Lost In Cappadocia

Hoopoes, invisible in the bleached grass, lifted into the air and glided away as I startled each of them as I walked through the sun filled Ihlara Valley. Here in this most perfect of gorges I stopped and took a moment to breathe and relax.

For weeks Austin and I have been barrelling across the continent heading ever south and east. With the exception of a pause to dry out in Slovenia, we have kept on pushing through the miles. Istanbul and Bursa had been a tough section, tougher than I could have imagined, but as we passed mum and dad’s finish line there was a greater freedom to step away from the restraints of their original mission.

The view from Kirk Damalti Kilisesi (St. Georges Church)

Pulling into the dusty car park of the Piri Pension, in the even dustier village of Selime, I had no idea of the beauty and serenity that was hidden only metres away. 24 hours later I sat high in the cliff face in the Kirk Damalti Kilisesi (St George's Church), an ancient Byzantine church carved directly into the rock, happy, excited and yet strangely peaceful. Above me, eagles soared high in hot thermals and rock lizards dashed about arguing over territory at the mouth of the cave. Below, the stream wandered slowly and absent-mindedly through the twisted willows and larches. A more beautiful and peaceful place I have never seen before. Before I set out, during the whirlwind of chaos that I called planning, a mate had insisted that I take the time to 'smell the roses' during the trip. I had made an effort to pause and appreciate what I was lucky enough to be doing but in the Ilhara valley, with its wonderful wildlife and fascinating history I had the best day of the trip so far. By the time I went to bed my face hurt from smiling.

Sumbullu Kilise, Rock churches in  Ilhara Valley

A few days later Austin and I rolled eventfully into Goreme, the centre of all fun and activities in Cappadocia. If you have ever taken a moment to look at a brochure or site dedicated to Turkey then you will have seen Goreme and its fairy chimneys- fluted rock formations that for centuries have been the homes of peasants and priests alike. And, as Austin drove around the corner and began to wind down through the twists and turns, and above all steep, roads of Goreme, he chose this excellent moment for his brakes to die. So with a racing heart rate, my fist clutching the handbrake and in second gear we made our slow and terrifying way to the valley floor then up the other side to Kaya camping.

The View of Cappadoica from Kaya Camping

For ten days, while I sat out the tail end of Ramazan (Turkish Muslim holiday) and Beyram(another Turkish holiday), I would be awoken, just after dawn, by the dragon yawns of burners filling hot air balloons and by the time I had crawled out of my sleeping bag and rustled up a cup of tea the balloons began to rise out of the valleys and fill the skies. Then for an hour or so I would watch the slow parade of balloons pass along the valleys like a shoal of ambling jellyfish and by the time the last one disappeared it was time for breakfast.

While the mornings were filled with balloon gazing, the evenings were spent eating with Roger and Susan and Michael and Angela. Angela and Susan whipped up a storm every night and I hadn't eaten like that since I had left home, in fact, I think I started to put weight back on again. But as wonderful and much needed as this was sooner or later I was going to have to face the brakes problem.

The first mechanic told me to take out the offending part and drive to him with it, where he would judge whether he had the correct part and then we would take it from there! Yeah, okay, time for another mechanic. So with a kick up the bum from Roger and Susan we jumped in Austin and handbrake in hand, headed to the next village to find someone else to help. Thirty minutes later Austin had a stopping distance somewhere less than fatal and we were off back to the campsite and yet another fantastic Angela/Susan dinner.

As Susan told her family on Skype-today I have had two rides in an Austin Cambridge; once without brakes and once with.

So much to tell and so little space, off to Cyprus…
There a new Cappadocia gallery over at the Facebook page.


Have a good week folks
And again soz if there are any typos.
Cheers Matt