This report is about the tour: Trekking in Cappadocia
Review of the tour “Cappadocia” Türkiye, May 2013.
Yes, Cappadocia is a fairy tale! Real. Although we brought a bunch of photos from the hike, they only partially convey the impressions of what surrounded us during the journey. Smells, sounds, sensations - photography cannot convey all this. In order for the picture to come together completely, you need to be there and feel the rough sandstone of the stone mushroom with your palms, climb into the cave city, walk along the cramped underground corridors, feel how people lived there - a little cramped, in our opinion. But safe. Relatively.
We found the bus stop quite easily, it turned out to be a little more difficult to exchange local lira - the rate at the bank was not very good, so with the help of Ukrainian students who were doing internships there - thanks to them - we found another option - the local post office, at the same time we were given several postcards with local views for free as souvenirs - a small thing, but nice)))
There was almost a whole day left before meeting the group, so there was time to get to know Antalya a little, which is what we did. And in the evening everyone loaded onto the bus and headed off to Cappadocia.
In the morning we woke up, having generally slept well, the roads in Turkey are good, the bus is moving smoothly, and outside the window - what was unexpected (although we had been warned) - were huge bright balls. These are tourists coming from everywhere, rising in hot air balloons to watch the sunrise. With champagne)))). Amazing spectacle!!! When we approached, they were already descending, so we then, early in the morning, went up to the observation deck to first examine everything, both takeoff and landing.
And when we unloaded, another pleasant surprise awaited us - we would live in a cave hotel. Exotic). The four of us settled in. The room is cool, only the front wall has been completed, and all the walls, floor and ceiling are rock, traces of a chisel are visible. Despite the hot weather, the room was cool, no air conditioning needed.
I will not describe the route in detail, so as not to repeat it, it is on the website. Only impressions. We arrived, settled in, and immediately set off to explore Cappadocia. Amazing place. It’s hard to tell whether spring was ending here or summer was beginning; we often saw flowering trees, shrubs, and just flowers. It seems like spring. But further along the way we met a local family harvesting large, nice potatoes in a small field. So maybe it's summer.
In general, the local population has adapted well to using caves and natural stone formations, and both the home and the office can be simply refined, decorated, and not bothered with construction. It’s cheaper and attracts tourists – for us it’s exotic. Well done, in a word.
I was very impressed by the Valley of Love with its unusual stone sculptures. At the base of these stone giants there are many caves, which we explored with interest. The caves are not small, they are located on floors and are connected to each other by narrow passages, some are not so easy to penetrate. And how come they still don’t collapse, having such porous foundations? Mystery. According to local beliefs, children conceived in the Valley of Love will definitely be beautiful and healthy. True, we didn’t notice anything like that there, but, on the other hand, we were there during the day, and the situation was inviting...
There, mobile geckos run along steep walls - they are able to climb steep slopes, climb a smooth wall at a speed of 1 m per second, and even run upside down on a polished glass ceiling! I hunted for them a little with a camera - we could have done more, but we had to go back, they were already waiting for us. Despite May, it was hot, and we were pleased to see a local teahouse nestled among the rocks (or maybe this place is called something else). Carpets, sofas and iced tea under a large canopy are a handmade oasis for weary travelers. We rested a little, and some were even able to take a nap))).
In the evening we tried Testi Kebab - a very interesting and tasty local dish, served to the table in a sealed clay pot with a narrow neck, sometimes, very impressively, on a platter with a burning flame, then the waiter opens it, knocks off the neck and puts the contents of the jug on a plate. And there is an option when they offer to beat off the neck of the jug with a hammer, which is also very interesting. Impressive. )
At the end of the day in Goreme, many tourists go up to the observation deck located above the city to admire the sunset. The setting sun colors the sky in different shades, and the bizarre shadows of the unusual landscape make the town and the surrounding area even more unreal and mysterious. From the same platform it is convenient to observe hot air balloons early in the morning. The guys counted almost a hundred of them. A fantastic spectacle, it cannot be expressed in words, you just have to see it.
The colored frescoes preserved in the cave temples were also surprising. How many centuries have passed, but the colors are perfectly preserved. It seems that quite recently local craftsmen painted the vaults of man-made caves, carved impressive columns and erected altars. How many generations have flashed like an instant before the mournful faces of the saints who preserve the peace of these now abandoned (unfortunately!) ancient churches? In the frescoes, most of the saints had their faces damaged by local vandals. It’s a pity... Is it really impossible to preserve what was created by ancient masters?
I would also like to mention what was not included in the mandatory program. We had time left before departure, and we managed to visit the Antalya Aquarium. There are so many fish there! Each aquarium has a separate composition: there is a sunken pirate galleon, coral reefs, sunken treasures - there’s too much to list! Enchanting music and mysterious twilight emphasize the mysterious atmosphere of the underwater world. And, of course, it’s very interesting in the underwater tunnel. I kept trying to take pictures of the sharks and rays swimming above us, but the pictures kept coming out blurry. Okay, Pasha caught it on camera, in motion. It turns out much better this way)))). I liked it so much, I didn’t even want to leave. Throughout the tunnel there are observation platforms and sofas where you can sit and watch the life of the underwater world, which is usually hidden from us under the water. If you wish, you can spend the whole day like this; the visiting time is not limited.
My story turned out to be somewhat chaotic, like pieces of a multi-colored mosaic. And for the picture to come together completely, you need to be there yourself, look at everything and feel it yourself. In general, during the hike, it seemed that time was greatly compressed and several could fit into one day, there were so many new impressions!!! Many thanks to the guys for organizing such an interesting, unforgettable trip! There would be more of these! And more often! )))