I am sad to leave Bodrum. We have had fun and been so lucky into our choice of accommodation. Dasis apartments. Fabulous. So well located and with fabulous hosts. But, we have to get travelling again.
We have had a good few weeks of suntan perfecting and generally indulging in being completely idle, so its time to get back in the educational saddle. Off we go to the bus station. We have tickets booked to Soke, which is the nearest big bus terminal to Selcuk (near to Ephasus). The journey is about 2 hours 15 minutes in airconditioned comfort, cost TL44 (about £5.50 for the two of us). Its a lovely journey, we climb up above Bodrum and the sea, the head across the fertile farmland of this area. Crops include cotton, acres of it! Also, cabbages and olives, lemons, mandarins, grapes, pomegranates, the list goes on. We drive past Lake Baja, massive lake with lots of fishing happening and little hamlets clinging to its rocky shores. Wish we could stop for better photos. So many missed opportunities. We saw an old lady with a donkey laden with wood waiting at the side of the road. She would not have looked different 50 years ago. Same as a man tending his goats pulling water from a borehole with a bucket on a length of rope. These scenes are `ancient`, but havent been lost in time. I wonder if the same scenes will be there in 10, 20 years from now.
Once in Soke, we have a choice. Dolmus (local minibus) with a change part way, or taxi. I would love to do the Dolmus but its not easy with baggage, so we opt for taxi. When I book accommodation I write the details in a little book. Name, address, telephone number, contact name, reference, check in date, check out date. It has proved invaluable time and again. I hand it over, the taxi rank form a huddle, lots of rapid Turkish. I can see google maps in play on phones. After lots of friendly gesticulations a price is fixed. TL 150. Its a good price, the journey is 45 minutes. We shake hands, load up and off we go. They journey is good, lovely roads, not much traffic. We pass by Magnesia, I would love to stop and take photos, but ruins like this are commonplace here. I cant do it all!
Once we get to Selcuk, we pull over, hazard lights on, the book comes into play again. A phonecall and we wait. Then a man on a moped pulls over, smiley face, `follow me`. Its Mehmet, one of our hosts. Crazy short drive, left right left and left again, I am lost but Mehmet keeps us in his mirrors.
We arrive at ANZ guest house. We had a choice when booking this. The Ephasus Palace hotel - concrete boxes, could be anywhere in the world but a fairly safe option. Or, ANZ guest house, Turkish guest house, a bit wacky, lots of floor cushions and kilims. And I booked the honeymoon suite!!! Ha ha. Four poster bed, spa bath. Come on, it will be fun! There is a problem........its not available till tomorrow. `big problem` (there are workmen frantically busy). But they can offer us another room for the night then move us tomorrow. Not a lot of choice really. The room is `adequate` but its not great. Bit dissappointed really. Didnt sleep well at all. See what the morning brings.