In Selcuk we met a charismatic young Turk, Ibrahim, who was staying in the hotel with his American girlfriend. His family owned a hotel in Pamukkale which happened to be our next destination. This good fortune provided us with lavish accommodation for a budget price. Apon arrival we had seen numerous images on postcards and brochures depicting the beautiful natural waterfalls of Pamukkale, with their white snow like pools shining in the sun light. Eager to see this for ourselves we headed for the hills. Much to our disappointment however, we realised that the images we'd must have been taken years ago before the damage of excessive tourism had taken it's toll. It was as if we'd arrived 20 years too late. Only a couple of the pools on the upward climb were receiving the calcium rich water with access to the public. As a result these pools were filled with bare feet and their edges tinged with orange marks like those you'd see after emptying a bath. No doubt this was the result of litres of fake tan and sun tan lotion being washed off golden bodies. On the far side of the mountain there was a section with filled pools that was off limits. These did look more impressive but still nothing like the images we'd been led to believe we'd see. Past the Pamukkale plateau we explored the ruins of Hierapolis and the accompanying museum which was fantastic value. Not such good value was the entry fee to swim in the resort like pool that had been arranged around some of the Roman ruins. Yes for a hefty fee of approximately $18 Australian you too could bump your legs on a fallen piece of pillar and sit with pompus, speedo-wearing western fatties. I shouldn't be so harsh... I guess I was just pissed of that I was denied this opportunity through my stingy budget. Lesson learnt here is not to raise hopes too high based purely on the beauty of postcards. At the end of our day Ibrahim's mother cooked up a delicious Turkish feast for dinner that even with our combined efforts we could not finish. Add to that an equally tasty traditional Turkish breakfast, included in our bargain room price, and we all left happy little campers on our way to Bodrum.