Pamukkale (throw in some Fear, Relief and Panic too)

Pamukkale was not on the trip plan, well it was a hopeful stretch but since we've been riding hard every day (300-400km) we fit it in.

Limestone and calcium sediment coat a whole mountainside 

Feels like school chalk

The entrance to the park is comprised of stepped pools of cool water and goowey silt, we made it before all the tourists so got some great photos and had a park guard following us around telling me to take off my shoes. Oops

Neat set of 'drums'.

But I jump ahead, the night before we stopped at this great camp/hotel and decided on rooms for the price, except that laundry (2 loads) was nearly as much as the hotel and the best part is I did it myself!

It's a hell of a racket.

$15 per load. (final price, started at $20)

You load

You put your soap

You take out

You hang to dry

You fold

Then we went walking around town and ran into 3 BMW riders all on 1200 bikes with Turkish flags attached.

2 Germans and one Turkish rider. One Mechanic, One Translator and One Princess.

Local "Margarita"

OK back to the next pile of historical rocks.

Neat Lycian tombs

The creepy necropolis. Play hide and seek here in the middle of the night.

Lovely orchid looking flowers here.

Next stop was Bodrum where I found this man making a beautiful tiled mosaic (in 100F weather)

Downtown was full of restaurants and they all heckle you with "Yes Please" and shove English translated menus in your face...but this little pizza place had no such nonsense and it was full. Then I sighted the HANDSOME man working the place and turns out he's Kurdish (reminds me of my very handsome friend Anton)

And the cook. BTW the food was fabulous. I had spaghetti bolognese and it was delicious with a Turkish (or should I say Kurdish twist)

This town had loud music thumping from bars shoved next to each other with dancers contorting in frightening positions that I suppose were to appear sexy.

Got a little turned around, my GPS stopped working but we eventually made it back to camp where the falling letters on the entry sign tells it all! (it was a semi-dump)

Filled with trailers, I think people park them here and leave them all year and just come here for a month or two for summer holiday.

Again, next morning up before the hungover revelers and enjoyed the place

And that my friends is the Ferry to Datca we did NOT catch.

I was ever hopeful and stayed to the end trying to convince them there was room (and there was) but when the main man in charge started talking on his walkie talkie and I heard "problem" I decided to eat breakfast instead of go to jail.

So we were faced with a long hot ride through never never land but fortunately found one of these roadside fountains. I had no idea what they were for and only struck me as an incredible waste of water but boy was it refreshing. Now this is minutes after some maniac in a mercedes crowded me from behind in a very dangerous way, then when I gave him the sign to not stick so close he started to crowd me more (if that was possible) so I gave him the universal sign of stupid and he got even stupider. It was a heart thumping moment....but strangely whenever the drivers are real jerks they are always in expensive cars.

Finally had good gozleme at this place and took a nap to the cacophony of locusts. 

Then on to Caunos for an expensive boat ride that had to have a single cylinder like my bike. (sounded like a lawnmower)

I found out I don't have a zoom lens but if you click on the photo and blow it up to 200% you might be able to see the carved out tombs or if you are lucky of the kid puking off the side of the boat.

Next stop Fethiye where Manish and I got separated. We bypassed the tunnel for the winding road through the forest and when I came out on the other side I didn't see Manish waiting for me as he usually does. There was a nasty single skid mark going right off the edge on a hairpin turn so I started to wonder then told myself to relax and just keep going.

From this point the story turns rather nasty but let's say that he's fine, I'm fine and I had this great dinner with some new friends I made on a dive boat.

Hard to see but 2 turtles playing next to the boat.

Headed out to do some diving. 

I've been diving for 4 years now, never one problem, always been complemented on my technique, skill and buoyancy. Not today.

I think the exhaustion finally got the best of me, we were going down and at about 30 feet got a lot of water in my mask (it was too loose) then was fighting a too heavy weight belt and felt the world closing in around me. I have never felt so scared. Good thing I was diving with the instructor who knew exactly what to do. He saved the day and possibly me as I was beside myself with panic and fear.

The second dive went much better but the water and marine life is quite disappointing, don't think I'll dive again on this trip. I've been spoiled with Belize and Thailand.

Next stop Kas