to have lunch provided by local families. Our family included 3 generations including a 4 year old and a 2 month old great granddaughter. 

The meal was vegetarian and consisted of a tomato, a pepper and an eggplant stuffed with a rice mixture. An excellent tomato soup preceded that. And a sweet desert with Turkish tea followed it. 

Two of the men spoke some English and the women managed to communicate with signs and facial expressions. Their goal was to make us feel comfortable and hopefully purchase some of their hand embroidered goods. We bought these for about $10 each. 

Then we adjourned to the farmyard. We saw their 10 goats that provided the milk for the yogurt we had at lunch. The men proudly showed off their tractor and the apple trees they manage. 

It was a nice visit provided as part of Trafalgar’s Be My Guest program that allows us to get a close up view of a bit of local life. Everyone seemed to enjoy it. Alice and I were impressed with how simple but happy their lives seemed to be. We were also impressed with the village. It was a compact society that was surviving nicely in what seemed to be in the middle of nowhere. 

Next we drove to Antalya and the Turkish Riviera on the Mediterranean. Our hotel and room were beautiful. We were located at the top of a cliff with an elevator down to sea level. There we found what Saba called a constructed beach. This consisted of a flat area hewn out of the cliff with sun lounges and umbrellas. There was a ladder down into the water and a rock to swim to with a ladder to climb up on. There was also a dive center. Did I forget to mention the bar. 

If one chose not venture into the water this way, there was a semi-Olympic infinity pool up at ground level. This was surrounded by a very nice park. The dining room looked out on this. The property pets, cats and dogs, wandered about here. The more adventurous cats made it into the dining room to mooch from the guests. There is also an employee charged with luring them back outside with food. A tough life for these cats. 

Dinner was across the street at a fine restaurant.