[Journey] 14 Days Trip Exploring Turkiye - Part 2

Day 4 : Pamukkale Tour

At 07.00 in the morning, a minibus pick us up, 7 people inside, seems like 4 of them is a family. We stopped by at intersection to Kusadasi waiting for the bigger bus, we wait there for almost an hour, the man from the family was so angry, grumbling all the time, the tour is not professional for him. That day, I get my period, loose my mood of everything, just patiently sit and wait, while Dina is busy with her novel. The bus from Kusadasi arrive, I pull Dina to jump and run to get a pair of seat, the Taiwanese family focus on complaining ask for discount coz they don’t like waited too long. Their mission failed, no discount they get, and now they have to sit far one to another. 3 hours trip to Pamukkale, our tour guide Mehmet is so excited to tell the brief story of Pamukkale, Aydin and Denizli area, the city we go through. Aydin is one of the most fertile lands in Turkey, they produce many orange and various kind of fruits. No wonder, along the way we see so many orange trees and green areas. We met some tractors parked in front of some coffee shops, we assume the farmers must be inside, enjoying morning coffee after some hard works at the farms, nice. When we stop by for toilet, I ask Mehmet, do the farmers secure their lands, to ensure their oranges save from being stolen, he laughs, no it’s save, nobody want to steal oranges, and there are too much oranges to be stolen. Hmm dalam hati miris, di Negara gue nihh, ada aja rampok dateng bawa truk, tau-tau hasil bumi yg minggu depan siap panen hilang seketika. 

Before we get to Pamukkale entrance, we stop by at buffet restaurant for lunch, the funny thing in Turkey is wherever you go with tour group, they will entertain you with great meals for free, but you have to pay for the drink. Surely the drinks charged two or three times higher than in minimarket. But don’t worry, they will not force you to buy. The toilet at the rest area are mostly charged 1TL, but in the restaurant most likely free. While we seated wait to be served, I saw Mehmet carry a ‘tasbih’, an Islam rosary in pink and blue color. I come to him, offering a barter of rosary with the one I have. I tell him it’s from Makkah and made from dates seed. He agreed, yippie, now I have a Turkish rosary :)

The Pamukkale site has beautiful scenery, the white terraces of glacier carbonite minerals look so contrast with its green surrounding and its blue sky. People can enjoy the hot spring in two big pools inside the Hierapolis ruins complex, and try the natural water full of minerals from the old well, or play with warm water in the terrace. Too bad I can’t fully enjoy it, feel so weak on my period, so I only sit, enjoying the scenery and waiting Dina takes some photos around. I could only laugh every time I hear Mehmet explain about hot spring, his accent is so funny. Back to Selcuk, I sleep over and just wake up when we reach Aydin city. The big bus drop us at Selcuk bus otogar, and we just realize there is public bus from Selcuk to Pamukkale, so, if you don’t want to join a tour group, and save 110TL, you can use the public transport.  

Instead of back to hotel, we preferred to walk round the Selcuk village, I love this place so much, small village, quiet, clean and nice people. We went to the train station, to watch a train just arrived from Izmir, takes photo of the ruins on its mini parks, the open air restaurants, and we decided to have an early dinner at Ejder Restaurant. The son owner’s greets us nicely and tempted us with his mom handmade foods offer which is recommended by many people in lonely planet. Okay, seems like we need to eat, and we love the atmosphere and we never guess it’s gonna be the sweetest moment we have in Selcuk. Here is my review about the  Ejder resto in Tripadvisor.com.  

“Yummy food served by heart”
Reviewed June 17, 2013 

Place and its atmosphere is very important, and Ejder is located at the park nearby Selcuk train station, it is very relaxing to have a seat at the open air seating area of the restaurant, looking at birds flying back to their cage at top of the pillars when daytime is almost over.
The food quality is excellent, the Mama cooked everything by heart, I tried iskender kebab and my friend tried adana kebab, and both are so delicious, we finish everything and left our plate empty. When we want to pay, they offer us a cup of Turkish tea at free, wow. The funny thing, even we have finished the tea and spend some time just sitting there, I could still imagine the taste of the meat she cooked. Something served by heart will stay longer, it's true. We traveled around Turkey for 14 days and never found something as good as the one at Ejder. 

 -- mini park at Selcuk --

                

Day 5 : Sirince - Aydin - Fethiye - Oludeniz

After light breakfast, we go to Sirince, by Dolmus from bus otogar. Sirince is small village in Turkey well known with its wine pruduct. Its a muslim village isn't it, yes, they only produce but not consume. It takes only 15 minutes from Selcuk to Sirince, 3TL one way. Besides the wide grape farms, we could see the wine production and taste it in some of the small cafe in Sirince. I enjoy look around its main street with some of souvenir stall, the pin magnets are cute. It is only 4 dolmus served Selcuk-Sirince, and only 1 stand by at the otogar, they depart every 15 minutes, so make sure you are right in time or waited for the next departure. Back to Selcuk, we walk to the ruins of Artemis temple, it is 5-7 mins walks from the bus otogar, and it is really ruins, too bad, can't imagine how beautiful it was. And i just realize i left my brandnew mango sunglass at the dolmus, hiks, okay let it be, just enjoy the ruins and the hot sun. Lucky me, when we walk back to hotel and pass through the bus otogar, the Sirince dolmus driver look at us, and he called me, yeaaaa he keeps my sunglass save, wow, what a wonderful and honest Turkey people. 

Back to the hotel at 11.30, we found Tom girlfriend, the korean girl, mad at us, she yelled that we have to check out before 10, cause the cleaning lady only work until 10.30. Its not our first time stay in a hotel or hostel, never heard a check out time at 10, and Tom didnt inform us also. Well, you may guess, I yelled back to her, its your problem with the maid, not us, just write clearly on the reception desk. We leave the hotel in a hurry and so mad. Never will recommend the Artemis hotel.

The next destination is Oludeniz, its in the south east coast of Turkiye. From Selcuk we take dolmus to Aydin city, 7 TL. And Aydin to Fethiye we take a big bus, 32TL. Remember that Aydin and Fethiye is not a big city, really have to go directly to the counter to ask for the near departure time or we have to wait 2 - 3 hours, after get the ticket then you can go to toilet or buy foods. We don't have much time to buy proper foods for lunch, coz our bus will depart in 10 mins, so we just buy some Simits for emergency meal. It takes 2 hours from Aydin to Oludeniz, the view a long the way are green mountainous and clear blue sky. Arrived on Fethiye, we have lunch at the bus otogar, another durum kebab and Turkish tea, yummy. Then we walk to the main boulevard and wait in front of a supermarket for taking dolmus to Oludeniz. Dolmus Fethiye - Oludeniz costs 5TL, its less than 20 mins and we reach our hotel, Oludeniz Hotel. Its located not too far from the welcome gate of Oludeniz, surrounded by rocky mountain, but also close to the beach. The man behind reception desk cant speak good English but he is such a warm guy. We get a room with swimming pool view, nice, and the wifi is very good. Time to 'update status' hahaha. 

That evening, I keep persuing Dina to take a paragliding ride, well its my reason to visit Oludeniz, paragliding, I really want to try, but not in Indonesia, and I already ask my paragliding freak friend about it safety. Too bad Dina didn't want. So, I persue her to take a 12 island boating tour, and she agreed. We called one tour provider and a guy come to drop us the ticket, inform us about the detail. Then we spent our evening at the hotel balcony, enjoy the stars with some just-wash underwear hang in our surrounding, hahaha.

Day 6 : Oludeniz 12 Islands Tour - Blue Lagoon

We start the day with a very healthy and full variety breakfast, ready to enjoy the boating session today. I am still on my period, but I feel dont mind to jump into the water if it is good enough. At 9 am, a big jeep pick us up, no upcover, okayy hello sun, keep smile. We pick up a family from England, they already got tanned skin, and the little girl asked why i wear a balinese sarong to cover my head, you dont like hot sun? Yeah, we have a lot in our country, she laugh. The jeep takes us to Fethiye pier wherein our boat has waited for us. Its two deck boat,  all the european guest prefer to sit in upper deck, enjoy the hot sun, while we both and a pakistan family prefer to stay away hahaha. There are lots of small islands in south east coastal of Turkiye, close enough one to another, can imagine how beautiful the sight is if we take a paragliding ride. Sigh. 

When we stop by at the first island, some of the guest at upper desk jump out to the water, swim, the water looks so calm and clear. I asked the boat crew if i can rent a snorkel gear or goggle, too bad they dont provide it. But no regret, I asked one of the guy about the underwater life down there, lots of grey fish, only grey, no coral at all. Well this time I feel so lucky for being Indonesian, we have lots of beautiful coral and colorful fishes. Even in Phuket, I dont find coral and colorful fishes. So Indonesian, we must be proud and take care our underwater world real carefully, and if you never go snorkeling or diving in Indonesia, it is really a big loss. 

Lunch meal at boat is surely fish and salad, but we can choose chicken grilled if we dont like fish. Again, they charged for the drink. Overall the tour costs 35TL is worth enough, the service is good and also the view, if you like swimming in open ocean, its a must, but only swimming. 

Back to the pier, now they use minibus to serve us, with aircon, thanks God. Feel a bit sleepy, but we need to move our foot after seating half day, then after drop our belonging to the hotel, we go walking to the blue lagoon, its only 10 mins walk anyway. The blue lagoon beach is beautiful, we must go back tomorrow morning.

Day 7 : Heading to Antalya

Wake up in the morning, feel excited to explore the blue lagoon again, we go walking after breakfast, buy a delicate Turkish ice cream again, watching some paragliding fly smoothly and landed on the beach, love it, I wish its me. Walking back to hotel, we stop by at money changer, well wherever you see money changer with a good rate, dont waste it. Clean up, packing, then check out. Take a dolmus to Fethiye. Buy a bus ticket to Antalya. While waiting for the bus depart, I have little discussion with the bus crew about how to get to Konya and Goreme from Antalya. One of the crew offer a good price at 100 TL for a baloon ride at Capadoccia, including a pick up at bus otogar and drop to our hotel whenever we arrive, sounds good,  I asked for Dina and Mira approval, and we pay half for the down payment. 

It takes 4 hours from Fethiye to Antalya, we take Bati Antalya bus, 25TL, coz it goes through the shorter route, which the other take a long ride through coastal line. We can enjoy more beautiful view through the long ride, but we prefer have more time to explore the city. 

Arrived in Antalya bus otogar, we are about to get info about bus to Konya, when a lady come to us, asking where we wanna go, we mentioned our hotel in old town. Guess what next, yeahh she offers a guide coz she will go to the same area. Wow, what a very kind lady. She introduce herself as Marie, she is French, but she likes Antalya so much so she often come for a long time vacation at Antalya. We take a metro (subway), 4TL, to get into the old town, and Marie accompanied us walk to our hotel, the Argos Hotel. While she rent a small house 5mins walk from our hotel. She offered a walk exploring the old town after we check in and have some rest, we agree to meet her in an hour. She is really have a beautiful heart like her name, mother Marie. How lucky we were to meet her, coz the streets in the old town looks similar to us and many people get lost inside. While check in, we saw a flyer at the reception about tour to Perge Aspendos and Kursunlu waterfall, costs 175TL, looks so invited, and we decided to join the tour tomorrow. The hotel is nice and clean, old building but they maintain it very well. they have swimming pool, but again no time to enjoy it.

Marie really comes in an hour, she take us to see the historical Korkut mosque ruins and Hadrian gate, the Antalya park overlooking the beach, the pier, then end up with dinner at a small restaurant serving kebab and friends. We meet some demonstrants at the main boulevard. Marie told us the demo is about a park in Istanbul. But the demo doesnt look scary to us, we have more scary demo in Jakarta haha. Thank you Marie, you are really such an angel. Hope we will meet you again someday.

.... To be continued :) ...