The only reason to visit Kushadasi is to tour the spectacular 2000 year old ruins at Ephasis. I didn't do that on this trip since I've been there three times in the past, but as I write this (on Saturday) Barbara is preparing her trip report on her excursion to the ruins and selecting a few of the hundreds of pictures she no doubt made there. I will post the link to her blog site when she has uploaded her report.
So I spent the morning alone taking a hike along the still lovely waterfront in Kushadasi and looking into the quaint shops. Like so many other exotic and noteworthy destinations, the huge cruise ships have corrupted the ports so that they have become immense shopping centers that are so large that most of the passengers from the 2000 to 4000 plus person capacity ships never get beyond the shops and cafes. Kushadasi (Turkish for "Pigeon Island" which is so named for various reasons based on the creativity of the tour guide you happen to get as there are no pigeons there) has been the home to a bazaar for thousands of years anyway, but now the shopping extends for miles. Tour boat posters promise scenic rides and apparently some somewhat intriguing forms of fun, and the gift shops provide just the sort of keepsakes and presents that would please the most discriminating grandchild or business associates. The only really authentic merchandise carried are variations of the "evil eye". These curiously blue eye ball glass medallions are said to ward off envy or Vikings (no kidding) depending on, yes, which tour guide is enlightening you. There are even blue eyeballs embedded into the sidewalks, no doubt to ward off the ever present dog poop.
Actually it was nice to see Kushadasi again as it was our only stop in Turkey on this trip--unless we cross into the Turkish part of Cyprus as we are approaching Limmasol for today's visit, my 132nd country, but who's counting.
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