Gettin' my rocks off

Awoken early in the morning by a bizarre combination of roaring hot air balloons and beeping digital cameras. Trying to get a photo, quickly scurrying along tightrope of a hill ridge where a wrong step in either direction could mean certain death. A fabled landscape made famous by Star Wars. You could only be in one place. In the heart of Turkey, the central province of Nevşehır, better known as Cappadocia!

There is no better base to explore the area than the village of Göreme. While hardened (read pessimistic) travellers will scowl at the touristic nature of the place, it still has a magical quality. But with only 3,000 inhabitants and probably 300 hotels, they may have a point. The most surprising to me was the fact that mass tourism hasn't really polluted the hospitable nature of the locals. In my travels I have seen lure of tourist money tarnish the character of the previously pure hearted. While there are a few examples of such behaviour in Cappadocia as well, they are the exception as opposed to the rule.

But the things that draws in visitors from around the globe are the natural wonders that are fairy chimneys. These "chimneys" are composed of soft sedimentary rock and are topped by a piece of harder, less easily-eroded stone that protects the column from the elements. While these formations are not unique to Turkey (also in the U.S.A., Taiwan, Serbia and Armenia), it is Turkey that has exploited them for all that they're worth. But their more than just a bunch of towering rocks. They are homes and churches and shops and whatever. Throughout the village, and even more so in the surrounding country-side, locals over 1,000s of years have hollowed out the pinnacle shaped structures and moved right in. Even to this day, many people still live in the dug out dwellings. Some of the most popular places to stay in the village are converted caves that now house hotel rooms. It's a pretty cool experience, and there's no mobile phone reception in a cave!! Although it can be a challenge finding your hotel again as everything is named the "hotel cave pension" or "pension cave hotel" or a little more imaginative "travellers cave pension hotel". The whole area is even listed in the UNESCO world heritage list. That must mean it's cool.

Just outside of the city, is the Göreme Open Air Museum. It's not real a museum, it's just a valley with a bunch of fairy chimneys. The difference here is that the majority of the cave structure were churches. And even more impressive is the remarkably well preserved state of the frescoes. The museum is an easy 1 km walk for the centre of the village (although the last part is uphill) Entrance is 15 lira and there are normal operating hours. The problem is that ALL tour buses will stop here. In the busy season that equals A LOT of people. The churches are small and with limited lighting. It is critical to time a visit well here in order to not get too frustrated.

And let's not forget the most popular activity in Cappadocia. Every morning an onslaught of hot air balloons take to the sky of Göreme. Carrying up to 15 passengers each, with 15+ balloons in the air (remember i was there off-season), that equal a whole lot of people freezing their asses off. The morning temperature was easily in the single digits in November when the sun came up. Balloon take off pre-sunrise, meaning it's colder. And they're at altitude meaning body parts start to freeze off. But it is one of those "once-in-a-lifetime" experiences. And it's only around 100Euro. There are many agents in the village that can arrange a ride, or it can be done through your hotel.

But that's not all! The region is actually quite large and there are sights strewn all across it. As such, hotel and guides offer full day excursions to see numerous other places of interest. There are a few to chose from, but all are colour coded. I did the green tour (that's right i did a tour). Covering over 200km, with a couple admission fees, with guide and lunch, the whole thing costing only 45 Lira, it's a bargain and not something i could do any cheaper myself. The Kaymakli underground village was quite cool. It a several floor, subterranean city which kind of resembles an ant colony. The a walk through the Soganli Valley, which is quite pretty. And the Keslik monastery is super fun to walk through. It's not a building but a series of interconnected halls, changing roles over the years from monastery to caravansary to whatever. Keep in mind though, the tour promises to see the Pigeon valley. But chances are that the sun will have already set if you're here in the off-season.

I realize that this is a rather long blog entry, but with so much to see and do in Cappadocia, it could have been longer. I didn't even mention that i was there for a religious festival, Korban Bayram. I saw the same thing last year in Azerbaijan. Basically, every family sacrifices a sheep/cow/tourist. I could go on and on. But it's best to come yourself. There are many direct buses to Göreme. But there is a possibility you'll have to connect in Kayseri or Nevşehır. If short on time, there are airport transfer from either town as well. While I'm never really a fan of mass tourism, Cappadocia is an exception to that rule.