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Caption: October 2015 Pamukkale
Caption: Pamukkale is one of the most incredible wonders of the natural world. I visited the blue waters of the Cotton Mountain in October of 2015.
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Caption: We drive up from the port town of Bodrum in the South of Turkey early in the morning. After 3 hours we finally arrive in the small town that lies at the foot of the mountain.
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Amongst the harsh desert and pounding heat, a striking white mountain is something you don't truly believe at first. From the base you can hear the water flowing down the mountain side. It's like a paradise.
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Caption: After spending the night at the base of the mountain, we begin the climb to the top early the following morning.
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You expect the terrain to be soft, like snow or sand. But you begin to walk, and you realise the ground is hard like rock. The mountain is calcified, it's what gives the mountain it's colour. The calcium comes form springs deep beneath the ground that flow down the hill from the top.
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Water trickles down all around you, so you walk barefooted. I prefer it this way. It's like you can really understand the place that you're in.
About halfway to the top you begin to encounter the first pools. The pools down here are much cooler than the ones at the top. It's an amazing feeling to wade through blue, cool water when you're in the middle of a desert.
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Picture of Pamukkale
Pamukkale
Caption: All around you are little crevices and gutters that the water has carved over time. The Turkish people have cleverly started to redirect these to create their own paths. This helps to stop permanent damage to the pools from heavy tourism.
Picture of Pamukkale
Pamukkale
Caption: You wind your way through the crevices and pools until you reach the top. The view is breathtaking. It a spans around you, over looking miles of harsh, barren land. And still, the water trickles over your feet. It's now warm because we're so close to the springs. And it feels amazing.
Picture of Pamukkale
Picture of Pamukkale
Pamukkale
Caption: We eventually amble our way back down the Cotton Mountain, back to the car to drive home.
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Pamukkale
Caption: Never before have I experienced something as extraordinary and bizarre as the blue waters of the pools of Pamukkale.
Picture of Pamukkale
Pamukkale
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@ashbonser
Email me at
ashley.b@hotkey.net.au
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ashleybonser.weebly.com
