Firstly I must mention how much a pain these two blogs have been to post. The Turkish Government seems to be hell bent on preventing people looking at blogs, but they are ok with people posting them. Very strange indeed. Also as some of you are aware it’s been a perpetual nightmare to select photos to go on the blog then to upload them, so I’ve given up and given you access to all of them! Just on a different site. The link is
So from now on, unless anything changes, words on the blog, photos on Picasa Web albums, simples! I’ll try to update both at the same time. Furthermore I know that all the photos are a bit of a jumble chronologically, it’s the cameras fault and I have changed the settings so it should make more sense hopefully... Furthermore I know I haven’t really edited the photos (i.e. cropped, lightened and deleted the duplicates and rubbish etc). This is due to time and effort...it takes ages and isn’t fun!!!
Last time I wrote I mentioned that I was going to the bus station to catch an overnighter to Cappadocia (actually this is the name of the province; we actually arrived in the main village of Goreme). Anyway on the way to the bus station I took a minivan and on route met Quentin (a Belgian architect). Anyway on discovering that we were both going to the same place for the next part of our respective travels he suggested that we should do a 7 day hike around the mountainous area. Having no other plans and fancying myself as a bit of a mountaineer I duly jumped at the idea. We both stayed at the Rock Valley Pansion (a kind of nice hostel come hotel) that night to discuss plans for the trip. Then upon looking at the route and discussing it with the very nice South African hostess we both decided that it would make more sense to hire motorbikes and make a road trip of it. The next day we visited the hire shop and agreed a very reasonable price for the bikes for the next day by which time we had added Chloe (American now ex-art director for Brookes Brothers) to our group. Then, by recommendation of the hostess the three of us chose to go by bus to Zelve open air museum. As we had already gathered by the views from the pansion, Cappadocia is the home of rock houses (see Picasa). These houses are dug into strange conical shaped 30+m high spires or into the side of the cliffs of the valleys. Zelve which was inhabited no less than 50 years ago (bear in mind people still live in these sorts of houses everywhere in Cappadocia province to this day) and was quite stunning. The various tunnels which we explored with our head torches were quite stunning and also great fun to enter into one side of a valley and emerge on the other, extremely disorientating! We then chose to continue round the side of the valley to the mushroom valley, where the conical rock features had formed (as you guessed it) mushroom like structures owing to the differing levels of hardness of the rock strata. We then proceeded to climb the local mountain (whose name I don’t know) and then descend down into a small village where we had dinner before returning to our village of Gerome.
The next day the temperature was much colder so we negotiated the hiring of a car instead of the bikes, wise decision! We started our trip in high spirits visiting the villages of Urgup and Mustafapasa and their respective rock houses and other structures. We then visited a rock monastery near Ayvali. We then continued on to a small village of Mazi upon recommendation of the hostess. A truly brilliant idea. The small sleepy village laid claim to one of the largest underground cities in the world being able to hold up to 10,000 people in relative comfort. It was built in the Byzantine period and was a major tourist attraction until they decided to “close it” to the public due to erosion and degradation of the passages and caves. Upon arriving in the village we found a man who offered to show us round for 70 Lira. After paying the bloke we then were given a guided tour of the caves and passages including a rather comic event where he told us to wait in a small area whilst he went away. He then called us through a tunnel. As we walked through this small passage two hands descended from the roof of the passage and grabbed Quentin who was following me. He was truly terrified and shocked. The guide informed us that this was used in times of war to spear invaders. We then were hooked up to a rather worn looking rope and dodgy harness as we ascended approximately 15metres to another level, Chloe with her handbag and rather inappropriate shows was obviously concerned but we all made it up safe. His knowledge of the various areas in the city was outstanding from the horse paddock to the churches and jail, this place truly was a city with all things necessary for life, including obviously its own wine making facility! After several more ascents and descents through the various levels (to which we gathered there were about 10) of the city we emerged significantly higher up the side of the mountain (completely disorientated). The guide then proceeded to direct us to the top of the mountain where the Byzantines had carved tombs and graves of varying sizes into the volcanic rock. After spending more time looking around at the top we descended back to the car and continued on to Derinkuyu where we consumed lunch at a local cafe. Whilst extremely spicy, the lunch consisting of pied (Turkish flat pizza), was filing and delicious. After stopping for petrol we arrived at Guzelyurt. We then proceeded to look for accommodation around the town. We stopped at one place which offered us 100lira for the night, thinking this was too high Quentin continued to drives us on down an ever narrowing street until we could go no further (T junction with right a flight of stairs and left an even more narrowing street. Quentin then struggled to reverse the car backwards and so a group of locals then helped us reverse the car backwards until it became a community activity and what seemed like half the town had showed up to see this man and his group of helpers reverse the foreigners car! I only wish I hadn’t left my camera in my bag at this time as it was quite a spectacle!
We then found some accommodation nearby for 80 lira and settled down for the night with a cold beer to relieve the days stress and exhaustion. The morning came and after a short stroll to get breakfast we decided we would to visit a monastery and a valley nearby then proceed onto the Ihlara valley. After descending a steep hill into the valley and paying 3 lira we visited the underground city (which was much the same as Mazi) and then proceeded onto the monastery in the car. We stopped just short of the path to the monastery which was set into the cliff face slightly further up the valley. During the ascent to the monastery it started to snow, heavily... We continued on to the monastery which was beautiful with intricate wall paintings of early Christian saints, truly beautiful. On the way back to the car our concern grew for the impending return to the main road; the initial part was primarily off road and bumping with a few small hills and then the subsequent paved steep hill was of particular concern. The drive to the steep hill whilst hairy was manageable however as we were climbing the main hill we found a man in the middle of the road (muppet) we gently swerved to avoid him but we lost all momentum we had built up and began to slide back down. Quentin stuck it in reverse and gently eased it back giving up and hoping that the weather would soon abate and we would be able to continue. At one point during the manoeuvre the car nudged the curb and no matter what he was able to do he was unable to square the car up with the road. He got out the car to inspect the curb and discuss our next move with me and Chloe (we had tried, in vain, to push the car up the hill). Within a few seconds the car started to slide back on the snow. Quentin jumped back as it was sliding and managed to control the car as the back right wheel bounced off the curb. Under control he was able to continue reversing it down to a safe spot on the hill where we had bought our tickets. The man in the office feeling some sort of misplaced responsibility/ sympathy for our plight took us in the office and gave us hot tea as he made a call. Half an hour later a smartly dressed man turned up with respectable English. He informed us that he would drive the car around the hill through narrow streets. Having seen previous amazing Turkish driving skills in the alleyway we placed our faith in him and handed over the keys. In the car he informed us he was the local Imam (Muslim version of a priest or Rabbi). Turns out too that he had the skills of Colin McRae!! The car darted in-between houses and walls, round sharp bends and up steep slopes all at some speed. At one point the back end hit a snow drift and he coolly performed a sort of drift (Scandinavian flick I am told) round this bend to straighten up the car. We reached the top of Guzelyurt and he attempted to do a 3 point turn. Frustrated with the lack of progress on the icy hill and the lack of grip he hit the handbrake, stuck it in first and pivoted the car on the rear wheels (front wheel drive shitty Renault) to face the correct direction. Amazed and ever so slightly in shock at seeing a man of God perform these unbelievable driving techniques we thanked him profusely.
We then abandoned our plan to visit the Ihlara valley afterwards as we drove along the road to it noticing we had to descend a steep icy hill longer and scarier than the one we had failed on and so we headed straight for Gerome. Rather pleased with ourselves we settled down to a chicken kebab, Baklava and a cold one!!
Well what a road trip!! Where to next I hear you shout; I, Quentin and Chloe are going to Mt. Nerut with a new Argentine called Alberto. Hope you enjoyed the 1,844 word monster blog. Hamish
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