The overnight bus journey to get here hadn't been quite as much fun as the last. As a result of there being no toilets on the bus, it stopped every hour and every time it stopped, all the lights were switched on, so the few hours sleep I managed to get were very much interrupted. However, as the bus pulled in to the unusual cave ridden town of Goreme at dawn, hundreds of colourful hot air balloons were floating across the horizon. It was a beautiful sight to be greeted with and gave me a good feeling about our next few days in Cappadocia. As we disembarked, we were met with a vast array of establishments advertising various different tours, hot air balloon rides, horse riding, whirling dervish ceremonies, and bicycles/scooters/quad bikes for hire, as well as numerous cafes, restaurants, souvenir shops selling carpets, rugs, ethnic clothing and trinkets. Immediately it had a relaxed, slightly bohemian, backpacker feel to it. One of the local shopkeepers enquired as to where we were looking for (the fact that we were stood with our backpack trying to figure out where we were on the map may have prompted his enquiry!), knew instantly where our hostel was and proceeded to give us directions. 
That's one thing that surprised me and that I really like about the Turkish : they genuinely want to help you, they are friendly, talkative, interested in you, and even when they do try and sell you something, they won't push it, and take the rejection with a smile.
Our hostel was just around the corner (and slightly uphill) from the main road that passes through Goreme and heads out towards the open air museum. Again, just as when we arrived in Pamukkale in the early hours of the morning, I expected to have to have to wait for our room. However, there was one ready when we arrived at the Nirvana Cave Hotel, so we took advantage of the free coffee and wifi, and then checked in. I was hoping for a room in a cave, judging by both the name of the hotel and the numerous photos that had been posted on the Hostelbookers website, however although our lodgings for the next few days were in a pleasant enough room with wooden beams and an ensuite bathroom, it wasn't - by any stretch of the imagination - a cave room.
We showered, changed, and hit the road - up to the Goreme Open-air Museum, via the grounds of a little pottery workshop where we were distracted by a tree covered in hundreds of evil eyes, and a couple of aliens! Outside the entrance to the open air museum, there were a couple of cheerful costumed gentlemen putting a bit of a show on for gathering onlookers. What looked like a giant marshmallow being stretched as if it were made of elastic, was actually ice cream (the cones stacked up at either side of the photo kind of spoiled the intrigue for us!) Goreme Open-air Museum is an interesting introduction to the history and landscape of the Cappadocia region. It was first an important Byzantine monastic settlement that housed some 20 monks, and then a pilgrimage site from the 17th century. The cluster of rock-cut churches, chapels and monasteries is now one of Turkey's World Heritage sites. We spent a relaxing couple of hours meandering our way around the site, before venturing into the first of Cappadocia's unique collection of valleys, Kizilcukur - more familiarly known as Red Valley.
As we quickly discovered, although many of the valleys do have trailhead signposts, there is very little in the way of signage once you actually get into the heart of the disorientating maze of caves and pathways. There's the odd red arrow painted on the rocks, reminiscent of Sarah's lipstick markings in the cult 80's film 'Labyrinth' (which is still one I never tire of watching), and it almost becomes a game to see who can find the next red arrow. 
We spent (I won't say 'wasted' because getting lost here is so much fun!) hours following the narrow pathways as they led upwards, downwards, through caves and painted chapels, amidst prickly undergrowth and beautiful yellow flowers and we were even greeted by the odd goat, the cow bell around its neck jangling as it ate its way through yet another plant/flower/bush/small tree. 
As we made it down into the heart of the valley itself, the track evened out, and we were passed by several mountain-bikers and groups of organised horse-riding treks. I must admit that, having discovered just how vast the landscape was, a bicycle (or horse in fact!) would have been quite a useful means of transport, however the terrain (loose gravel and rocks of varying sizes littered all over that gravel) was rather more challenging, especially in the heat, which seemed to be crawling closer to what you'd expect in the height of summer. Many of the valleys still contain large areas of cultivated land, and farmers still working that land. It was beautiful to see that, although the caves are no longer occupied, the area that surrounds them is still being used by its inhabitants as part of their livelihood, and it made a softer, more familiar contrast to the stark unfamiliarity of Cappadocia's bizarre rock formations.
That evening we wandered uphill from our hotel into the maze of streets that wove their way between the ever increasing population of hostels, hotels and restaurants built into the caves. Surprisingly, despite the development, Goreme still retains its small town charm. We stopped when we got to Koy Evi, an eatery which had been recommended for its simple, wholesome, tasty flavours. We tried one of Turkey's speciality dishes, Testi Kebapi (I had the vegetarian version!), and got to open the terracotta pots ourselves (after a brief demonstration). They also serve the nicest homemade breads from the tandir (oven) which you can watch being cooked on site, accompanied by some gorgeously smoky aubergine salad. It's a totally authentic Turkish experience, and one that should definitely be part of any trip to Cappadocia.Day 8 : The Green Tour with New Goreme Tours
Normally I'm not one for booking tours when I'm travelling independently, because it can be very easy and a lot cheaper to do it yourself. Moreover, it gives you a greater sense of adventure if you've planned, arranged, and executed the excursion yourself. However, upon reading guidebooks and forums and chatting to other travellers, it became apparent that many of the sights farther away from Cappadocia's major towns are impossible to visit in a day purely as a result of the limited transport around the area. The local buses are fantastic for short hops, but there's often only one or two buses per day to more remote destinations. So we decided to take a tour, known around Cappadocia as the Green Tour. Most of the tour companies in Goreme run a similar tour, but New Goreme had some pretty good reviews on Trip Advisor and have a mention in Lonely Planet as being "fun and friendly", which I definitely found to be true when we visited the office the evening before to book the trip. The staff brought us copius amounts of Turkish tea, taught us a bit of the language, and seemed genuinely keen to sit around and chat with us long after they'd taken our money.
We started the tour with a brief stop at Goreme Panorama, which is a cluster of cafes and shops built along the edge of a cliff just outside Goreme. It does as it says on the tin, and gives you a spectacular panorama of the town and its valleys. You can watch farmers ploughing their land and children playing, and the odd donkey tied up against a rock. The panorama stretches all the way from Goreme to Uchisar, where you can spot the unusual-looking 'castle' at it's highest point. We then hopped back on to our minibus, and started the journey south towards Derinkuyu Underground City. We truly were a multi-cultural minibus, full of people from South Africa, Russia, Myanmar, Japan, Canada, England, and Mexico!
Of the vast network of underground cities in this region, thought to have first been carved out by the Hitties, Derinkuyu is the largest. Derinkuyu (meaning 'Deep Well') is 85 metres deep, has fresh-flowing water, ventilation shafts, and individually separated living quarters, shops, communal rooms, wells, tombs, arsenals, escape routes, and the potential to house up to 20,000 people. Wandering through the narrow and low-ceilinged corridors (I'm only 5'1 and I had to pretty much walk on my haunches through a few of the connecting tunnels) and exploring the network of rooms and (4 open) floors which they connected, gave me some idea of the immense scale upon which these cities were built. What an enormous feat that must have been in an age where electricity - and therefore motorised tools - had not yet been invented.
Midway along the valley, at Belisirma, a cluster of riverside cafes invite you to quench your thirst, allay your hunger and take in the beauty of your surroundings. You can also watch your Turkish flatbread (Pide Ekmegi) being cooked to order : a woman in modest, traditional dress, wearing a headscarf and sat astride a small wooden table very close to the floor, is rolling out the dough. Once it's thin enough she passes it across to the gentleman beside her who cooks it on a cymbal-shaped surface above a roaring open fire built into the ground. These flatbreads can be ordered with various different fillings/toppings, and are usually fairly cheap (and filling!)
After stopping for lunch at a riverside restaurant at one of the neighbouring villages, we were then driven to Selime Monastery. There is no doubt that this is one of the most unusual monasteries I've ever visited. I absolutely loved getting lost in this maze of rabbit warrens built into the rocks. There are so many parts to climb, to squeeze through, so many nooks and crannies and tiny little holes in the rock to peek through, so many dips and mounds...really brought out the inquisitive, adventurous child in me. It's also a great place to photograph, a truly astonishing rock-cut structure, and due to the positioning of this monastery, the surrounding views are also staggering.The only problem with organised tours is that they never give you enough time at sights and attractions. I hate clock watching when there is exploring to be done!
Our last stop for the day was Guvercinlik (Pigeon Valley) We arrived at around 5:30, (sunset was at around 7:30). It was that time of day when there's still plenty of light around but the sun is low enough in the sky to create those lovely long shadows, and highlight the beautiful colours in the rocks.
All things considered, I am glad we booked the tour, but today had been an expensive day and it was about to get even more so....
We decided that we could not leave Cappadocia without taking a hot air balloon ride over the valleys at dawn. So we visited Voyager Balloons, and left 760TL lighter (around £276!!!) As we had to meet at the Voyager Balloons office at 5am the next day, we decided an early night was in order...
Having climbed up to 'Sunset Point' at the highest point in Goreme (which isn't actually a very good place to watch the sun set, due to the fact that you're looking down on to the town which it sets behind), we called into the Red Red Wine House on our way home for a night cap glass or two. It was a wonderful little bar, a former stable apparently built by the owner's father, and still containing many of the old items of horse tack. With its arched ceilings, and dark, seductive interior, I think Lonely Planet's description of this place as "an ancient bootlegger's secret mixing den decorated by lovers" is actually rather accurate. As evocative as the bar was, it was completely empty when we visited. We sat in the corner drinking our glasses of red wine, and marvelling at the interesting decor, whilst the owner sat on a stool in front of us, smoking, watching television. I almost felt like a seedy voyeur hiding in his living room!Day 9 : The day we went up in a hot air balloon. Oh my!
Normally I would be pretty grumpy about the fact that I was awake at 4:30am, unless of course it was due to the fact that I hadn't been to bed because I was still partying, or - as was the case today - I was going for a ride in a hot air balloon at dawn over the beautiful valleys of Cappadocia. This was definitely worth waking up stupidly early for! I'd not been up in a hot air balloon before, and I was feeling rather pleased with myself about the fact that I was going to lose my hot air balloon virginity in what is supposed to be one of the most awe-inspiring places to view from the sky.
We arrived at the Voyager Balloons office and sat down to free breakfast of bread and olives and cheese. The longer we sat, the more people turned up, and my hopes of being in the basket with only a few other people (as it was low season I didn't think this was an intangible possibility) were quickly getting crushed....I counted 20...23..26...and was convinced we were going to end up crammed into a 28-person basket with not an inch of breathing space.
We watched in eager anticipation as the pilot turned on the fans and began inflating our balloon. It got bigger...and bigger...and bigger...and then all of a sudden they turned the fans off, and our balloon was shortly nothing more than a flat mass of colour on the ground. What had happened? There was much - what sounded like - panicked conversation between the pilot and his crew, and as we looked around, all the other balloons were floating gently up into the sky, which was growing lighter with every minute as the sun began to rise. Until now, I hadn't even contemplated the possible dangers involved in getting into a basket - powered by flames. But at this point I actually feared there may be something wrong with our balloon, and for a brief moment, I was a little scared. 
My fears were quickly allayed when we found out what the actual problem was... apparently the 'parachute' (the bit that stops the hot air coming out the top of the balloon) had not opened properly, meaning that flying would have been dangerous. So I was quite comforted by the fact that the pilot and his crew were placing utmost importance on the safety of their passengers. My fears were then swiftly replaced by the worry that we would not be airborne in time to see the sunrise. The other balloons around us were now rising higher and higher into the sky. There were masses of them, fabulous dots of colour littered across the sky. Apart from us, which was a not so fabulous semi-inflated lump of colour - on the ground.
I needn't have worried. Pretty shortly we were joining all those other balloons, as the basket lifted from the ground, and the grass that minutes ago was beneath my feet, was now escaping farther and farther from my sight. As soon as I caught a glimpse of that beautiful star of sunshine peeking out from behind the horizon, I knew this was it. This is what I'd been waiting for. It's a hugely exhilarating experience being up in a hot air balloon, and at the same time it's also incredibly serene. In between the roar of the flames , the basket glides smoothly through the sky in perfect silence. 
From the sky, Cappadocia's surreal lunar landscape appears even more so. The valleys seem so much more clearly defined from the sky. It gives a fantastic perspective on how the water has eroded away the soft rock to create these deep valleys and ravines. The enormous phallic shaped rocks of Love Valley rise powerfully from the ground, the white rock surrounding them appears to ripple, almost like it's sand being blown by the wind, narrow pathways weave their way through the middle of the valleys like rivers...I struggle to put the landscape's beauty into words that will actually do it justice. I also worry that the endless amounts of photographs I'm taking will not do it justice either, but I continue to snap away because I am in awe, and I don't want to forget a single minute of this experience.In between the photo-taking, we try to identify all the valleys by name as we fly over them. We see Uchisar Castle again, still just as unusual but now dwarfed by the immense ravine that runs towards it. We decide to visit Uchisar and its castle this afternoon.
Now I know our balloon was one of the last to take to the skies, but we stayed airborne long after the others had landed, to the point that I could count the remaining balloons using the fingers on my hand that wasn't still clutching my camera. Ready. Poised. I checked the time, and when we landed we'd been in the air for about an hour and a half. As we drifted closer to the ground, I could see a small table on the grass below us, and on it was a bottle of champagne, several glasses, and a small open chest - presumably containing our certificates.
We touched down with barely a jolt, and once all 8 of us were out, the pilot decided to show off a little...using just enough gas to lift the balloon about a metre from the ground, he directed it with such precision that he was able to land the basket on the trailer, which would be used to transport it back into Goreme. A round of applause ensued, the pilot cracked open the champagne and we all made a toast to what had truly been a sublime and unforgettable experience. We were given certificates to commemorate our flight, which I would have posed with at the landing point had there not been a minor issue with the spelling of my name - unfortunately one of the problems you come to expect when you have an unusual name. Voyager Balloons were quick to correct it back at the office though, so we skipped back to the hotel, still feeling high from our incredible flight, and took the photo below (believe it or not, this is my excited face!).
Useful Info- We took our flight with Voyager Balloons who have an office on Muze Caddesi, the main road that runs out of town towards Goreme Open Air Museum.
- We shared our basket with 6 other people, the pilot and the co-pilot, so it was a nice intimate experience with plenty of room to move.
- Our flight lasted an hour and a half. I noticed many of the other balloon companies state that their flights are only for one hour.
- Budget for 160 euros per person (which includes breakfast, champagne, and a certificate commemorating your flight), but we paid a little bit less. Voyager Balloons are recommended by Lonely Planet for their "multilingual pilots and professional service." I would definitely second that notion.
Following a second breakfast at the hotel (it was free after all, so much had happened since the first, and I needed some coffee - some strong Turkish coffee), we hopped on one of the local buses to Avanos, a small town about 8 kilometres from Goreme. Avanos sits on the banks of the Kizilirmak (Red River), the longest river in Turkey. It is by this river that the red pottery clay is found, from which Avanos derives its main livelihood and its foremost claim to fame. Pottery has been produced in the Avanos area for centuries, and the town is a mass of family-run potteries. The articles produced here are colourful and ornate, but if browsing the potteries themselves is not satisfying enough, you can always watch one of the beautiful pieces being thrown, or even have a go yourself.
Just over an hour and a short bus ride later, we found ourselves climbing the streets of Uchisar towards its castle. As the castle came into view and we looked down upon the vast countryside that surrounds it, I was so glad we'd made the journey here. Uchisar is a pretty little town and its castle is a tall volcanic-rock outcrop riddled with tunnels and windows. There's a small entrance price to get into the castle, but it's worth it as much for the wonderful panorama as for the structure itself. You can purchase freshly squeezed orange or pomegranate juice at the top, sit down at a little makeshift table on a couple of tiny stools, and wonder at the views, that fresh breeze you get from being so high up, cooling your face and lifting your spirits. 
We decided to take a marginally braver walk down to the main road back towards Goreme, weaving our way through rock formations on narrow gravel tracks that clung to the hillside.
We started the 6 kilometre walk down towards Goreme, in the sweltering heat of the early afternoon sun. We spotted a camel - as you do - and before long we came to the entrance to Baglidere (White Valley) Now there's not a great deal to see in White Valley, and it's an incredibly long walk to get to Love Valley when you're running low on water supplies! However much of the track is shaded, and it's possible to walk along the river bed in parts, so it makes for a lovely peaceful amble through the trees - close to nature and far from other tourists.
Having seen the striking phallic rock formations of Love Valley from the sky earlier on this morning, I was curious to see them from the ground. Also recognised as outsized mushrooms, and known locally to the villagers as Kalelar (Castles), these giant phalluses adorn Cappadocia's postcards. They were formed when erosion wiped out the lava covering the tuff (consolidated volcanic ash), leaving behind isolated pinnacles. They can reach a height of up to 40 metres..the one I'm standing underneath is probably not quite that tall, but it gives you some sense of just how imposing these natural creations can be.
When we popped out on to the plain at the heart of Love Valley, we were greeted by a little makeshift cafe...a campervan that opened out into a covered wooden structure which contained several sofas that looked like they'd been plucked straight from Grandmother's living room! Surreal as it was to see in a landscape that was so alien to me, and so devoid of people, I was so grateful for that little cafe, and their rich pomegranate nectar. Sometimes you don't realise just how thirsty you are until you drink...and drink...and drink. They may not see many people there but at 5TL per drink, the number of those bought by a single person in a single visit probably makes up for that tenfold.
This evening, having been turned away from the restaurant we had our heart set on eating at (we were there in low season (April) so if you plan on securing a table at Top Deck, BOOK!!!), we returned to Fat Boys. We'd searched out the establishment earlier on in the week, and although it's not especially authentic or ambient, the food is not outstanding (although I can thoroughly recommend their hummus!) and almost everyone who dines or drinks there is a tourist, I love this place. You get greeted on arrival and the staff will go out of their way to seat you where you want to be seated - even if this means asking the current occupants if they wouldn't mind moving up a little. The beautiful thing is they don't. Everyone at Fat Boys (whether they be staff or clientele) seem laid back, approachable, friendly and down-to-earth. It's impossible to be a loner in this place. The first night we were here we got chatting to a couple of Australians and a couple of Kiwis who were travelling together, and tonight we joined Josie and David, a couple in their twenties from Melbourne who'd just got married and were on their 10-month honeymoon. 10-month honeymoon? Now THAT is definitely the way to do it!
Incidentally, if you've just arrived in the area and are wondering how to best use your time here, or you need information about local transport, or a recommendation, or you're scratching your head about the logistics of it all, speak to Mark (the Australian guy who works there) - he's a fountain of knowledge about Cappadocia, and if he has the time, he will sit down, get a map out, and share his expertise with you.
Boulders like the one to the left here, appeared to be balanced so precariously that it was equally mystifying to wonder not only how they got there but how they stayed there!
We started the 6 kilometre walk down towards Goreme, in the sweltering heat of the early afternoon sun. We spotted a camel - as you do - and before long we came to the entrance to Baglidere (White Valley) Now there's not a great deal to see in White Valley, and it's an incredibly long walk to get to Love Valley when you're running low on water supplies! However much of the track is shaded, and it's possible to walk along the river bed in parts, so it makes for a lovely peaceful amble through the trees - close to nature and far from other tourists. 
Having seen the striking phallic rock formations of Love Valley from the sky earlier on this morning, I was curious to see them from the ground. Also recognised as outsized mushrooms, and known locally to the villagers as Kalelar (Castles), these giant phalluses adorn Cappadocia's postcards. They were formed when erosion wiped out the lava covering the tuff (consolidated volcanic ash), leaving behind isolated pinnacles. They can reach a height of up to 40 metres..the one I'm standing underneath is probably not quite that tall, but it gives you some sense of just how imposing these natural creations can be.
When we popped out on to the plain at the heart of Love Valley, we were greeted by a little makeshift cafe...a campervan that opened out into a covered wooden structure which contained several sofas that looked like they'd been plucked straight from Grandmother's living room! Surreal as it was to see in a landscape that was so alien to me, and so devoid of people, I was so grateful for that little cafe, and their rich pomegranate nectar. Sometimes you don't realise just how thirsty you are until you drink...and drink...and drink. They may not see many people there but at 5TL per drink, the number of those bought by a single person in a single visit probably makes up for that tenfold.
This evening, having been turned away from the restaurant we had our heart set on eating at (we were there in low season (April) so if you plan on securing a table at Top Deck, BOOK!!!), we returned to Fat Boys. We'd searched out the establishment earlier on in the week, and although it's not especially authentic or ambient, the food is not outstanding (although I can thoroughly recommend their hummus!) and almost everyone who dines or drinks there is a tourist, I love this place. You get greeted on arrival and the staff will go out of their way to seat you where you want to be seated - even if this means asking the current occupants if they wouldn't mind moving up a little. The beautiful thing is they don't. Everyone at Fat Boys (whether they be staff or clientele) seem laid back, approachable, friendly and down-to-earth. It's impossible to be a loner in this place. The first night we were here we got chatting to a couple of Australians and a couple of Kiwis who were travelling together, and tonight we joined Josie and David, a couple in their twenties from Melbourne who'd just got married and were on their 10-month honeymoon. 10-month honeymoon? Now THAT is definitely the way to do it! 
Incidentally, if you've just arrived in the area and are wondering how to best use your time here, or you need information about local transport, or a recommendation, or you're scratching your head about the logistics of it all, speak to Mark (the Australian guy who works there) - he's a fountain of knowledge about Cappadocia, and if he has the time, he will sit down, get a map out, and share his expertise with you.
As we flew out of Kayseri airport the next day, I reflected fondly upon the country that had both surprised and intrigued me, a country steeped in history, a country of enormous contrasts and awe-inspiring landscapes, a country so alluring yet so difficult to define...
