22nd-23rd March: The gleaming travertines of Pamukkale and the ruins of Hierapolis

22nd March

As we walked up the hill from the Melrose we could already see ahead of us what seemed to be a dazzling layer of snow covering the hillside. As we emerged on the other side of the town we could see more clearly the traventines of Pammukale. The 36 degree celsius waters from the geothermal spring flow down the hill, leaving a white layer of calcium carbonate in their wake. We paid our entrance fee, removed our shoes (to avoid polluting the mineral deposits), and started to walk up the amazing natural formation. We had been advised to take socks to protect our feet from the rough surface of the rock, but we found it much more fun to walk barefoot through the rivulets of warm water making their way down the slope, which was indeed rough in some places but elsewhere was smooth and slippery. The water was slightly cold at the start, but was increasingly warm as we climbed up (presumably because the hot water from the spring is cooled by the air as it descends).

Arriving at the travertines

Paragliding over the travertines

Walking up the travertines

Texture of the travertines

Saving a stranded tadpole by moving it back over to the stream

There were not too many people accompanying us up the slope (perhaps thanks to our rather lazy start that morning), and we greatly enjoyed paddling through the spectacular scenery. We soon realised (or rather, Clem did) that the travertines past which we were walking looked rather artificially square in shape; the more natural-looking travertines off to our left were dry. It turned out, or so we surmised, that the spring water had been rerouted down the slope that we were climbing, through some pools that had already been started so as to help the process along. The travertines were forming naturally, and looked beautiful, but had been given some human assistance. The booklet told us that the travertines needed to be dried out every so often to be cleaned of impurities, so perhaps that is why some of the other pools were bereft of water.

More travertines

One of the artificial-looking travertines

The dried out travertines on the other side

After meandering our way up to the top of the "cotton castle" (the translation of Pamukkale), we arrived at the remnants of the Roman city of Hierapolis. There was considerable risk that we would be suffering from monument-fatigue after visiting Troy, Pergamum, and Ephesus in the previous week, but we were still able to enjoy wandering among the ruins. We also stopped by the "ancient pool", which is a rather touristy complex focused around a swimming pool that is heated by the geothermal spring and is littered with the remains of columns. We didn't go for a swim, but we did check out the "Doctor Fish" building. Here they were advertising the services of Garra Rufa fish, native to Kangal, Turkey. These little creatures, which can live in water with a temperature of 26 to 37 degrees celsius, earn their nickname by nibbling at the dry and hard skin of peoples' hands and feet, "leaving them feeling silky soft and rejuvenated". Apparently they also release an enzyme (Dithranol) that aids in the skin's natural healing process. We didn't fancy a full treatment, but the hostess was kind enough to allow us each to stick a hand in the tank (after our hands had been hosed down, that is). The little fish swarmed around my hand, nibbling at the skin with a rather ticklish but not unpleasant sensation. Fun, but not worth paying for (yes, eight months on the road has made us seriously tight!).

The "antique pool"

We've described enough ruins over the past week, so we'll leave you with some photos of Hierapolis.

Castle watching over the travertines

Roman ruins at Hierapolis

Central road running through the city

Checking out the latrines

Not looking very stable

A 2nd century AD tomb in the Nekropolis

Nymphaeum

Approaching the theatre

From the upper rows of the theatre

Statues and friezes in the old bath house

Hopping Hadrian

After a few hours of wandering around the ruins, including a quick stop at the museum housed in the old hammam, we walked back down the travertines, this time accompanied by a couple of large groups of fellow tourists. We arrived back at the hotel at around 6, and spent the rest of the evening relaxing and working on the blog.