Cappadocia

What an amazing place. Big highlight for this trip. Ironically I thought I might have been here 35 yrs ago. Back then I arrived at night  (like this time) ate an omelette ,got violently ill. Tried to leave back to Ankara next morning by any method. It transpires that it was here because I recognise the river and wall which I lay on and the shape of the road bend by it. The difference in 40 yrs is astounding Burger King , boutique hotels at least 5 Indians, a Korean and one Chinese restaurant. I was just thinking then I got the omelette because there was nothing to be open and those were the only ingredients in her cupboard. This time food obviously not an issue and desperate because I left my phone adapter in the last hotel I popped down to the bustling town to purchase from a selection of apple and Chinese imitations. Not surprising but a shame .35 yrs is and isn’t a long time.Turkey has improved itself in my opinion in many ways and without changing its core values . I don’t think we can say the same or even that we have improved our lot . Even their buildings in special areas are very much in keeping. Their response in the earth quake region, I’m sure has its failings but prompt and substantial.

My hotel is called balloon view , again no surprises this morning it was like balloon Apocalypse Now!

The buildings are absolutely amazing hard to believe people were in there when I was last here. Now most of the hotels claim cave rooms but they are a bit token gesture even if carved out of rock partly. 

Did the most arduous walk of trip since UK . Starting at cock valley,

up rivers over ledges, down gully’s like Cheddar gorge  and finishing at a castle atop another cave building!

Beautiful farm up the valley I trespassed. Met the farmer who lived in the rock and really looked after his animals including cats , dog, geese, donkey and calves.

I managed to get in to a couple of the anthill homes and was again stupefied by the whole thing.

 Bearing in mind it should be around -15° here at this time of year even with no windows kilims and fires would have made the place pretty snug.Having exhausted my self decided on a haman and Indian for supper.. The hamans are always a bit of a worry at least the one in Morocco was when there are old blokes lying on the floor in y fronts . I opted out of that one this one was brilliant. Great massage then steam room and sauna where the local police were using me to swear at their colleagues which was pretty Morty python 😄

Today I went to find the famous Dark Church from C 11 paintwork looks like it was done “yesterday “ . 

Lots of other church caves but none like this one.

 Then on to the underground city.

 It transpires there are two in the vicinity so I went for the bigger deeper one.

That completely exceeded expectations, what a feat of engineering. Not sure how many lived down there or how squalid it would have been but on the basis of the engineering I assume they would have been pretty together. I was flopping along bent double with shoulders touching the walls!

 Claustrophobes and chubsters would have a problem, as would I if the lights had gone off. Brilliant. Todays lunch was a bad choice of very insipid knee soup , god knows that’s what he said it was , and when I mentioned it wasn’t really my cup of tea he put some spice which was actually garlic . Transformed it though I did leave the fatty meat what ever it was!

Waiting at bus station overnighter back to the boat. Hopefully all good there 

Post broth, hand made pancake was supposed to be cheese and potato but I fancied sugar and lemon so , after much ironing of batter ,crushing the sugar cubes and finding a lemon the masterpiece was made better than any crepe.