The woman behind the front desk, Olivetta, said there is violence in the city today. Police are clearing out the hawkers and touts from the main road toward the Capital City neighborhood, and people on the streets are reacting by throwing stones and resisting the police. “Don’t go there.”
I am no fan of organized bus tours, led by the half-interested guide,with too-brief stops at too few places. So in the face of a thousand brochures for package tour operators, I set out on my own on regular bus service to Selcuk. Stashing my backpack at the bus depot, I set out to walk the 3 km back to my intended destination: Ephesus.