next we explored Ephesus, one of the largest archaeological sites in existence. i enjoyed this the most throughout the whole trip. the whole city was made out of marbles.

that was their toilets!!! so cute and funny.

their library, so beautiful. the funny thing was, the brothel was just opposite.

that was their stadium. it was so huge...

had lunch at some random hotel and continued our bus journey to pamukkale. we stayed over for a night.

there was only one pilot and approximately 20 people in one basket. we had to stand throughout the 1.5 hour ride, there were no seats. the pilot was consistently holding on to the pump to pump more gas whenever he wanted the balloon to fly higher. he cannot control where he wants to go, he can only turn the balloon clockwise or anti, via pulling the strings. pilot was kind enough to let wen wen try. :)

we were so lucky that the weather was fine. i have heard of people signing up for hot air balloon tours and not being able to ride them due to poor weather conditions that day.







see how the men had to use their weights to stop the balloon from flying. i really enjoyed the landing and keeping of balloon experience.

all of us had a certificate and there was a mini champagne celebration after that! haha.

we headed back to the hotel, had breakfast, met up with our remaining group members and we went to visit the three sisters. well, it's basically just rocks. haha! cappadocia's landscape is full of bizarrely shaped pillars, cones and "fairy chimneys".

next up was a carpet manufacturing place. we were shown how do they obtain the colour dyes, getting the silk from cocoons, and how to they weave the carpet manually. haha, mummy learnt a few tricks from the lady too!



and last but not least, a mini exhibition of the different variety of carpets.

and papa bought a mini one for his own study. :) the one on the left.

pretty fruit trees! :)

next was to the Goreme Open-Air Museum, a compound comprising 29 rock-cut churches, including some that date back to the 6th century. Many are decorated with frescoes depicting biblical stories.









we also had turkish ice cream. it beats the one at clarke quay hands down. haha! very tasty, but i felt that the goat milk smell in it was too strong.

we then had lunch at a cave restaurant. okay, that lunch was different from other lunches. no meatballs and stuff. instead, we had spaghetti and fish. it was very nice! best meal in turkey.

after lunch we visited the Underground City of Kaymakli, one of the largest underground cities in turkey, said to have existed since the Hittie period. we saw bedrooms, kitchens, dining halls, wine cellars, chapels, stables, etc.