The 7pm big bus was a mini bus that whisked us away from Urgup around 6:30 on the first leg of our journey towards Pamukkale. In the Nevsehir bus stop we were told to get out and wait...at least I think that's what they said. No English. No signs. No idea if we are in the right place. One important looking gentleman points...we wait. A Muslim woman tries in vane to engage me in conversation. I look...she giggles and she does it all over again. Takes my brain a while to realize she wants to see my blue eyes. In Turkey, as in Egypt and Ethiopia (probably all over this area) blue eyes are either good or evil. If you have blue eyes you are good luck. If you don't you can buy glass ones by the dozen at the market. Wear them around your neck, your wrist. Hang them from your rear view mirror or wrap strings of them around your gear shift....the possibilities are endless.  
Finally the cigarette smoke clears a x bus with the name the ticket seller told us to look for rolls to a stop. The name we were to look for was the name of the bus company. None of the towns clearly displayed on the front of the bus said Pamukkale. We continued to be "never sure". The driver said "OK"' the conductor said "OK", but the lady in my seat said "not OK". After I got her to move we settled In for a 10 hour drive to who knew where ( for sure).
Then, around 5am the bus pulled up in front of an Audi dealership and we were told we had arrived.  
Where?
Never sure!
Another mini bus ride later we arrived at Pamukkale and were able to get a couple of hours sleep before starting our day.
Refreshed (?) we hopped on a local bus and made our way to the north entrance of Hierapolis. Past the gate and through the ( very impressive) graveyard as well as an archeological dig or two. Can't imagine hauling rock and working in that hot sun all day.
Hieropolus means sacred city. The area has hot water (35.6 C) and travertine which is why it was a sacred place. Two earthquakes early in the first century almost completely destroyed the city. In spite of this many cultures have been drawn to the site of the centuries.
Completely immersed in the history of the place, especially aft the long hot hike to the theatre, we were taken by surprise to find ourselves in a zoo....a human zoo. So far our trip to Turkey has found us in Muslim areas. My clothing choices have reflected that. Now we are faced with grossly obese women and men (and some nicely shaped bodies as well) wandering around in bikinis and speedos!! Never sure where we are we realize that these tourists are here to swim in the ancient t pool then waddle over to settle their backsides in a travertine pool. So many people! We sat in a shady spot and watched the show. In front of us were three Muslim women watching while their husbands cooled off with the kids. They looked so hot and so amused at the display in front of them.
 The white travertine was spectacular alright. Nice to be able to wade through the pools as you make your way back to the village.  
 It's also nice to have a pool to go back to! We just swam, ate and relaxed...the cold beer tasted good too!
Next say we got on the bus to Aphrodisias, an Ancient city dedicated to Aphrodite. Again a bus dropped us in the middle of nowhere, we thought. No signs at all. Then a tractor came by hauling a trailer with seats. Seems that's how you get to the site. Never (quite) sure.
The Greeks built Aphrodiasis, the Romans took it over, the Christians rearranged it and the Turks are busy sprucing it up for tourists....the ultimate in recycling!
I am constantly amazed when I see statues that are in fairly good shape after being neglected for hundreds of years.
Aphrodiasis is a place to wander around to get a sense of how the people actually lived. Apparently 15,000 people lived here at one time. The sporting arena, theatre and the political 'arena' are in pretty good shape. However, it is the temple to Aphrodite that captures the imagination with it's columns still standing g despite earthquakes. The temple is in a peaceful area of the city...must have been a lovely place to visit amid the chaos.
As in Hierapolis there are bath houses, the footings for private homes and large public areas. In Aphrodiasis there is a pool 170 meters long, a reflecting pool for t he public to enjoy. Pretty good life among the marble quarries, forests and babbling brooks.
As we head back to Pamukkale for one more night the bus passes fields of corn, pomegranate orchards, nut trees and an upscale geothermal plant. Here, once again, the old and the new come together.
Tomorrow we leave this lush area and head south to Fethiye...we plan to do some hiking along the Lycian Way....hope it's not too hot.