Leaky country Cappadocia

So, the Lycian Way has been completed and our team, comfortably accommodated in the bus, returns to Antalya. Some will have a rest at the hotel and a flight home, while others will rush to an amazing place with the unusual and mysterious name of Cappadocia. For those who are returning home tomorrow, we say goodbye under the impregnable walls of the Sun Rise Hotel, and we ourselves go to the bus station (Antalya Otogar) - we have a night transfer to the central part of the country.

Why I decided to go hiking in Turkey is described in the previous part of the epic about Anabasis of Turkish rogues. But the trip to Cappadocia is rather a consequence of my passion to hit two birds with one stone - a four-day bonus to the main travel program. If I’m already brought to these parts, I need to conduct a thorough reconnaissance. Frankly speaking, I planned to visit Istanbul, but was forced to return home to fulfill work obligations.

It so happened that while preparing for the hike, I did not find time to familiarize myself in detail with the plan for the second part of the trip. Of course, I saw photographs with “lunar” landscapes and cheese-like rocks with corroded subsoil, and during the flight I managed to swallow some encyclopedic information about the ancient Christian enclave in the center of Asia Minor, about eruptions, tictanic shifts, erosion and other tuffs. However, the information received was scarce and unsystematic.

The bus station greeted us with a natural Babylonian pandemonium, the natives were running and fussing, agents of transport companies competed in the skill of active sales. Having made sure that our tickets were valid and that there was still enough time left before the bus departed, we had time to have a snack at the local cafeteria. I was surprised by the number of police officers in the bus station; they were everywhere - snooping around the waiting rooms, guarding the boarding platforms, entrances and exits. However, the plan did not provide for illegal acts, and therefore the abundance of servants of the law worried me.

Boarding was announced strictly according to schedule and, having thrown our backpacks into the luggage compartment, we took our seats in the Kent Tour bus. I am sure that citizens who have been on tourist bus tours have a growing bouquet of “pleasant” impressions from overnight travel in their memory. The fact that in our case we only had to hold out for one night in fairly comfortable conditions was encouraging. I didn’t manage to get enough sleep, but they fed me to my heart’s content, gave me tea, took me out for a smoke break twice, and hardly scolded me for the broken multimedia console.

The night flew by along with the highway running under the wheels, and the dawn brought an amazing sight and a lot of positive emotions. The bus bravely climbed the next rise, and below lay a fantastic panorama of the ancient city, above which dozens of hot air balloons hovered. The impressions from this aeronautical extravaganza are almost impossible to convey in words, and photographs only partly save the situation - the factor of personal presence is important here...

Later we learned that about twenty companies organize flights, and the cost of an hour-long flight ranges from one to two hundred euros. However, as is customary in Turkey, the final price of introduction to the mystery of aeronautics depends on the client, or rather on his ability to bargain. Each “basket” carries from four to twenty passengers; on favorable days, up to one and a half hundred balloons rise into the air.

So, we arrived at our destination - a small town called Goreme, which is the starting point for exploring Cappadocia. Having disembarked from the bus, we grabbed our belongings and wandered off to check in. Here another surprise awaited us - the premises of the hostel, which the organizers had booked for us, were carved out of the rock. The bedroom was quite dry, warm and generally comfortable. In fact, only the wooden superstructure of the living-dining room was built in the traditional way, where we had breakfast.

Looking ahead, I will say that obviously a long time ago the landscape itself suggested to local residents the most rational way of construction. They often preferred to simply remove excess rock over the production of building materials, followed by the construction of buildings... In Goreme, of course, there are areas with modern buildings, but they are remote from tourist routes and do not spoil the overall impression.

The program was intense and immediately after breakfast we set out on the route. After walking a few hundred meters along narrow streets, we delved into one of the picturesque canyons. Since large areas in these parts are occupied by rock formations, local farmers try to use every piece of fertile land for gardens and vegetable gardens. Green spaces and flowering trees looked impressive against the backdrop of the tall stone slopes on the sides of the path.

For some reason this area is called Pigeon Valley (Guvercinlik Vadisi). I admit that I don’t like pigeons and looked for them in the sky, on trees and rocks. To my relief, we never met these “flying rats”; most likely, the basis for the “romantic” name was tourism and advertising considerations.

After walking a couple of kilometers along a winding path and passing a tunnel cut into the rock, we climbed to a hill from which we could see one of the local attractions, the Uchisar fortress - a monumental rock formation dominating the surrounding landscape. Corridors, stairs and loopholes are carved into the rock, and from the top you can see the surroundings for tens of kilometers around.

Having had our fill of amazing views, we descended from heaven to earth and, having a quick snack, moved on to the next point of the cultural program - exploring the Love Valley. It got its name not for its beautiful eyes, but because of the features of the local landscape, or rather the shape of the rocks that stick out abundantly here and there for several kilometers. I can’t even believe that such crap could have grown under the influence of the forces of nature; the more likely version seems to be that an ancient sect of exhibitionist stonemasons is operating here.

As the flow of jokes and comments about the surrounding landscape subsided, I noticed the first turtle in the grass, the poor thing was lying on its back and trying in vain to roll over. Having provided all possible assistance to the reptile, we moved on, but after a couple of tens of meters we found her friend in the same distress. The girls groaned, wailed and rushed to comb the area. Movement along the route slowed down greatly and began to resemble Brownian motion. We managed to help several more victims of the mysterious turtle disease. The solution appeared in the form of a huge dog, which, with its tongue hanging out, rushed along the canyon in search of its next victim. Here opinions were divided; the most exalted part of the team believed that it was necessary to organize a vigil and save the poor turtles. Cynics suggested killing the beast, citing indirect signs of rabies. As a result, both the first and second were forced to yield under the pressure of the powerful arguments of moderate realists - the situation should develop in accordance with the laws of evolution. Either the turtles will find a way to roll over on their own and move on to a new stage of development, or the dog will become even smarter, learn to make fire and eventually become a human.

Meanwhile, the day's walking plan was completed and we returned to the base. Having rested a little, I decided to explore the nearby neighborhoods, and at the same time get my bearings on the situation with purchasing souvenirs. I didn’t buy any souvenirs, but a couple of hours later I returned with a bottle of local Raki vodka. Part of our team started looking for a decent restaurant “for dinner”, but I joined the faction of homebodies - tasters of local alcohol.

Having settled down in the living room, we ordered boiling water and other cutlery from the staff. The snack was purchased in advance from a local supermarket. The guy, who obviously performed the difficult role of a corridor-administrator, promptly provided us with shot glasses, and dreamily looked at the alcohol bottle. We, as decent people, without further ado, shared with him what “Shaitan sent.” The little Turk was delighted with the drink - he grabbed the offered glass and immediately ruined the booze, according to local customs, by halving it with water.

Crayfish are a rather strong thing and are usually consumed by diluting it with water in a ratio of one to four, and the clear liquid becomes milky white. However, I like the taste and strength of this product in its original, so to speak, concentration. We had a great time relaxing, spending time in informative conversations and, after waiting for the fans of set dinners to return, we went to the side.

Having gotten up in the dark and improved my health with Ayran (the local equivalent of kefir), I rushed to catch a photo-sunrise at the observation peak closest to our den. The internal chronometer has not lost its accuracy over the years - I even managed to uncover the equipment and scare away some curious Asians. The sun's disk lazily crawled out from behind the horizon, painting the surrounding area and the vastness of the Erciyes Dag volcano visible in the distance in bright colors. All the action took place to the sound of balloons taking off. Gradually, the summit became quite crowded with belated sunrise watchers. I clicked the shutter a couple more times and made my way down through the labyrinth of streets to our hotel. The morning lighting was favorable for displaying architectural forms and we managed to take a few more successful shots along the way.

The features of local architecture are very organically woven into the surrounding landscape. Cave hotels, kilometers of stone carvings and authentic household items do not look like something foreign, created specifically to attract tourists. One gets the impression that people have been living here like this for many centuries. Although in most cases this is just a skillfully created illusion, supported by the professionalism of local masons, architects and other hammer and chisel masters. Walking around Goreme, I several times came across workshop yards with deposits of “shards of ancient cultures.”

Having quickly swallowed the scrambled eggs and washed them down with coffee, I threw my things into my backpack and joined the rest of the guys. Today we took a walk through the Pasabaglari valley, which is considered to be the visual symbol of Cappadocia. Images of rocks that look like huge mushrooms are often found on ceramics and embossed items, they are printed on T-shirts, badges and postcards. The main entrance to the valley is located near the highway, there are also parking lots, several cafes and a large souvenir market. Having reached this place, we found several dozen excursion buses and crowds of tourists who, like zombies, were hanging around between the mushroom-shaped stone pillars. Using our superiority in physical fitness and speed, we quickly climbed to a height unattainable for tourist plankton.

About an hour later, a path winding right along the surface of the stone slopes led us to a rock monastery complex - a natural stone wall thirty to forty meters high, dug with passages and corridors. Apparently, in their cramped cave cells, the monastic stonemasons spent many centuries contemplating and meditating... Jokes aside, the amount of work was really impressive, I even tested the local stone for strength - the rock crumbled quite easily under the pressure of high-quality steel. However, there were doubts that the people who hacked all these apartments were equipped with Victorinox tools.

Further plans included lunch and a visit to the Rose Valley (Gulludere Valley). During our stay in Cappadocia, meals were organized according to the following scheme: we had breakfast at the hotel - usually buns, butter, eggs, honey or jam, coffee, tea. We had lunch “in the field”, that is, we made a stop in some picturesque and convenient place for eating and promptly cut bread, sausage, cheese, tomatoes, cucumbers or other vitamins purchased in advance in the store... The assortment of Turkish supermarkets is quite easy to understand, and the prices are mostly comparable to Ukrainian ones. In the evening you can visit one of the restaurants that occupy almost the entire first floor on the central streets of Goreme. The cost of a decent dinner in most establishments ranges from 15 to 25 liras.

So, after having lunch and getting our bearings, we moved through the Rose Valley. There was no smell of roses here, but we ran into a convoy of safari cars and swallowed a lot of dust. The landscape there is certainly “alien”, no doubt, but I prefer deserted and truly wild places. From time to time we came across man-made caves and other examples of rock architecture, so quietly stomping along the path, we returned to the hotel.

Having rested a little, everyone clearly felt that they had worked up a cannibalistic appetite and urgently needed to decide something about dinner. We quickly got ready, went outside and, after walking a few blocks, came across a restaurant that looked quite decent. We sat around a large table.

By pure chance, I managed to overhear that a group of Spanish tourists sitting at the next table had been waiting for their order for more than half an hour. This was certainly alarming; we should have left immediately, but we had plenty of time and, after consulting, we all decided to stay. We placed our orders and began to wait...

Tired of waiting, he went outside for a smoke. It was already dark and the city looked completely different, most of the buildings and rocks were equipped with thoughtful lighting and looked very impressive, I even moved to the opposite side to get a better look at everything - it’s a pity I was too lazy to take a tripod with me.

While I was mocking my lungs on the street, the most impatient part of our team began to brighten up their leisure time with beer. The wait was truly long, and the final result did not bring any culinary revelations. Finally, waiters jumped out from around the corner and rushed past with trays in their hands. Returning to the table, I looked through one of the doors and realized that it was a kitchen - empty, dimly lit and with cold stoves. A picture of what was happening began to emerge - not wanting to lose such a crowd of customers, the unlucky restaurateurs apparently borrowed our dinner from a neighboring establishment...

Those of us who were not vegetarians ordered mainly meat with vegetables, here it is cooked in a sealed clay pot and served in it, then the pot is opened in front of you and voila! This whole action looks interesting, I would even say exotic, but like many things in Turkey, the filling is much worse than the wrapper. The meat and vegetables were edible, but nothing more, just like the rest of the dishes.

I hope that the experience of an unsuccessful dinner will be useful on subsequent trips to Turkey. In addition, principles for searching for quality food outlets gradually began to emerge. The main concept is that it is worth paying attention to the establishments where locals eat; unlike tourists, they know exactly “where everything is and in what way”...

Early in the morning, a bus was already waiting near the hotel, on which it was planned to visit several interesting places that were not within walking distance. The first issue of the program was the underground city of Derinkuyu. About an hour later we stood in line at the turnstiles blocking the way into this ancient “metropolis”.

Turkish rumor said that the majestic halls, level after level, go to a depth of 60 meters, and the number of those levels is at least 8. In addition, it is believed that in better times the city could shelter up to 20 thousand people, complete with pets. Advertising slogans, as usual, somewhat exaggerated the useful volume of this place... Even a couple of hundred foreign tourists created such traffic in the establishment that they had to wait a long time for the opportunity to move between floors. Having conscientiously examined the meeting halls, granaries, latrines and cattle pens, we rose to the surface.

After wandering a little around the local market and drinking tea, we piled into a vehicle and drove to the next point of our journey - the Ihlara Canyon. The route runs through a green plain, overlooked by the extinct volcano Hasan (Hasan Dag). From time to time we had to stop to let flocks of sheep pass. As we approached the goal, the area became more and more deserted, and the grass cover was replaced by rocks and stone placers, to which rare trees cling.

At the entrance there is an equipped observation deck, from which several flights of metal stairs lead down. Having descended, we settled down in a clearing and thoroughly refreshed ourselves. According to some reports, the height of the walls reaches 150 meters, but I think this is an exaggeration. In any case, this place looks wonderful - the bare rocks contrast effectively with the abundant vegetation along the banks of the river running along the bottom of the canyon. Within the walls there are many caves, mostly man-made - these are churches, the construction of which began many centuries ago. People interested in such things will find here interesting examples of frescoes, ornaments and other mosaics.

The path winds along the river, sometimes running from one bank to another along wooden bridges. About halfway along the route there is a wooden tavern building, where you can have a snack or drink tea if you wish. The transition took us less than two hours, although later I studied the map and realized that we had only passed part of the canyon; there are also longer routes here.

The last part of the program was a visit to a rock monastery in the vicinity of the village of Selime Katedral. And if in the morning we descended quite deep underground, now we had to climb up the stairs and passages carved into the tuff. Exploring the monastery was not an easy task, due to the invasion of hordes of tourists of all shapes and sizes. Lovers of antiquities crowded stupidly in narrower places, preventing themselves and those around them from experiencing the wonders of ancient architecture.

We returned to Goreme two hours before the bus departed for Antalya. Leaving our backpacks at the reception, we started looking for a catering outlet. We easily found a suitable place - a colorful establishment with carpets on the walls and a large brazier in the middle of the main hall. This time we were lucky - the service and cuisine were excellent. Another “beacon” that I remembered for the future was the fact that alcohol was not offered here. Of course, I felt sorry for the lamb, but in the end it didn’t save him...

An hour later we collected our belongings and loaded onto the bus. Despite the hearty dinner, I did not dare refuse the kind flight attendant, who offered me a delicious bun and a glass of sweet tea. I stared out the window for a couple of hours, after which I quietly crossed the border of the land of dreams. I slept like a groundhog for almost the entire overnight journey. The groundhog dreamed of a path, his boots sank into a carpet of pine needles and knocked dust out of the cameos, on the sides gigantic cedar trees propped up the sky, and low clouds smelled of pine needles and tree resin...

Antalya, I say goodbye to my friends in the middle of the bus station, jump into a taxi and head towards the airport. There is not much time left before the flight, but I manage to spend the remaining liras on baklava, Turkish delight and other nonsense. I have a hard time finding a helpful person who wraps my backpack in plastic. I go through check-in and check in my luggage... in general, I find myself at the mercy of an established transport system, which three hours later spits me out in my native Lviv.

*NOTE - the scale of efforts to save Turkish energy resources is thought-provoking. Traveling both along the coast and inland, I constantly noticed a huge number of water heaters with light-collecting panels. Free energy from the sun is used here to illuminate the streets and even operate traffic lights. If you climb somewhere higher within the city limits, you can easily see a mosque, the roof of which will be covered with solar panels.

* TIP - the ticketing system for long-distance buses often differs from that adopted in most civilized countries. The sale is handled by a crowd of agents who are prone to repurchase of tickets and speculation. It is more rational to choose a route and a carrier company via the Internet. Even if you buy a ticket at the bus station, make the transaction directly at the counter of the transport company with the services you plan to use.

* TIP - Cappadocia is a mountainous region and one of the features of the local climate is a serious variation in daily temperatures. If during the day the thermometer shows +30°C, then at night the temperature can drop to +5°C. This range is typical for the main tourist locations within the Goreme National Park; when climbing one of the local extinct volcanoes, you need to prepare for frost. When leaving sultry Antalya, do not forget to take warm clothes on board the bus or change clothes in advance...

* TIP - in addition to various excursions, Cappadocia has a number of other activities to offer - hot air ballooning, quad biking, safaris, mountain biking and horseback riding. When negotiating with people providing such services, do not forget to meticulously discuss all the details - time, duration, intensity and price. Be a real bore, maintain the image of a problem client - this is the only way you will achieve respect and receive the quality of services corresponding to the payment.

* TIP – don’t rush to buy souvenirs! There are a lot of shops and stores offering such products, and their assortment is not unique and is repeated at all points of tourist interest. Don’t forget that this is Türkiye - bargain, bring this huckster to tears, let him talk about his hungry children and shout that you ruined him. Believe me, in the end everyone will be happy - you will get what you wanted for reasonable money, and the merchant will get rid of a bunch of unnecessary junk...

Nikolay Korsun, Lviv