On The Road

My favorite döner kebab place in Christchurch has a very faded poster of Cappadocia. I’ve stared at it many times and dreamed of going there while munching a döner after a night out in town. I’m a big believer in using cheesy tourist posters in fast food joints to guide your travel decisions My favorite Lebanese food stand got me riding a snowboard in Lebanon earlier this year and many years ago I decided to go to Thailand in the same way. I haven’t been disappointed yet.

So here I am in Cappadocia, enjoying life. I found a nice spot, overlooking some nice rock formations, at the top notch, yet cheap Kaya campground. I leave my panniers at the campground and explore the area for several days. Cappadocia is riddled with often very sandy dirt roads, which just beg to be explored. There is a particularly nice one starting just outside the campground. At one point it becomes a narrow twisting channel, not unlike a bob sledding track. So lots of fun here. There is also a big pool and cheap cold beer.

So, here are, in no particular order, a few pictures from my time in Cappadocia.

Cappadocia was an early center of Christianity and many of the early followers were forced into hiding in underground cities at times. I visit a large one in Derinkuyu, which consists of eight levels. The doors could be closed from the inside by rolling huge grindstones in front of the opening.

The smaller underground city in Mazi isn’t really touristically developed. It’s a matter of finding a villager to show me around with a gas light. He pantomimes some explanations and this works surprisingly well.

The area has an amazing number of churches from different periods of time, decorated in varying styles

Benches and a table are cut into the rock.

Some of the best preserved frescoes are in the dark church,

but there are many other churches in the area.