Turkey - First night in Selcuk

Dedicated to the first Turkey I have seen in Turkey

Just a quick note to give you a few highlights of the last couple of hours...

I had a brief but very concerning scare five minutes before the bus left Pammukale, as my bus tickets and a few other travel documents went missing. I found them in a secret pocket of my backpack, so secret I didn't even know where it was. Why I put them there I can only speculate.

It was a pretty dramatic moment - a storm had rolled in moments earlier, with massive peals of thunder. 'Peal' actually sounds too effeminate - these bolts made the sound of a brick wall falling horizontally from a great height, crashing down upon a corrugated iron roof. Immediately behind you!

The bus drove into the sunset to Selcuk. It was a gorgeous drive through post-storm light. The bus was almost empty too - only six of us on board. All Australians too, for a change!

I'm staying at a lovely big hostel named Jimmy's Place. I feel like I'm almost the only person here - which is not always a bad thing. The rooftop restaurant has a great view out over a mosque and a well-lit fortress high upon a hill overlooking the city. I finally had the chance to try two Turkish dishes I had so far been unable to locate - Manti, a ravioli-like dish served with a thick garlic and yoghurt sauce, and Salep, a hot-white-chocolate like drink made from orchid bulbs and cinnamon. It was a superb meal.