Too Much Coincidence, or Day 15 of the Epic May Adventure

On days like today, I just know someone is watching out for me.

Last night, I met two girls who were studying abroad in Istanbul. What university were they studying at? Turns out, the same one where my friend from Cappadocia is studying! It is a small, traveling world. So I went on the dolmus (bus) to Ephesus this morning with them.

Speaking of a small, travelling world, when I went out for dinner tonight, I pop into a Turkish pizza place. And lo and behold, there was a family I met in Goreme! We spent at least three hours over dinner talking, and this with their 7- and 10- year-olds there too! A very nice and well-behaved family. And another bit of luck. I did not have to dine alone.

Not only where their nice people from my past popping up, but there were a couple new faces that I appreciated. But I am getting ahead of myself.

Ephesus. The most well-preserved Roman city. It was just two kilometers long, so I covered it leisurely in just a few hours, but there were some great arches, intricate carvings, and gradiose structures.

I was blown away by the size of the theatre, probably because there was not a mountain (like there was in Petra) to dwarf it. The streets were paved and had a sewer system through the city. I listened in on a tour and learned that there was an ´eternal flame´ that the monks were responsible for keeping lit as well.

Once I had finished looking around Ephesus (or Efe, in Turkish), I started walking. It was a pretty narrow road, but it was not too far back to Selchuk.

However, that is when my next bout of good luck trotted up. A man and his son in their horse-drawn carriage were headed to the Grotto of the Seven Sleepers (which was on the way), and they offered a nice free ride. We trotted through pretty orchards, past a man selling nectarines, and to the grotto.

The story goes something like seven persecuted Christians hid in this cave to escape, but instead were buried alive by their pursuers. When an earthquake hit a few centuries later, they emerged from their sleep and went down to the village, where they gained a cult following. A temple was then built at the sight of their cave.

By the cave were some gozeleme (a pancake-crepe thing) restaurants. I stepped in one, had a savoury spinach-and-cheese... and that is when the rain started.

I felt a bit cooped up in there (aka, there was not anyone to talk to), but I lasted through the rain with my complimentary cup of tea and started walking again.

And another stranger did me a favor. An empty tour bus headed for Ephesus picked me up and dropped me off at Selchuk, which was a few kilometers out of his way. Sometimes, being an adventurous single woman has its advantages.

Did I mention that I happened to visit Selchuk on Saturday, which is their market day? It was huge and bustling, and reminded me of farmer´s markets last summer in California. But it was not just produce... there were streets of clothing, alleys of jewelry and perfumes, and cheeses and sweets in their own sections as well!

It was still only 2:00pm at this point, so I decided a quick jaunt to neighboring Sirince would be nice. (While I was on the bus, it drizzled... Success avoiding the rain again!)

Sırınige is a little Greek village that has been taken over by tourism, so its few streets were packed with stalls. The daisy crown was being sported by many of the tourists, and lace was one of their crafts. Their other? Making fruit wine.

I got to sip a few, but they were pretty strong and pretty sweet (almost like liquor). It was not quite the wine I like, but it helped me wile away an afternoon.

On getting back to Selchuk, I ran into one of the managers from my hostel, and I poked around looking at bus times to Izmır, which I was thinking of heading to this evening.

But I curled up on the couch at the hostel with a book, and since my stuff is still here, looks like I will be spending another night here. My evening entertainment (before dinner) was an Australian couple and a New Zealand couple who brought in OJ and vodka to share. We heard military stories from the hostel manager (since service is compulsory around here) and the Turkish side of the Kurdish-Turkish issue.

Though I was really lonely this afternoon, I was lucky to find people. Though today´s luck seem like an awful lot of coincidences...