Traveling Turkey: Travel Days & Cappadocia

This week consisted of both the most and least glamorous parts of the trip so far. I found myself floating over Cappadocia's fairy tale landscape in a hot air balloon on a crisp morning--hands down one of the most memorable experiences of my life and worth every penny of the €220 it cost. There was even a celebratory champagne toast on landing. I would wholeheartedly recommend doing a flight to anyone visiting!

And every morning there, we'd wake up to a table full of fresh fruit, eggs, yogurt, various cheeses, olives, and spreads, because breakfast was just included in the room price. A dream! Evenings were spent on the terraces of various restaurants eating delectable dishes and drinking a beer while mulling over the day's happenings. But it definitely wasn't all this charmed.

There were plenty of options at Anatalya's bus station

We spent the other half of the week in long-distances buses getting from point A to point B, guesstimating just how far off from the stated time we'd actually arrive (adding 30% seems to get you close), and trying not to take our hanger out on each other. 

While en route, there was a lot of anxiously waiting for the next bathroom stop (nope, no bathrooms on board the buses), eating odd combinations of nonperishable and inoffensive smelling food as not to enrage fellow travelers (peanut butter is now my best friend), and trying to avoid getting car sick by keeping my eyes on the horizon. 

I managed to get plain old normal sick once I arrived in Cappadocia too. Probably from all the physical exertion and sleeping poorly, thanks to roosters, which seem to be literally everywhere in rural Turkey, and the melodic calls to come pray that play from the minarets of every mosque at all hours of day and night. Nothing dramatic, just a classic cold, but it had me holed up in bed for an entire day instead of hiking "Love Valley" (the rocks are apparently very...errmm penile in shape). 

There was also the night we spent at a “hotel” in Antalya that was so sketchy I was still strongly considering paying for a taxi and another accommodation at 10pm. If you know how frugal I am, this should speak volumes. We stayed and all was fine, but not the kinda place you want to spend any more time than absolutely necessary. We probably should have known that paying €9 per person was too good of a deal to be true for that city. Lessons were learned. 

Itinerary

Many, many hours were spent on long-distances buses this week.

After hiking back to Kabak in the morning, we took a nearly two-hour bus ride back Fethiye to collect the belongings that we’d left at our hotel before setting off on our hike. There, we had a quick lunch and stocked up on snacks before catching what should have been a roughly five-hour bus ride to Antalya (it was closer to eight). We spent the night there, but saw nothing of the city, because we took another very long bus ride to Cappadocia the following morning, where we spent four nights. Later that week, a series of buses took us to Ankara, where we spent the night before flying off to Amman, Jordan. 

Cappadocia's Captivating Landscape

Before arriving in Turkey's hot air ballooning capital, I was a little worried that its rise to fame on Instagram might have turned it into a grade-A tourist trap. I'm happy to report that while its definitely touristic, the town is still small and charming, and the surrounding area, with its unusual fairy chimneys, is both stunning and surreal.

Rose Valley's fascinating formations take on a pink tint in the setting sun, unfortunately we were there at midday.

We spent the first day exploring the area from the ground with a hike of Rose Valley. It took us on a winding trail through rippling and domed rock formations that were created over millions of years by the erosion of layers of ash from the region's three volcanoes (Mount Argeus, Hasan, and Güllü). 

Adding to the mystic landscape are the churches and multistory houses carved into the soft rock by early Christians in the Paleolithic era. I was totally impressed by their ingenuity. You'll even notice small holes high up in the rocks that they created to attract pigeons, so they could collect and use the droppings as fertilizer.

On day two, we were lucky enough to go up in an air balloon and appreciate everything from above. We got up at close to 5am for a sunrise flight. I think it's probably one of the few times where having more tourists enhances the overall experience. Watching dozens of other balloons inflate and gently lift off made for a magical morning. 

Once in the air, we floated where the wind took us, gliding by the gorgeous rock formations, past a number of tourists having photoshoots, and up to an elevation of nearly 800 meters. 

Landing was an experience of its own! There are no breaks on these things, so the pilot just did his best to bring the balloon down on a soft spot when the wind was calm. The basket drags across the ground until friction brings it to a stop. As a passenger, you just squat down, brace yourself by pushing your back again the basket wall, and hope for the best. It was definitely a little bumpy, but exhilarating! 

We toasted with champagne to celebrate a safe landing, as is tradition apparently. We learned that one of the first air balloon flights with human passengers took place in Paris in 1783, and legend has it that they landed in a vineyard and then a bit of wine was involved. There are different versions of said story, but I am perfectly happy to accept one that involves a sip of bubbly.

Our last full day in Cappadocia was supposed to be dedicated to another hike, but it wasn't in the cards. Another day hiking and a suppper early start pushed me from rundown to sick, so I stayed put in bed. It was all as well though, as the weather had taken a turn for the worst. No balloon flights took place for the next few days, due to a drastic change in weather that brought much cooler temperatures, wind, and some rain. We just relaxed in the hotel and felt extra lucky that we had such a wonderful experience in the sky the day before.

Ok, I lied. I almost stayed put the entire day. About midday, I wander out for food and couldn't resist stepping into one of the many stores selling handwoven rugs. I managed not to buy a rug, because funds just are not there at the moment, but I did leave with a pillowcase made from a repurposed antique rug that was damaged in parts. I'm thrilled it will have a new life with me, and that I can take a tiny bit of Turkey back with me to remember what a wonderful time I had! 

Weekly Cost Breakdown

Another week of expenses. While the hot air balloon ride was pricey, it's something I've been planning to splurge on for the last two years, and I think it's probably some of the best money I've ever spent! 

Cappadocia is a tourist town, so prices for accommodation and food were higher than in rural areas (even 2x). That said, we did find some solid budget eats. For €5-€8, I got a delicious meal with some free appetizers at Büyük Adana Kebap.