After catching up with RMB in the morning - yay for international 4G, courtesy of Vodafone prepaid - we head out.
Aligda factory (streets, local edition) was an incredible structure to drive past
Lover’s mound, neolithic recreation settlement
rather cool inside, owing to the use of breezes and foot-thick earth walls
Derinkuyu underground city
Started well, by smashing my head into the … door frame of the toilet outside.
got a round of applause after I emerged from the first major tunnel section, owing to my origami-style unfurling and a bus full of chinese tourists at the bottom
Only thing I missed was the burial area, owing to heavy tourist traffic and not much to see - it’s all one way and there’s no real way of working out who’s going where. Probably the closest I’ve ever been to being claustrophobic.
I never hit my head on anything, my hair brushed a few things and my shirt grazed rock seven times during the adventure. Nowhere near as tight as anyone had led me to believe, but I certainly would have some trouble living there long term :)
Arriving in Göreme would be like arriving on Mars for the first time, the landscape is truly other-worldly. The first view of the Fairy chimneys and rock caves from the bus (and a quick stop) was pretty incredible, and it only got better as we got closer.
The town’s adorable, the centre being filled with tourism-related stores while keeping its relatively small village charm. There’s plenty of adventure sports and quad bike tours, not to mention hot air ballooning!
Fat Boys was for lunch, a really laid-back place with great food and a hilariously Australian menu. You can get burgers, sausage rolls, vegemite on toast, spring rolls and all sorts of other things, but we stuck with the (really well prepared) local fare. Stuffed mushrooms (try them, they’re glorious) and Aubergine soup. :)
- Whirling Dervishes at Sarihan Caravanserai
presentation was mesmerising, the vocal and musical range of the performers was amazing
- dinner at Nuray’s
hotelier turned amazing local representative, she cooks competitively and also to support her family
they live in a beautiful 200 year old cave house in Goreme that’s being passed to her daughters with this generation - for the very first time.
chickpeas and aubergines and amazing chillies, incredible tomato based lentil soup.
dessert was a delicious semolina and orange cake dessert with mastic custard.
it was a true delight to be able to meet her and her family and spend some time learning more about some of the locals.
My attempts to speak Turkish went down well, not only was I complimented on my vocabulary, it seems my accent would fit right in, were I more proficient. :)