Issue 18
Up, Up and Away
Turkey is an ancient and modern destination that should be on every traveller's bucket list
By Jo Kromberg  ·  2015-09-30  ·   Source:

Yellow. Never has the term had more visceral meaning to me. It's a cold day as we land at Nevsehir Airport after a 9-hour flight on Turkish Airlines and walk into the pale sun of Cappadocia. As we make our way through the increasingly strange landscape, all shades of the colour become more apparent. And it is dry, dry, dry...

Tour guide Uhr tells us that tourism in Cappadocia only started about 50 years ago and is now the region's greatest source of income. Cold, and yellow. The region is roughly in the centre of Turkey, he shows us on the map. Two big volcanoes erupted three million years ago and created the tabletop hills familiar to the semi-arid area. He explains the geological reasons for the so-called--fairy chimneys--tall, thin spires of rock that protrude from the bottom of the arid drainage basin and a very strange, almost eerie site indeed. We arrive at Kaymakli Underground City, one of the many cave cities in the area. The labyrinth of caves perforating the hills reminds me of gargantuan anthills. All underground caves in Cappadocia are man-made, Uhr tells us.

Cappadocia's fairy tale landscape (TOURISMTURKEY.ORG)

Fairy tale setting

Christians, hiding from Roman persecutors, carved out the first caves and they lived a monastic life in these caves. Between 500 and 700 people lived here, says Uhr. The Cappadocian Fathers of the 4th century were integral to much of early Christian philosophy. We go through the tunnels and rooms and this is not for the claustrophobic. The deepest point is 35 metres underground. Then it’s lunchtime and we head for the Old Greek House. En route there is more of the wan, undulating and mysterious moonscape we are to become familiar with over the next three days.

Lunch is traditional and delicious Turkish fare consisting of dolmades, beef stew, chickpeas and baklava - heavenly. The cloudy skies became even darker with night falling at 4:30 p.m. in winter. We enter the town of Goreme and, in the last light of day with rock formation "chimneys" and restaurants lit up by twinkling lights, it really does resemble a quaint fairy tale set. Our lodging for the next couple of nights is the cave hotel of Goreme Kaya, in the heart of the tiny tourist town, close to Goreme Open Air Museum and Uchisar Castle. The hotel has all modern amenities and most rooms have private patios with views of the surrounding landscape.

I wake up to a cold and wet Cappadocia and after breakfast we take the road to Saruhan. Agzikarahan is a fine example of the Turkish Seljuk art and architecture, built in the early 13th century on the legendary Silk Road, for the accommodation of the traders and their camels, Uhr tells us. The building is magnificent and built by the Selkirk Turks. The detail is intricate and architecture very clever--the arches are not round but pointy to support the structures. The Muslims believed that only God is perfect so they consciously built in imperfections and asymmetry and one can spend a lifetime looking for these design--mistakes--in the buildings. Devrent Valley is next on the itinerary and the--camel--and other distinguishable rock formations are quite impressive.

Glide over mystical Cappadocia in a hot air balloon (TOURISMTURKEY.ORG) 

Hot air balloons

At Avanos we pop in for a pottery demonstration by the very skilled and aptly named Rambo the Potter. The pottery is beautiful and all handmade and painted but expensive. After lunch we drive to the Zelve Open Air Museum for more spelunking before we are treated to a demonstration of one of the most ancient and traditional art forms of Turkey--carpet weaving. Back at the hotel I have a cleansing sauna and--a must-do while you are here--a Turkish bath. After dinner Louis, Yolandi and I (the by-now identified rebels of the group) decide to head out to explore the nightlife of the metropolis of Goreme (population 2500). Great mirth follows at a pub called Fat Boys with bartender Mark from Australia regaling us with loads of hilarious tales, almost as tall as the fairy chimneys...

I have never found 5 a.m. of any user-friendly value at all but here I am, en route to a hot-air balloon adventure the following morning. We get to the departure point in the early, misty first light of dawn, greeted by the sight of about 30 balloons lying down like giant, multicoloured snails and slowly coming to life as the flames underneath blow them up to gargantuan bulges of hot air in slow motion. The basket fits about 20 people snugly. The indemnity form doesn't resemble War and Peace as one might expect. Instead it’s a mere dainty one page and all they require is your name, real age and signature. And then, after a 20-second instruction on how to squat inside the thing during landing, we have lift-off, as light as a feather and almost imperceptible. We float higher and higher into the clouds with all the other balloons around us over the ancient, Martian landscape with its strange, pointy rocks and ancient history. The feeling is, in a word, exhilarating. The balloon ride lasts for only about 45 minutes because it is rather cloudy and we land--and lift again--about three times before we are safely back on terra firma with glass of champagne in white-knuckled hand and laughter just a tad too loud. The Goreme Open Air Museum is next where we encounter near fisticuffs what with there being only two female toilets and a queue longer than the unemployment lines at Home Affairs. Despite this, the tour of the caves and more specifically, the churches in the caves is a jaw-dropping experience as Uhr shows us the intricate paintings according to the agnostic gospels. He says that until 1600 AD there was no profession called iconography. The artists were really poor and painted on commission from the churches, thereby bringing into dispute the--correct interpretations of the Bible. The caves here were largely monasteries, teaching missionaries.

We wolf down a delicious late lunch at Bizim Ev Restaurant in Avanos where our host and Country Manager for Turkish Airlines South Africa, Alp Alper, reads Louis his fortune from the residue of his Turkish coffee, leaving him slightly befuddled...

As dusk falls, a tired albeit sated silence settles on our group in the bus on the way back. We are wiped out from a marathon day and the 4-star Dinler Hotel in Nevsehir provides a welcome and comfortable home for the night. I almost submerge myself in the bubbles in my very own Jacuzzi bath in my comfortable and luxurious room.

After dinner, four of us--including Alp--catch a taxi back to Goreme and Fat Boys to watch Mark the Ozzie's live streaming of the rugby game between South Africa and Wales on his computer. Turkey is big on many things but rugby ain't one of them.

Istanbul offers a myriad of tasty treats (TOURISMTURKEY.ORG)

Hello Istanbul

After a quick last photo op at the fairy chimneys the following morning, we catch the plane to one of my favourite cities on earth - Istanbul. Istanbul, previously known as Constantinople, is nearly 8000 years old and boasts a population of between 15 and 20 million people, depending on who you believe. The city stretches across 73 km at its longest point so it is BIG. Thank goodness we make our way straight to our hotel for a day of leisure because we are seriously suffering from sensory overload at this point. The Eresin Crown Sultanahmet Hotel is a balm for our weary souls. This 5-star boutique hotel is located in the old section of Istanbul and is a short walk to the Blue Mosque, the Topkapi Palace and the Hagia Sophia. In decent weather breakfast is served on a roof top terrace with a magnificent view. The rooms are a hedonist's delight and the furnishings and decor are as classic as they come. We wander along the water’s edge that night, through the night fish market and the hundreds of quaint, lively restaurants.

Fine dining at the Eresin Crown Sultanahmet Hotel (ERESIN.COM.TR)

A Bosphorus trip at noon awaits us the next day and we set sail just as the evocative Call to Prayer sweeps across the water like an ancient, haunting wind. Istanbul pulses with old and new, ancient whispers and modern opulence. You don't actually need a guide, the city tells its own story. We sail past the Rococo style 4 Seasons Hotel, where one can expect to pay up to 30,000 Euros for a suite. The wealth of the world has passed through this strait since time immemorial,--says Liezel, one of the people in my group (and one of the friends I've made on this special trip). There is no wind--a perfect day to sail past the homes of the richest of the rich and also the Kempinski Hotel, a converted Ottoman palace from the 19th century. We take in a city tour including the Golden Horn and Taxim Square. There are currently one hundred 5-star hotels being constructed in Istanbul, giving one an idea of the unbelievable tourism abundance of this place.

Sizzling nightlife in Istanbul (TOURISMTURKEY.ORG)

Night. Standing on the tiny balcony outside my French doors and drinking in the salty smell of the sea and the cry of the seagulls, I'm lost in reverie.... The sights, sounds and soul of Istanbul will transport you and you will keep coming back for more. It is a magical place. The country of Turkey will wrap itself around your soul like a warm blanket and never let go.

Accommodation contact details:

Goreme Kaya Hotel, Cappadocia: http://www.goremekayaotel.com/en/index.html

Dinler Hotel, Nevsehir, Cappadocia: http://nevsehir.dinler.com/hakkimizda.aspx

Eresin Crown Hotel, Istanbul: http://www.eresin.com.tr/eresincrown/

Getting there:

Jo Kromberg's trip was made possible by Turkish Airlines.

Turkish Airlines flies to more countries than any other airline in the world--a staggering 197 countries and 239 destinations. Turkish Airlines is the second biggest in terms of international destinations and ranks the fourth largest in the world in terms of network size. The airline has picked up some rather prestigious awards to confirm its status and these sit pretty in the boardroom of its Istanbul office, testament to their success. Notable among them is the Skytrax award for the Best Airline in Europe, which Turkish Airlines has managed to garner for the past three years, beating stiff competition from other established airlines.

Go to http://www.turkishairlines.com/#

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