Goreme, Turkey

I awoke with a start from my heavy slumber as a tinny arrival announcement burst from a speaker above me. I turned my neck with some difficulty, stiff from sleeping upright during the bus ride that had lasted all the previous night. My head still swimming with sleep, I stared out the window at the sloping rose colored canyons rolling by. Still and smooth they stood as they had for millions of years, like a rumpled blanket thrown across the horizon, waiting to be smoothed by the hands of God. The sun had only just begun to creep it's way up into the eastern skyline, and it's dim light cast eerie shadows across the valley. I reached over, shaking Amanda awake just in time for the bus to turn a corner and descend into wonderland.

It was like something out of a sci-fi novel. Scattered across the landscape were a series of craggy rock formations, that rose into the sky like giant ant hills. Not merely mountains, high up in these peaks were a multitude of deeply carved windows and passageways, that had been chiseled into the soft rock by men who thousands of years ago had called these hills their homes. Above it all hot air balloons hung, silently suspended over the strange, alien landscape.

Few places in the world are capable of eliciting the same sense of mystery as Cappadocia. It's history as a Christian refuge from the 4th to 11th centuries has led to countless sites for travelers to explore both above and below the ground. Besides the endless homes and monasteries built into the soft volcanic rock, and the beautiful hiking within the valleys themselves, there are also vast underground cities that descend over twenty levels deep that were used to hide from enemies during times of war. It's unique and otherworldly. In fact Cappadocia is so visually striking it was infamously used as the set for an alien world in the Turkish film The Man Who Saves the World (aka Turkish Star Wars).

Most travelers here, ourselves included, use the village of Goreme as a base for exploring the area. This village may be one of the few frequented destinations on earth that remains somehow unspoilt by mass tourism. Sure there are countless hotels and restaurants with kitschy names and pushy salesman, but equal to tourism this towns secondary economy is agriculture. And beneath all the the carpet shops and tour guides, beats the uninterrupted heart of village life that remains nearly the same today as it did a hundred years ago. It's not unusual to to see horse driven carriages lumber by bogged down with piles of hay, or to find the small path that leads to your hotel blocked by goats or cattle being herded through the winding cobblestone roads.

Speaking of hotels, one of the unique features of lodging in Goreme is the ability to stay in a cave hotel. These are newly built renditions of the ancient cave dwellings of early Christians. Here modern architecture meets ancient magic as rock forms ooze into brick and mortar like a thick, hardened batter. Cool inside, even on a hot day, these rooms are comfortable and unique, albeit a little musty.

Summer afternoons in Goreme are aboslutely perfect for exploring the surrounding area on foot. Paths connect the beauty of Pigeon Valley, Honey Valley, Rose Valley, and Love Valley together, making for an easy, three to four hour long trek. Evenings can be spent in one of the town's restaurants sampling local wines or taking in a peformance of traditional Turkish folk music. One could easily spend at least a week here, if not more, but sadly we only spent four days. Thankfully though, this is one destination I'm certain I'll be coming back to someday.