We can be saved in so many different ways. Saved from making a big mistake. Saved from buying an overpriced product. Saved from going in the wrong direction. Saved from doing a chore.
With the hope of being saved from disappointment, we read reviews for each site we’re considering, before making our choice. However, it’s not always easy. Each international reviewer has their own idea of what constitutes a good site. Some prefer this. Others that. Contradictions reign supreme. As a result, confusion. From One Star to Five Star within a twenty-four hour period. No doubt, ours, when added to the mix, will murky the water even further. Therefore gut feelings play a part.
Day 41 – Despite the very mixed reviews, Manzara Restaurant & Camping sways our choice, with its fabulous pool and location. A stunning backdrop of blue sky against the world famous Pamukkale Travertine greet us – it’s already receiving a mental five star thumbs up.
Day 42 – It’s 5am. Submerged in that dreamy state of mind. Unsure of what is real. What is not. Is somebody running some sort of motor? Why have I got oily hands? How does that fit in with the banana I’m eating? Have I left the car running? Careful of that skin! Too late . . . oooops – Phew – I’m awake . . . it’s not long since the call to prayer. Doesn’t anybody want to sleep around here? Apart from us? Our beauty slumber is interrupted, yet again. I need mine more than Mary-Ann. The noise gets louder and louder, as if a low flying squadron of Messerschmitts are about to create some sort of early morning manic mayhem. Payback time to those snoozy-heads for missing prayers. 5.29am – there’s nothing worse than not knowing. Mr S’s curiosity gets the better. Takes the plunge – gets up.
Not surprisingly, Mr & Mrs S spend a good portion of the day poolside, catching flies.
Day 43 – This morning, a repeat of a rude awakening is averted. Home made ear plugs to the rescue. Pamukkale Travertine is one of Türkiye’s ‘must do’s” – just over 2.5 million visitors per year can’t be wrong. Can they? That equates to seven thousand each day. We’re already mulling over that statistic, when the German couple next to us on site, return from their early morning visit. (They didn’t need to set an alarm). Give it a thumbs up and wish us an enjoyable visit.
Scoot, scoots us up to the top entrance car park. Its rammed. Over thirty tourist coaches. Drivers busy, dong nothing. Waiting on the return of their hoards. Surprisingly, a young couple approach us. Give us a contradictory review. Basically telling us “Don’t do it. It’s far too busy. It’s not worth it. Save your money”. At €30 each per pop, we pop our helmets back on and pop off further up the hill.
Back down at street level, we go search out our own private and free experience . . .
This camp site consists of a tiny allocation of space alongside the boundary wall. The owner tells us his hard luck story. Weddings and other family events their fortune. Catering for 500+ guests. Then came Covid. Then the financial crisis. We think he’s milking any campers that come his way. At 1,000 Turkish Lira per night, almost double the average that we’ve been used to paying. His saving grace, the magnificent pool.
Felling a little sorry for the owner and his family, we decide to try out their restaurant. Help their coffers. Our Sea Bream attracts a usual suspect. With difficulty, his tireless patience goes unrewarded. If he hadn’t developed a stiff neck, he’d have noticed his dinner tippy-toe silently behind him.
As expected, the restaurant facility is immaculate and huge – in direct contrast to the shower facility we suffer.
