Selçuk

February 21st, 2010 § 2

After what was most likely the worst bus ride on this trip, we arrived in Selçuk. Not only are overnight buses uncomfortable, claustrophobic, soul stealing modes of transportation, but they drop you off at such an awkward time, making it frustrating when checking into the next humble abode. It was very early morning and our hostel (Boomerang Guesthouse) wouldn’t let us check in until 11:00am. We had to, literally, sleep on the roof and wait for our room. Ok, so the roof was a killer hang out lounge, but still.

We checked in, got a few hours of sleep, then headed ‘downtown’ for some food. Once again, we followed our guide book and decided to eat at Ejder Restaurant. Selçuk is a very small town so it was incredibly easy to find.

Efes On Ice

It was great! All the seating was outside and situated right next to the Byzantine Aqueducts.

Stork’s nest on top of the Aqueducts

We ordered our Turkish favourites; veggie kebabs, lentil soup and ice cold beer. Mehmet Ejder served us himself. He was so friendly it made us feel right at home. After finding out how we ended up at his restaurant he asked for our book and excitedly ran to show his wife the review. We made sure to go back.

Always a kitty friend near by

Our whole reason to visit tiny Selcuk was to see Ephesus. Most people just do day trips on huge tour buses, but that’s not our style. We had all the time in the world so we decided to stay a couple days; it gave us time to take in the local culture. However, I wasn’t quite ready for a whole day of walking and site seeing in 35c heat so we decided to hit up Pamucak Beach instead.

Simply stunning. The sand was powder soft. The water was crystal clear and most importantly, there was (almost) NO ONE ON THE BEACH! Heaven. We camped out under one of the many available palm trees and spent the whole day there.

The next day, we did a mini site seeing tour. Right near our hostel was the Isa Bey Mosque (built by the Seljuk Turks) and the Ottoman castle.

Boo!

Puppy!

Pomegranate Tree!

Fig Tree!

We could see the Temple of Artemis from castle so we decided to walk. It was farther than we thought….

Serious Business

After many wrong turns and sweaty pounds shed, we made it! At first, dozens of huge tour buses blocked our view. Then we realized almost no one was actually going down to see it. Most people just stepped one foot off their air conditioned bus, snapped a photo and left. Unbelievable! I admit it wasn’t that impressive looking, but the history behind it was captivating. It’s one of the Seven Wonders of the World; I had to give it a touch.

So much history in such a small town. Tomorrow Ephesus!

~Josie

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