We drove 6.5 hours through several terrains ending up in the center of Turkey in Cappadocia, “The land of horses” in the ancient language. The area is known for its odd and unique landscape and it’s famous fairy chimneys. It’s very touristy but can’t be missed. There is so much to do here from exploring the underground city, hiking through the scenic valleys, horseback riding, staying in luxury cave hotels, open air museums and of course hot air ballooning, it’s most popular activity.
As I mentioned in an earlier update, we changed our route and saved this stop for last not realizing that this weekend was Turkey’s national holiday, Republic Day. Unfortunately, the hotel we choose could only put us up for one night as it was booked the rest of the weekend, so we had to move after the first night. We spent the evening wandering around getting a feel for the town as is our MO, ate dinner, chatted awhile with some other travelers from Ireland and called it a night. The next morning our hotel host helped us arrange our first two activities, hot air ballooning and horseback riding through the fairy chimneys. We realized that with it being a holiday weekend everything was booked up so we ended up getting a more expensive place but were very happy with it. The host at the new place was very good to us, engaging us every time he saw us with tips and advice and even snacks for our day trips. He also sent us a fruit platter when we checked in. The hospitality in Turkey has been next level. We decided when we arrived to stay in the small town of Gerome in the middle of everything and have no regrets.
After dropping off our bags we jumped in the car and headed out to explore Pigeon valley and a castle. We saw the valley from above and decided we would be back another time to hike down into it. The castle only cost $2 to enter and although there wasn’t much to see on the inside it was a lot of fun climbing to the top and exploring all the little caves. The highlight was the views from the top. Once we returned to town we were scheduled to do our horseback riding with a tour group but we saw a few clouds and canceled. It never ended up raining but I think the real reason we canceled was we didn’t want to deal with a group tour. Instead,, we talked to our hotel host and he said he had a cousin with horses who would give us a private tour the next day. Sold!
The next morning we woke at 5:30 am to go hot air ballooning at sunrise over the fairy chimneys. This is a must do here and we absolutely loved it. From start to finish the entire operation was perfect. Floating over the moon like terrain of the fairy chimney and valleys was surreal. Words can’t describe the experience so make sure you check out the video coming soon on our channel. We have now done 2 of the 3 top hot air balloon flights in the world. Serengeti is next! When we returned to our hotel our host had a huge breakfast waiting for us, so we ate and got ready for his cousin to pick us up for horseback riding. As nice as a sunset ride sounded, it gets really cold here after the sun sets so we were glad we choose a daytime private ride. We went at our own pace and had a great time. We have seen the fairy chimneys now from the air and from horse back but decided we wanted more so when we returned to the hotel we booked another 2 nights in Cappadocia so we could spend one day hiking. By this time we needed a nap. After an afternoon snooze our host made us a reservation at the regions most popular restaurant so we could try a regional dish we have been waiting to taste, Testi kebab. Everywhere we have gone in Turkey we have been told we could get this dish but we should wait until we got here as this is where it originated and anywhere else was just a copy. It is a meat and veggie dish slow cooked in a clay pot. When it arrives at the table the waiter breaks the clay pot open with a hammer and pours the content onto the plate. It was delicious and worth waiting 3 weeks for. This town is one adventure after another….can’t wait to see what tomorrow brings us.
Every big trip we take we learn from the last and change our style alittle. From what we pack, to what we pack everything in to what pace we go and how we plan things we keep evolving like all travelers. On this trip we both feel like we have really got things right. Not making any reservations in advance had made this trip really special. When I planned everything, I left 5 extra days having learned that things come up. So far we needed one day to rest when we finally exhausted ourselves and since have used extra days in Antalya and Cappadocia just because we didn’t want to leave. I kept getting asked if we plan things or not so I wrote a blog about just that subject. Linked below:
THANKS FOR READING
