Turkey

Turkey has much to offer for travellers. Mainstream tourist spots like Kapadokya and Istanbul provide the largest attractions among those with the travel bug. After visiting these places, I discovered with my tour group that Pammukale is the most underrated destination in Turkey.

The small town along the Aegean coast is known for the spring water tavertines. With tourists dipping their feet in the water, the tavertines provide hope, positive energy, and life to the human soul.

Despite the main attractions of the spring water tavertines and Heirapolis, I arranged with my tour manager to take on a daredevil activity that became my iconic moment during my trip to Turkey.

On the way, we stopped in the historical region of Pamukkale. Known for the ancient ruins of Heirapolis, it is an historic city with the famous white rocks featuring swimming pools overlooking the region. 

Isik brought us to the Roman swimming pool and there were hundreds of tourists, predominantly Russian. 

Prior to my feature moment of the day, I sat down at a cafe by the Roman pool and met two beautiful blonde Russian women from Vladivostok. Their names were Edina and Kristina. Edina was infatuated by my accent and said I have the most beautiful eyes. 

Moments later, I met another travel couple from Russia. They were from Ural Mountains. I spoke to the gentleman as he spoke fluent English. His name was Mikhail. He has friends in Canada and is a huge hockey fan. 

Like many of the young Russian tourists (and every Russian I’ve met here in Turkey), Mikhail and his partner completely oppose and condemn the actions of Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine. Mikhail informed me that young men who are now conscripted under Russian law to go to the army have been fleeing Russia to countries like Finland, Baltics, Kazakhstan and Georgia (a country I am visiting soon and could meet more Russians fleeing the regime).

Now for the iconic moment of the day. I made the decision to forego seeing the ruins and to arrange with Isik to go up to the mountain and do paragliding. All I can say is WOW!!!!! I was truly fearless and didn’t think twice about being scared. I went for it and was floating high above the ground (with an instructor) and able to see breathtaking magical views of Pamukkale and the valley. It felt like a symbolic moment of my adventure of a lifetime.