Cappadocia


                           

Cappadocia, Turkey

Istanbul was possibly our favorite city but we are moving on.  The van picked us up as scheduled at 9:30am for our flight from Istanbul to Cappadocia.  I think we mentioned before that Calvin had downloaded as many travel videos as he could find of the areas where we hoped to travel prior to leaving Vancouver.  The first time I saw Cappadocia was a few nights ago while watching an old Pilot Guide (Globetrekker) episode.  To say the least, we were VERY excited.

Cappadocia is a an area in Central Turkey and it is best known for its unique moon like landscape, underground cities like Kaymakli and Derinkuyu (which we visited), cave churches and houses carved in the rocks.  The most recognizable, unique geological features are the Fairy Chimneys.  The large, cone like formations were created over time by erosion of the relatively soft volcanic ash around them. 

The eruptions of three volcanos over two million years ago deposited a soft tuff layer 150m thick in the valleys we are visiting. Years of rain and wind have reduced the tuff to these bizarre shapes that look like large mushrooms or like Flinstones’ Bedrock. Past cultures have dug into them to create dwellings, castles and hiding places – especially the early Christians.  There is such an otherworldly appearance to this landscape that parts of Star Wars and Planet of the Apes were filmed here.  

We landed in Kayseri and were met by our rental car company and unbelievably, our GPS worked but have you ever been asked by your GPS if you were OK with driving on dirt roads?   There’s nothing more exhilarating than starting your driving adventure with a gas constraint.  The dashboard read 10kms to empty and we were told that there was a shell station 4kms away.  Gas in Turkey is VERY expensive.  I’m not sure what a litre costs in Vangroovy these days but it’s over $3 in Turkey so the car comes empty.  We loaded our backpacks in the trunk and started our 1 hour drive to our cave. Yes, we rented a cave in Goreme….and we found the gas station.

We didn’t rent just any cave; we rented a luxury cave house……which basically means it has inside plumbing.  It had all the original character but included all modern conveniences. Most families in Goreme still live in caves passed down over many generations and we wanted to live as much as we could like the locals.  Upon arrival, we were given a tour of our cave and picked our bedrooms and headed out to explore.

Noah’s room used to be the stable and our room was where they made the wine...how perfect. We grabbed some groceries and were back for a homemade dinner.  The kitchen and family lounge were on the second floor and the roof top terrace had an incredible view of Goreme. Our first morning up there Calvin and I met the neighbours who are from Seattle-Bellingham. They come all the way to Turkey every year for 3 months...after the crowds leave.

The following day we planned to go to Rose Valley for some exploring.   The stone in Rose Valley is the color of red roses and it’s beautiful at sunrise and sunset.  I don’t think we made it there as we found a mountain with caves and windows everywhere.  We pulled the car over and the boys were at the base of the mountain before the doors were locked.  We started exploring.  We scaled the side of the mountain to 20 meters and belly crawled through a few openings to get to rooms in the depths of these caves. 

You can still see some of the frescos and the various notches and areas dug out by the founders for storage of food, water and sleeping quarters.  Thanks to our neighbor Darryl for his flashlight recommendation.  It was a godsend while tunneling and identifying frescos on ceilings 10 meters above.  The boys each had their headlights on as it was pitch black in many areas. I was way out of my comfort zone but I had to keep up so I let them go first and I quickly followed behind them.

The Smith Family that we met in Istanbul also travelled to Cappadocia and we made plans to meet them for dinner. We met in a small restaurant and the kids acted like old friends. We took off our shoes, sat down on couches and ate in the traditional style. I didn’t find the meal very good but with the fire going and the live music, it didn’t seem to matter. The two families compared notes on experiences and where we would be travelling next and decided to meet up again once we moved to the western coast next. 

Our cave came with a game board and the boys have been asking us to teach them backgammon.  Calvin sat with Noah and Aidan and within an hour Noah had got the best of his dad.  They now play a game when they can and I can tell that Calvin is not the best loser nor is Noah the best winner but they are having a blast and the game is played on almost every corner, veranda, restaurant and tea shop in Turkey. There was also a Monopoly game that we all played one afternoon and finished 4 hours later with Calvin the big winner and Aidan a close 2^nd.

We got up early and started our one hour drive to Derinkuyu, the underground city.  You really have to get to these locations prior to the hordes of tourists that start to invade the sites at approximately 10:00am. We arrived at 9:00am and negotiated a good rate with a local tour guide to take us down into the depths of this ancient city.  The Christians, in fear of their lives, dug eight stories underground and spent months hiding from their attackers.  At one time up to 20,000 people lived in this underground city. 

We were able to visit eight floors of meeting rooms, homes including bedrooms and living rooms, storage areas, stables, schools, wineries, tunnels and passageways.   The guide’s English was as good as most but his humour needed some polish.  At the first wine making area, he asked me “do you want some wine?, too bad, all gone!” and laughed at himself.  He repeated that joke at least three more times  and the boys said it was at that point that he received the infamous ‘Deanna stare’. 

The construction of this world is remarkable.  Ventilation shafts provided fresh air throughout the city and a tunnel connected Derinkuyu to Kaymakli over 10 kms away.  It was a very unique experience and not one you’re likely to have anywhere else.  Some of the tunnels are VERY tight and we were on all fours a couple of times.  If you have an ounce of claustrophobia, this is not the place for you.  Calvin pretty much spent his time crouched over but had no problems navigating the tight spaces.  

 It really feels like you are in parts of Indiana Jones when you are down there.  There are a few doors that connect important areas of the maze that can be blocked by a one ton stone wheel that required eight men to roll into place.  The tour guide left us after 45 minutes and we explored for another 45 minutes prior to returning to the sun….and it did burn our eyes, I can’t imagine staying months underground – NOT pleasant.

After Derinkuyu, we decided to make the trek over to Selime Rock Monastery.  We input the point of interest on the GPS and followed as instructed.  At one point, we were in the middle of nowhere – literally, the middle of nowhere.  We had turned on to the dirt road as instructed and after 10 minutes, we started to wonder.  We could not see a thing in any direction until we saw a shadow crest the hill in front of us.   We made bets on what it might be - Aidan guessed a shepherd with his flock, Noah suggested it might be a horse but as he approached, we could tell it was an old man riding his diminutive donkey to town for rice.  

We know he was going for rice because two hours later, while driving home, we saw the same man and his donkey carrying two large bags of rice.  

As we continued our drive, we saw many women harvesting potatoes in the fields. We finally got the courage to pull over and take some pictures and the women were very welcoming and friendly. 

We spent hours climbing through the tunnels and churches of Selime Monastery and it was the first time we had to pay to explore but at $2 each, it seemed more than reasonable.  We ran into 3 people the entire time we were there.  The drive is well worth the effort as it is much more exhilarating to be wandering through these places by yourself rather than with 10 busloads of tourists.

Hot air ballooning is something that should be done at least once in your life time. We decided that our initiation was going to be in Cappadocia. Cappadocia is a great place to do this for couple of reasons: 1) Great unique view of the rock formations, valleys and hills, and; 2) there are literally at least 30 to 60 other balloons in the air which makes the experience that much better. 

 Apparently the balloon pilots (Auzzies, Brits, Americans, locals, etc) left their day jobs to make the trek to Cappadocia as they consider it to be the best ballooning spot in the world.  One of the pilots described balloon piloting like surfers – everyone wants to go to where the waves are best and for ballooning, it’s Cappadocia.   

For those not familiar with the hot air balloon process, it begins very early in the morning before dawn.  It was a crisp 3 degrees that morning.  Calvin was wearing every piece of clothing he brought with him for the trip.  We found toques and gloves for the boys the night before and I was wearing my scarf that Karen made for me (love it).  We were picked up at the cave and escorted to their offices for breakfast which was nothing to write home about (although I am writing home about it).   

We were then shuttled to the launch area and put in the basket (about the size of an SUV). There were about 16 of us in there and the view was great regardless of where you stood.

Our pilot, Ali, with Urgup balloons was the best.  He is an entertaining daredevil. He would get really close to rock formations, hills, trees and other balloons and then let out a few words of concern and at the last minute, pull up and away.  At one point he reached over the edge of the basket and grabbed some leaves from a 50 foot tree on the valley floor below.  But there was no point during the ride that I felt I was in danger.  


"Every where I go, I see something that reminds me of her", Calvin

 

I was a little nervous before we lifted off but it was so incredibly smooth that within seconds I was totally comfortable, and it really felt like we were on a cloud.   Ali spun our balloon around so everybody could get great views and pics of the landscape including an incredible sun rise.  When we soared through the valleys, the boys could do shadow puppets off of the rocks of the valley walls.  There were a few larger than life rabbits and alligators shadows and a few shapes I have never seen before. 

We were in the air for over an hour and we climbed to approximately 1,000 meters at one point to see the dormant volcano 70 miles away and the one primarily responsible for creating this fascinating landscape.  Ali then delivered a 10 score, from us judges by landing the balloon directly on the flatbed truck waiting for us in a field.  He poured us champagne and the boys got some cherry juice afterwards and he gave us certificates. They dropped us off at our cave afterwards and we unanimously agreed it was one of the best experiences of our life let alone this trip…all before 9am! 

We were hoping to find a place to take some pottery lessons while we were in Cappadocia.  The Cappadocia area is world renown as a leader in Turkish ceramic art for being the creator of a colored glaze technique using Sapphire Blue, Golden Yellow and Turkish Red.  We found a place online that is considered one of the best locally but no address was provided – just the town name – Avanos.   

So, off we went to find this Ceramic production company and after driving around for 20 minutes we were about to give up when in the middle of our U-turn, there it was!  Firca has been making pottery in their family caves for over 250 years using a 5000 year old tradition.  When we arrived we were lead into their cave workshop.  Ali Kasap’s is part of the original family that created this facility and is very knowledgeable and low key.   They are very proud of their artists and finished products and wanted to show us around as if we were family visiting from out of town.  

He asked his cousin, a master craftsman to join us and to give the boys a chance to make a clay pot or bowl on the pottery wheel.  We toured the facility and saw where the artists hand painted the outlines on each of the pieces they produced.   Calvin and I were served Turkish Tea and Apple Tea as we watched the artisans at work.  We didn’t buy anything as we are trying to reduce our cargo load but it was a great afternoon and we sort of regret not getting a plate or two while we were there.  

We thought we had saved the best for last when we woke early on our last day to go to the Open Air Museum in Goreme.  We knew it was the busiest location in Cappadocia as we saw the dozens of tour buses parked in the lot each day as we drove by.  We were confident at 8:00am we would be the only group there and we were not entirely disappointed as there was only one bus in the driveway when we arrived.  

We started our hike that for the first time was well mapped with plenty of signs to herd the tourists in the planned directions.  We cruised through the first few churches that were very impressive but I think we are now spoiled from the incredible sights discovered early in the week.  There was one particular church, the Dark Church that was truly mind blowing.  Its frescos dating back to the 1100s were in amazing condition. 

The eyes of all the paintings within reach were removed but paintings on the ceiling were fully intact and quite impressive especially when you consider their age.  We spent an hour hiking around the Museum and as the tour buses began to arrive, we made our way to the car to get some breakfast.

We leave this bizarre yet beautiful place via airplane tomorrow morning to the Turkish Riviera (Kalkan) on the Mediterranean Sea.  We have booked 10-12 days there to recharge our batteries and get caught up on our school work.  We are all looking forward to the high temperatures but not so much to the school work