Day 5 Ankara to Cappadocia
Another driving day was ahead, and leaving the city on Saturday morning after another fantastic breakfast was relatively easy. An hour and a half south was Tuz Golu, a massive 1,650 square kilometer endorheic salt lake in central Türkiye and a popular stop for bus tours. The lake went on for as far as the eye could see, was only a couple of feet deep, and was entirely brine, totally devoid of life. A tourist shop full of Chinese tour bus groups and Turkish Delight was mandatory.
We motored south through endless plains of empty, barren land stretching for miles and miles. Finally, the landscape began to change as we passed through Nevsehir and into the alien planet-looking tourist hotspot of Göreme.
A throng of ATVs, mopeds, camels, taxis, buses, SUVs, and even a couple of Ford Mustangs crammed into this tiny valley with its bizarre rock formations and countless cave hotels, cafes, restaurants, and tourist shops. Our spot, the Adelya Cave Hotel, was a little out of the way, which suited us fine. We secured our hot air balloon trip for the next morning, dumped the bags in our cave room, located the red ATM that wouldn’t scam us, and hit the minimart for supplies before venturing to the rooftop terrace for a beer and the view.
A fifteen-minute walk took us up to the lookout point for sunset, which provided a spectacular vista across the valley as the gloaming light changed with reflecting hues off the cliff faces and alien-like rock formations. Naturally, this all looked much better with a bottle of local Cappadocia wine and a wide-angle lens.
Day 6 Cappadocia
The balloon ride has a separate page, as there were so many photos!
That afternoon, we drove out of the town and over to “Love Valley,” where the balloon took us earlier this morning. The name is derived from the phallic-shaped “fairy chimneys” which are the result of volcanic activity and erosion over millions of years.
The volcanoes Mount Erciyes, Mount Hasan, and Göllü Dağ blanketed the region with thick layers of ash, lava, and basalt millions of years ago, and the ash compacted into a soft rock called “tufa”, while the harder basalt formed a protective cap over some areas.
Because the tufa is so soft, ancient peoples carved homes, churches, and even entire underground cities right into the rock.
We drove over to the Rose Valley, named after the red rock formations, which formed as iron-rich volcanic material oxidized over millennia. The entire area is a playground for ATVs, dirt bikes, horses, hikers, campers, and cyclists.
We splashed out for a rooftop lamb tandoori and wine dinner that evening, which is not difficult in Cappadocia, where everything is priced at a tourist premium and a meal can cost a month’s wages for some, as my card found out.
I filled the hot tub in our cave room that night, cracked a bottle of local wine, and pondered where all the water came from in such an arid region. Apparently, the volcanic activity had also formed large underground aquifers supplying the region with a constant water source, which my aching feet were grateful for.
Day 7 Cappadocia
After breakfast at the Adelya, which was beginning to feel like a second home, we drove out of Göreme and south to the underground city at Derinkuyu. This mystical place has eight levels and is 60 meters deep, dating back to the 7th century BC when it once housed as many as 20,000 people.
It was hard to imagine how so many could squeeze into such tight spaces, and my knees were already starting to feel it after just an hour up and down tiny steps in tunnels similar to those we saw in South Vietnam.
Wherever we went, there was no escaping the Chinese tour groups, so we moved on to Uchisar Castle, where there were more scantily-clad young Asian girls having their Instagram moments.
The castle was an impressive “natural skyscraper” 1,350 meters above sea level and was first carved into in the Hittite or Phrygian periods, 8th century BC. The 360-degree view from the top was spectacular, though most other visitors were more interested in photographing themselves.
We headed back to our cave and had a beer on the terrace before taking a wander around the town in the evening. Göreme is a tourist magnet with the usual over-priced restaurants, trinket stores, carpet vendors, and rooftop cocktail bars. After two very expensive fancy restaurant meals, we decided to eat local tonight with some street food.
Previous: Ankara
Current: Ballooning
Next: Eskişehir2
