Ephesus & Kusadasi.. From the Ancient to Modern City

The ancient city of Ephesus was as spectacular as envisioned and equally crowded!. The city must have been amazing in its day, fully equipped with a gymnasium,  theater,  library and stadium, amongst others. Underneath the stadium you could see the waiting area and entrance for the gladiators. No Russell Crowe but hoards of people. After a quick swim, took off to Kusadasi, a port tourist town.  Was expecting something akin to Surfers at Schoolies, but it was surprisingly nice.  The main tourist season has not started yet, so you could leisurely shop and drink Turkish coffee by the seaside. There was a small protest march in town, connected to the larger protests in the major cities.  Its an interesting time to be in Turkey politically. Some of the local media refused to cover the protests (mostly being reported by foreign press and over the web), resulting in almost 200,000 people closing accounts with a major bank owned by one of the local TV stations. Great to see grass roots people power! Taking a break from the ruins tomorrow for beautiful Pammukale and its white tavertine cliffs xx B