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Published: August 14th 2010
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The last week has seen us continuing firmly on the tourist path around Turkey.
Our first step, like so many Kiwis and Australians, was the pilgrimage to Gallipoli. Ask any antipodean about Gallipoli and they will at least have heard of it. On the 90th anniversary of ANZAC Day, 20000 Kiwis and Australians visited the dawn services.
Our destination after our 6 hour bus ride from Istanbul was the sleepy little town of Eceabat which is only about ten minutes from Gallipoli Peninsula.
While Ecebat will never win any beauty contests, it was a handy place to base ourselves - most of the travelers there seemed to be Australians. We were seriously outnumbered by the Aussies in our hostel being the only Kiwis but we managed to cope with the playful banter and thankfully there weren't too many sheep jokes!
In the course of one day we took a morning snorkel trip at Suvla Bay where we snorkeled over a scuttled war ship from WW1. Unfortunately the wind was up resulting in poor visibility but it was fantastic to be back in the ocean again - temperatures have reached up to 40c here!
The next stop
was Anzac Cove where we snorkeled in the shallows spotting the remains of shrapnel and empty bullet cases. Depressingly there were so many bullets and shrapnel flying through the air during the war, that bullets that have collided mid-flight have been found.
Our Turkish guide surprisingly offered us the empty bullets and shrapnel that we found to take home as souvenirs. None of us were particularly keen and felt that these should be left in the sea or displayed in museums. I don't know how he expects to run tours in 20 years time if each person takes away a 'little souvenir' surely after awhile there will be nothing left to look at!
The afternoon tour was a bit of an exhausting experience due to the suffocating heat. Our guide did his best to explain the very complicated series of events that happened here in WW1. The tactics, counter attacks and military allegiances all made my head spin. Unfortunately it all boiled down to one thing - a ridiculous number of lives wasted. During the bloodiest days 3 days 28,000 young men died on both sides.
The statistics were mind numbing but the messages inscribed to lost
sons were heartbreaking. One grave in the Australian cemetery said simply 'Well done Ted'
Near Anzac Cove, a large memorial is inscribed with words from Atatürk:
"Those heroes who shed their blood and lost their lives … you are now lying in the soil of a friendly country. Therefore rest in peace. There is no difference between the Johnnies and the Mehmets to us where they lay side by side here in this country of ours… You, the mothers who sent their sons from far away countries, wipe away your tears. Your sons are now lying in our bosom and are in peace. After having lost their lives on this land, they have become our sons as well." After leaving the ghosts of Gallipoli behind us, we set off on an early ferry to begin the journey towards Pamukkale.
The buses in Turkey have an excellent reputation and have proved to be a great way to get around. The network is extensive and the buses themselves are far better than any we have seen at home. Each bus has a well dressed attendant who acts a bit like an air steward, handing out snacks,
filling up plastic cups with water and even serving ice cream - what a nice surprise! The seats have little televisions in the back (all movies in Turkish though) headphones and even wifi so you can check your email and blog while travelling! The only negative has been the air conditioning. It just hasn’t been able to cope with the heat and the temperatures have been disgusting.
After one of these very long bus journeys (including all waiting and connections, nearly 12 hours) we arrived in the little town of Pamukkale.
A stop firmly on the backpacker circuit, Pamukkale is famous for the travertine’s that flow down the hill in front of the ancient ruins of Hierapolis.
The travertine’s are a bizarre natural wonder. Underneath the hill lies a source of water that is heated by volcanic lava. The water dissolves pure white calcium, which it carries to the earth's surface. Once it arrives at the surface, it runs down the steep hillside. It looks like frozen cascades which are called travertine’s. The effect is beautiful. The pure white hillside looks like snow and a few man made travertine’s have been made so people can sit and
The spynx
The ANZAC forces called this 'The Spynx' after they trained in Egypt. wade in the mineral waters.
We certainly weren’t disappointed with the travertine’s but only wish we had more beautiful photos of the pools filled with blue water. We made the mistake of exploring the left side of the complex in the bright sun. These pools were empty and we didn’t realise that all the blue pools were over to the right. By the time we realised, it was dusk and the sky was too dark to reflect the blue of the water. We were quite disappointed but at least we managed to get loads of great shots of the pools in the evening light which was stunning.
As always, the behaviour of a few tourists at these places is astounding. There is a ‘no shoes’ rule on the travertine’s as shoes damage the calcium ridges. There are also some travertine’s that are recovering from damage and cannot be walked on. Despite obvious signs, there were a few morons that felt that the rules simply didn’t apply to them - we even saw the occasional cigarette butt and used plastic water bottles floating down the travertine’s.
The best thing about staying in Pamukkale was the chance to visit
the travertines after the coach groups have left. Surprisingly the travertines are actually open 24 hours a day! We began our visit at 4:30 and didn't leave until it was dark. Walking down the travertines in the dark with only a few other visitors was a really bizarre experience. Really eerie - definitely recommended!
Our two night stay was made even better by our guesthouse. The ‘Melrose’ run by lovely family who showed genuine hospitality, large clean rooms, a swimming pool, great food...at a good price. Wish we stayed longer! (We don’t plug guesthouses very often, but this one deserves it).
The next leg will see us travelling south to the coast (another 5 hours of buses) where we intend to spend a lot of time in the water - we need to get out of this heat!
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Gill Tanner
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Have fun!
Just got back from France and had to check out what you've been up to. I am so jealous as you have such an incredible time ahead of you. i love checking the blog and travelling with you vicariously. Off to see Ali's baby today, Darcey Cordelia! Rugby world Cup in NZ coming up. If I am ever going to get Andrew to fork out for flights this is the time. Be warned! All the best, Gill