Cappadocia: Fairy Chimneys and Whirling Dirrvishes!

We found a 2-night/3-day bus tour from Alanya to Cappadocia, one of the top "must visit" sights in Turkey, according to Lonely Planet. Despite our short time here in Turkey and not having seen much yet, we would have to agree. This place is magical. The "Fairy Chimneys" are natural formations created when softer limestone was eroded away leaving tall pillars with harder stone boulders sitting atop them. It's beautiful to see these scattered all over the landscape. With the limestone as soft as it is, earlier civilizations carved out churches and homes in the sides of the cliffs, and dug out entire underground cities for protection against invaders.

On the way to Cappadocia we stopped in Konya at the Mevlana Dervish Museum. Mevlana was a
13th century mystic and the originator of the Dervishes, a spiritual order who believed that all things in this universe are meant to rotate, including us. They developed a 6-part ceremony called "Sema" in which they rotate clockwise with their hands outstretched; right palm facing up to be open to receive gifts from God; left hand facing down to earth to represent loss. They begin with their arms closed and then they open up like blossoms as they begin their whirling motion. We were able to see this ceremony performed in an underground cave theater in Cappadocia that evening. It was as hypnotizing as it was lovely. There were three musicians (drums, flute and harpsichord, though they have different names for them) and the music was beautiful.


The second day in Cappadocia was full of panoramic views, churches and homes carved into the stone, and a few local craft/shopping stops... as it became apparent that the very low cost of the tour was due to subsidies from these shops. We narrowly escaped purchasing what we thought was a "sultanite" (color changing) gemstone ring. After deciding to do some research online we found out that it was not the real stone at all, but rather glass impregnated with minerals to emulate the color change. The real stone, found locally only in the Taurus mountains of Turkey, would have been much costlier and just about all of it is exported. But even with the ceramics, gemstones and carpet stops, the tour was worthwhile for the price. The hotel was much better than expected. It was entirely built from stone blocks. Our room had a curved stone ceiling, as did the bathroom. Plus the bed was very comfy, something we especially appreciate after the rock-hard beds of Thailand!

The third day of the tour was basically the return trip to Alanya. It would have been nice if we had come back a different way to see more, but we really enjoyed this "introductory tour". We want to go back on our own and see some of the things we missed!

With Equanimity and Joy

Alanya... We're in Turkey!!!

We arrived in Turkey on June 1st, sailing along the east coast of the Antalya Gulf, past the Alanya castle and fortress, then into the small new marina. It took a bit of time to get checked in, even with an agent, but we're so glad to be here!!! Roger has dreamed of sailing the Turquoise Coast of Turkey for at least 20 years and we are realizing that dream. Alanya itself surprised us, as we had expected a sleepy little village rather than the built-up full-on resort town we found. It's an easy place to get around though, with local buses every 10-15 minutes out in front of the marina. On Tuesdays and Fridays the marina sponsors a shuttle to the fresh produce markets in town. This was our first experience with the AMAZING markets and produce of Turkey. The sights, smells, and tastes were a feast for the senses. Of course we bought way too much and had to store our 1/4 watermelon in our neighbor's 'fridge. I even found fresh goat milk and lots of delicious cheese.

We arrived on a Monday, went to the market on Tuesday and then we took the bus into town on Wednesday and walked up a few km to the Alanya Castle and fortress, which we had seen from the seaside. The views were amazing, but the ruins were... well... ruined. There wasn't too much preserved, but it was good exercise and we enjoyed the walk up and back. That evening, we joined our neighbors, who have lived in Alanya for 13 years and knew the great places to go, for dinner in town at a lovely garden restaurant. They've been friends with the couple who own the "Old House" for years. There is no menu at their restaurant; you get an assortment of meze dishes and choose between two main courses. Everything was delightful and clearly prepared with love and inspiration. Even the house wine was excellent and complemented the food perfectly.

We spent Thursday planning a short trip inland to Cappadocia by bus, while we're as far east as we'll be along the coast. Stay tuned for separate post and pics!

With Equanimity and Joy