Ephesus

 Ephefus

When we left Fethiye we rode up into the mountains covered with pine forests, then down to the coast all day, finally climbing a steep hill where we came across a small town which our map said had a camping ground.  As we rode in we were welcomed by a local cycling club who have us a cold drink and then escorted us to the camping ground by a lake.  We knew we had a large climb ahead of us before we got into Mulga so we set of early and after riding forty kilometres there it was.  A long grind up awaited us, five hours of grind. It was hot and very little shade.  When we saw some shade we  stopped for a rest and a drink. This was the hardest climb we can remember encountering and we were relieved to get to the top. Luckily there was a small café there and we were glad of a cold drink and something to eat before we continued into Mulga. We were expecting a great ride downhill after all this effort but not so, we rode along a ridge with just a short drop into Mulga.   The landscape here is dry and barren with interesting rock formations.
 Along the way here we met Tim, a young German man who was travelling without any money, eating out of dumpsters and sleeping without a tent.  He was an experienced traveler and was able to survive by Turkish people’s generousity.  We saw Tim on and off for a few days before we stopped off at Ephesus.
 After Mulga we continued to ride in the mountains with lots of ups and downs but not large ones and even some flat as we continued along a ridge.  The weather was a little cooler and the humidity was less, replaced by a head wind. For the first time for a while there was land under agriculture and farm animals.  We were able to make better time over the next couple of days and got into Selcuk earlier than expected, could not believe that after all the hard riding we have done that we were now able to get in two days early. A cyclist we met in Antayla recommended we stay at Attila’s Getaway when we got to Selcuck and we had booked ahead, arriving early meant they did not have a vacancy for us but they did have camping space. So we put up the tent for two nights until our room was vacant.  The reason they were so busy was a bus load of young Australian people had booked in. We have had so little opportunity to speak English let alone with Australians that it was very strange to have about fifty people around us with Australian accents. Attila’s was a great place, pool, bar, pool table and great food. If we did not have to push on we could have stayed here for a week.  While we were here we met  Guy and Jacqui an English/Irish couple backpacking with their two children, Fia and Tamsin, who live in France.

We visited Ephesus, an old Roman city claimed to be the best in the eastern Mediterranean. A whole city is there to be explored with a 25,000 seat theatre, market place (slaves were sold here) a library, public toilet, baths. aqueducts and much more.  The streets are lined with marble pillars and there are statues.  It is hard to believe that places like this have survived since 350 BC.

In the town of Sulcuk there was more to see. A Byzantine aqueduct, only a few ruins remain. The Basilica of St John;  St John is said to have come here with Mary and it is here he wrote his gospel. He died here and a Basilica was erected over his tomb. An earthquake left the Basilica as a pile of rubble until restoration began one hundred years ago.  Isa Bey Camil is a mosque built in 1375 with ageing decorative tiles and ornate windows. Standing all alone just outside of the town is what remains of the Temple of Artemis,  680 BC. Only one of the original 127 columns remain of what was  once one of the seven wonders of the world.  Storks now nest on this pillar and other high points of the surrounding ruins.