Cappadocia 2

A day of exploring via a hired driver and a list of potential sights.  The good news, thanks to our speedy driver we did the whole list.  The bad news - we did the whole list.  Tired bunnies.  (No sympathy necessary Gentle Readers, check the last photo.  Both of us have a glass of excellent local Cappadocia white in a big mug.)

 Quick note on the quality of the light in the photos.  No - not dark, rather misty or haze which has lasted all day on the valleys for all the time we have been here.  Climb up to the plateau top and sunshine.  Down the switch-backs and back to obscure.  Fortunately the human eye picks out the details that a mere machine cannot.

Here is a an example of how the front of the house will be blocks of masonry or tuff while the back of the structure is borrowed deep into the soft rock.   The span of years and the magic of erosion eat away so every community has gaping open ex-houses on the chimneys with only the back wall and a trace of roof remaining.  Floors and a family's hopes gone.

Then there is the Road Side Attraction where the hard cap rock and soft tuff yield extravagant shapes. You could blow away your memory chip in a fifteen minutes stroll.   What shape do these rock structures suggest?   Gosh - No you are wrong, these are not an assortment of phallic columns, rather they remind me of 'stinkhorn' mushrooms.  Check Wikipedia.

Stop the tourist bus, I think I see a camel.  (Oh, and they do.).  Yet none of these multitudes dare step off the designated 'photo op' flat space across from the bus.  Not your intrepid correspondents.  Why we even have a picture of the Camel from the opposite side.

Here is the funkiest campsite we have ever seen. Tucked up at the end of a box canyon is all the primitive supports for a 30 years ago Miriam & Simon.  Today - not so much.

The wine shop,mentioned earlier.  The white will not survive the night while the red we'll carry on the bus to Konya.

Our driver today was very safe, using the travel definition.  Yes, 120 km in a 50 marked road.  Who doesn't exceed the posted limit?  Important are the details - slowing down for steep corners, switchbacks, sheep and sheperds.  Check & check.  

 Choosing to ignore the occasional Stop sign.  Okay - 2:00 am who hasn't.  The soft plink of seat belt minder for two minutes every time we climbed into the car.  We were buckled in.

Magic moments: String Trick #10

We prepared 12 loops of colourful string to pass-on to folks after we had taught them our string trick which dates from our Big Trip of thirty years ago and a young monk in Chiang Mai.  So far we have taught nine other people.

There is delightful restaurant, family operated, that prepares traditional Anatolian dishes.  After being fed twice we bad to return to teach the family that magic.  Sat around the table, crunching on pumpkin seeds and drinking their home-made wine for the training session.  Does not get any better!

The fall evening air in Goreme has a characteristic bite.  Think wood smoke or perhaps charcoal.  Yes, the majority of older houses, cave or block, are burning it.  Thanks to the heavy haze the fumes are at nose level.  Many houses and hotels have a stash of large blue bags of charcoal tucked around the corner.