Ephesus

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One of Turkey’s biggest attractions is Ephesus which is an ancient city that is still being unearthed by archaeologists.  The city was built by the Greeks, so you can see a lot of Greek architecture in the buildings.

One of the buildings that is left standing is a huge theatre.  The acustics are great inside and as you enter you often here people practicing their singing voice; some are better than others!
You can see dig sites and people working all around.  It’s a large tourist attraction, but I felt it was big enough that you didn’t feel like there was too much of a crowd.
You can see the ruins of a large library, that is said to be one of the biggest that the Greeks built.  It was supposedly connected by an underground passage to a brothal so they men could sneak across unnoticed by their wives!
You can see the brothal (at least the ruins) and a footprint and a arrow in the cement which is apparently the first advertisement in the world (I’m somewhat sceptical on that one).
The site needs 2 hours of so and it’s very hot, so bring plenty of water and sunscreen as there is little shade.
Up the road is the church of Mary.  It is said that Mary spent the last years of her life living here and died in this area.  There is a mass there that you can attend, or you can join the masses of tourists walking through the small church taking pictures!  It’s a unique site and worth a look.
Between the two sights is a large statue of Mary beside the road.

  

Pamukkale

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Pamukkale is one of Turkey’s famous sights and attracts a lot of tourists, although most of them on day trips.

There are a series of travertines, or ledges, that have been formed by water running down the side of a hill that is high in minerals.  The water is said to have healing properties and so an ancient city was build on the top of the hill where they built baths (very similar to Roman baths).  The baths are still there, and if you can go swimming, as long as you pay the enterance fee!
The pools are not very deep, and at the bottom there are still large marble pillars that were once part of the building.  It’s a nice place to swim, but it’s very crowded with tourists and quite expensive at 36 Lira; and that is on top of the 25 Lira you must pay to enter the site.
After you have seen the ancient city, you can climb down the ledges and walk through the water.  In most places it is not deep enough to swim in, but you can wade through it.  Most hotels in the area have taken the water to fill pools that their guests can swim in.
The town itself is very small with just a handful of hotels and restaurants.  A lot of people either come here on a day trip, or just stay one night.  I was hoping that there would be other attractions in the area, but there is nothing else around.
Today I will continue across to Ephesus by train. So far I have only taken buses in Turkey, so the train should be a nice change of pace.

Driving in Turkey

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Most places in Turkey are connected by bus.  Even small towns will have a Otogar, or bus station with regular services running all over the country.  There are some places though, that you may want to see, that have irregular or limited bus service.  In this case, you may consider hiring a car.

Here are a few points to consider.
Turkey has one of the highest, if not the highest petrol price in the world.  You often pay more than 5 Lira per litre for petrol.  You should understand that renting a car is not the most economical way to get around.  Petrol stations are abundant on major roads, you should have no problems finding one.  They are all full service. They seem to prefer cash to credit card as well, so you should keep that in mind.
Most rental cars have a manual transmission, so if you are coming from North America and are used to driving an automatic car, make sure you request one in Turkey.  Otherwise, you may be in for a shock when you get the car!
Turkey drives on the right and has standard European road signs.  Signs that are written will be in Turkish only.  This should not present a major issue though, as most signs use pictures instead of being written.
Highways have lanes just like in other countries, but you are unlikely to see Turkish people use them!  Driving between two lanes is very common and driving on the shoulder is considered normal, especially when making a right turn.  Overtaking on the right, while illegal, is very common.
You should drive defensively.  Cars will often join the road without checking if the lane is clear.  If you think a driver has not seen you, sound you horn, flash you lights, or both.  Be aware that most drivers will not indicate before they change lanes or overtake you.
Overall though, once you get used to how the Turks drive, you should be fine; but don’t expect a leasurely afternoon drive through the countryside!