M-whY

No matter. At the otogar, I simply walked down the line of buses until I found one labeled 'Selcuk.' Overshooting cost me an extra hour and 5 TL (US$1 = 1.3TL), but I got where I was going in the end. Shaking off touts determined to sell me tickets to my next destination, I located the Australia New Zealand Pension.

"So where'd you just come from?" the guy at reception asked in his down under accent.

"Cappadocia." I didn't bother mentioning the detour I took.

"You must be tired then." I'm sure I looked a wreck. The overnighter stopped at least half a dozen times enroute, and without sleeping pills, I roused at every one of them. (Every one of them, except the one I needed to get off at.) "Your room is on the second floor, have some rest, and when you're ready, come down for some breakfast."

'Some rest' ended up being a several hour 'nap' that caused me to miss lunch too. This totally cancels out the supposed benefit of overnight travel. The day I'm supposed to save is spent making up for unrefreshing sleep, and by the time I felt recharged, my room was lit in an afternoon glow.

"Going to Efes?" The old Roman ruins three kilometers away were the primary draw of Selcuk. "We offer a free lift there if you're interested."

"Not today, I'll go tomorrow." The two hours of sunlight remaining wouldn't do the ancient Roman capital justice, though it should be enough for a stroll around Selcuk.

Palms gave the town a resort-ish setting, but the lack of tourists prevented a resort-ish mentality. Trees overflowing with citrus fruits and remains of ancient Roman aquaducts lined the streets. Nearly every family had laundry hanging from clotheslines, taking advantage of the sunny day. Kids in uniform waved and practiced their english greetings on me as they passed me on their way home. A soccerball flew over my head, and I chased it down and threw it back so the schoolyard game could continue. Like Goreme, not a whole lot was happening, but it was a glimpse of everyday life in Selcuk.

It's a shame I wasted such nice day, and I could only hope the weather held for tomorrow. I was kicking myself even more because now I couldn't fall asleep at a normal time. If I had some sleeping pills, I would've popped a couple and knocked myself out, but then again, if I had them, I wouldn't have arrived so tired, and not have been in this situation in the first place!

Thanks to everyone for their support and comments! Knowing people are reading keeps me motivated to continue the updates!