Because the trek to Pumakkale was a 12 hour endeavor, we opted to stay another night in Kusadasi, and head up to Canakkale (where Troy is) on Tuesday. Ate breakfast, showered, packed, put our bags downstairs and headed toward he center to see Mamko the travel agent from Tayf tours (www.tayftours.com)who (in our opinion) totally rocks! They've got offices in Athens, Istanbul, Canada and the US, and he listens to what you're asking for, and his prices were equal to what I was finding on booking.com and such...minus all the work (umm YAY!) much rather give a live person a booking fee than some faceless nameless corporation. We got our tickets for our flight, gave him a few more things to look into and were off to experience our first (oh yes e will be more!) Turkish bath. Side rant, okay here people, you have about a millennia on us dumb ass europeans who seemed to think not bathing was some type of badge of honor (I'm so healthy I only needed one bath -nasty! Also why there were June weddings, that was the bathing month...) would a little deode-eo really hurt so damn bad today? And since it seems to, kindly keep your arm pit out of my face...again, thank you ferry system, don't think the bus system, winding roads, and au du heat wave would have made for a fun combo...anywho...back to the baths! The place is gorgeous. The reception area has a little fountain and some benches around it. (there's also a tv in the corner to remind you this is still the 20th century) you check in and can opt to purchase some upgrades (a mud mask, and/or oil massage) mud mask was needed for me (sunscreen + heat + hormones = breakout, boo) but wasn't anything special, so unless your face is an unruly mess, it can be skipped. The oil massage on the other hand, go for the longest one they offer, umm AWESOME (said in frilly sing song voice) after check in you get a locker key, head upstairs and change into your bathing suit (this was a coed bath) come back downstairs go through the reception area, a second waiting room, and on into the wash area. There's a huge tiled slab here. It's a huge hexagon that's heated from the center out. You lay on it (along with the others) and sweat. Around the edge of the room there is a ledge for sitting with faucets and basins placed about 2 body widths apart. If you get too hot, or want to sweat more, you go to a basin, dip the bowl in the water and pour it on yourself. Around 15 minutes after you arrive, the guys who work there come in and start splashing everyone with water. To prevent the water from getting in my eyes, I had them closed...which led to me getting a nice cold bowl full dumped on my belly. (squeak!) one by one each person is asked to sit up (there are 2 different guys doing this station) and you get loofaed. (I was asked if this was my first time bathing as I had a LOT of dry skin, hee hee) from here you go to get your soap massage. The guy takes what looks like a pillow case out of the water blows air into it, and then squeezes from the top down, and wahla, your soaped up! Your massaged with a wash cloth, then asked to flip over...by this time I was so slippery, he slid me 1/2 way across the platform (the platform is easily 4.5 meters) fro here they direct you to one of the basins (not yet in use) and wash you off. You stay there and continue to cool down, and can splash yourself as much as you'd like while you wait. In groups of about 4 you then head out to the 2nd waiting area you passed through on the way in. Your wrapped in a sarong, and the towel is fanned around your shoulders before being wrapped. Ougb it didn't feel cool on your way into e bath...the anti room, now feels chilly, nice, not too cold, but a definite downgrade in temperature. After cooling off a bit more back to the main waiting area, a cup of tea, and then massage time! And it is melt on the table, can I please pay for more time awesome. Mom was a bit oily after...my skin was so dry it soaked all the oil up. Travel funk be gone! Too bad I'm still in the same clothes, oh well. We head back to the center, grab some lunch, and were going to do a bit of shopping as well as look for a place to mail out the postcards. Mother nature had other plans. The outside cafe ended up huddled under a few umbrellas while the main road turned to an impromptu river..and it HAILED, only for about 20 seconds, but still!! (you're welcome California, yes the weather here went nuts too...for a few hours) so, instead of shopping, made friends with the waiter and a German gentleman who is in real estate. Had an early birthday cake for mom, and headed to the airport. Tomorrow: Troy! (yes, "that one" that Hollywood had staring Brad Pitt...the Iliad and Odyssey: Troy) doesn't get much more legendary than this! So amazing. Yay
Quotes: "Chaos is inherent in all compounded things. Strive on with diligence." -Buddha
"In the sky, there is no distinction of east and west; people create distinctions out of their own minds and then believe them to be true." -Buddha
"Every man dies. Not every man really lives." -William Wallace
"Everything has been figured out, except how to live." -Jean-Paul Sartre
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