On the agenda for today was a visit to the calcium rich springs of Pamukkale and the ruins of the city of Hierapolis (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hierapolis). After breakfast at our hotel, we made our way to the south, bottom entrance of the Pamukkale calcium terraces. We had arrived early so had the pleasure of walking up the calcium deposits largely alone. The springs that emerge at the top have a supersaturate of calcium carbonate; once it meets air the carbonate leaks off and the calcium is carried off down the hill. The hot springs vary in temperature and have been used for centuries as medicinal baths.
The site is a UNESCO world heritage site but unfortunately, and this is all over Turkey, the Turkish approach is to impose man's tastes on what is meant to be natural. In Pamukkale this means creating fake pools for the water to gather in, cutting ducts for the water to flow and generally redirecting things.
We walked our way to the top of the deposits, then continued up the hill to the ruins of Hierapolis. The ruins have again been 'improved' upon, this time with repairs to the amphitheatre. We saw this previously at the ruins in Patara where the parliament building was sadly repaired (see the changes here https://prezi.com/m/ykc56dftgh2x/the-bouleuterion-of-patara/). We spent two hours or so wandering around, then made our way back down the hill.
Going back down the travertine terraces it was now quite warm so we waded into some of the pools. They are only knee deep and full of silt so not the most amazing experience sitting down in. Other people were smothering their bodies in the silt...not for me. Walking down out of the deposits was a bit of a blast as the sun was now blazing down on the white rocks.
After this we headed back into town for lunch. Passing a hairdresser , the owner asked if I wanted a cut - how much I asked - 15 lira. OK I said. So after the cut he rinsed my hair, lit a cotton tip on fire and burnt my ear hair away, and then asked if I wanted massage. Why not I said. A full head neck back massage followed - wow I thought I don't get this in Australia! After all this I said that was amazing here is 20 lira for your troubles, 14 he says, I said don't worry have a tip, no 14 he says, I said have a tip, no 14 he says... meaning 40 lira!!! What, but you said 15 lira... he said it was 15 for the cut, 15 for the wash, and 10 for the massage. Cheated. We gave him 30.
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