Arriving into Cappadocia was like driving into the Badlands of Southern Alberta, when suddenly the landscape changes drastically, and you momentarily wonder where you are as it's so radically unique from where you have been?
Kinda like The Flinstones and Indiana Jones coming together as you admire this strange landscape of lunar like formations with hills of every size and shape with caves and square holes carved into them.
We have almost 3 days to explore this place and as we are driven through the village of Goreme to our hotel, it is obvious this is a well developed tourist town with lots of local shops, restaurants and many things to enjoy during our stay.
Cappadocia is the region of central Anatoilia, bound east of the Euphrates River and south by the Taurus mountain ranges. The name is Persian meaning 'the land of beautiful horses'. The ancient mountain Argaeus looms large and its volcanic activity many thousands of years ago is responsible for the strange moonscape, and what is known as 'Fairy Chimneys'.
Interesting Biblical note...this region was identified as Caphtor and in AD17 Tiberius established Cappadocia as a Roman province with Caesarea as the provincial capital. Cappadocia was the home of many Jewish pilgrims who were in Jerusalem for the Day of Pentecost, and was among the five provinces in Anatolia adressed by Peter in his first letter.
I am composing this blog very late on our last night or rather very early in the morning in Cappadocia and before I pack up as we leave early for Konya. The first Muslim prayer of the day begins at 4:00 am in this area, so I can hear the haunting voice clearly while I sit in my room at the very nice Heybe Hotel.
This leg of my Turkey adventure has been very enjoyable with a great variety and local cultural experiences around food and local lifestyles. We have hiked and viewed many of the beautiful rugged valleys...including the Red, Love, and Pigeon.
I rented a mountain bike with another Vancouverite and avid biker in our group to tour into the surrounding towns and farm areas...my rear is so sore from biking up to 30km Wednesday morning, that it kills to even to sit in the bus and I cant even feel my sore legs from all the crazy hills we climbed...I hate being over 50!
The people of Goreme, which is in the heart of Cappadocia, realized that the soft rocks forming the lunar mountains could easily be carved out to form houses, churches, and monastaries. There are also many examples of Byzantine art from the post iconoclastic period with unique frescoes as early as the 10th to 12th centuries, that we saw within the various areas open to the public.
There is within these rock formations hundreds of smaller almost square shaped openings, often quite high up and they are quite shallow as you can easily see to the back....I would call them pigeon holes? Well as it turns out these are literally pigeon holes as these birds are sacred in Turkey and you won't ever find pigeon pie on any restaurant menu item! lol
The legend has it that Mohammad one day long ago was being hunted by an enemy and hid inside these various caves...well the enemy came across the very cave he was in and saw a pigeon in the entry and chose not to search that cave because the bird would have been frightened if there was a man inside. So that was when pigeons in Turkey moved way up the food chain, because they helped save their most precious prophet, Mohammad! Pretty cool legend and pigeons still roost in these cave holes and they hop and fly all over the tourist areas...forever cooing that their great great grandfather pigeon saved their gizzards long ago! lol
I have certainly enjoyed the hiking and biking and tasting traditional Turkish food prepared on each night by locals. Last night we ate in an authentic family owned restaurant that pre-prepared our individual food in clay jars within an underfloor oven for 4 hours before our group enjoyed a very private room and an unforgettable traditional multi course meal. Tonight we were invited through our tour guide to a local lady's home, which was a cave dwelling and her family expanded and upgraded it to include a beautiful kitchen, where she caters local meals in her home to make a family income.
Oh there are many funny stories we are collecting and wont forget and they seem to always involve the local merchants and our bargaining prowess against theirs, and its hilarious when we compare notes on what each paid for what, and who got the best deals and who got ripped! lol
The group seemed to enjoy my story of shopping the local open Wednesday market which I walked to during a few hours of free time. I had noticed from the bike earlier many tents with lots of fruit and veggies as well as shoes, clothing and many local souvenir items. I was scouting for some nice sandals since I strangely lost one of my own, and now I dont have a pair...kinda like what hapens to my socks when they are laundered at home?
Anyhow no luck with my kind of sandals and as I walked about dodging the agressive merchants I noticed many designer shirts and jeans or perhaps they were genuine fake, but quite nice and decent pricing. I was mildly scouting for a pair of jeans and found many nice brands but they never have my longer 34 inseam. As I was ready to leave with my fruit I checked one last tent and met a nice old Turkish couple that spoke no english. I explained the waist and leg size and he sorta got it and started hunting thru his many neat piles of pants for me. He surprisingly found a pair and I haggled him down to 27TL from 45TL and took them home as they were clearly marked my size. I decided to give them a try on at the hotel and sadly could barely get my foot thru the pant leg they were so tight! I decided to race back on the bike and catch him before they left for the week and do an exchange maybe? So he was packing up but allowed me to look for another brand and this time I tried them on in the back of his trailer. We finally found a pair after 3 that seemed to fit fine and agreed to the swap and I was relieved. That eveing we had our traditional Turkish restaurant reservations for dinner, so decided to were my new pleated Turkish pants. They fit great but as I sat down to do up my shoes I noticed I could see my briefs thru the crotch and the fly wasnt even sewn in on one side...well if that wasnt the end of me! Back into my other pants and off I went trying to forget about this nasty ordeal and how that merchant kinda got the better end of things, and so I just have to find a Turkish tailor, and just be a wee bit wiser. Well I got quite the resounding laughter from the group when I shared that particular story...and still being teased about it! lol
Oh I have finally tasted the best Turkish Delight and in many tasty flavours and when made fresh it is more than delightful....goes great with a real cup of Turkish coffee, which is rather potent as you are not to add any milk to it, and so I do as the Turks do, and it does keep me alert while I compose these long blog updates! lol
Lastly, I will share the first and last experience our group was talked into attending on Wednesday late eveing and that was the 'Whirling Dervishes Ceremony' I knew nothing of this cultural and spiritual event but the guide did a good job selling the tradition and he booked group tickets for us to attend at a suspeciously high price of 35 Euros each!
Well we arrived at quite an elaborate and historical castle and thru the cortyard to a small dance floor with wooden bleachers on four sides...we were early and told strictly no photo's til the very end and no applause or talking. The event was to last over an hour according to our guide, and the small seatings areas were quickly filling wtih other tourists.
The turkish music finally started and then the turkish vocalist that sounds just like the haunting daily prayer guy, stared to sing or rather chant, and this went on while we stared at an empty dance floor for over 10 mins. Then these six men slowly walk out in step with their black robes, white skirts, and tall cylindrical hats and start bowing over and over to each other and the audience. Then these guys sit down and the annoying singing keeps going. When the men finally get up and bow again they remove their black robes and are now all white and begin walking in circles with the older leader still wearing his black robe, and he kinda gets them to swithch positions. Now its 30 minutes later and the 5 white robed guys start to spin and twirl and their skirts flare out and their eyes close while their hands are over their heads and they have a guy in the middle of the circle and the spin around and around and around and around...every so often the black leader steps out and they change positions and keep spinning. I am thinking that something has to happen that's good or interesting or worthwhile, but it never does and these guys are in a trance and we watch them spin to this haunting singing and music for over an hour...trying to put us into a trance?
That is what the Whirling Dervishes is and that is an event I will never ever attend ever again, and will also try to not bring back to my remembrance! Our entire group was stunned at this escapade and miffed how uneventful this much hyped tradition was, and I had to laugh at our poor gullabilty as the naive tourist...it was a profound moment! lol
As the sun is coming up and the birds chirping away I am simply gonna let the Cappadocia pictures do the talking, as after all they are supposed to be a thousand words each?
The Cappadocia portion of my Turkey Adventure has included a bit of everything so we have met good local people, great local food, toured the unique Goreme Open Air Museum, pottery manufacturing plant, attended cultural evets, hot air balloon rides for some, biking and hiking, shopping and mingling, great hotel staff and service with huge breakfasts, and seeing plenty one of a kind outdoor sites all within 30 minutes drive of Goreme....certainly a big trip highlight thus far!
Enjoy the attached pics and hopefully the big download and publishing of this blog update will happen thru the hotel's challenging internet service? Standby for Konya region which is several hours drive and another very popular stop for Turkey tourists?
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