Days: 531-533 (8 December 2015 – 10 December 2015)
Total distance travelled: 134,914.80 kilometres (83,798.02 miles)
It’s close to 6am and our bus has just deposited us outside the ‘bus station’ (I use inverted commas, as there is no terminal, rather a collection of ticket offices, all presently closed) in Göreme.
The temperature is around minus five degrees celcius, snow and ice cover the ground and road, although the sky above is ridiculously clear.
My toes are starting to hurt.
Somewhat stupidly, I happen to be at this point in proceedings wearing shorts and a pair of flip flops!
That same blue sky above is covered with colourful dots, each beginning to catch the sun’s rays as it slowly crests the distant mountains.
This is the iconic image of Cappadocia.
Four score or more hot air balloons colouring each and every morning, weather permitting of course.
Cappadocia: An iconic welcome
Breathing steam like the most violent of dragons, we gathered our packs, then did our best to get our bearings.
We did have a place booked for the coming night, but would there even be anybody there at this early hour, and even if there was someone present, would they even let us in?!
There were some precarious moments, although we weren’t yet aware of them.
As we laboured up a hill, the fallen snow was seemingly days old, compact, and like an oil slick… at least that’s how it felt as I almost did the splits, narrowly avoiding my first icy tumble since our winter in Ushuaia.
Surviving unscathed after seemingly dancing a very ordinary version of the Charlston on ice, we climbed a few hills, gingerly made our way up some icy stairs, and found ourselves at the Star Cave Hotel.
Unfortunately, it didn’t look all that open (it was after all very early), but fortunately the main door was open, a young guy lay asleep on a cushioned bench and we were soon at least indoors where it was far warmer indeed.
Not surprisingly, other guests were few, but over the course of the morning, we were allowed to partake in breakfast, meet the other guests (an Argentinean couple and an Australian/Swedish couple) and finally get shown to our room.
Did I also mention, it was in a cave?!
If you’re not familiar with the place, Cappadocia is famous for it’s rock chimneys, and within these vertical, natural spires, at least historically, the locals would build their homes.
Today, they make for a great tourist gimmick, and for a couple of days at least, this would be home.
To sleep… in a cave
We had this dormitory to ourselves, our hotel companions seemingly on looser budgets had a pair of private rooms between them, and after a rubbish nights attempt at sleep on the bus from Antalya (by now we were pretty adept at sleeping in transit, but on board the heating had been cranked up to ridiculously high levels) we did very little on this first day.
It wasn’t a total write off (the day that is), as we at least snuck an a brief exploration of our surrounds, whilst doing a little shopping around for some day tours and that most famous of excursions in this region, a hot air balloon ride.
Goreme and those gorgeous ‘Fairy’ chimneys
Being such a quiet time of the year for tourism, we bargained hard and got ourselves what we thought a pretty damn good deal for the following morning, and it was ultimately through the same operator that we found ourselves booking a pair of day excursions as well.
With a less then restful night aboard that bus to get us here, we never expected to have long nor late plans for our evening.
That said we still didn’t wish to deny ourselves by not ending our day taking in some of the more sumptuous views the town can provide.
As such, just before sunset we found ourselves climbing a rise from where the last of the suns rays are best appreciated, and of course given the time of year, we rugged up accordingly.
By the time we’d made the ascent up the icy, gravel road, we were surprisingly warm, and the views? Well they were well worth it!
Views worth climbing for
Elevated as we were left us exposed to any wind, and the longer we lingered, the cooler the air became as the suns already wan strength slackened even further.
Someone had kindly positioned a couch (sofa) up here, however small piles of snow atop its tattered cushions meant neither us, nor the handful of other folk we shared the rise with bothered to use it.
In one direction, we could gaze back over Göreme towards the setting sun, whilst the other gave us wonderful views towards the mountains and of the snow dappled fairy chimneys below.
The sun sets over Göreme
Fairy wonderland
All in all, it was a stunning spot to take in the views, breath the clean fresh air (okay, so there was the occasional waft of chimney smoke as well) and the relative peace and quiet.
Once the sun set and we’d surrendered to the cold, there was little left to do but find our evening meal, and for this we indulged in local specialties, Sarah especially enjoying her scorching claypot (served with a flourish at the table, as they smash the top off the clay, right before you).
Winter wanderer… (left) & Claypot dinner (right)
The meal was damn tasty as well… which was fortunate, as at this time of year the dining options were far fewer!
Surprisingly (perhaps to anybody reading this), we were up well before the sun the following morning, and to say that it was freezing out, would be an incredible understatement.
The thing that lured us from our slumber at such a ridiculously early hour and whilst the mercury was so low?
Our second balloon ride together (our first a couple of years earlier over our home town of Melbourne)!
The following morning, we’re up before the dawn…
Whilst it may have worked to our disadvantage (the low season) when it came to dining options, this morning it well and truly worked in our favour.
Normally, the prices for balloon rides vary based on the size of the basket, so in summer the cheapest flights can see, have you dangling from the sky in some wicker with almost twenty others (the smaller, more expensive rides might have twelve or as few as eight).
We paid for the cheapest flight available, but due to the lack of patrons, we found ourselves enjoying one of the smaller baskets, for a fraction of the regular cost!
As for the experience? Well I think the images and videos illustrate more than any words ever could…
A little company…
Sure, there were the occasional words between ourselves or fellow passengers, then from time to time the burner would fire up, lifting us higher and keeping us warm all at once, but otherwise, it was total peace and quiet.
We could watch the beautiful landscape pass us by down below.
At times we seemed quite high, whilst at others almost scarily low.
So low in fact, we were soon drifting between the chimneys and various cave homes, so close we could almost touch them!
Eventually it was time for the big show, and after what seemed like a dramatic pause (you know, that weird moment where it almost feels like the temperature just drops), the sun emerged over the horizon, bathing the landscape in its warm gaze.
The suns rise
The beautiful landscape below
As the sun rose, the distant dots that indicated other balloons came into their own, the sky slowly turning a lovely blue, and the myriad of coloured silks brightening the scene.
Some balloons soared high above, others lurked in the ravines below, but as we’d been amongst the first to launch, it suggested several would be in the sky for quite some time to come.
That Iconic image of Cappadocia
A morning good enough to get a rise out of me…
All too soon, this part of the morning came to an end, our small posse invited to celebrate with a bottle of bubbles, non alcoholic and less Champagne like, and more akin to Peru’s favourite soda, Inca Cola (which is ridiculously sweet)!
With the day now upon us we weren’t done, and by now we were ready to see red… the Red Tour that is.
In and around Göreme, despite them seemingly in competition with one another, all of the tour agencies run (or at least sell) the same tours. The Red Tour, the Blue Tour and the Green Tour.
When it came down to which two to select (based on our available days), it become a non decision, as this time of year, the Blue Tour wasn’t running, so red and green it was.
It was a mixed group of about eight to ten folks, included a Portuguese man called Jose for whom we’d often translate portions of what our English speaking guide was saying into Spanish for him.
From what I understand, each running of the various coloured tours takes in the same sights, so for today that meant several photo opportunities, some time spent at the Göreme Open Air Museum where we had ample time to explore the ancient homes and churches hewn within the rock walls and slowly eroding fairy chimneys (you can also spot plenty of UNESCO signage about as well).
Photo ops…
The open air museum
The ancient village of Cavusin was visited, another town in which the citizens once lived within the mountain caves along with their pigeons… and their cattle, especially in the winter!
Pasabag, also known as the Monks Valley presented us with yet more fairy chimneys, which by now one might think were becoming a bit repetitive, but with these resembling toadstools, they were still different enough to keep us excited (it was also apparently a great location for some wedding photos for an Asian couple, although the bride must have been freezing her arse off sitting down as she was on the snow)!
…and more fairy chimneys at Pasabag
There was also the obligatory stop at a local cooperative where they specialised in ceramics, where after a brief demonstration the hard sell was thrown at us to buy some wares.
We declined at this offer, however a bit of wine tasting was more up our alley at a winery called Turasan.
Had their wares been tastier, perhaps we’d have purchased, but it was interesting enough to sample a local drop from an area I’d never once associated with wines.
The day trip was regularly punctuated by our guide shouting for our new friend “Mr Jose” to return, as he’d regularly wander off, and by days end it became something of a running joke, “Where’s Mr Jose?!”
That evening back in Göreme, some far better wine was consumed, as we joined those long aforementioned Argentines, the Swede and the fellow Australian for several bottles, plenty of laughs and I’m sure a few snickers at the Napolean-esque hairdo I was sporting (a legacy of my head being covered for much of this winters day).
With new friends (*2016 update: Incredibly, we now live only minutes apart from the Swedish/Australian couple, Johanna and Paul and catch up regularly!)
The following morning we were green, and no that wasn’t our colour from far too big a night.
This was the Green Tour, and it kicked off our day with yet more photo opportunities, both of the town from above, and also of a place known as Pigeon Valley, where the opposite walls were long ago carved with little nooks, nesting places for the local peoples pigeons.
Perhaps it should have come as little surprise given the time of year, but we were also joined on this day by several of the same people from the previous days Red Tour, including “Mr Jose”!
Yet another photo op…
Pigeon homes in the Pigeon Valley
Further afield, and we were at the Derinkuyu Underground City, another part of the regions UNESCO world heritage listing.
It might be starting to sound a little ‘same same’, but this one was indeed different.
Rather than be carved directly into the walls of a valley, or again inside the fairy chimneys, the area around Derinkuyu is totally flat.
This meant, the only way they had was directly down… into solid rock!
We wandered our way through, however due to the dim light, none of my photos are worthy of being displayed here.
The Ihlara Valley was to be our final stop for the day, but before we got there to visit more cave churches, there was a detour to the Selime Monastery.
Making a monastery out of a mole hill? (left) & Wonderful detail within (right)
It was a fairly steep, but short hike from the road up to the monastery, seemingly carved out of one giant hill or chimney (but in reality resembling a termite mound), but the chance to explore it’s connecting passages and take in views of the town below were worth the effort.
Within, most of the walls were blackened from years of fires being burned within, but there were still fragments of the detail that must have once made these chapels things of beauty.
Now over the course of the day, “Mr Jose” had become increasingly annoying, often interrupting us as we tried to listen, bugging us for a translation before we’d even the chance to hear the guides words ourselves.
As such, we found ourselves distancing ourselves from him more and more.
His usual trick of wandering off and not returning when called had also re-surfaced, but in this facet of behaviour, it appears he was not actually at fault.
It turns out Jose’s name was in fact Juan, but for some reason the manifest our guide had been given on day one had it listed otherwise!
Perhaps due to the language barrier, he was never aware that it was an issue!
When we finally queried him was when the truth was revealed, we all had a laugh and all that was left was to investigate the valley before our time was done (Juan, had he not been so annoying, could have been quite interesting, being a museum curator back home in Portugal).
The Ihlara Valley
The Ihlara Valley itself was a beautiful spot, although by the time we descended into its shaded depths, it was pretty cold down below.
We followed the course of a narrow river (or was it a wide stream?) that wandered its depths, and along the walls explored a handful of cave churches, surprisingly many still sporting splashes of colour on its spattered patches of stucco.
A little colour remains… (left) & A chilled (at times this was literal) walk through the valley (right)
It was time for us to move on, we had an appointment to keep in Istanbul (the Iranian embassy beckoned), so we bid farewell to our new friends met in Göreme, and that night boarded yet another overnight bus that would ferry us across the country.
Notes:
* Our overnight bus from Antalya to Göreme cost us ŧ50.00 Lire per person and took roughly 9-9 ½ hours.
* We arranged our two tours (Red Tour and Green Tour) and our hot air balloon ride through Neşe Tour agency, at ŧ90.00 Lire per person for each tour, and €100.00 Euro each for the balloon ride (which was operated by Cihangiroĝlu Balloons).
* There is normally a ŧ20.00 Lire entrance fee for the Göreme Open Air Museum, however our entrance was included in our fee for the Red Tour. This however did not cover the entrance into the ‘Dark Church’ (which we did not enter), and it was an additional ŧ10.00 Lire per person.
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