Egidir

 Another early morning start, tram to otogar (bus station) and then a 4 hour drive to the lake district in the west-centre of Turkey. The landscape changes from flat, dry plateau to mountains (some with snow even in the 30 degree heat), lots of green and lakes. Nice seeing water again. We are staying on a small island joined by a causeway to the main town. The lake is big and blue and beautiful. Our pension is overlooking it and we sit on the 3rd storey balcony writing this in the quiet. Sigh......
We are just about alone in our pension - in fact tourist numbers are seriously down all over Turkey (have we said this before?).

Egidir is a very peaceful resting place as we pass the halfway point in our every-decreasing holiday time. Wah! Egidir is wedding central - this is the week before Ramazan and every man and his dog and woman are tying the knot. This involves cavalcades of cars honking horns and parading along the narrow streets. About 4 we saw on Sat, easily double that on Sun. And what's with the bizarre ritual of hanging a small towel out the front window? Hmmm...

Konya

 Next stop, turning (no pun intended) for home now, was Konya, home to the whirling dervishes. Unfortunately, travel planning let us down and what we thought was a nightly event was not, so we miss out. Wah. Hope to catch a performance somewhere else, but this was the place where it all started and David is very disappointed to miss out.

 Instead, we check out Rumi's tomb and the dervish lodge, wander around the 13th century mosque next door, and a few more besides, take a bus trip all over the city, and have some good food, again.

We are impressed with Konya - a clean, well-organised modern city. Very few overseas tourists come here other than on pilgrimage, and it's a bit off-season as well, but very nice place, friendly people, easy to get around and we enjoyed our time here. Try a few Konya food specialities while we're at it - in particular firin kebap, with melt in your mouth lamb and fresh baked bread. Waiter also recommends a dessert. When he asks me how it was, I say "good". He says "Not good. Perfect!" [and I would have to agree! It tasted like unbaked cake mix with honey and nuts. Mmmmmmm......]

Urgup

 From Ihlara it's 120km and 3 bus trips in quick succession to get back to Urgup, now through familiar territory - dry as dust plateau and then these crazy valleys with all kinds of weird landforms. Urgup has been planned as a shopping stop and final goodbye to Cappadocia.

 Our hotel is located a considerable distance out of town up a HUGE hill which we walk with pure joy in the 30+ degree heat with our backpacks. Instant decision - one trip into town per day! Town looks great - more style and 'zsusz' than other places we've been to. It's hot, did we mention that? 

Greeted at hotel reception by Anne from Te Horo, who seems to have taken over on behalf of the owner. They're in a kiwi travel group and have stayed 3 days here. As we walk through town, we get a run-down of their adventures in carpet shops, restaurants and places in between - "Where you from?" "New Zealand" "Ah New Zealand, you know Anne...?"

 We buy not much stuff and laze the days away on rooftop restaurants. One highlight was a set-course meze menu at Ziggy's - 12 different dishes but we had to eat them all by 8.30 if we wanted a table. Happy to say that mission was accomplished with 15 minutes to spare! Highlights - 2 eggplant dishes, yoghurt and shredded cucumber, and perhaps the fava beans. Good good food.

Selime and Ihlara Valley

 Guzelyurt hotel owner a bit worried we wouldn't make our connection, so writes on a piece of paper: Selime / Intersection / Kick me out! It seemed to work with our bus driver, and after a short trip, we find ourselves at a random intersection and a 3km walk to our next - extremely modest - accommodation.

 We have arrived at the top end of a 14km canyon walk. Today, however, it's a cruisy time in a sleeeeepy town. What to do, what to do?

 Choice #1: food. How does trout, fresh mixed salad, pickles, fresh cut turkish bread and a plate of chips sound? How bout eating it with some (recommended, so we had to) raki with some kind of chilli drink in separate glasses sound? How bout we eat it right by the river, under some shady trees with low-slung seats and turkish carpets/cushions all around? Yes, yes and yes. Almost as good as a happy meal from McDonalds (happier, but no arches and cost a lot more!).

 Choice #2: let's go shopping! Uh oh, the place we are staying at is owned by Mustafa, whose main line is carpets. It's a hot day, it's cool inside, the apple tea is gratis, and we have hours to kill.... 5 carpets later, money has changed hands and we are worrying about our check in baggage! There's a big one, there's a square one, there's two small prayer rugs (no they're not, but that's the size), there's a mule/donkey saddle bag (just because mary wanted some action and daughter kim loves donkeys) and a cushion carpet covered thingy was thrown in as well. Together with the other medium sized carpet we bought when we some time to kill in some underground city somewhere, a trend begins to emerge: too much time = carpets for africa. Anyways, what can you do?

 Later...A village tea and a clandestine trip to the Selime rock-cut monastery where our guide circumvents the ticket office with a hair-raising climb up the side of a mountain. Too much for Mary who retreats for tea and conversation with locals where her knees gradually go from jelly to normal. David not so smart and follows mountain goat (guide) up hill. Going too fast to feel the fear, because any slower and he'd fall off the side of the precipitations (new word = precipitous slopes). This, despite said goat carrying camera and backpack until on level ground. Hmmm. Guess it was worth it. Pleased to make it back to base, ready for the big trip tomorrow.

 Photo taken of Mary's new-found friends. Copies to be sent. No one has an email address ("we are not so rich"). Humbling. Turns out goat is the #10 child (from one mother, he assures us). Mother now dead and group visiting to pay respects at nearby cemetery.

 And on we go.

 Next day is one of my favourite days so far - a 14km (if you believe the guide books - we thought more like 10km) down the Ihlara Valley. We set out early and we have the place to ourselves. The air is cool, the river is rippling, the trees are shady and the sun is shining on the canyon walls. It doesn't get too much better than this.

 The Ihlara gorge is a big version of the one we walked in Guzelyurt and it's very impressive. The steep sided walls have caves and churches with frescoes, most damaged but some still pretty cool. Trees provide a lot of shade for the mostly flat walk, and we don't meet a single person for a couple of hours into the trip. Just magic.

 The hard work comes in climbing up to the churches and (especially) climbing out of the canyon when we get to the end at Ihlara village. However, some magnum icecreams and turkish juice mix seem to revive spirits, and we've arrived at our accommodation by before 1pm, feeling really pleased with ourselves on a job well done. The afternoon is spent doing a big wash and relaxing, and then we have an excellent dinner of trout (superb) and chicken (terrible) and meet some other kiwis travelling - they live and work in dubai.

Guzelyurt

Hard to get to, but what a great place! Higher altitude, cooler air, big views of mountains, a lake and a ruined church on a hill. Arrive mid-avo and wander on up to the town to checkout the party scene. Not. And not. We are just about the only tourists in town. The main hotel is empty and we have to book dinner one day ahead. The place we are staying at has us and one other couple tonight but not tomorrow. Riots in Istanbul have led to major cancellations (40,000 fewer tourists in Goreme we are told). Lots of locals sitting round playing games on tables in a tree-filled park and umbrella-laden square.

 Dinner was spectacular, as was the stunning  sunset, overlooking the scene in the first sentence. Trout, giant chilli pepper and some superb salads and rice washed down with a litre of Cappadocian wine which, it must be said, got better and better! Fabulous hosts, full of advice and stories. David gets to try out a suze (sp?) - 3 double-stringed instrument with a bowl at the end and an amazing sound that gets right inside your head. Might just buy one in Istanbul.

 The beauty of language #1 - we pull up to a hole-in-the-wall restaurant of no particular distinction and order a plate of salad and two plates of chips for lunch. Two identical sized plates arrive, one with salad, one with chips. The chips are over-priced about $4.50. We think, they've forgotten to give us two plates. We ask for the second plate, nothing happens, then remind the guy that we want two plates (sign language, lots of smiles, everyone understands, yes?). Long wait. Suddenly, a further two small plates of chips arrive. Seems like we have ended up ordering 4 lots of chips for $18. Sigh...

 Day 2 and we set out early in the cool but sunny air to walk up a canyon. Small stream and big trees and perfect stillness in the middle, lots of rocks, churches and caves on the sides. We sit down in the trees, and can hear music wafting in from above somewhere far away. Magic moment.

 Another highlight was the Sivisli church with some damaged but still fine frescoes and an incredible panorama from the top (with a ticket man waving at us to come down and pay up - seems like we snuck in the back door so to speak!).

 In the evening we walk up to a former Greek Monastery (oops, the guide books got it wrong, it was a girls' school), sit alone in this huge empty hall laid out with tables for 100, but with a setting for 2 person for dinner. That's us. And it was worth it - fabulous food: lightly spiced lentil soup with lemon, mezes of eggplant, beans, tomatoes, lettuce, carrot and red cabbage, yoghurt/garlic/fennel something, and home-made chips. Fresh bread, grilled chicken, rice and garnish. Cold water. Weight gained. Tummys happy.

 Coming back through the square, we hit a Turkish wedding, the whole village invited, and the white-gowned bride and groom dancing very uncomfortably while everyone else watched and took photos. Live music, still cool evening air and lots of magic around, which we sit down to enjoy for a while. Then back to the ranch for a drink and a chat with the owner and manager for an hour or two. A very good day.

Uichisar, a panorama and a very hard to find valley

After a lazy morning taking care of business, we head out on a walk up the 'Pigeon Valley', so named because of all the pigeon coops carved into the rock stacks ('fairy chimneys'). Once again, we have the place to ourselves, but the signage is appalling and what should be an easy trip turns into a minor adventure, where you never quite know where you'll end up.

 Once again, stunning landforms and we have some fun walking up this valley. We come to a crossroads - spray-canned signs on rocks point in both directions with the same destinations, except one of them says 'panorama'. Yes, we went for the panorama. Uh oh.  Scampering up the rocks like goats was not quite what we expected, although the views were definitely worth it, as was the hot cup of cay.

 Uichisar is a 'castle' village on the plateau above Goreme. We climbed to the top of that hill, man! And then we went down again. For food. David is becoming very partial to yoghurt and honey, so we had that, as well as the ubiquitous gozleme, thin sheets of pastry with feta and spinach. Mixed salad, some cherry juice and lots of cold water capped it off nicely.

 Back down, we discover the real track, clearly marked and easy. This valley was really like a mini-canyon, steep sides and twisty. Just when David thought his camera had had enough, out it popped and started clicking, just like magic. A mind of its own.

 Home for a bit of a siesta, and then out for dinner at a rooftop restaurant with some live music, a stunning sunset, and another amazing day at the races.

 Nk day we're off in the opposite direction, trying to find the Red and Rose Valleys (more rocks!), which we, in the end, do. Highlights were the deliberately wrong directions we were given, over-priced orange juice (by the same people), some nice chats with Germans and others where we all tried to sort out where we all were and, yes, stunning rocks. Really.

 A few hours and a good many kms later, we find ourselves in the dusty little village of Cavusin (chav oo sheen), for a bite to eat, a drink to drink and a photo to camera. Then a 3-6km walk back to town (depending on who you ask) for an afternoon rest. Today is our last in Goreme, so we are celebrating with another magnificent home-cooked meal and a chillout, before heading off to Guzelyurt.

Mustafapasa, Soganli and Going Underground...

Today we decide to stretch out and let someone else do the work! We have booked a tour to some hard to get to places. Minivan duly arrives and we're off southwards along the road slightly less travelled.

First up is Mustafapasa village, originally a greek village, but when Turkey and Greece exchanged populations in 1924 this was one that switched sides (apparently something like a million people were displaced in each country and had no choice but to change). Mustafapasa was a really interesting mix of old, new, cave, not-cave buildings in various states of disrepair. Like a big jumble of stone all built up on top of itself and dressed in drab. some notable exceptions were some of the decorations and colourful doors on the greek houses. The town square was a circle and a great place to hang out for a while.

From there we head down a large valley with mesas either side - roadrunner territory as one guide put it - very impressive, big landscape, not unlike the grand canyon, except not as grand and not a canyon (strictly speaking).

We're heading for Soganli Valley, along the road less travelled. Suddenly the sides of the valley narrow. Either side are the rock formations we've been seeing, most of which have had rooms cut into them, higher up on the hillsides are larger places - monasteries and communal buildings. Windows look at you as you whizz past in the van. First up is the Snake Church with some seriously graffiti-ied frescoes, then on to the two-storeyed Dome Church carved out of a rock pillar. Holes go from floor to floor in these places - ventilation? quick escape? lighting? The whole place like a once-inhabited wilderness and we are amazed that people would go to the effort of constructing dwellings and making a life in such an inhospitable setting, although that was what the early Christian experience was like before they became the state religion I guess.

And so to lunch. Lots of it. Most memorable - thick 'greek-style' yoghurt and honey.

After lunch we go to one of the more than 100 underground cities. This one called Derinkuyu, and once was home to 10,000 people. We went down 8 (of 11) levels, through narrow passageways. The idea of a place like this was probably more impressive than the place itself to be honest. No decoration, just lots and lots of empty rooms, the occasional ventilation shaft and passageways and stairs connecting it all. There were stables, a school, communal kitchens, winepresses etc but you had to use your imagination to think what it would have been like to live there. The whole place was accessed through one small hole in the ground and a cunning system of rolling concrete doors made the place virtually impregnable to any roman army that decided it wanted a fight.

Back home and tonight's meal is a home-cooked one from the family where we are staying - soup, mixed salad and pickles for starters, mary's main is a lamb caserole done in a clay pot which has its lid broken at your table and contents emptied onto your plate; david's main was chargrilled chicken with spices. all this comes with rice and then rice pudding to finish. absolutely yum, and a real experience.

Goreme and Cappadocia

Istanbul is a BIG city - something like 20 million and it shows in the endless apartment blocks that we drive by on the way to the airport early in the morning. Mix-up at the Kayseri end, where we thought we were being collected, but local transport came to the rescue and we find ourselves in Goreme, the heart of Cappadocia early afternoon on Saturday. Head for our hotel in the absolute wrong direction, but friendly locals who are used to the confusion soon help.

 Goreme is quite a place and so is the accommodation. Although not a cave it is marketed as a cave hotel, and our room is seriously spacious and inviting. For those who don't know Cappadocia is a region of pretty weird landscapes where people have dug out caves to live in for the last 2000 years. Stunningly unique.

 First day here we spend checking out the place for all the important stuff - wine, beer, icecream, balloon rides, transport and tours etc (in that order, btw). Then, after a good sleep and a good breakfast, we are into it. First up is the Honey and Zemi Valleys with their weird shapes, not unlike the pinnacles/clay cliffs at Omarama but on a much much larger scale. People lived in these places, had churches, mosques, animal compounds and much more carved out of these. Incredible. Spend a lot of time just having a look around and then we're off to the 'Open Air Museum' which is all nicely manicured but still pretty impressive.

 Today we've had a long day. Started at 4.20am when we got up for a hot air balloon ride. Spectacular views over the whole countryside. Probably 40 other balloons up there with us, making it something special. 16 people in ours, with a captain who had a keen sense of humour and the whole experience was superb.

Back home in time for breakfast, then for a long walk to another valley less touristed but with probably the most spectacular landforms of any (Pasabagi Valley). Very hard to describe, we'll let the pictures do the talking, when we finally work out how to upload them. Nice to have some peace and quiet away from the crowds. In between the rock formations are little plots growing grapes, olives, apricots (especially!). We did meet one guy out in the middle of nowhere who offered us a glass of apple tea and home-made fruit from his 'hobby garden'. And a couple of aussie kids living in Berlin taking a break from their studies Back home for a quiet rest then dinner, live music and the sun setting on this most amazing town and region. Good times!

Last days in Istanbul

some pretty solid rain meant  we had to keep things simple. lazed around having breakfast for 3 hours, then a stroll along some shops to check out the carpets and other goodies, before hitting lunch at a local restaurant. we'd been holding off doner kebab for 3 days now, and finally sucumbed. not bad either.

the day started to improve, sun comes out, so we dive into another cistern for some cool walking around columns and a cup of uber-ordinary coffee. then, thus fortified, decide to do an evening cruise up the bosphorous. i think mary was underwhelmed (true)- for me it was good. it's a spectacular skyline with the domes and minarets of the mosques, tall thin houses and square box apartments crowding their way up the hillsides and the odd high-rise trying to make a statement. we saw places we'd been to from a different angle - the Suleiyman mosque (sp?), Galata tower, Topkapi and Dolmabache palaces were all impressive from the water. As were the soaring suspension bridges linking Europe with Asia. Good stuff!

Nek day we travel to Cappadocia, the spiritual heart of the trip this year. we're spending nearly 2 weeks here in various parts, doing a village to village walking tour for a bit and lots of extended day walks. Everyone's been surprised and pleased that we're taking our time, but we'll see. The idea is to just go slow and take it all in, have time to meet people and ask our 3 questions: 1. What are you most proud of about your country? 2. If you had to change one thing about [whatever place we are at], what would it be? 3. How is your life different to that of your [father/mother]. We plan to have this so we can trade our time for some interesting information. Hmmm...

Anyways, we arrive in Goreme early afternoon and seems like we've brought the rain with us. big plate of local fruit to welcome us while the room gets cleaned, then it's blog time for david and apartment-checking time for mary (another story). Having huge difficulty getting photos uploaded - shall keep trying!

Istanbul

Day 1 was about getting ourbearings, we had some rain and (gosh!) cold, so decided to keep under shelter and went to the Grand Bazaar. Lots of coloured lights and almost more salesmen than customers this early in the morning. What's to buy? David got interested in some local stringed thingys, plates and glassware etc etc etc

From there to the Suleymaniye Mosque, very grand on a hill, and then a walk down past 3-4 storey traditional wooden houses in various states of repair, to the New Mosque and Spice Bazaar. Lots of little streets and huge crowds, we got lost. a lot. Eventually all roads led back to Sultanahmet and home. Good day. Out for an evening walk around the Blue Mosque (photo)

And so to Day 2. Already having a riotious time. Enjoying the Turkish salesman patter, which has to be amongst the best in the world: "Sir, you have a strange walk..." (can I sell you some shoes?), "Sir, tonight dinner for men free but the ladies pay" (sounds good, oh wait, Mary has to pay for me too!). Most impressive so far is the dude standing in the middle of the street outside his restaurant holding a hot plate sizzling with meat and herbs, hoping that the wafting smells will entice you in. Good job, that! Small problem: the street is wall to wall restaurants both sides - why would we go to his one?!! 

Today is a sight-seeing day. First up is Hagia Sophia (Church of the Divine Wisdom), a sprawling edifice on the outside and something quite sublime on the inside. Soaring spaces with a huge dome, frescoes, and lots of people. Impressive rather than inspirational. Clanging hammers on a stack of scaffolding didn't help.

 

Then to the underground cistern, a huge water reservoir held up by 360 columns (our hotel is called Broken Column, btw), a stack of 'atmospheric' red lights and a pile of fish. Story goes that back in the day people used to go fishing in here!

 

Lunch at a local lokanta, where you choose your dishes from trays in the window. All done with great efficiency and style. Great feed for a good price. Food here looks great but seems a little bland (for tourists?). Mary's enjoying the fresh and unadulerated nature of the food - lots to eat for her and so far people seem to get the idea of what being allergic to wheat flour means. Nice change from what we're used to. Nothing is out of bounds for the tourist dollar.Want sufi dancing while you have your meal? No problem, we will pay some guy to become one with the universe whilst you eat your meatballs. Hmmm...

Istanbul day 1

Well all very good though very tired. Tea out last night after showering to freshen up from our journey. We found a rooftop restaurant with views of a famous mosque and the sea. We didn't stay awake too long after that having been awake for 24 hours. Woke too early this morning so leisurely breakfast on the rooftop of our hotel - thankfully covered as it was raining. Had a good day out wondering going to the grand bazaar first because it was covered. That was amazing, an incredibly big area with stall after stall of jewellery, leather, clothing, crockery, glassware and so much more. Even had a couple of music shops! Viewed a couple of mosques and some pretty cool buildings. Walked a lot really so should sleep well tonight. Just skimmed the NZ Herald and found we've escaped dengue fever for the riots. We knew there was a rise in dengue cases. Rioting is quite a way away from us and there is no sense of unrest here that I can feel. Plenty of tourists and very friendly locals. Food great so far for me which is always reassuring so early in the holiday. Shall get a couple of photos up later, just wanted you to know we're good and safe, only in Istanbul for 4 days I think, and not going to Ankara. Rest time then dinner before catching up on some more sleep.

Turkey

Turkey here we come! Down to the last couple of days - a few final things to get sorted and packed. Beginning to get excited - been a very busy time with the end of the school year, apartment hunting and packing up our place, so the holiday has not been foremost in my mind. I think it will feel like it is really beginning on Tuesday morning as we head out early to the airport. Next posting from Turkey! -