Ephesus, Pamukkale, Kusadasi Turkey 土耳其以弗所和其他 1/2016 (2)

11-13/1/2016. From Istanbul, I headed to Ephesus, a place in the Bible and the name of one of its books, to see what was left of it. Sadly, much of it has been reduced to rubble, in many cases, only skeletal remains, making it hard to visualize its original grandeur. The remnants of the Roman amphitheaters were still substantial, but the rest of this ancient city were just crumbling stone blocks, the odd pillars, the odd gate frames. Notwithstanding that not much was left standing, that many structures not withstanding the ravages of time and the elements, the long ancient marble street was a magical walk back in time. It reminds us of the past that is not a figment of our imagination.

The guide then led us to the spot of the Temple of Artemis. I scratched my head and asked, “Where is the temple?” There was nothing more than a few rocks stacked together and strewn on an empty piece of land. One of the seven wonders of the ancient world so utterly devastated. I was devastated.

We went around some touristy villages; a shop had a small sign that read “Genuine fake Rolex watches for sale.” The shop owner was very conflicted. But it was revealing. We were then taken to a wine shop. The man invited us to taste. This being a Muslim country, I could not resist asking, “How does one sell wine when one does not drink or know the taste of it?” He blushed, drooped his head, and said, “I am not a good follower of my religion” I did not mean to be judgmental; I was just curious.

I also saw on many occasions stray dogs slouching on the sidewalk of the shopping streets, furry and chubby, looking seemingly content with their lives, quite unlike the unloved, shabby stray dogs back home. Shopkeepers and passersby fed and patted the dogs like their pets. I found that strange, coming from Malaysia, where Muslims generally shun dogs. So, I could not help asking, like a curious cat, “Can you actually touch dogs?” I was frowned on. They replied, “Why not? We are supposed to be kind to animals?” By now my curiosity was killing me, so I asked again, to understand how differently they practice their faith here, as opposed to Malaysia, “Can a non-Muslim marry a Muslim and not convert?” Their reply again was, “Why not? Marriage is a civil affair in Turkey.”In Malaysia, non-Muslims must convert to marry Muslims.

These are anecdotal, friendly exchanges and may not be Turkey at all, but, coming from Malaysia. This is very revealing.

离开伊斯坦布尔后下一站到以弗所，圣经里中的一本经书，也是圣徒们传教的古城。我当然很好奇两千年后这地方的面貌；可惜，硕果仅存的只有一些门框，大石砖，石柱；看不出任何轮廓，但罗马剧场犹在；古时穿过这市的大理石街道还在，街道两边的废墟支离破碎，什是凄凉。司机接着把我送到阿提密斯神殿前，我抓着头脑问司机，“神殿在哪？”。原来古代世界七大奇迹之一的阿提密斯神殿已经只剩几块石头在空地上，非常遗憾。

在其中一个村庄里闲兜，一间商铺外挂着一广告 “出售纯真假劳力士”；这是以假乱真， 还是以真乱假？司机把我们载到一葡萄酒店，店主请我们品酒；我好奇问店主，“你不喝酒如何介绍好酒？”。老板脸红回到 “很忏愧我不是个好信徒”。回徒是不喝酒的，我这番问题是不近人情；在几个路经的城镇，总看到浪狗们街上游手好闲，好吃好穿的，身上披着富人的毛衣，脸圆圆嫩嫩的，人们街上都也当宠物百般宠爱；我又多嘴问，“这样碰摸狗狗，可以吗？”。他们回到，“为啥不可，我们该善待动物”。 哦，在马，回教徒视狗为不净，不养不碰。我快给好奇心逼疯了，于是又问，“非回教徒嫁娶回教徒不畈依回教可以吗？”。他们回答，“为啥不可？这是民事，两厢情愿的事”。土耳其好像身在亚洲头在欧洲，这点跟马来西亚有共同点；马来西亚身在亚洲，但也曾是英殖民地，沾了点欧式，因此中西影响该都有。这只是些土耳其琐碎见闻，可能不具代表性，不配参考；但我开眼界，长知识了。

From there, I went to the Hierapolis amphitheater near Pamukkale, which was much better preserved. As I walked around the ruins of Pamukkale with other tourists, I heard the news that bombs had exploded at the square of the Blue Mosque in Istanbul. I was loitering around there for hours just the day before. We then moved on to the thermal pools at Pamukkale, which were spectacular and unusual. After this, I was happy to call it a day at the nearby seaport Kusadasi.

逛完弗所后到帕穆克卡莱的希拉波利斯罗马剧场，这剧场倒是挺完整的。接着在周围废墟参观，突传来消息伊斯坦布尔的蓝清真寺广场极端分子引爆炸弹，我昨天还在那儿逗留几小时，慢条斯理的左看右看。松一口气后，跑到帕穆克卡莱温泉参观，白盐梯田和碧绿池水，这是个自然奇景。当晚就下榻附近港口城市库萨达斯，酒店就在滩前，风平浪静，今天就这样完美收官。