Pamukkale

I got a package in the mail today from my mom-- it contained a murder mystery set in Hawaii, a picture from the family reunion, and my own wooden nickel which I now realize they had specially made...the nickels say Poppink Family Reunion 2006 on the back. These kinds of things are slowly making my room here seem more mine, somehow. Personal touches. I've been thinking for awhile now that I need to get at least a few of the many photos I have taken printed, and put them in frames for my room.

It is currently 32 degrees Celsius in Bodrum, or approximately 90 degrees Fahrenheit! I've been looking at things to do in/near Bodrum (discos, bars, markets, historical sites, you name it, they've got it), and came across Pamukkale, meaning "cotton castle" in Turkish. It was named after the white calcareous castles formed by limestone-rich thermal springs. The springs themselves are around 100 degrees, and I'm sure I'd want to go anyway, but get this--in one of the baths, you can swim over the ruins of the ancient city of Hierapolis! I won't get into all the ancient sites listed, but to give you an idea, the valley of the Menderes River has apparently been the cradle of many civilizations. The Lycian rock tombs, carved into cliff walls around 400 BC, look magnificent!