While at Pamukkale, I was greeted by friendly stray cats there. Turkey is undoubtedly the country of cats. The well-kept and affectionate cats surprised me in a pleasant manner as some stray cats tend to be quite reserved back in Malaysia. Overall, about 90% of stray animals I encountered in Turkey are friendly. The friendliness of stray animals are indicators that they are being treated well, perhaps even better than homeless people in some countries.
I was at Pamukkale on the day of the bombing in Istanbul. The crazy behaviors of certain extremists to ruin others won't deter my enthusiasm for returning. I was told that bombings are common occurrences nearing general elections. Instead of the usual picture-perfect and near-heavenly pristine conditions of the well-known Cotton Castle, I will show you another side of Pamukkale. The tough job of maintaining perfection.
The first lesson was to schedule visits at the latest before November. Otherwise, water will be drained from the travertines. The reason is humidity over a prolonged period of time will encourage the growth of molds that will darken the color of the otherwise cottony white travertines. Hardworking maintenance staff will then need to clean travertines using a combination of vinegar and baking soda.
Another lesson was walking on travertines barefooted hurt a lot. However, I saw some staff wearing a type of silicon ballet flats. Perhaps asking for permission to wear similar footwear will enhance the experience of walking on travertines for some. Elderly people need to be extra careful while soaking their feet in the running hot spring. Make sure to sit down before putting your legs into running water as the molds underneath tend to be slippery to prevent unwanted accidents.
在棉花堡期間，友好的流浪貓向我致意。土耳其無疑是貓的國度。由於在馬來西亞有些流浪貓往往很內向，所以養得很好、很親切的貓以一種愉快的方式讓我感到驚訝。總的來說，我在土耳其遇到的大約 90% 的流浪動物都是友好的。流浪動物的友善表明它們受到了良好的對待，在某些國家甚至可能比無家可歸的人更好。
伊斯坦布爾爆炸案發生那天，我在棉花堡。某些極端分子破壞他人的瘋狂行為不會阻止我返回的熱情。有人告訴我，爆炸在大選臨近時很常見。與著名的棉花堡通常如畫般完美和近乎天堂般的原始狀態不同，我將向您展示棉花堡的另一面。保持完美的艱鉅工作。
第一個教訓是最晚在 11 月之前安排訪問。否則，水將從石灰華中排出。原因是長時間的濕度會促進黴菌的生長，從而使本來呈棉狀的白色石灰華的顏色變暗。勤勞的維護人員隨後需要使用醋和小蘇打的混合物來清潔石灰華。
另一個教訓是赤腳走在石灰華上很疼。但是，我看到一些工作人員穿著一種矽膠芭蕾平底鞋。也許請求允許穿類似的鞋子會增強一些人在石灰華上行走的體驗。老年人在流動的溫泉中泡腳時需要格外小心。確保在將腿放入流水之前坐下，因為下面的模具往往很滑，以防止發生意外事故。