Leisurely start to the day – we could see it was going to be a scorcher - & off on a dolmus to town. We were dead lucky as 2 came alomg & we jumped on the one that went quite close to the base of the mountain where the Pergamon cable car started. These dolmus cost 1.75 TL each which is about 45p – bargain. Even better if you know where they're going! So, we get off the dolmus & walk on up the hill to base camp, passing carpet shops & the like...oh dear. We buy our cable car ticket for 26TL; in this ticket office there are 3 people...but a chap comes out of a different office, tears the ticket, shows us through the 'automated turnstile', pushes the lift door & says bye ... read more

Thankfully the thump, thump, thump was fairly OK for 2 nights but still we are moving on tomorrow – 1stJuly. We were going to stay longer here but it's time to hit the road. We've walked about, swam, eaten at the italian restaurant & generally bummed around. We went to find the market today & failed (hooray) & we came back via the old bazaar (boo)..we were asked inside virtually every shop - & there are hundreds of them – though we only went into one. This one sold silk & cotton pashminas but Cathy took exception to the chap being more than shifty on his prices so we walked out empty handed. As in Pretty Woman – big mistake, huge mistake – we were up to spending more than a few quid in there... So, ... read more

We're parked under a tree for shade which has the tiniest of flowers which readily fall off in the breeze. When we went out this morning the chairs looked like they had a covering of snow. We now have the awning out... Off we walked to catch the dolmus (taxi minibuses) from town to Ephasus. We asked the way to the bus station & the chap flagged down a bus & said he'll take you & will put you on the right bus for Ephasus. We set off & 5 minutes later he was banging his horn & waving at a bus on the other side of the road who stopped, we got off one, paid him then jumped on the other & we arrived at Ephasus 15 minutes later having nearly knocked a motorcyclist off ... read more

A journey of 120 miles, up into & over the Taurus mountains. Again, vast expanses of mountains, scrub & trees with the road (a dual carriageway blasted through the mountains) seemingly going on forever. We detoured slightly & stopped off at yet another ancient city, Kibyre. The theatre here is 200 metres long, help 10,000 people who could watch athletics, chariot racing & Russel Crowe look alikes. Then, everything went green once we neared the mountain tops – the change was so dramatic. Very little surface water but obviously lots of springs – it's from here that the Turks are to supply water to Cyprus via an undersea pipeline. As we approached Pamukkale you could see the vast expanse of white...the famous world heritage site. We couldn't find the site but there was another right opposite ... read more

Our ex President chappie came good & gave us a few tips for journey through Turkey & Greece as it happens, so that was good. Mind you we ignored his suggestion for today having read a couple of reviews & stuck with plan A - & so glad that we did. The journey here was fine, passing all the gross hotels & some pretty ones between Alanya & Antalya. We stopped & bought some muz (bananas) which are kiddy size but jolly nice all the same. Yesil Vadi or Green Valley camp site is set in the mountains to the NW of Antalya. It's basically a gravel car park (unlike the last few days which was an earth car park!) but it has a new shower – oooh! - & a restaurant that serves pan fried ... read more