Apollo's Temple and Scattered Ruins

Aspendos to Side

Distance: 53 km
Time elapsed: 3:16:00
Average speed: 16.3 km/ hr
Max speed: 40.0 km/ hr
Temp: 45 C
Weather: Hot! Sunscreen melting in my eyes...

Today we met some awesome people. But that was at the end and I should begin at the beginning.


Morning at the Köprüpazar Köprüsü

Chris and I woke up on the Köprüpazar Köprüsü (Eurymedon bridge) before the sun, admiring the morning light on the river. Origonally built by the Romans, the bridge was later restored by the Seljuk Sultan Kayqubad and altered slightly into the Ottoman stle it is today.


Check out that slope!

Our first stop today was the Aspendos ruins, most famous for the immense and most complete amphitheater in turkey. It was built by the Romans but restored in the 12 century by the Seljuk Sultan, who adorned it with then-modern blue tiles and declared it his winter palace.


Aspendos, the LAST amphitheater pic I will post!

Although I can't deny it's size is impressive, the stage wall blocks out the morning sunlight, thereby lessening it's glory (for me not Chris) and making pictures sub par. Therefore I stick to my guns that Termessos is the best theater overall.


Aspendos' famous stage wall, still entact

I hiked up onto the hill over the theater and then back to the less-visited agora and necropolis, on a path overlooking the remains of the ancient aquaduct. Village homes and fields dot the landscape, or perhaps the stone ruins dot the villages and fields. Either way the surrounding area is a tranquil sight.


Aquaduct into the mountains

While I was out exploring Chris sold 2 drawings to some other tourists; perhaps this is a more ideal location to unload artwork!

We rode our bikes out on the choppy village road toward the far aquaduct, arriving drenched in sweat and immediately noticed by the old woman in the house nearby. She waved us over and insisted on giving us water and guarding our bikes while we look around, then invited us for çay. After we made the rounds and took some pics we returned to her porch to share some steaming hot tulip glasses of black tea with her and her komşu (neighbor), also her cousin. They showed us photos of their children and family (how many times have I sat to look through Albanian photo albums? People sure are the same), then we said thank you's and goodbyes, slightly reluctant to tackle the road in the heat.


Under the Roman aquaduct


The gals and me drinking tea

Back to the coast, the highway began passing through hotel resorts full of Europeans. Hoping to find a road along the beachfront, we approached the sands, surprised by the sight of so many fat white people. The beaches looked like Europoid harvests, with row after row of shiny bloated bodies laid out like a farm. Yuck.

Eventually we hit the town of Side, a touristy peninsula full of restaurants, shops, and pensiyons catering to Europeans (mostly German). The cool thing about Side is that there are tons of Hellenistic and roman ruins scattered throughout the town, sort of an open air museum. Many of the buildings are built right onto the old walls (archaeological heresy!) or simply around the pillars.


Hey look! We only have to buıld 3 walls!

We parked our bikes in a quiet park and as we were walking away a man from the nearby carpet shop called us over for some water. We weren't really excited to play the 'come for a drink and while you're here I'll show you my rugs' game, but he seemed nice enough and really are we silly enough to pass up water? We went inside and ended up having a good conversation, he seemed genuinely intersted in us and our crazy bike trip, and we were excited to learn he's Kurdish and from a north eastern village.


Spices and the nazar, or eveıl eye

Looking beyond all the tourist junk and boys calling to show you their restaurant menu, Side is a pretty cool place. We joined a bunch of other families and couples to take pictures around Apollo's temple at sunset, using the large atone chunks, beautiful ocean, and 5 restored pillars as a backdrop. Not that the ruins are neglected by the city, but it was so fun to be able to wander and lounge freely across them, just like they were part of nature.


Sunset at Apollo's temple

After sunset we wandered past the little harbor and summer stage (German rock music night), returned to our bikes, once again meeting with Turan, the carpet seller. He said oh but if we didn't need to go he would love to invite us to his house, to stay the night with his family, but we'd need to wait until he finished work in a few hours.

Hang out at the ruins and get to stay at your house? Yes please!

So we went back to the pillars that once supported an enormous temple for Apollo, near the temple of Athena (until she lost popularity in the 2nd century), laying across a marble colum stand and watchign the moon. The cool wind washing in from the sea was incredibly refreshing after such a hot day.


Temple pillars under the moonlight (look at all that dust! Time to clean my camera)

Later we followed turan to his apartment, just up from the main road near the entrance to Manavğat. He lives with his wife and two young daughters (next month their son is due) and his sister-in-law, whose husband is serving his obligatory military service in Izmir.


Güler, Turan, and Chris with a spread of delicious Turkish food

Güler, his wife, and Besral, the sister, sat with us around a large silver platter loaded with food in the TV room; a midnight feast full of Kurdish music and lots of questions between us all, thankfully with Turan able to translate. They taught us a few Kurdish words and engaged for several hours about their lives and opinions of Kurdish people and the situation for them in Turkey. Turan and Güler are from a northeastern village of Ağri, traditionally introduced and married when she turned 17, and like the rest of their families have moved west for work. Güler has 13 kadeşi (siblings), many who have scattered throughout Europe and a handful in Izmir, where most of Turan's family is also.



From left: me, Besral, Feride, and Güler

Watching the government-approved Kurdish tv channels, I was surprised to find a lot of their modern traditional music openly speaks out for Kurdish rights. Music with a social message? I haven't heard that in over 2 years! I don't understand the depths of Turkish politics (trying to strike up conversation with as many people to learn more, so far mixed reviews), but freedom here seems so polarized.


Besral and Berfin, sister and the youngest daughter with deer eyes

The government has cracked down on many Internet sites, YouTube for example is blocked, and tv is heavily moderated. Kurdish tv isn't even in their language and it isn't taught or used in the schools out east. Virtually everyone we have talked to says the people out east are traditional, brave, strong, strict, etc., but good people. It's the PKK that is stirrig up so much trouble, keeping the fight alive so the commotion distracts people from the real situation of drug traffiking across the porous borders, amongst other things. It doesn't help that so many Kurdish people feel oppressed (language, cultural heritage, job opportunities, etc) in their own country, so many of them have to emigrate to the west and away from their homeland.

Other people have said the current government is great, by far less corrupt, has improved the schools, roads, hospitals (with free national health care also), and generally they feel good about PM Erdoğan's foreign policy.

Anyway, I'm only scratching the surface. To live here a few years still might not be long enough to really understand.