Cappadocia South

More spectacular landscape this time in the southern half of Cappadocia.

Hard to believe but there are 23 floors carved into this old rock castle!

When hiking through the valley it seems everywhere you look there are cave houses. People must have been everywhere like a regular city.

One of many naturally carved tunnels in the valley floor.

The engineering feat of this underground city where thousands of people lived is a must see. They went about there daily living of cooking, washing and working as if above ground.  They even housed there livestock all under ground. 

It is a network of tunnels and family houses and the city itself is multi levelled. The big round rock was rolled into place to seal off an entrance from enemies. The people and animals would then retreat to another part of the city or escape tunnel.

One of many connecting tunnels

The tunnels were not made for our larger frames and height

Had a chance to vist a family living in an actual cave house. The family is third generation living there. as it continues to get passed on down.

All the amenities and comforts of the common day. 

Cappadocia North

The area of Cappadocia itself is huge and to see it all in one day is impossible. The landscape is vast and dream like in its appearance. 

For the next two blogs I have broken it down into the North and South to gain a better understanding of what you would see. 

Just one of the many Bronze age homes you will see carved into the stones by the Troglodytes. And yes, those are the hand a foot holes carved into the stone leading up to the entrance.

In another area you will find Monks valley famous for the "fairy chimneys"

Again signs of ancient homes carved out of the rock.

Even today many of these homes are still lived in by families. Others have been incorporated into hotels or B&B's. 

Dying of the wool

Of course if you are in turkey you must learn about the procedures in making Turkish carpets. 

Sipping on Turkish coffee and learning about what makes a Turkish carpet so special. 

Hierapolis and Pamukkale

Before continuing on with the sites of Turkey a little bit of good news. It seems Fred is right on schedule as indicated by the below tracking chart. As per plan he has made it to Port Said in Egypt and has been off loaded. On the 27th he will be loaded onto another cargo ship for the final destination of Port Haydarpasa in Istanbul.

click on image to enlarge

When visiting the town of Pamukkale you get a two for one in sites to see. The first site is the ancient city of Hierapolis.  

Hierapolis was founded as a healing spa in 2nd century BC.

An earthquake in the 7th century eventually lead to the abandonment of the city.

The Theatre

A few overlooking the valley in the province of Denizli.

The second site you get to see are the amazing terraces and travertines formed from the hot springs rich in calcium carbonate.

The name Pummakale in Turkish translates to Cotton Castle.

In ancient times they would wash the cotton picked from the fields in the spring water. This would leave the cotton extra soft when processed.

There are 17 hot springs ranging from 35-100 degrees celsius.

Ephesus (Selcuk Turkey)

It is official I am now a backpacker while I await Fred's arrival from Mumbai. Instead of just hanging in Istanbul I decided to take a one week best of Turkey tour. So, what better way to experience the backpacker life than to take a 12 hour overnight bus. I now understand why the people debarking those buses look like the walking dead.

But all is forgiven after I arrived at my first destination in the city of Selcuk.

A few kilometres outside the city you will find the famous ruins of Ephesus.

Ephesus was an ancient Greek city on the coast of Ionia. It was built in 10th century BC and eventually came under the rule of the Roman Republic.

The goddess Nike 

Yup, thats who your shoes are named after.

The library of Celsus

The auditorium for entertainment and government speaking.

The city was famed for Temple of Artemis which is one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Sadly this is all that is left of the building.

The greatest thing about taking tours is you are always guaranteed to be souffléd through some tourist trap. 

You never just want the plain old fake watch it has to be genuinely fake. 

Turkey (Country #31) Istanbul

They must have filmed the movie the Hobbit in Turkey. Because I am quite sure I found where they live. 

Entrance door

I booked this apartment online for two nights but did not see the fine print stating that the ceilings were only 1.65 meters high!

I am so happy I have a sense of humour and enjoy the randomness of my travels.  

Once I saw the place I could not resist staying just for the pure quirkiness of it. And I only hit my head a dozen times. 

Not too much too damage in there so not an issue.

The Bosphorus

Turkey and the city of Istanbul itself is actually split into two parts separated by the Bosphorus. The west side is considered the European side while the east is part of Asia.

Looking over to the Asia side

The Blue Mosque

The old part of Istanbul which is on the European side is called Sultanahmet. The central park area is called the Hippodrome and includes such attractions as the Blue Mosque

AyaSofya

and the (church of Holy Wisdom) Aya Sofya. 

Also nearby is the Topkapi Palace and its beautiful park like grounds. After being in India for 3 months a stroll through the park with it's beautiful colours and cleanliness was a breath of fresh air.

Spring is Tulip time and they are in abundance in Turkey

The sign in the above picture explains all.

A night out with friends in Istanbul

Raki the drink of Turkey

Takism area and it main shopping street

A lazy Sunday fishing off the bridge

If you are looking to enjoy a fish sandwich the place to get them is at the docks off these boats. They cook them directly on the boat and then pass them on land where you can sit and enjoy.

Istanbul Spice Market

Shopping bazar for all your needs. 

You just need to be able to handle the crowds