Yesterday we got up super early and were out of Kas by 7:30. Our first stop was actually backtracking a little on a side road that took us to Kekova, an island right off the coast that had once been home to a Greek settlement in the BCs, but after an earthquake in the early ADs (you can tell I was really taking notes) caused it to fall into the sea. When we arrived a local fisherman offered to take us over in his boat, and after negotiating a price, we set out. It was an absolutely perfect morning for it, and I was almost glad I'd gotten up so early. The water was crystal clear and was like glass. The ruins underwater were cool, but none of the photos came out. Next it was back in the car for a brief stop in Demre to visit St. Nick - yep, Father Christmas, the real deal. This was where he was once buried and a church was built. It's not in the best shape but it was fun to see. From there we drove to Xanthos, the ruins of Greek, Roman and Byzantine settlements. It was interesting, but the ruins of Tlos which we visited later in the afternoon were much more impressive. Before we got to Tlos we made a slight detour to see the canyon gorge Saklikent. We were all set to explore, but apparently you have to take off your shoes and wade up to your thighs. Normally, wouldn't be a problem but the guidebook didn't mention it and we were unprepared (plus, it's November and not exactly 80 degrees, although since leaving Cappadocia it has been quite nice). So we jumped back in the car and headed to Tlos. This particular ruin sits atop a large plateau and has an amazing view of the valley but is accessible only by a narrow winding road. It seems you must prove your mettle to reach most of the ruins in Turkey. As we raced the setting sun, we drove to Fethiye to spend the night. Nothing remarkable about the town except for the abundance of 'yachtis' - ie folks with yachts.
Today was a bit of a detour (understatement)from our plan to follow the Turkish coast. Instead, we decided to head inland to see some of the more remote, but important ruins (the rest of the coast seems to cater to the yachtis and beach going crew, which isn't really my mom's thing). We left Fethiye and drove to Aphrodisias. Now, the drive itself was an adventure as we drove up an down 3 separate passes of at least 2,000 feet. There were twists and turns galore, with very few guard rails which had my mom holding on for dear life, but since the majority of the time we were on 'country' roads, it was quite picturesque. Aphrodisias itself was AMAZING! The site is huge and out in the middle of nowhere(hence all the driving) but it was well worth it. There were columns and ruins galore, but the most incredible thing was the stadium. It is larger than two football fields in length, was designed for 30,000 people and is basically complete. It was one of the most impressive ruins that I've ever seen, and I've seen quite a few! Leaving Aphrodisias (obviously named for the goddess Aphrodite) we jumped back on the twisty turny roads to get to Pamukkale. After a minor stroke on mom's part on the way down another giant hill, only this time in the dark, we arrived and found a hotel. Lucky, the one recommended in the book happened to be across the street from where I pulled over. After finding out the park where the geological formations that made Pamukkale famous (Google it, it's too hard to explain) was open 24 hours, mom and I decided to check it out (yes, we know we are crazy, especially since it was already 7:30 and totally dark). After paying our entrance fees, we were told we would need to remove our shoes to walk on the travertines. Which was unexpected as you would think something like that would we mentioned in the guidebook. We decided to go ahead, but it was quite chilly, especially with the cold water at the beginning. But the water got warmer and the chance to see the formations at night with no one else around (and I mean no one, it was completely desterted) was pretty cool. Of course, this was great until we got to the top and discovered that if we wanted to walk down a separate way, it would be a 5k walk. No thanks, so we dutifully went back down the hill. Now I say hill loosely as it is at least a 500 ft climb, and let me remind you we were doing this in the dark (several of the lights were either turned off or burnt out, and without the use of a flashlight we'd brought along we never would have made it). Needless to say it was a much faster trip on the way down.
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