Cappadoica did not make it on to our Turkish itinerary until two weeks before our departure when the guidebook arrived in the post. But pictures of the amazing landscapes and reviews from friends encouraged me to find the flights on Turkey's budget airline - Pegasus - and booked two days in Goreme. We arrived at Keysari airport hopped in the pre-booked shuttle for our one hour drive to town.
The town is very early frontier, having maintained the traditions of when the valley was first inhabited. We even booked ourselves into a lovely cave hotel overlooking the fairy chimneys for the night. Day one we visited Goreme Open Air museum for its collection of painted cave-churches.. and the excitement of crawling amongst the carved rock-faces.
On day two we woke up at 4.30am ready for our pick-up for our early morning balloon flight. But with ominous clouds, as we cuddled our cups of tea, at 6am the balloon pilots called it a no-flight day.
But, getting up early only means there's more to make of the day ahead. We joined the 'Green-tour' which is a similar journey offered by most travel agents in town. We were taken to the underground city of Kaymakli, descending 8 levels where the Christians hid during invasions of the town. Ducking and crawling in some areas, we saw stone doors that were used to block off passages in cases of attack, ventilation and wells used for survival and it was amazing to imagine people would live underground for up to months at a time.
Another highlight was the Selime Monastery. Climbing up the hills to the largest rock-cut monastery in the region, it was a little scary walking through the large cave cathedrals trying to bypass major craters but it was well worth it for breathtaking views over the area.
I've been unable to compare the landscapes and valleys of Cappadocia to anywhere else I've travelled thus far, and will definitely be using my missed balloon flight as an excuse to return back to the region to explore further.
Item 71: Cappadocia? CHECK!
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