I remember an episode of Doraemon where he and friends flew up to the clouds and used a spray gadget to cement the clouds into a fluffy wonderland.

 

If that place exists in reality, it must be Pamukkale.

 

Pamukkale, which stands for "cotton castle" in Turkish, is a mesmerizing stretch of cascading steps of travertine terraces.

 

 

The calcium carbonate deposits traces out chalky white arcs of semicircular basins filled with cyan blue water.

 

Soft light effect created by the steam rising from the hot springs.

 

Sadly, the site is already showing the effects of the onslaught of tourists, with parts of the white cotton castles soiled with grime.

 

 

Without much hesitation, we took off our shoes and socks to soak our feet in the hot spring water gushing through a canal.

 

 

We then ventured to the shallow pools, trotting through a stretch of ice-clad travertines. Placing our naked soles on the frost literally gave us the cold feet.

 

 

That trigger a bout of lame creativity as I cheekily suggested that the place should be called "Pamukkaleng" instead. In dialect, "kaleng" translates to "feet cold".

 

We shuffled cautiously in the tepid waters, ruffling the powdered calcium carbonate sediment with each step.

 

 

It was a magical moment as we stood in the midst of a terrace, watching the sun peek from behind the horizon.

 

Overlooking the town of Pamukkale.

 

After a rejuvenating dip, we strolled in the park watching dogs lazing to the morning warmth.

 

Demonstration of downward dog by the Yoga master.

Film of calcium carbonate in the pool.

 

We snatched a few shots the ruins of Hierapolis in the few moments we turned away from the cotton castles.

 

 

In the midst of the tour, the guide sprang another optional package on us that was not mentioned prior to the trip. The package was visits to four additional places of interests: Kaklik Cave, Nar Görü Crater Lake, Çamlıca Hill and Mount Bolu (not sure about the last one).

 

Although we did not prepare extra $$ for this unexpected add-on, we decided to go for it to make the most of our exploration of Turkey.

 

In the first add-on, we were treated to another instalment of travertine terraces at Kaklik Cave.

 

 

The cave was formed 2.5 million years ago by underground steam eroding the limestone rocks.

 

Once again, Nature wielded it's prowess, decorating the cave with stalagmites, stalactite, rimstone pools and mini waterfalls.

 

 

We explored the cave, walking through the wooden platforms, bathed in the pungent odour emitted by the sulfur rich waters.

 

 

One of the better lunches during the trip @ Özkan Dinlenme Tesisleri.

 

Free flow of turkish milk pudding strongly recommended by our tour guide.

 

We travelled to Konya to visit the Mevlâna Museum. Notice the change in surroundings along the way.

 

 

The Mevlâna Museum is made up of the mausoleum of Mevlâna Jelaleddin Rumî and the lodge of the Whirling Dervishes, a Sufi muslim group.

 

 

Rumî was a revered Islamic poet, philosopher and spiritual teacher who advocated peace, love of God and fellow mankind.

 

His belief in the use of music, poetry and dance to achieve connection to God and the sightings of him whirling in the streets in spiritual euphoria led to the conception of ritual of Whirling Dervishes.

 

Over the years, the ritual where followers would attempt to achieve spiritual ecstasy through the action of continuous whirling (called sema) have become a unique cultural performance in Turkey.

 

The mausoleum room rests the tombs of Rumî and his father. The tomb of Rumî's father is upright and adjacent to his to signify respect.

 

Other rooms are furnished with the memorabilia which includes robes, instruments as well as figurines of dervishes reading and making music.

 

Enjoy a cup of hot tea round the corner.

 

We then embarked on another extended coach ride to Cappadocia, stopping along the way to try the Turkish honey yoghurt which has the most unique of toppings - poppy seeds!

 

Wifi on board!

 

The blend of the sour yoghurt, sweet honey textured with poppy seeds (which tasted no different from sesame seeds) did not exactly charm me. But the novelty and badass thrill of eating an opium derivative makes it worth a try.

 

 

We made another stop at the Sultan Han caravanserai.

 

Caravanserais are medieval inns which provided government-sponsored lodging for traveling merchants and their camels. They were built throughout the region ~40km apart for it was found camels could not travel for more than 45km a day.

 

Sadly it was already sundown and the orange lights could barely illuminate the decorations adorning the pointed arch entrance, which is 13m tall to admit goods-laden camels.

 

 

Our lodge for the next two nights in Cappadocia – Dinler Hotel.