P--Pamukkale

Pamukkale , meaning 'cotton castle' ( pamuk--cotton + kale --castle ) in Turkish, is a natural site in Denzili Province in south Western Turkey. The city contains hot springs and travertines, terraces of carbonate minerals left behind by flowing water.The site is UNESCO protected .

Small streams of mineral rich water are guided through terraces in the area. The 'snow-clad 'mountains are actually covered with mineral deposits.

The water ,rich in minerals comes straight from several hot springs and gets collected into the terraces along the slopes .

                                            The view is breath taking .......

The mineral rich water has medicinal value and it is beneficial for the skin and is known to be helpful in many other conditions.

 Shoes are strictly forbidden .My kids saw the steep slope and the bare foot walk ahead  in the hot Sun and you can imagine the looks I must have invited from all quarters.Hobbs was ready to turn back as the ground was slippery beneath his feet ;) None of them had the heart to go back though and we all decided to take the difficult route downhill.

 The water was warm to touch and as we continued the one and a half hour walk along the slope, our feet intermittently encountered  small pools of ice cold water. The alternating warm and cold water tingled our senses and the feeling was that of pure bliss ! The walk was turning out to be the most memorable one ...

 The slope was steep and required a lot of balance on the feet as the ground was  slippery. No one complained though.Daughter touched and felt all along the trail...the stones,the clay,the deposits and splashed water like a small child .

Hobbs and son bonded through the trail and I heard my son ask his dad -" Can we make a house here ? Will the Turkish Government allow us to stay back? How expensive do you think will be  property in this area? "

They had loved the place ,obviously even more than I did. I smiled beneath my hat .