Journey To Cappadocia
It was an easy bus ride from Konya to the main city in Cappadocia, Nevşehir. The landscape was rolling hills and occasional snowcapped mountains in the distance, with few cities except for Aksaray. We did stop for about 15 minutes there before heading on to Nevşehir. Because I got there earlier than expected, I waited in the bus terminal for Tuncay to arrive. I hadn't had lunch so I snacked on some börek and tea, finishing it off with a cocoa pastry. Tuncay arrived with his friend Atilla and we drove to the village of Göreme in the heart of the fairyland of Cappadocia. On the way we stopped at Uçhisar for a spectacular panorama of the valley below, including Göreme and all the unusual rock formations known as fairy chimneys. It was something like the Grand Canyon meets Disneyland.
Tuncay teaches at a high school in Nevşehir but is originally from Aksaray. We talked for awhile as we drove down to Göreme and then to the pension where I would be staying. Tuncay and his wife recently had a baby, so their house was full of relatives and he couldn't host me there. Instead he suggested I stay at a friend's pension in Göreme, which is more convenient to the sights anyway. For 15 YTL, I chose a dorm bed in a 6-bed room that is actually a hollowed out cave in the bottom of one of the fairy chimneys. It was nicely decorated and cozy, if not a bit claustrophobic but it would do for three nights.
After settling on a plan for the next day, Tuncay and Atilla went back to Nevşehir and I ventured out and about the village. Göreme is very small and very touristy. I covered most of the town's streets in about 15 minutes. But it is a charming little town, especially with all the fairy chimneys lit up at night. I had a mediocre dinner at a cafe, listening to the young hosts swear in English as I ate a thawed Adana kebap. There wasn't much to do at night, but I took advantage of the free Internet and then went to a bar a few paces from the front door of the pension. The Flintstone Cave Bar was a cool place, with good music and cool bartenders. I met a loudmouthed, talkative guy from Chicago but it was an amusing time and we talked about traveling and Americana. I stayed a little longer than I planned, really intending to go there just to have a glass of white wine in order to sleep. But even though it wasn't busy I did enjoy the place. Then I went back to my cave and fell sound asleep.
