Our campsite in Goreme was really nice and when we got there we found out we could stay in a cave if we wanted to rather than our tents. We went to investigate the cave and found that it was more of a basement that had one original cave wall...but as it meant not being in our tents for a night we said we would give it a go!! It was pretty cold when we arrived so any chance to avoid the tents was a welcome one! Our only option for something to do that night was to head into town to a bar called Fat Boys for a few drinks and a couple of games of pool (I know terrible that that was our ONLY option!!). We ended up having a good night and I even managed to pot a couple of balls when we played a pool game so go me! When we got back to the “cave” we found that there was only a few of us sleeping there...one of which was Brian, one of our snorers. So the lads came up with the idea of soundproofing him and used the spare mattresses to build a little fort around him! Was quite hilarious and a wonder that he didn’t wake up while the construction was happening! It seemed to work though and we didn’t hear him snore too often!
Next morning we got up to head for a walk in the Meskender Valley...we didn’t quite go the way we were supposed to go and ended up wandering around the valley not finding any of the things we were expecting to encounter along the way. But it was still amazing. The valleys are all quite rocky and it surprised me that there were so many little farm type things in them. It seemed like people grabbed any land that was flat enough to plant stuff on to make a living. We climbed to the top of a couple of the larger rock mountain things and even got to explore a little in one of the cave houses. We then went for a walk down into Goreme itself to have a wander around. Our campsite was at the top of a rather steep hill so it was a slight bit of a challenge, especially after spending the morning hiking. But the downhill trek wasn’t as bad a s the uphill with my legs starting to feel the burn as soon as the road started to get a little steeper! Once we got back to the campsite though we just relaxed for awhile before getting ourselves ready for a BBQ down at Fat Boys...me and the girls even straightened our hair for the occasion!! We ended up having a great night and after 4 weeks of travelling and having slight withdrawal symptoms for going out dancing we finally found ourselves in a club! There had been quite a crowd in Fat Boys including a group of 4 who were driving from London to Sydney in a London taxi car and a group of Canadian cyclists. We spent some time chatting to them all and managed to fit an obscene amount of people into a small decking area for a shisha. There were legs and arms all over the place and when one person moved it inevitably disturbed about 4 other people in the process!! So after a “moderate” amount of alcohol had been consumed we found out about a cave club around the corner....there was no stopping me and Dee once we heard about that and we hopped up to head for a dance. And dance we did! I believe we got back home at about 4.30 in the morning...which doesn’t seem that bad except that I had to be up for breakfast group at 7.30! when my alarm went off and I popped my head out of my tent I was greeted with a rather unusual scene....about 15 hotair balloons floating in a flawlessly blue sky! I didn’t quite believe my eyes so popped my head back into the tent for the camera to take a picture to remind myself later on!!
We were going on a bus tour that day and it was a very odd experience to not be in our truck...and even stranger to look over and see Greg our driver sitting in one of the seats with us! The tour guide took us to a number of different places around Goreme including Pigeon Valley (literally where pigeon nest and they go and collect their crap for fertiliser!!), an underground city, which went 8 storeys down. It was amazing to see it, they only had 10% of the city open to the public and what we saw was huge so it was nearly impossible to comprehend how big it was and how the people who built it managed it. The guide told us people could generally only live underground for 3 months...and I’d well believe him! The size of the tunnels and having to crouch down so much was really uncomfortable and the lack of light was weird too. They had ventilation shafts every now and then but I couldn’t imagine living there at all. The tour guide next took us to see the Fairy Chimneys. These are...well hard to explain to be honest!!! Its like towers of rock that have been eroded over time into cone shapes but the rock that was at the top was a harder type so it didn’t erode, leading to a narrow bit of rock supporting a table like rock balancing on top...see hard to explain! Cool to look at though and we all took a bit of time out to just sit in the sun and look at them and out over the valleys taking in the views. At this stage we were all getting fairly tired and slightly losing the will to get off the bus at every stop we were brought to. It got to the stage where one or two of us would get off, take the obligatory picture and then get back on the bus! We got back to the campsite at about 5.30....I had to start cooking dinner at 6 so I grabbed a quick 20 minute nap before getting up again! Was fairly shattered at this stage so once cook group was finished (and we had all seen an amazing sunset from the campsite during dinner) I headed straight to bed!!
Next morning some of the group were up at the crack of dawn to get a hot air balloon ride over the Cappadocia Valley. The guys who did it said it was absolutely amazing and the pictures look pretty cool. Once we were all back at camp it was time to hit the road and say goodbye to Goreme. Our first of 3 bushcamps took us to a place called Suleyman (or something along those lines!!). As we were setting up our tents an army guy with a big gun walked by, looked a little curious and then left us along! The campsite was quite nice and we gave some amusement to the locals...and them to us when we saw one guy out walking his cow! As is normal with bush camps we all headed to bed early enough as there was nothing else for us to do really! Next day we hit the road again to head to Nemrut Dagi. This is a mountain that a king used as a memorial, tomb type thing to his wife. The roads were majorly sketchy...extremely narrow and especially steep...quite the challenge in a massive truck! When we did get to the top of the mountain (2,150m high) we parked precariously in the steep car park. I’ve never experienced what it is like to be drunk when I am totally sober...but that day we all experienced it! We were walking as normal to get off the truck but as it was at such an angle we were falling all over the place! A very odd experience it has to be said!! We had a bit of a climb from the car park then to the top of the mountain to see the sun set. It was nice to see the view from the top but a big cloud came and ruined the sunset just a little! When we got back down myself and Dee went to the cafeteria to have a drink...but mostly to just be out of the wind and cold!! We were just beginning to wonder where everyone was when Rhona came in and said the Big Kev had slipped on some ice and was on his way to hospital with a possible broken ankle! We all hoped it was just a bad sprain but then word filtered back that he had broken his leg. It was also in the cafeteria that I was told I looked Turkish and had a Turkish face!! So apparently I fitted in! I also had my first truck sleep that night as I wasn’t bothered pitching my tent in the wind...was actually quite comfortable!!
We were supposed to get up early the next day to walk up the mountain again for sunrise...but when we all woke up it was spilling rain so didn’t bother! We hit the road as soon as we could and took the perilous journey back down the mountain and onto some flatter ground! We were headed in the direction of Lake Van and stopped about 100k short of it after Chris (who was navigator that day) spotted a lovely camping spot just beside a little river. And that was where the fun started. I got my tent pitched fairly quickly and the Greg was looking for a volunteer to do the fire. So I said I was free. I really didn’t think through the fact that it was in the high 20s anyway temperature wise when I decided I should build a fire! But up I hopped onto the roof of the truck to get wood out of the lockers. Then once the fire was lit I had to stand by and add wood, poke and prod it! After awhile the fire looked good so I was relieved of my duties. The truck shower had been set up for the first time on the trip as it had been very warm on the truck that day so I went ot the tent to get ready for a shower. The truck shower is basically a shower hose dropped into a bucket of water with a small pump of some kind that makes it seem like a real shower...and as it is solar powered and it was scorching that day the water was actually warm!! When I came out of my tent dressed in bikini top and shorts it took me a couple minutes to realise we had been joined by a couple of the locals who seemed a bit curious about the whole set up we had! We were close enough to the Iranian border at this stage for the whole women being covered up thing to start kicking in...so someone walking around in shorts and a bikini top would not be a usual thing for the locals!!! We asked them to move around to the other side of the truck while I had my shower but they said no! So we then had to take out the shower tent and put that up. One of the guys very kindly offered his help...which I found slightly ironic as if he hadn’t of been there we wouldn’t have had to bother with the tent at all!! Eventually we got the tent up and in I hopped...only for one of the sneaky little bastards to go around the other side of the truck and look through the gap!! Brian and Joe had been standing guard outside so I let a yell and one of them went and moved him!! So it was quite the experience and gave me a little glimpse of what life was going to be like in Iran once we go there!! We had another few visitors that night from the local town. Obviously word had spread that there was a party down by the river and a taxi with a few lads and a few bottles of beers turned up! They opened the doors of the taxi and started playing music and basically standing around watching us! After an hour or so they must have got bored and they left leaving us in peace. It was at this point that Greg and Rachel sat us down for a family meeting and explained to us what life in Iran was going to be like....and it sounded pretty scary! From that night on we all had to buddy up...no going to the loo alone at night, keep tents pitched close together, when we got to Iran us girls aren’t allowed out on our own! It all seemed very intense and after the shower experience I was slightly apprehensive!
Next day we headed off early to get to Dogybiscuit (not the actually spelling of the town but close enough to it!!). we stopped at Lake Van for a picnic and got swamped by a load of sheep and goats as we sat there! When we got to the campsite in Dogy, Rachel told us that we could sleep in little huts rather than our tents if we wanted to! The huts were raised platforms with bright yellow tarp to make the walls and ceiling. Of course us being us decided hell yes we would sleep in the...another excuse not to pitch tents and to say we slept somewhere new!! We were having a BBQ that night in celebration of Andrew and Dave’s birthdays so we were in for a good night. We also had to get rid of all the alcohol off the truck as we were going to Iran the next day....so an epic party ensued! We played Three Man again...and its safe to say I do not remember much of the night! Usually pictures bring back the memories the next day....even that did not help me piece together the night!! So I can only imagine that it was a great night with laughter and fun all round!!
Overall I really enjoyed Turkey. We were here for 3 weeks and saw so much. We saw city life in Istanbul, got to experience Anzac Day, got to enjoy a bit of sun holiday resort lifestyle, take in the scenery of Turkey, which was not what I expected it to be. Enjoyed Turkish food and traditions. Had a stag party and a wedding! Saw ruin after ruin...and got a bit sick of them. Ate kebab after kebab...and got seriously sick of them!! But Turkey is amazing. There is so much more to it than a 2 week sun holiday in Bodrum or any of those places! To people who want to go to Turkey, go off the beaten track...stay in a treehouse in Olympos with the beach just down the road, or a little hut in Oludinez with a gorgeous beach out your front door and a full resort town a 5 minute walk away...gives you the best of both worlds! I can honestly say I don’t think I will ever go to any current popular resort in Turkey as I have seen what else the country has to offer!! I think you can all probably tell I loved Turkey and will miss it! But am very excited to head off to a new country and see what other adventures and cultures are to come!
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