On to Cappadocia

We are now on our final leg of the Geckos Tour, arriving in Cappadocia (Goreme) on the Tuesday 21/6 -and the group then heads off for Ankara on Friday 24/6 leaving me to stay a little longer here in Goreme.

We travelled in a public bus all day to get to Cappadocia area - nothing much to see on the way, just open plains with mountains in the distance.  We arrived at our hotel at 6pm and Ergun arranged for a small van to take us to see the sunset in this amazing and strange landscape

This picture does not do it justice

There was lots of leaping and photos being taken as the sun began to set

These strange natural monuments have basault tops and sandstone or limestone bottoms - and notice the line - I wish I was a geologist to really understand what I was looking at.  These became homes to ancient peoples and especially hermits, by digging into the soft stone and making very adequate accomodation - no heating or cooling really required.

Here is your standard McMansion Cappadocia style - I think this "window" was not as big originally this may have just broken open as these are slowly falling to pieces.  People were living in these until 20 years ago when too many were falling apart and so people were re-located.  They are now used for pigeons (who are very valuable in this region and are encouraged to nest in these as their droppings a useful source of food for the soil)
People paint pictures on their pidgeon houses and the pidgeons return to them every year.
Sunset in Cappadocia

We then went to dinner at a lovely restaurant in what seemed the middle of nowhere and we were asked if we would like the set dinner (3 courses) for 15 Turkish Lira (that is under $10.00) and we all asked did you say 50 TLR no.. it was 15 TLR yep we were happy with that price!!
They have this thing here were they cook your meal in a sealed pottery container and you have to open your own pot
Here I am attacking my pot, I was hoping not to end up with bits of ceramic in my dinner.

The next day we went to "love valley" can you guess why?  Just a series of photos for you - say no more.

I am not going to explain what the boys are doing here
I was preferring to photograph the amazing range of wild flowers

maybe I am getting old.. but I preferred the flowers than those rather phallic like structures

not sure what they were, perhaps a type of lilac
and everywhere there are the brilliant poppies

and just one more picture of flowers - sorry but these are so beautiful

When we returned to the bus, there was the usual stall run by local people to make a little extra money and they were selling the usual fresh orange juice which is always so lovely and fresh (squeezed in front of you) and the boys were feeling particularly manly after their visit to "Love Valley" as shown by their photo with their new head gear

Daryl (Dario), Antony and Jeff showing their strength
and their very proud ladies

You go girls!!
A walk in Pidgeon Valley (I think)

and a visit to an example of what a home would have looked like when it was lived in

Kristin is modelling the lounge room.  You had to climb up a ladder to get to the first floor.
No point feeling uncomfortable with heights

Yes, if you look that is three levels, Willem and I are on the third floor, Amanda is on the second and I think that might be Antony on the first floor.  You would need to have very good knees to be going up and down these all day.  I did notice that the screws attaching the ladders were in places a little dodgy but we all made it down safely.
The bottom floor was lovely (it was not at ground level however, still had a ladder to get into this one)

Afterwards we stopped at a panorama view of the valley and an opportunity to buy some lovely Turkish music and I found myself on a camel ride - being led away - I thought I was just having a photo taken and when Amanda asked me where are you going, I turned around and said "I have no idea" as the communication was a little difficult. Anyway the very expensive camel ride of 20 TLR only went for a minute
(a lesson learnt here, do not let them get you to sit on the camel for the photo, and expecially do not let them lead the camel away)

it was all fun anyway...
That it for day on at Cappadocia - more to come.  Pottery and the underground cave houses.