Capadoccia!
Trip Start
Aug 19, 2005
1
4
9
Trip End
Sep 09, 2005
Uçhisar,
Turkey
Thursday, August 25, 2005
Our shuttle picked us up promptly at 445am and we were wisked off to Attaturk airport, where when we arrived, we saw our flight was delayed 2 hours! So, from 515am until we finally took off around 930, we just sat around...good times
the so called airline switched planes to one with NOTHİNG on ıt - no labels and no words - it was a sketchy rent a plane...but as you can tell, it worked
After a lengthy shuttle ride through a lot of flat desert, we arrived at our lovely hotel built ınto the mountains - we are sleeping in a cave room! The surroundings are mixed - there is hi-speed internet and new cars, but the streets here also are full of tractors, and donkey-pulled carriages. There are street lights, a great bus system, but there are also many many unpaved roads mixed in wıth new ones...ınterestıng stuff
Overall, this particular town is not very touristy, and quiet - which is nice. We went to an underground city today, built three to four thousand years ago. Describing it in print does not do it justice...thousands of people lived in (buılt by hittites) these multi-level underground cities which housed families, animals (both pets and those used for food), kitchens, wineries and acted as warmth from the winter and cool from the summer.
We were in one that goes 50 meters (you do the math) and 8 levels underground...ıt was unbelievable to try and picture so many people living in these intricate tunnels and rooms - very cool.
Cappadocia ıs an area of much volcanic rock (which is why they could build the underground cities - soft rock) with unusual geological formations called fairy chimneys - they sort of look like falices, for lack of a proper term...we look forward to more exploring and updating you soon
