The Temple of Artemis, the Celsus Library, St. John's Basilica, the (supposed) tomb of St. Luke, and Isa Bey Camii are only a few of the ancient sites I saw today. I can't believe these ruins! They're SO OLD. It was a breathtaking experience. I wish I could have shared it with old, close friends. New friends will have to suffice!

After taking the night bus from Istanbul, I arrived in Izmir around 8 am. There is a service bus between Izmir and Selcuk that costs 8tl. I found it with ease and took my seat. A little girl, maybe 4 yrs old, hops onto the bus 2 min after I do, gives me the dirtiest look and informs that I am in her seat. I played the foreigner card and gave her the stupid look. She proceeds to yell at me. Finally, I say to her, "I don't speak Turkish. Would you like to sit here?" She says nothing. I move seats. She stands up on the chair we argued over and sticks her tongue out at me. B!#@*. Then her dad left and she cried. Hah.

Upon arriving in Selcuk some man asked where I was going. I said this guesthouse. He told me where it was. They were the worst directions I was ever given. It took me half an hour to do a 5 min walk. Jerk. I got to the hostel with the help of a local. I was warmly welcomed by the owner, Harry. He's a pretty cool Aussie-Turk. I ate breakfast and took a quick shower. I was offered a quick tour of Selcuk by the other owner Mehmet. I found out quickly that Mehmet is a bit of a creep; he played out all the moves to set himself up for a probably hook-up. NO WAY. It creeped me out, so I am planning on going somewhere else tomorrow. I am deciding between sentences whether to stay, go to Bodrum, go to Fethiye, or just head back to Istanbul. If I go back to Istanbul I can save money. If I go to Bodrum I can see an old friend. If I stay in Selcuk I can go to Greece. If I go to Fethiye I can see some of Turkey's and the world's most beautiful beaches. I am leaning towards Fethiye, but I just can't decide! Oh the woes of traveling alone.

So Mehmet took me to Isa Bey Camii, St. John's Basilica, the 7 Sleepers, the ancient city of Ephesus, and Artemis Temple. I took a break from people in between sightseeing and I went to the Ephesus museum. Two other tourists came along to Ephesus. We had a good time taking pictures and getting to know one another. It took us a total of 2.5 hrs to walk through the city. We were told that afterwards a minibus was available to take us back. Wrong; there was none. We walked about a kilometer to the main highway were we caught a taxi back into Selcuk (otherwise it's a 5km walk...). We made it back to the hostel safely.

It was another eventful day. I took a lot of pictures. I have found that I like people even more when they say that they're into photography. It automatically ups there likable status only because I am the worst photographer to walk the planet. Here's a shout-out to all of my photographer friends: you're the best! Thanks for helping me!

Isa Bey Camii (Mosque)

In the courtyard of said Mosque

St. John's Basilica

Tomb of St. John

Ok I'm so tired that I have to stop here. It's been a long couple of days..I promise I will post more tomorrow! I took over 300 pictures, and I need time weed out the horrific ones. Please be patient :)