In Turkey,
Pamukkale is considered the Eighth Wonder of the World, and it's easy to see why. In fact, I can't believe I'd never heard of this amazing place before. Pamukkale, meaning 'cotton castle' in Turkish, is a surreal white fluffy rock formation on a hillside near
Denizli in southwestern Turkey. The incredible terraces of crescent-shaped pools, fringed with
stalactites, were created by natural springs which cascaded thick layers of
calcium bicarbonate down the hillside, slowly turning it into a frozen waterfall.
Locals and tourists have been flocking to Pamukkale for centuries (the nearby ruined town of
Hierapolis was quite a fashionable spa in the 2nd century BC), believing that the water from the hot springs has healing effects on the skin and eyes, and curing properties for asthma and rheumatism.
Visits to the springs were in fact getting so out of control in the last century (with bathers soaping themselves up in the pools and riding dirt bikes around the park), that UNESCO stepped in and designated Pamukkale a
World Heritage Site.
If Turkey isn't in your travel plans, you can check out very similar rock formations at
Mammoth Hot Springs in Yellowstone National Park, or at
Huanglong in Sichuan, China. RM
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