THE SPECIAL LAYERS OF TURKEY’S CAPPADOCIA - PART 2
I ended Part 1 of our Cappadocia trip with the hot air balloons in the mythical landscapes. Due to the abundance of photos and information, I decided to split the blog.
So, since we ended with the hot air balloons, let’s start with them again.
The chaos of the balloons.
Before you ever consider visiting Cappadocia, ask yourself the following questions/s. Am I a morning person? If not, will I become a morning person for our Cappadocia trip?
Our trip was in the middle of July, thus their summer. The sunrise was about 5:30 am, but the city started buzzing at 4 am. Although it was summer and the days were hot, the mornings were still cool. Depending on what our balloon-watching plan was for the day. We set our alarm for between 4 and 5 am. While waking up, we could hear cars bustling around and the low humming sound of the compressors inflating the balloons in the distance.
The other thing to note about Cappadocia is that today, its primary income is from tourists. This was a bit cumbersome for us, who usually avoid crowds. Having said that, the tourists are a special and vital part of Cappadocia. With tourists, the demand for hot air balloons is higher. Thus every balloon added, adds another sparkle to the sky and a bit more magic to the landscape.
The landscape is vast, but we prefer being early to the location. Being early gave us the first pick of our vantage point before the masses would dawn on us.
The wait for the balloons would differ (I suppose depending on the weather) for the first one to pop up after quite a few teasing flame-throwing bursts of light in the distance. The landscape reminds me of a champagne-filled glass after the first balloon takes off. They pop up from all over and keep rising like the bubbles in champagne. With the slightest movement of wind, they all would head in the same direction. This makes their route a bit unpredictable.
Landing of the balloons
The first few mornings, we were oblivious to the chaos combined with the landing of the balloons. We were either on the viewing deck of our hotel or at the edge of Love Valley. We realised how chaotic it can get when I wanted another landscape as the backdrop for my photos. None of the balloons has a designated landing spot since their direction depends on the wind. Thus, somebody inside the balloon would radio the pickup truck with the trailer where to meet them. These pickup trucks would then stampede to the landing location for arrival ahead of the balloon to land directly on the trailer. The crew deflates and packs up the balloon while the accompanying minibus transports the passengers from the landing spot.
The process seems fairly straightforward. Remember, the wind drifts all of them in more or less the same direction. Thus, the abundance of balloons makes for a dusty frenzy of balloons, cars and people dashing about.
No, we did not go on a balloon.
Did you go on the balloons? That is probably everybody’s first question. The answer is no; at this point, their faces drop in disbelief. Even after returning home, we don’t regret our decision. There were a few reasons for it:
Choosing whom to hire can be tricky, considering factors such as licenses and insurance that need to be considered.
I’m sure cheaper options are available, but we weren’t willing to take that chance (refer to my first point). That meant the prices were a bit steep for a one-hour ride on an unplanned and unbudgeted trip. The prices were in the vicinity of around US$250p.p
After observing some of the baskets, it seemed that they were trying to cram in as many people as possible, making me feel that we weren’t guaranteed a nice spot once inside the basket.
The spectacular of seeing all the balloons instead of being in one of them seemed more appealing.
And that’s a wrap for the hot air balloons of Cappadocia.
Daytrip/Tour
We opted for a private day tour of the surroundings. Although we love doing our own thing, a tour for one day is usually very informative. A building gets meaning, a statue gets character, and a landscape receives understanding. On top of that, there is often some inside info from a local to the area. Either Goreme and its surroundings didn’t keep any secrets, or he did not feel like sharing.
However, he gave us so much information and history into what he showed us. So much so that some facts either went over my head or were too fast or too extensive to remember. But I tried to memorize as much as possible as Turkey has a longer history than South Africa is old.
Our stops included:
Göreme Panorama
Uçhisar
Göreme Open Air Museum
Paşabağ Vadisi
Özkanak Underground City
Aladdin Ceramics in Avanos
The panorama, open-air museum and Uçhisar all have the Cappadocia landscape.
Uçhisar
Uçhisar is in the town Nevşehir and comes from the Turkish words “uç” and “sar”, which means “top” and “castle”. We were there after lunch and during the heat of the day. We couldn’t bring ourselves to climb to the top, but Uchisar was visible throughout most of our stay in Göreme.
Göreme Open-air Museum
The Göreme open-air Museum is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It features Churches, Chapels and Monasteries, which provide insight into Christianity and its challenges and the reason for choosing that particular location (a river flowing through). Christianity was at its peak during the Byzantine Empire (4th-15th century). The history is understandably so much more impressive than the interior of these spaces. We weren’t allowed to photograph the remaining wall art, and most other spaces were just old caves.
Paşabağ Vadisi
Paşabağ, also known as Monks Valley, is known for the famous fairy chimney rock formations. Similarly to the open-air museum, these formations were carved and used as dwellings for the monks in the Byzantine period. Although the landscape was stunning, we felt we could have seen these formations at many other locations with fewer tourists and no entrance fee.
Özkanak Underground City
Spoiler alert but more caves. This time, people used them as shelters underground rather than for day-to-day living. We chose to visit the quieter and smaller Özkonak underground city, recently discovered among the available options. They used the extremely narrow alleys to protect themselves during invasions. During these times, they would even bring their livestock, which usually had the first chamber. I found the round doors they carved to close off sections from the inside the most impressive part.
Avanos – Aladdin Ceramics
Aladdin Ceramics in Avanos was my highlight of the day tour and T’s wallet’s lowest point. These Turks know how to charm a tourist. We started with a tour and learning more from the Cramics, the design process and their legacy. They then give you a demo on making a piece of pottery on a foot-driven pottery wheel. One of us was then granted the opportunity to try our hand at it. T was nice enough to give me the chance.
After all this and a glass of wine, they took us to a photography-prohibited room, which was candy for your eyes. All of their work is displayed to tempt you into buying. The second room is even worse as that’s their superior quality products. After so much negotiation (and we hate negotiating, but they don’t), my head spun. Come to think of it, it might have been the wine…
They kinda won, and T bought us the most beautiful bowl with my favourite flowers (who knew tulips originate in Turkey?) and their family pattern showcasing the six generations with the six rings of that pattern. Although I didn’t take a picture of her, we saw Fatima, the artist behind our bowl’s design, at work during our visit.
Cappadocia Wineries
With my newfound love for a glass of wine, we struggled to pass a winery. We found two in the region and had a tasting at both of them. Although the wine isn’t quite what we’re used to in South Africa (especially for the price), it pleasantly surprised us. The tasting experience was a giggle since communication was a challenge. Although I probably would have bought a bottle just for the artwork at Kocabağ, we purchased a few to enjoy at home.
AJWA Hotel
AJWA Hotel was an unexpected gem. We prefer staying in the same place for a maximum of four nights. When we booked, we decided on accommodation a bit outside of the regular Cappadocia frenzy.
The owner is of Azerbaijan origin. The hotel is named after a type of date called the ajwa date, which comes from Medina in Saudi Arabia. In the Islamic tradition, they highly regard the Ajwa date. I’m not a big fan of dates, but this AJWA had many benefits during our stay.
Everything at first glance was extraordinary, from reception and their refreshing homemade sherbet drink to the unique furniture, friendly staff and peaceful indoor courtyards.
Here are few examples of the details we experienced:
the parting gift of dried lavender and a small pottery bowl
the exceptional smell everywhere
bird chipper played over the speakers
and even a heated mirror that won’t fog up in our bathroom.
AJWA’s Amenities
All of that would typically sell us to a hotel (even if we’re not huge hotel people). But that was the least impressive part of the stay and premises. During check-in, the receptionist mentioned they would like to take us on a tour, which we opted for later that afternoon.
We jumped onto a vintage-looking buggy in the exploration of all their amenities. We were accompanied by an enthusiastic staff member who provided us with so much info about the resort. Apart from the usual restaurant, kids’ corner and conference facilities, they had a unique gift shop, coffee museum, pottery cave, and even a room with only a fish tank.
AJWA’s Gardens
All of that still wasn’t the best part. The best thing about AJWA had to have been their gardens. As mentioned in our previous Netherlands and Scotland posts, our mothers love their gardens. This was one of those moments we wished we could teleport them to us.
The green area of the hotel is over 33,000m2, and they kept the mindset of an edible garden with a variety of nearly 150 plants. Guests are also encouraged to enjoy the seasonal fruit available in the gardens.
Even their restaurant Zeferan uses as much of their homegrown products as possible; I’m convinced we could taste that freshness in the food.
The Food
The food, in general, was delicious. Zeferan’s (at AJWA hotel) food had that extra layer that elevated the food even more. We still believe it was the use of fresh produce. They also introduced us to something we’ve never had before. It’s a kind of dip made with sun-dried tomato paste, cream cheese, olive oil and Za’atar. The dip was served with a thin, crispy something, with a tasting texture like a thin, uncooked pasta with herbs in it.
Zeferan also served all-day breakfast, and what a spread that was. The waiter didn’t want to serve us too much water before breakfast to prevent us from having a full tummy and being unable to eat all our food.
I’m singling out Zeferan’s food now, mainly because it left a memorable impression on us, but the food throughout the trip was noteworthy. They love their breads and mixed grills. We even went for burgers one evening (we didn’t photograph them), but it was probably one of the best burgers we’ve ever had.
Conclusion
This trip ended up being a way longer post than anticipated. I always underestimate how much we’ve got to share about a trip.
Cappadocia was AMAZING. Most people only spend one or two nights here to see the fairy chimneys and hot-air balloons. We encourage an extended stay. For us, it was worth talking to more locals, viewing the balloons from another location and diving a bit deeper into their history.
We often get put off by the touristy aspect of a place, but in this instance, the tourists added a bit of that magic.
This was one of the best impulse decisions we’ve made. The price tag wasn’t too heavy, and the experience was “bucket list sh*t”, as my sister said. Thank you, T, once again, for adding another great experience to our life story, each one making our journey a bit richer.
Our next adventure awaits in Indonesia.
Wandering off now….
T & Me
