Pamukkale

Pamukkale at 10:30 p.m. on July 19, 2009

It was so hard to leave Kusadasi this morning. Our accommodations at Charisma Hotel made for a perfect stay. So it came as not surprise that I slept through breakfast again. We loaded the bus to the first stop of the day – the Ephesus Archeological Museum. There were so many Roman artifacts just lying around it was difficult to decipher them all. The actual statue of Artemis from the Temple of Artemis was pretty amazing.
Next, we hiked through the vast cruciform Basilica of St. John (built by Justinian in the early 6th century) and the rest of Ephesus 4? It is believed that St. John was buried in the southern slope of the Ayosolug Hill there. The tomb, chapel, and other constructs were deemed unusual because of the 14th century earthquake there. Still, the remaining remnants are remarkable. Hiking through the ancient city was exciting. History right at your feet!
Our next stop was the most rewarding experience of this trip – Atakoy Village School. I tear up just thinking about that place again. Humble means would be the understatement of the century. The classrooms were very tiny, the supplies were scarce yet the school was enveloped in this positive energy. The students were soooo cute! They were also shy and very polite. However, Mehmet was not shy. He greeted me right outside of the bus and said “Hello, I am Mehmet. How are you?” He stuck his hand out. I took it and felt my heart break into a million pieces looking at that smile. See it for yourself above. I got my bag out of the bottom of the bus to get the T-shirts I brought for the kids out. I felt suddenly self-conscience as I rummaged through luggage full of things he had never seen before, but he waited for me all the same. He asked if I needed help and I knew I would have given him anything in that bag had he asked, but he was much too polite to do so. We toured the small school, seeing the students guide the tour and playing with a Frisbee, playing with the gifts we had brought them and showing us on a globe where we were from. Mehmet knew the Dallas Cowboys and Tony Romo. And they all love Hedo Turkaglu. I wish we could have stayed longer. I feel so blessed in my life, and I realize there are many things that I take for granted, but I think that I had an epiphany – life is too short to not just smile and enjoy it. That is how Mehmet approaches his life. I think I left a piece of me there at that school. I certainly hope so.
We lunched at the Anatolia Restaurant nearby, which was gorgeous with its courtyard, hammocks and flowers. The trout was excellent. But the scenery was the best part, which included a traditional dance demonstration and serenade by a man with a guitar and a bird – so cool! The next stop was Aphrodisias. This city was dedicated to the goddess of love. The remains of the city have been excavated since 1961 and efforts continue today. It was so stinking hot out there though!!! But it was worth every drop of sweat. Aphrodisias was once an artistic sculpture school during the Roman period. Whoa. There were so many sculptures and structures there that they were just lying around in stacks all over the place. Even though the city has been inhabited, buried, built upon and rediscovered over time, it is still strangely alive. You can almost hear cheering in the stadium and coliseum there, smell the food in front of the town center, and see the Romans building the immaculate Temple of Aphrodite. It is still difficult to describe. Amazing.
After a day of trekking through world history, we pulled into Pamukkale, an unreal city of natural, calcite-laden springs, waterfalls, basins and pools. We had 2 hot springs at our hotel! A glass of Efes and a dip in the hot spring overlooking the valley below and I was sleepy in no time. Off to bed now. Iyi gecelen!

Factoid: The Turkish word for "fireworks" translates in English to "bomb." We found that one out by thelifeguard at teh Aegean who kicked us out because of the "bombs" going off at the wedding on the terrace.

Blog Playlist: Like A Stone by Audioslave; Made Concrete by The Republic Tires; The Man Who Stole the World by Nirvana; Mansard Roof by Vampire Weekend