A Youth Backpacker in Europe

Part III Chapter III

Pamukkale, the Cotton Castle

In the morning of my third day in Turkey, I finally boarded on my pilot road journey with the renowned Turkish bus system. To what many people find themselves being sceptical about, it was a downright routine practice in the Turkish bus system – complimentary drink and food service on board. And if you are lucky, you will find a handsome looking and well dressed young man to be your garçon of the day.

Prior to my journey, Fiona told me about this complimentary service thingy which I seriously took into account during the planning phase of my trip. Not that bus fare in Turkey was ridiculously valued until requiring you to dig deep for reasons prior to subscription, but to receive service which one would normally only receive 38,000 feet above ground right on the ground, that surely was an irresistible perk worth considering.

However, food served was not the award winning excessively decorated flight meal but just some packet fruit cake from ordinary market. Well, you pay for what you get. But it was confusing enough for first-timer, for example the Indian woman in the same bus with me to mistaken it as the similar cunning ploy of budget airlines to plough extra revenue.

It was a three-hour journey wheeling on the meandering ‘highway’ of Turkey towards the east. Everything was perfect – the mesmerising scenery and the equally eye candy garçon, the talkative next and front seats neighbours which occasionally gave me the much desired peace of mind, and the enjoyable ‘ psychologically free’ fruit cake and juices – until the visit of the unsolicited torrential downpour.

To be fair, it wasn’t all that sunny at all since the morning in the first place. Checking out the gloomy weather through the cleaning-desperate bus window was not even the last activity I intended to perform during the journey. But when the rain finally came, I found myself in a cleft stick, indecisive on whether to settle with a rainwater-cleaned window that allows clearer penetration of scenery or a sunny weather through the stained window.

Three hours of neither bumpy nor comfortable bus ride later, the following structure imposed itself into the curtains of my eyes – a humongous natural white blanketed hill slope echoed by the rhythm of drastic flowing streams. It is what they call the ‘Cotton Castle’ – Pamukkale.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Another UNESCO World Heritage, but this naturally formed ‘shimmering’ white cascade, sculptured by limestone-laden hot springs that have over the course created unique shapes of stalactites, potholes and magical fairy tables, was one of its kind. The sheer scale of this captivated formation alone was sufficient to make every visitor gasps. But it was the privilege to walk bare foot on the ‘hard cotton’ ground that left an unforgettable memory.

Worry about slippery surface? Nah, the spring water was deliberately diverted via the multiple purposely dug trenches. Not considering it as a strategic move, I would rather choose to risk myself falling off this approximately 20 floors high structure by paddling exhilarating through the reputed beneficial water while gazing at the ancient fragments of the columns below the surface, than to trek safely on the dry wrinkled stone while coercing myself into believing what now seemed like a carelessly worn potholes as the once glamorous ‘castle’ made of cotton.

What considered as lucky was when it approached sunset, there was a glimpse of sunshine materialising golden gleams from some scarce amount of water tables to quench the thirst for a long waited impressive facet of Pamukkale of which I considered as the consolation prize of my only day in Pamukkale, before drizzles of spring showers made their presence.

Disappointed by the weather which certainly had brought back the winter chill, I found myself enjoyed a hot-pan grilled fish in a relaxed warm old-fashioned heated lounge of my hostel at night, recharging myself with a good night sleep before the pilgrimage to the most religious city of Turkey – Konya the next day.

P.S.: Thank you Erkan from Turkey for his wonderful recommendation to visit Pamukkale.

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A Backpacker in Europe

Part III Chapter II

Selçuk-Efes, the Modern Ancient Jewel

 

Turkey is a country of skewed population. More than 60% of the population of Turkey is under 25 years old. And visited Turkey during its general election period (unplanned), the fresh ideas or idealism from modern Turkey could be heard everywhere.

Contrary to its very broad young generation base, Turkey is also one of the countries around the world that dominates in the realm of archaeology. One of the most appealing and unmatched archaeological sites in term of sheer magnitude is Efes, or more internationally renowned as Ephesus.

Ephesus is located at the west of Turkey and is within the proximity to the Aegean Sea. However, the  closeness of the city to the sea didn’t help in guaranteeing a warm weather during my visit. Although I was lucky enough to get blanketed by sunshine in intervals, travelling to Turkey in April remains an unwise proposition. But if you believe the friendliness of Turks is sufficient to melt the April snow, welcome to Turkey.

Staying within the ancient city of Ephesus was impossible. Instead, like many others, I stayed at Selçuk, a nearby city half an hour walking from Ephesus. Though surging above the international tourism arena mainly due to its proximity to Ephesus, Selçuk was actually a very little adorable small city by itself. Not to mention also is the Ephesus Museum in Selçuk that offers some exceptional collections of the ancient world.

Owes to its importance for the insanely famous Ephesus, Selçuk was filled with decent restaurants and affordable accommodation that suit the budget of different travellers. However, from my observation the living standard of the natives didn’t seem to benefit much from the handsome revenue generated through the tourism industry.

It was hard to not realise the establishments of the many carpet and souvenir shops in Selçuk. But what surprised me was some ‘money’ conversation I had with local children during my unexpected and unplanned encounter to the slum of Selçuk, which ironically separated itself from the ‘posh’ Selçuk only by a strip of road. However, it wasn’t nasty at all meeting the children. But surely, it had projected a struggling image of Turkey to me, which I still find it very hard to justify after my trip.

Unfortunately also it wasn’t the season for camel fighting during my visit. Otherwise my stay in the Selçuk definitely would have been much more interesting.

Back to Ephesus, one of the most sought after tourist hotspot was the Temple of Artemis. Crowned as one of the ancient seven wonders of the world, the Temple of Artemis had however lost all its ancient glory. The whole site resembled a deserted area left with a pile of scattering stones and a lonely column erected from a stack of random pieces of small round stones.

Although there was still some hawkers persuading tourists for business, the Temple of Artemis had clearly been marginalised from the Ephesus main site, as could be easily noticed from the crude stone mark placed at the most unnoticeable side of the road.

Ephesus main site was however a completely different story. It was magnificent and breathtaking, especially when I was standing at the Theatre looking towards the ancient harbour site. The impression of ancient architectural achievement could not be felt any deeper at the other place.

Besides the Theatre, the grandeur of Library of Celsius was also a favourite. But don’t expect anything else beyond the glamorous entrance of the library. There was also a House of Virgin Mary where everyone was trying to reach. But having been inundated by a swathe collection of stones, I found myself to be archaeological intolerant after a couple of hours.

Not considering myself a huge fan of archaeology, and by not subscribing to the day long personal guide offered by the individuals waited at the entrance of the site saved me from hours and hours of archaeology lecture, I headed back to Selçuk and waited patiently for the arrival of the coming day when I could immerse in the wonder of nature at Pamukkale.

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A Youth Backpacker in Europe

Part III Chapter I
Turkey, Introduction

My attempt to draft the very first paragraph of my recent trip to Turkey had resulted in the emergence of unsolicited panoply of ideas rivalling keenly through the introduction entrance. The inundation of ideas had triggered my indecisiveness and troubled my search for the perfect opening to this unforgettable voyage.

Why a task which should be an airy dance of fingers on the keyboards turned unfortunately into an endeavour to finalise the most representative theme about Turkey? I delved into the cause of the unexpected hardship, performed a thorough diagnosis by browsing through my photos galore and I delightfully discovered the explanation.

Turkey is a vast area country and possesses a potpourri of cultures that renders a single introduction impossible or inappropriate. In order to convey the many unique impressions about Turkey, I decided to challenge myself to deliver them via multiple short paragraphs.

“If Mecca is the ultimate destination of Muslims, I consider Turkey to be the place of pilgrimage in my very own world. I am neither a religious person nor a Muslim. However, a secret bonding has formed between Turkey and I since the first time I saw a documentary about the Islamic country of Turkey on TV. A two-week visit to Turkey had not transformed me religiously, but it had inspired me more than any of the visits I had in the past.”

“Majority of the people limit their knowledge and constrain their destination selection to the magical metropolis of Istanbul and the breezily warm Antalya  at the Mediterranean coast when it comes to visiting Turkey. However, I quenched my thirst for nature by travelling to Central Anatolia where I had literally got my breath taken away by the charm and impressiveness of the land of beautiful horses.”

“The wealth of history from Roman to Ottoman Empire and the abundance selection of healthy Mediterranean cuisines are undoubtedly attractive facets of Turkey. However, it was the eerie and extremely superb hospitality that impressed me deeply into my core. I must apologise for my selfish cynicism, but I did initially perceive Turkish people to be nothing but a bunch of  (pleasant) hospitable extremists.”

“I was warned to prepare sunscreen prior to my Turkey trip but I ignored the sincere advice deliberately. I regretted during my trip, only for a minimum period of time. Travelling from west to central Turkey between March and April gave me the opportunity to experience four seasons in two weeks. Other than needed to shield myself under the blistering hot sun in Istanbul, I found it extremely necessary to moisturise in the bitterly cold Cappadocia.”

“By no mean I am going to imply Turkish people are racists. But surprisingly,  for the very first time, I found my Asian origin gave me a favourable advantage during my two-week trip to Turkey. It indeed was bizarre. Who would have thought Asians are better received than Europeans when the country had repetitively applied to become a member of EU? Not to be mistaken, no one is discriminated but Asians are just simply more welcomed in Turkey.”

“No one faces the hardship to fall in love with Turkey. It could be the enticing food or the mesmerising nature. But my special fondness to Turkey had been the constant shower of the seni seviyorum (I love you) expression by my hosts. Forget about language barrier because the will of Turkish people to connect with you could  never be deterred by the trouble to adopt online translation service.”

“My visit to Turkey had not only expanded my body size, but also my mind. Everything tends to be simple and direct in this energetic country, be it a memorable birthday celebration or an unique opportunity to teach English in university. Immerse yourself fully in the food, the nature and the undecorated straight-forwardness of the people and I am sure you will end up in a similar situation like me, wishing your trip to Turkey will never come to an end.”

 

 

 

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A Youth Backpacker in Europe

Part II Chapter IX

London, Where the Bridge is Falling Down

 

Whether it is

“London Bridge is falling down, falling down, falling down…”, or

“My London London Bridge wanna go down, My London London London keeps going down…”, London Bridge is certainly not the port of call for many, though inevitably you will be surprised by the structure whilst in your search to the internationally renowned Tower Bridge, a dominant landmark in London that has been confused by many for decades as the iconic London Bridge.

I don’t know if this mistake is so predominant amongst the world’s population that the Council of London actually signified the genuine London Bridge with its name on the pillars. However, it is definitely worth giving it, or the recently acclaimed wobbly Millennium Bridge, or any other bridges along the Thames River a shot as visiting to these bridges requires no fee, compared to the pocket-burning admission charge of the Tower Bridge that might put you off.

 

Besides Tower Bridge and the symbolic House of Parliament and Big Ben, there is also the modern London Eye/Millennium Wheel, allied with Madame Tussauds Wax Museum and many other famous tourist hotspots, vow to make the already insolvent backpackers go literally broke.

Yes, everything in the capital of United Kingdom costs money, and lot of it. However, despite the fact that visiting to London is so expensive indiscriminate the season of visit, I found it bizarre to observe that there was always a queue in front of something.

Why? The question actually could be answered rather effortlessly. It is London, how could you not visit this and that when you are in London? Oh yea, after the astronomical flight expense, one definitely needs the many after-flight-assurances that they indeed are visiting the one last place on earth. More importantly, the not negligible fact is that visitors are often armed with bills and plastics when they come to London.

I am not complaining. Instead, I actually think London does has the charm to fork out the money of visitors. The city itself is so amusing or literally funny. It calls itself the hub of Europe and is planning to expand the already the busiest airport on the planet to further strengthening its leading position. It is the economic hub of United Kingdom and an important settlement for two  millennia. London is just having so much to offer, whether historical or modernity.

The one thing that I really love about London is to walk in the City of London, the world’s largest financial centre, and accompanied by hundreds of cute little cabs that has an appearance resembles to vintage car. Also not to forget is the uniquely London red double-deckers that creep into every corner in the city. It is the infusion of modern living culture and preservation of antique but still functioning features in London that truly makes it so interesting.

 

But to really narrow it down to my most favourite spot in London, it would have to be London Chinatown. I never found myself to have particular fondness to Chinatowns, not in Den Haag, not in Milan, not in Paris, etc. But it is different in London. Centrally located next to Leicester Square and Piccadilly Circus, London Chinatown is true haven to everything Chinese. And my most enjoyable activity has always been an afternoon of shops-hopping in Oxford and Regent Streets before finally settling in one of the many dim- sum restaurants in Chinatown. The dim-sums are simply sinfully scrumptious!

There is so much to do in London, whether it is pubs-crawling at Soho, theatres-frequenting around Central London, or picnicking in one of the many beautiful parks in London. It is indeed very costly to stay in this capital. But if there is one place on earth that I would like to call home, London will never be the second choice.

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A Youth Backpacker in Europe

Part II Chapter VIII

Vatican City, the…Vatican City

It was a “holy” journey. It all started with the subway ride when everybody left the same  underground station. I wasn’t aware of the number of religious people surrounded me, but there were immense. I only started to realise that despite the unspoken conversation, we all shared the same destination – the Vatican City.

I didn’t even have to advise my map to get to the direction due to the swamp of tourists/worshippers/strollers that marched towards a single direction. I knew exactly where they were heading. I couldn’t be wrong.

No one spoke a single word and the atmosphere was somewhat intense in the early morning.

And then I was there, stood in the middle of the St. Peter’s Square, observing this vast area and tried to imagine the crowd during the speech of the Pope. I was, hmm, emotionless. Excuse me but I am not a Christian or a Catholic.

It was bewildered to witness a large horde of people rushed towards the “conference room” this  early in the morning to listen to what the Pope had got to say that day. Thousands and thousands of people were literally trying to test the capacity limit of the room.

It was confusing and I didn’t know where to go. The many entrances around the square seemed like a cobweb sprawling towards every possible direction and there were so many different queues and I had no idea which queue was for which purpose.

Therefore, I came out with the simplest solution – go for the shortest queue. And voila! I was in the building, walked pass aisle of aisle of “Popes” sleeping in serenity. And then I was in another level, observing some statues and paintings under the glittering and glamorous golden coated poles and rooftops decorations.

The entire environment was literally an imposition of the wealth and virility what a religion is capable of grasping and portraying.
And I saw the Pope, not quite literally but via the massive screen set up around St. Peter’s Square. What was his speech about? I had no clue at all. First of all, it wasn’t in a language I am familiar with. And more importantly, it wasn’t even a topic I could relate myself to.

There were so many travel guides that promise an entire day of visit in the Vatican City. But I deserted the place before midday. Whilst I was leaving the square at my back, I wondered, if it wasn’t because of the Pope, if it wasn’t because of the religion, will this place has any other major significance?

That was an unanswerable question. And I didn’t really care. All I cared about was where my next destination was in Rome, or simply started to study on my London trip.

 

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A Youth Backpacker in Europe

Part II Chapter VII

Rome, the Eternal City

 

If Rome, or Roma in its native language, which is also the phonetic translation of he city in Mandarin language, was not built within a day, then visiting Rome is surely not a one-day affair.

People call this the “Eternal city” because of its uninterrupted history as an important centre of power for more than two millennia. I call this the eternal city because of the energy that sprawls across the city and creeps in slowly in the soul of every visitor. From my experience, the city had never fallen asleep and that was what made it go ad infinitum, or eternal.

Limited by historic importance, Rome is connected by only two underground lines. It seems unattainable, especially during peak hours when the smell of perspiration in the non-air-conditioned and jam packed undergrounds becomes almost unbearable or powerful enough for a massacre order.

However, the good news is with all the major historical Roman Empire structures, for examples, the Colosseo, Palatino and Foro Romano, erected in close proximity  with each other, foot accessibility is highly viable.

In fact, exploring the city by foot should be recommended as there is no other way better than walking to really immerse oneself in the immense energy constantly released by the city. However, with the famous chaotic traffic, the city is surely not a safe place for accident prone travellers.

Although the aforementioned tourist attractions are just a stone throw away from each other, to visit all of  them in a day would be a painful experience. Stayed in Rome for four days, I literally visited the same area of Rome for the first three days just to allow myself to digest the dazzling array of impressive, splendid, magnificent and gigantic structures. I reckon the only battle was sore foot.

However, these are not all. Whether or not I was visiting the Colosseo on that particular day, my ideal beginning of the day was always to stop at Colosseo station, spent time admiring the ancient oval structure whilst accompanied by the fresh start of Rome traffic,  before continued with my remaining agendas.

From the iconic Colosseo, it was extremely pleasant to stroll through the archeologically vital Foro Romano, and then to pass by the giant white Piazza Venezia, and then to arrive at the arguably most visited fountain of the world – Fontana di Trevi, before finally reaching Piazza di Spagna for a taste of high end fashion, or an indulgence of Italian ice-cream.

My Milanese hosts told me to really get see the living  culture of Rome, I have to visit to Trastevere. However, it was unfortunately that I wasn’t able to allocate time for it. That of course I spent half a day visited Lido di Ostia for a taste of equally bitterly cold Tyrhennian Sea in September and also another day with my host in Rome.

However, with Italian pizza so cheaply available at every corner, with a spoilt choice of Italian ice-cream, with a friendly host in Rome, I do not find myself refraining from visiting the city again.

To answer why Rome is always such a buzz to people around to world, you really have to go there to understand the reasons.

 

 

 

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