Great Turkish trip. Part 5. Cappadocia
Part 1. Alanya
Part 2. Side
Part 3. Antalya
Part 4. Oludeniz
Part 5. Cappadocia <------
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A year ago we said goodbye to Cappadocia forever. We went through almost all the valleys, explored the most interesting corners. I sadly wrote in the story that the untraveled valleys will remain unknown to us. But how wonderful everything has changed, we are here again! What if we don't like it the second time around? Maybe the beauty of these valleys is impressive only for the first time? Fortunately, this time it was no less magical and interesting. Firstly, the valleys still beckon and delight with their unusual beauty. Secondly, it is in Cappadocia that you can feel the whole atmosphere of the country. Here Turkey shows its best features in food, people, nature and even sounds. Well, another biological time zone, here you need to wake up around five in the morning, go to the valleys for one of the views, then die from the beauty of balloons.
At 08:30 come to the hotel for breakfast, from 09:30 to 13:00 take a hike in one of the valleys, and then a quiet hour, optional sleep until 17:00, then evening activity or valley and dinner. At 22:00 sleep. We have allocated three full days and half for Cappadocia. On the last day, I had a desire to stay to live from all parts of the country right here, in Goreme. And now I am sure that we will definitely come back here and I hope that more than once.
I really, really want to inspire as many people as possible to visit this beautiful corner of our planet. I will not repeat the beauties of each valley, but you can live with us these beautiful days in Cappadocia.
We arrived at sunset from Kayseri Airport. How many times we flew on a plane and rode in a taxi, outside the windows are absolutely ordinary views, without the slightest hint of the beauty that is hidden near Goreme. This time our cave hotel turned out to be not exactly a cave, but skillfully made to look like a cave.
There was a very strange chemical smell in the bathroom that didn't want to dissipate. Later I found the source, it was a Turkish air freshener. To test it, I decided to sniff it. How I didn't lose my scent is still a mystery, but it felt like a lemon exploded in my head. They took the air freshener outside, it became much better. Now we can go to the city overview. For some reason, the entrance to the survey is now paid, for three lira. Well, okay, we will find ourselves another review with “blackjack and…”. It turned out to be not so easy to find your review in the middle of the night. We tried to climb some sheer cliff, I can’t say that the views were bad, but we didn’t repeat such a deadly trick again. Although no, there was a similar attempt a couple of days later, which ended in complete failure, the collapse of the ground under my feet... In general, the conclusion here is this - if there is no path on the map, then there is nothing to try. Although if you crave real Turkish adventures, don't be afraid of dust and thorns - lay new routes boldly)
After a good route, it would not be bad to have a meal. We sat down in our favorite restaurant in the center, in the same places where we sat a year ago. It's a pity that this time without Olya and Zhenya. Traditionally, I open the Cappadocian season with a bowl of lentil soup with lemon. And now, rather, sleep, to bring closer the moment of admiring the balls.
Dasha was the first to wake up to the sound of inflating balloons coming from the valleys. When we got out, the balloons were already circling over the hotel. Of course, there are significantly fewer of them now, during quarantine, nevertheless they are there and this cannot but rejoice! We wanted to start our route from our beloved Sabel Valley. But my advice to you all. Check the route on the map in the evening. For some reason, at 6 in the morning, the brain refused to think and find this valley. As a result, we came to the valley of love 2.
Only one problem - the valley below, at the foot of the mountains, and we are on top. For some reason, the maps confidently hint to us that we can go down here, or go to the neighboring town of Chavushin, there will be a normal entrance. Apparently at 6 in the morning, the instinct of self-preservation also does not work very well. The descent took about 10 minutes and was more like a struggle for life in extreme conditions.
But what beauty awaited us below. And the whole valley is only ours! Interesting travel fact. We started our route from approximately the same place where we stopped a year ago due to a downpour. We then did not have time to go down the paths to the very bottom and took the route on top in time. Now the rains and downpours were so far from us, it would be simply difficult to imagine them here. As it turned out, if you fly into the country at the height of the season, you can catch a whole month of sunny days. It's really a wonderful feeling when you scroll through the weather forecast for as long as you can, and the pictures are full of round suns, sometimes with clouds. But I remember, somewhere at the beginning of the trip, we had a 15-minute rain in a clear sky, despite the sunny forecasts. It even then seemed surprising in such hot weather. When we walked to our heart's content in the valley, a logical question arose, but how to get back? I was too lazy to go to Chavushin. We decided that since we were so brave that we could go down, then we could go up.
Moreover, Dasha is a bunny, and it should be easier for bunnies uphill than downhill.
After we climbed the mountain without climbing equipment, we promised ourselves not to show such heroism and self-sacrifice again. Misha was generally in shock, he clearly imagined the valleys simpler. The descent and ascent was further complicated by the thorns hidden in the sand, which strive to dig into the leg. Or even worse, get between the foot and the sandal. Shake off the dust, now you can go to the hotel for breakfast. In a hotel that is located in the city center and costs 14 euros for three per night, the breakfast was adequate. But this is fortunately easy to fix. In Gö reme there is my favorite cafe-bakery “Tarihi Istanbul 1453 Bö rekç isi”, it indulges in delicious boreks. Also a very friendly sales guy. So, one borek for 15 lira is enough to turn even the most dull breakfast into a Turkish feast. The peculiarity of this bakery is that it is round-the-clock, when you go to the valley in the morning, you can just buy a hot one for the road. After breakfast, a short break, 20 minutes, and you need to go further on the road until the day solstice begins. Misha stayed with a laptop in the room, to conquer the chess peaks, Dasha and I went to conquer the paths of the pigeon valley.
This is one of the shortest and easiest valleys. Our company was immediately supplemented by a guide dog. Of course, we were looking for our last year's faithful friend Fyndyk, but he was nowhere to be found. As we walked along the valley, we thought that Misha should have been taken to this valley, and not to the morning hard labor.
After the second valley, another Turkish feast and a quiet hour until the evening. From about 13:00 to 17:00 at the end of August, the sun's rays penetrate the body through and through, like the smallest needles. At this time, it is best to close yourself in a cave and not stick out into the yard. The main thing is to stock up on watermelon in advance. Still, the Dashin Challenge cannot be interrupted a day without a watermelon in Turkey.
In the evening, we started a real safari, we went on quad bikes on a two-hour trip through the valleys. The Turks reacted calmly when we were driving without holding on to the main column, so Dasha and Misha and I made a real rally with drifting and hauling. I used to think that the most beautiful place on ATVs is in Egypt in the evening, but no, it’s even more beautiful here!
Misha and I were so passionate about extreme speed driving that instead of photo stops we were allowed to drive. In fact, in the places of photo stops, we walk every day, and the quad bikes will end for two hours.
At the end of the route, a charming sunset awaited us on the top of one of the mountains. Dust, of course, is unmeasured and there is a risk that this will be the last trip with the camera, it is already completely the color of the mountains. But it's worth it. Hold on to our camera, hold on! I remember that a year ago it also had to be pumped out in Cappadocia.
I'm starting to feel like I'm falling in love with Cappadocia again. It's a great feeling, I want the whole world to be here. Just the other day, in one of the groups on Facebook, they published photos of Cappadocia, under which many wrote that this was their dream. But this dream is so easy to fulfill! Ankara is one of the cheapest destinations from Kyiv, and from the central station even direct buses run to Goreme. People, do not deny yourself the pleasure of visiting Cappadocia. Local prices here will pleasantly surprise you. By the way, a trip from the hotel to Ankara Airport for three costs $48. We also had a more expensive route with a change in Nevsehir (in theory, a shorter route would have cost $37).
On the second day, we left the hotel at 05:20 in full force, on the way we found ourselves another guide dog.
I hope she is aware that there is a high ladder in Sabel Valley that dogs have to jump from?
But the dog took the initiative in his own hands, and he led us straight into the valley. In this valley there are excellent places to watch the balloons take off. Today there were 28 of them, 122 less than last year. But this is already enough to watch mesmerized, afraid to miss every moment. The main thing is to be careful and not fall off the cliff. The dog somehow indifferently looked at all these balls, apparently already used to it) I already sang about the beauty of the Sabel Valley in last year's story.
I'll just say it's just as beautiful, and even our new four-legged guide showed some valor and jumped down the stairs in the valley to walk on with us. We were heading for Chavushin. At some point, we noticed that the dog was already different. Very similar, but obviously the tail and hair on the head are not the same as the first. Hey, so not fair, where is our true friend who deserves a tasty treat in the city? Apparently, she does not like Chavushin. This time we were the first in the city, both tourists and residents. It was only eight in the morning and everyone was still sleeping. Even the rock-fortress was completely ours. Breakfast will start at the hotel in 30 minutes, you can start the journey home. We went to the track and found out that the bus, which runs once an hour, left 59 minutes ago. This was good news. The bad news was that so many people crowded this hour into the next... Damn, somehow during an epidemic you don’t want such risks. But on foot to Goreme, there is also no desire to walk along the highway. We went in masks to the back door, and hid on the steps themselves, further away from everyone. The task is reduced to a simple one - do not breathe for about 8 minutes.
As soon as the bus drove off, people immediately started coughing. I have a suspicion that even the masks on the faces contribute to the fact that people begin to cough. I also noticed the Turkish tradition that any taxi driver must clear his throat exactly twice during the trip. Without this, the road will not work. We went out in Gö reme, you can breathe! O! Just a cafe with boreks next to it. The guy said that fresh boreks would be ready in 7 minutes, but in the meantime, we can drink Turkish tea at the expense of the house to pass the wait! I fell in love with this world even more. After breakfast, we took a taxi to Uchisar, from where you can return to the hotel along the Pigeon Valley. If you start from Uchisar, then the road will be down all the time, much easier, you don’t even need a map. But, unfortunately, my self-confidence failed, and we got lost in this beautiful valley.
I would not say that it was a big minus, but today it was very hot, and then we had to go up a lot. At the top of the rock, a very cozy cafe was waiting for us. Rather, this is a place where a large family lives with grandmothers and part-time they receive tourists. Now all the “Tea Houses” inside the valley were closed, and the owners simply lived in this one. Tired tourists were gladly accepted by the whole Turkish family. They were able to offer us coffee and tea, so our Turkish vocabulary ended). Among themselves, they called my coffee burda. I tried to explain what cookies are, but I only remembered bread in Turkish. That was enough to treat us to bread, grapes and parmesan-like cheese.
The Turkish grandmother was very touched that we like grapes, I think she was just picking them. Treats were not included in the bill, indeed, as guests went. We sat very sincerely and rested, now with renewed vigor we can go down towards Goreme.
The evening program ended in a small fiasco when we tried to climb another obzor not along the path. It was still necessary to stick to their promises, not to leave the paths.
The next morning, after admiring the balloons, we got into a taxi and drove back to Uchisar. From there, the route along the Honey Valley began. A marvelous fog in the form of a thin strip hung over the cities, and balls flew over the fog. It looked like photoshop in real life.
The Honey Valley was so appetizing in places that I wanted to try it) In terms of ease, we put this valley in second place, after the Golubina. In about an hour and a half, it flows into the White Valley, and it smoothly turns into the Valley of Love 2 and exits somewhere not far from Chavushin.
Naturally, the entire hike through the valleys is framed by single flying balloons. One problem, we again went far from Goreme and we need to somehow get into the city. Fortunately, Turkey is one of the countries where the easiest and really free hitchhiking is possible. We waved our hand and immediately a car picked us up. In a couple of moments we are again at our base) After breakfast, we went with a breeze to one of the neighboring cities of Avanos.
This city has a large river that compensates for the lack of sea in this region. You can’t swim in the river, nevertheless, a walk back and forth unloads the brain a little from the constant view of the valleys and gives a feeling of a change of scenery. This year, you can even ride gondolas along the river.
The city is also famous for its pottery workshops, but not during the epidemic) To continue the “not a day without a watermelon” challenge, it was necessary to constantly monitor the places where watermelons were sold. As a result, from Avanos we drove back home with a huge watermelon. It was the saleswoman who called us a taxi.
Probably one of the best places to watch the sunset in the area is the top of the Red Valley. The valley itself is unusual in the number of cave temples, tunnels and other places where you can climb.
Cave Temple
The closer to sunset, the redder the valley and its colorful rocks become. An interesting discovery was a striped rock that we saw on the Internet, before that we were firmly convinced that it was photoshop.
The sunset here is really unusually red, such sunsets can be seen on the exotic shores of distant seas. Here it is important to calculate the time so as not to arrive later than sunset, there is a track and restaurants at the top of the valley. I think that if you arrive too late, then no one will be there and there will be no one to call you a taxi. In the worst case, you will have to return with flashlights to Goreme through the neighboring Miskendir valley.
In the dark, the valleys don't look friendly at all. We came to the peak at the moment when the last rays of the evening sun said “gule-gule” to us and went beyond the horizon. An excellent final sunset of the eighth travel season. Fly back tomorrow.
In the morning we decided to go through the last valley in the vicinity - Miskendir. The last time we watched the balloons take off.
It is curious, but true - the spectacle of how the balloons take off does not bother, for this I am ready to wake up early again and again. We decided to walk to the beginning of the Miskendir valley.
One problem, we didn’t take food for a snack with us, and I get hungry every time in the early morning. And as luck would have it, at half past seven in the morning everything is closed and there is no one at all. Soon we passed by a campsite in the form of houses. I went to the houses in the hope of getting food. A door opened in one of the houses, and I heard the sound of the stove being lit. So, at least there is coffee, and if there is coffee, then there is something to chew on. A Turkish grandfather came to meet me. I asked for "Ekmek". He gladly gave me a whole loaf. I even wanted to give the second one, but we would not have eaten so much. Eh, if not for the epidemic, I would hug my grandfather. Then on the way we came across a huge vineyard, and we borrowed a bunch of grapes from them. How delicious it is to eat grapes with bread walking through such beauties!
At such moments you feel really happy. There were fairly high mountains around, part of the valley was in cold shade. The difficulty of early hikes is that in the morning the temperature is about 15 degrees, and then quickly warms up. And in a good way, you need to go out with sweaters, but then carry them in your hands in the heat.
But these are all trifles compared to the valleys, the beauty of which cannot be conveyed by any photo or story. But you are now one step closer to these beauties. To say goodbye to the city, we went for a farewell borek. The guy said that for departing tourists they have free farewell Turkish coffee and tea.
Grab your T-shirts and go! First a taxi to Nevsehir, then a five-hour bus. The bus, by the way, is very comfortable, straight business class, it's not hard to drive at all. Misha also played cartoons on his personal screen all the time. The bus had technical stops at the same places as a year ago. We even wanted to have lunch at one of the restaurants during the stop, but they were just being disinfected there. I don't know about viruses, but the staff started coughing and sneezing after disinfection. In the end, we didn't dare to go. One coughing Turkish grandfather naturally sat on the bus not far from us, and, apparently, he did not expect that we would force him to ride in a mask for all five hours. He tried to complain about something to the assistant driver, who was also driving without a mask, but the assistant explained something to him and he quickly put on the mask) Later, he moved forward right to the assistant and was already coughing enough.
At the Ankara Central Station, we had dinner at last year's restaurant. Nothing has changed in four weeks - I didn’t want to fly away at all, but a very important event awaits us in Kyiv - our second wedding in honor of the decade. And it was just an amazing honeymoon!
P. S. Dashin's challenge “Not a day without a watermelon” lasted 47 days as a result.
Trip Information
Date of travel: 08/01/2020 – 09/01/2020
Duration: 31 full days
Air tickets: UIA charter from package + Pegasus
Hotel: package + on the hotel website + Ostrovok + Booking
Excursions: all by yourself
Trip difficulty: 3/10 (Below average)
