The Caves of Capadocia

---

I decided not to spend the waiting time for the chinese visa chewing kebab in Ankara but to have a look at famous Capadocia. Almost every traveler I have met told me that it was the best. And it was very rewarding!
Capadocia is not so far away from Ankara, just 4-5 hours by bus. On the way the road goes along a big saltlake, the Tuz Gölü.
The interessting thing about Capadocia is its special rocks and the cave homes that have been carved out of many of them. In Göreme, the town I stayed, half the people are living in caves. But the word goes, that tourists are so fond of staying at a cave pension that the locals, who are mostly poor farmers, have to move into new garages (which is the most cave-like building of the modern times).
Certainly I also stayed at a cave pension and slept in a cave!
The reason for the special landscape is that the stone in this area is very soft. It is Tuff of volcanic origin. It can be carved easily and cave homes have been build into it since long before Christ. But it is also formed by the natural forces and many valleys in different shades of beige, rose, and honey trail throug the countryside of wineyards and melon fields.
I walked throug one of the valleys where one can get lost very easily!

---

Photos

Göreme
In the middle of more flat highlands Capadocia is carved in and in the middle of it is Göreme.

Saltlake
On the way from Ankara to Capadocia I passed the saltlake Tuz Gölü.

Salt
At a gas station a truck stoped next to the bus full of --- salt. Probably from the saltlake ;-)

Cave Pension
This is the cave I lived in during the days in Capadocia. Dorm bed as nice as it gets!

Cave Houses
Some of the cave houses are very old. At some places the caves exist also underground. There are even whole underground cities which were build to jide from the enemy.

Canoning, the Capadocian Way
In the valleys around Göreme you can only walk in one direction, down. At many places it is to steep to turn back, so hope it is not to steep to go on!

Rock Formations
Beautiful forms have been carved into the walls of the valleys, here the lower end of the valley I walked through.

Uchisar
The town next to Göreme is Uchisar. It is build around an acient rock tower.

Land of Smurfs
Looking at this picture one can imagine to be in the land of the smurfs.