WELL. Internet friends and lovers -- this one is for YOU! I logged on this morning to find I'd surpassed 22,222 hits on the blog! Utterly awesome, and thank you. (Trolls and snide anonymous comment-leavers still unwelcome, natch. Just go elsewhere. But thanks for your hit! :p)
And yet once again, it seems I must offer apologies for the tardiness of this post. My trip to Cappadocia just so happened to fall right smack in the middle of certain busy events at my school, and immediately before a friend from the States came to stay for nine nights. Plus, after avoiding it for weeks (due to terror), I finally got Egypt sorted! A Nile River cruise is happening!!! So yeah, lots to catch you up on.
But first: phallic fairy chimneys, Turkish viagra, conquering claustrophobia, and a possible concussion. Good times!
If there are precious few things for which I will stand in an hour-long line, there are even fewer for which I will willingly get up at 4:30 in the morning.
After being so mentally away from everything for so long, it was a welcome breath of air to pull out Sisyphus again, pack him full of crap, and sally forth into predawn darkness. I live three easy metro stops from Ataturk, but I discovered that is less helpful at 5:00 in the morning, as the metro is very definitely still closed for the night then. (WTH Istanbul? Don't you know that 5:00 AM is a completely acceptable time to start commuting? Just ask all those perfectly sane people living around DC. They'll tell you.) So I got a taxi. It worked out fine.
I love airports. I love the thrill of being about to go somewhere. I love getting through security, boarding pass in hand, and finding my gate with enough time to take a seat at a nearby cafe and people-watch for a while, listening to all the different languages, taking a peek at all the countless stories happening all around. Flight itself was smooth -- short and uneventful. I'd flown into Kayseri, and had arranged a shuttle bus transfer to my hostel in Goreme, which also worked out with no problem. Although apparently I was lucky it did, because at least three other people thought they'd booked the same bus and did not end up going to Goreme right just then.
My hostel, Shoestring Cave House, was not the fanciest accommodation in Goreme but it was pretty cute. They weren't really a hostel though. It was mostly private rooms, with one big dormitory (16 beds!!) tucked away on the ground floor. Bathrooms were across the courtyard, which meant you had to actually go outside. Not the greatest for a midnight pee, and just bummer for you if it happened to be thunderstorming. In my travels, I've come to to the conclusion that a place really just needs to decide from the get-go whether it wants to be a hotel or a hostel, and then just bloody well pick one and stick to it. I've never had truly stellar experiences at any accommodation that was attempting to straddle the fence. To put it simply, hostel life and hotel life are really very different. They attract very different types of travelers, who have very different and specific ideas as to what their stay should look like. It's hard to make everyone happy in this kind of conflicting environment. But the staff were (mostly) very friendly and helpful. I checked in, claimed a bed, confirmed my tour for the following day, and signed up to have dinner at the hotel's restaurant at 7:00 that evening. Time to explore!
Goreme is really cute, but years of subsisting almost purely on tourism has turned it into a bit of a Cappadocia Disneyland. No exaggeration, there are probably at least 200 different "cave hotels", and about as many tour operators nestled in between "authentic" Turkish restaurants and souvenir shops selling "authentic" kitsch. I walked around town a little, got some mezzes for lunch at one of those aforementioned restaurants, and walked north out of town to find the Goreme Open Air Museum. On my way I got my first real glimpses of this very justifiably famous landscape. Never seen anything like it -- because there is nothing like it. In the whole world, Cappadocia is the only known region to have geological phenomena like this, the affectionately-named Fairy Chimneys.
On my way to the museum, I took a quick side trip down a dirt path to see El Nazar Kilise, a 10th-century church. I was somehow expecting something more church-shaped, but this is what I got. My first foray into a Cappadocian cave structure!
The Goreme Open Air Museum is not really a museum. It's a monastic settlement that dates from the Byzantine era, and is an impressive cluster of churches and monasteries all carved into stone. Special bonus for me! Right as I arrived it started to absolutely monsoon, so I waited under cover chatting with a very nice older couple from California. When the rain stopped 20 minutes later, the place had emptied out and wasn't nearly as crowded as I'd been warned to expect. Hooray!
They let you climb about pretty liberally, which of course I adore, but wouldn't allow photos inside the churches where all the truly impressive and gorgeous frescoes are. The very best frescoes are in the Karanlik Kilise, which naturally they make you pay an additional 8 lira for. Lonely Planet advised me not to skip it, and I have to agree with them. Breathtaking.
I was able to do a good circuit and leave the museum right as the place began to once again reach Critical Tourist Mass. It was still only mid-afternoon, and I thought I might follow some pray-painted arrows and do a little hiking in Rose Valley. Only I'd been up since 4:30 AM and my body was beginning to protest. I stopped at a little cart and got a cup of freshly squeezed (as in, squeezed right there in front of me) orange and pomegranate juice. The vendor was utterly charmed at my Turkish, and the big hit of natural sugar and vitamins was exactly what I needed. :) Onward!
After the crowds at the Open Air Museum, the nearly deserted Rose Valley was blessedly still. I put my pepper spray in my front pocket though. No sense being unprepared. Rose Valley was incredible. It was hard to believe all these weird giant towers of rock were actually completely natural. I also quickly realized how easy it would be to become very very lost in this weird landscape full of criscrossing paths, and made sure to take notice of landmarks so I could find my way back.
Something completely awesome about Cappadocia: there are literally the remains of caves and cave settlements everywhere. I do mean everywhere. It is completely awesome. And they're all just sort of there. Completely open and just begging to be explored. For someone like me, this is just about the best thing.... well, ever. :)
I hiked for maybe 2.5 hours total, out and back. I would have liked to have gone farther, but you can see from the Tatooine picture that rain remained a threateningly real possibility, and my high from the orange and pomegranate juice was fading. I stumped back towards town, stopping along the side of the road for a fortifying beer and chat with a lovely Canadian woman who'd happened to find herself in this strange land these past 20 years.
Unquestionably the best thing about Shoestring Cave House is that they have a rooftop pool. Even if it was too chilly for swimming, the roof terrace offered a spectacular view of Goreme and was unbeatable for chilling after a long and satisfying day. I had a glass of Cappadocian white and met a cool Australian girl. At 7:00 I went down for dinner and was very pleasantly surprised! Soup, salad, and then a main course of chicken and rice, served on this sort of personal Mongolian barbecue apparatus. With real fire! I love it when food gets served to me on fire. (Technically, I guess, the fire was below the food. Whatever.) Everything was quite tasty. Had a lovely quiet night and retreated to bed around midnight. A very satisfying first day in Cappadocia!
And yet once again, it seems I must offer apologies for the tardiness of this post. My trip to Cappadocia just so happened to fall right smack in the middle of certain busy events at my school, and immediately before a friend from the States came to stay for nine nights. Plus, after avoiding it for weeks (due to terror), I finally got Egypt sorted! A Nile River cruise is happening!!! So yeah, lots to catch you up on.
But first: phallic fairy chimneys, Turkish viagra, conquering claustrophobia, and a possible concussion. Good times!
If there are precious few things for which I will stand in an hour-long line, there are even fewer for which I will willingly get up at 4:30 in the morning.
Apparently, Cappadocia makes the short list.
After being so mentally away from everything for so long, it was a welcome breath of air to pull out Sisyphus again, pack him full of crap, and sally forth into predawn darkness. I live three easy metro stops from Ataturk, but I discovered that is less helpful at 5:00 in the morning, as the metro is very definitely still closed for the night then. (WTH Istanbul? Don't you know that 5:00 AM is a completely acceptable time to start commuting? Just ask all those perfectly sane people living around DC. They'll tell you.) So I got a taxi. It worked out fine.
I love airports. I love the thrill of being about to go somewhere. I love getting through security, boarding pass in hand, and finding my gate with enough time to take a seat at a nearby cafe and people-watch for a while, listening to all the different languages, taking a peek at all the countless stories happening all around. Flight itself was smooth -- short and uneventful. I'd flown into Kayseri, and had arranged a shuttle bus transfer to my hostel in Goreme, which also worked out with no problem. Although apparently I was lucky it did, because at least three other people thought they'd booked the same bus and did not end up going to Goreme right just then.
My hostel, Shoestring Cave House, was not the fanciest accommodation in Goreme but it was pretty cute. They weren't really a hostel though. It was mostly private rooms, with one big dormitory (16 beds!!) tucked away on the ground floor. Bathrooms were across the courtyard, which meant you had to actually go outside. Not the greatest for a midnight pee, and just bummer for you if it happened to be thunderstorming. In my travels, I've come to to the conclusion that a place really just needs to decide from the get-go whether it wants to be a hotel or a hostel, and then just bloody well pick one and stick to it. I've never had truly stellar experiences at any accommodation that was attempting to straddle the fence. To put it simply, hostel life and hotel life are really very different. They attract very different types of travelers, who have very different and specific ideas as to what their stay should look like. It's hard to make everyone happy in this kind of conflicting environment. But the staff were (mostly) very friendly and helpful. I checked in, claimed a bed, confirmed my tour for the following day, and signed up to have dinner at the hotel's restaurant at 7:00 that evening. Time to explore!
Goreme is really cute, but years of subsisting almost purely on tourism has turned it into a bit of a Cappadocia Disneyland. No exaggeration, there are probably at least 200 different "cave hotels", and about as many tour operators nestled in between "authentic" Turkish restaurants and souvenir shops selling "authentic" kitsch. I walked around town a little, got some mezzes for lunch at one of those aforementioned restaurants, and walked north out of town to find the Goreme Open Air Museum. On my way I got my first real glimpses of this very justifiably famous landscape. Never seen anything like it -- because there is nothing like it. In the whole world, Cappadocia is the only known region to have geological phenomena like this, the affectionately-named Fairy Chimneys.
On my way to the museum, I took a quick side trip down a dirt path to see El Nazar Kilise, a 10th-century church. I was somehow expecting something more church-shaped, but this is what I got. My first foray into a Cappadocian cave structure!
 |
| El Nazar Kilise (Church of the Evil Eye) |
 |
| Frescoes inside, sadly quite damaged |
They let you climb about pretty liberally, which of course I adore, but wouldn't allow photos inside the churches where all the truly impressive and gorgeous frescoes are. The very best frescoes are in the Karanlik Kilise, which naturally they make you pay an additional 8 lira for. Lonely Planet advised me not to skip it, and I have to agree with them. Breathtaking.
I was able to do a good circuit and leave the museum right as the place began to once again reach Critical Tourist Mass. It was still only mid-afternoon, and I thought I might follow some pray-painted arrows and do a little hiking in Rose Valley. Only I'd been up since 4:30 AM and my body was beginning to protest. I stopped at a little cart and got a cup of freshly squeezed (as in, squeezed right there in front of me) orange and pomegranate juice. The vendor was utterly charmed at my Turkish, and the big hit of natural sugar and vitamins was exactly what I needed. :) Onward!
After the crowds at the Open Air Museum, the nearly deserted Rose Valley was blessedly still. I put my pepper spray in my front pocket though. No sense being unprepared. Rose Valley was incredible. It was hard to believe all these weird giant towers of rock were actually completely natural. I also quickly realized how easy it would be to become very very lost in this weird landscape full of criscrossing paths, and made sure to take notice of landmarks so I could find my way back.
Something completely awesome about Cappadocia: there are literally the remains of caves and cave settlements everywhere. I do mean everywhere. It is completely awesome. And they're all just sort of there. Completely open and just begging to be explored. For someone like me, this is just about the best thing.... well, ever. :)
 |
| Tatooine. I half expected Jawas to jump out and zap me. |
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| Amazing multi-storey house I found. This was the upper room, |
 |
| Tiny cave church, with remains of frescoes on the walls. |
Unquestionably the best thing about Shoestring Cave House is that they have a rooftop pool. Even if it was too chilly for swimming, the roof terrace offered a spectacular view of Goreme and was unbeatable for chilling after a long and satisfying day. I had a glass of Cappadocian white and met a cool Australian girl. At 7:00 I went down for dinner and was very pleasantly surprised! Soup, salad, and then a main course of chicken and rice, served on this sort of personal Mongolian barbecue apparatus. With real fire! I love it when food gets served to me on fire. (Technically, I guess, the fire was below the food. Whatever.) Everything was quite tasty. Had a lovely quiet night and retreated to bed around midnight. A very satisfying first day in Cappadocia!
Yes, Tatooine! It is so alien and strange. So amazing you got to see and experience this unique place!
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