Goreme, Day 2

Goreme, Turkey

 

On Thursday, Rob and Amanda (Canadians from Toronto), Hyder (Pakistani/American), Mohamad (Malaysian/Kiwi) and I all got together to go hiking. After breakfast at the hostel, we took a local dolmus (mini bus) to a small town just up the road from Goreme called Uchisar. Uchisar is has this towering rock castle (or citadel, depending on who you ask) that you can explore for a reasonable fee. Along the road up to the castle, we passed a super friendly local vendor who allowed us try on some of the local clothes for some pictures. I've got a classic "Lawrence of Arabia" picture of myself that I'll post in another update.

 

The castle itself is somewhat uneventful, but you can climb up to the top and be treated to some amazing panoramic views of the Cappadocian region. In particular, Mt Erciyes is visible in the distance, which is a beautiful snow capped mountain and apparently the highest mountain in Central Turkey. From the castle, we walked down the backside of Uchisar and into Pigeon Valley, the same valley we had overlooked the previous day on the tour. 

 

The hike follows a gentle downhill trail all the way back to Goreme, about 3-4 kilometers. With so much erosion and rock carved dwellings the landscape is pretty surreal. As the sun was setting, we reached the end of the valley where there is a rather extensive "city" of rock houses, all of which you can explore though at times we wondered if people actually still lived in these places. You really do feel like you're in Bedrock from the Flintstones.

 

The general landscape around Goreme is quite spectacular and when the sun sets, the colors just jump out of the rocks. You're treated to lots of orange and rose hues across the valley which is pretty amazing. For a second day in a row, we were treated with clear blue skies and a perfect sunset over the valley.

 

After the hike, we all wandered back into town for some Turkish Pizza for a second night in a row. (Hey, it's a steal at 2$US/meal). After dinner, I bumped into another Canadian traveler named Scott, who was also staying at the hostel. I decided to join him for a second dinner and some tea before we both returned to the hostel to hang out with the others before going to bed.  

 

Kenny