Cappadocia, individual travel, 2015.

2015-07-03 記
Topic: :トルコカッパドキア


Moving from Ankara to Cappadocia.

I will travel to Cappadocia by bus.

I had already purchased the ticket at the bus company's office in the Ulus district.
METRO seems to only have a late afternoon departure (15:30), so I purchased the Kamil Koc bus departing at 13:00. There was also a 8:00 departure, but it was too early, so I chose this time.

When I bought tickets in other cities, the ticket included a shuttle from the city center to the otogar (bus terminal), but here in Ankara, it does not include the shuttle, so I have to go to the otogar (bus terminal) on my own.

This morning, I asked the hotel staff, and they said that there is a bus terminal (Colbos Terminal) a short walk north of the hotel in Ulus, and that it costs 2.25 liras (about 100 yen) to go to the otogar (bus terminal), so I decided to go there. When I walked there, there were several bus terminals, and I was able to get on the shuttle after asking the driver. Then, I was dropped off along the bypass in front of the otogar (bus terminal). The driver said "terminal" instead of "otogar." Is that how it is?

Then, I had a meal at the otogar and boarded the bus to Göreme in Cappadocia. There were many buses, so it was difficult to tell which one was which, but I could tell it was the Göreme-bound bus because it said "GÖREME." METRO buses have the bus identification number clearly displayed on the front, but Kamil Koc only shows the destination and departure time.

The vehicle has a 1+2 seating arrangement, so it is very comfortable.

On the way, we passed a salt lake, and some of it was near the famous Tuz Lake (Lake Tuz, Tuz Gölü), but I could see white salt-like substances along the coast, but the water was accumulated, and from a distance, it looked like an ordinary lake.



I will travel to Cappadocia by bus.

I had already purchased the ticket at the bus company's office in the Ulus district.
METRO seems to only have a late afternoon departure (15:30), so I purchased the Kamil Koc bus departing at 13:00. There was also a 8:00 departure, but it was too early, so I chose this time.

When I bought tickets in other cities, the ticket included a shuttle from the city center to the otogar (bus terminal), but here in Ankara, it does not include the shuttle, so I have to go to the otogar (bus terminal) on my own.

This morning, I asked the hotel staff, and they said that there is a bus terminal (Colbos Terminal) a short walk north of the hotel in Ulus, and that it costs 2.25 liras (about 100 yen) to go to the otogar (bus terminal), so I decided to go there. When I walked there, there were several bus terminals, and I was able to get on the shuttle after asking the driver. Then, I was dropped off along the bypass in front of the otogar (bus terminal). The driver said "terminal" instead of "otogar." Is that how it is?

Then, I had a meal at the otogar and boarded the bus to Göreme in Cappadocia. There were many buses, so it was difficult to tell which one was which, but I could tell it was the Göreme-bound bus because it said "GÖREME." METRO buses have the bus identification number clearly displayed on the front, but Kamil Koc only shows the destination and departure time.

The vehicle has a 1+2 seating arrangement, so it is very comfortable.

On the way, we passed a salt lake, and some of it was near the famous Tuz Lake (Lake Tuz, Tuz Gölü), but I could see white salt-like substances along the coast, but the water was accumulated, and from a distance, it looked like an ordinary lake.



I will travel to Cappadocia by bus.

I had already purchased the ticket at the bus company's office in the Ulus district.
METRO seems to only have a late afternoon departure (15:30), so I purchased the Kamil Koc bus departing at 13:00. There was also a 8:00 departure, but it was too early, so I chose this time.

When I bought tickets in other cities, the ticket included a shuttle from the city center to the otogar (bus terminal), but here in Ankara, it does not include the shuttle, so I have to go to the otogar (bus terminal) on my own.

This morning, I asked the hotel staff, and they said that there is a bus terminal (Colbos Terminal) a short walk north of the hotel in Ulus, and that it costs 2.25 liras (about 100 yen) to go to the otogar (bus terminal), so I decided to go there. When I walked there, there were several bus terminals, and I was able to get on the shuttle after asking the driver. Then, I was dropped off along the bypass in front of the otogar (bus terminal). The driver said "terminal" instead of "otogar." Is that how it is?

Then, I had a meal at the otogar and boarded the bus to Göreme in Cappadocia. There were many buses, so it was difficult to tell which one was which, but I could tell it was the Göreme-bound bus because it said "GÖREME." METRO buses have the bus identification number clearly displayed on the front, but Kamil Koc only shows the destination and departure time.

The vehicle has a 1+2 seating arrangement, so it is very comfortable.

On the way, we passed a salt lake, and some of it was near the famous Tuz Lake (Lake Tuz, Tuz Gölü), but I could see white salt-like substances along the coast, but the water was accumulated, and from a distance, it looked like an ordinary lake.


Goreme Open Air Museum.

Today, I am going to the Goreme Open Air Museum.

It is within walking distance from the hotel.

It is a famous sight in Cappadocia.
It is a familiar scene, and I think it is good to see it with my own eyes once. It is not much different from the image.



Today, I am going to the Goreme Open Air Museum.

It is within walking distance from the hotel.

It is a famous sight in Cappadocia.
It is a familiar scene, and I think it is good to see it with my own eyes once. It is not much different from the image.



Today, I am going to the Goreme Open Air Museum.

It is within walking distance from the hotel.

It is a famous sight in Cappadocia.
It is a familiar scene, and I think it is good to see it with my own eyes once. It is not much different from the image.




Uchisar Castle.

Today, I still have some time, so I decided to go to the castle in Uchisar, which is located southwest of Göreme.

I took a shuttle bus from Göreme otogar, and it took about 10 minutes to arrive.



Today, I still have some time, so I decided to go to the castle in Uchisar, which is located southwest of Göreme.

I took a shuttle bus from Göreme otogar, and it took about 10 minutes to arrive.




Çavuşin Village

Today, I am renting a scooter and going to a nearby town.
It costs 50 liras (approximately 2280 yen) for 8 hours, plus the cost of gasoline separately.



First, we will visit the village of Çavuşin, which is located just north of the town of Göreme.

This is a place that is not marked on the map, but we decided to go there because we could see it well from the road.



When I was leaving the village, I suddenly saw a villager holding a water server bottle (probably for dozens of gallons?) and replenishing water at a water tap on the side of the road.

I'm curious about where the water server is going.

Do the villagers not have water pipes in their homes? Or, even if they have water pipes, is the water from this roadside tap more suitable for drinking than the water from the pipes?

Or, perhaps this is actually used in a hotel, and travelers are drinking tap water thinking it's mineral water? My imagination is running wild.




Rock-cut Çavuşin Church (Kilisesi).

There are rock churches (Church, Kilisesi) in the village of Çavuşin, so I went to see them.
They are quite interesting.
It costs 8 liras (approximately 365 yen).
It seems that the museum pass is still usable, so I entered with that.




Cappadocia Underground Ceramic Museum (Güray Museum in Avanos)

I decided to go to the town of Avanos on a scooter and visit the Cappadocia Underground Ceramic Museum (Güray Müze). It seems to be a private museum. The entrance fee was about 6 liras (approximately 280 yen).

The exhibits inside were surprisingly impressive and satisfying.
They also seem to be selling ceramics there. If I were on a short trip, I might have bought something, but the prices are a bit high. However, some of them were well-made.




Pasabaga (Paşabağ)

Next, I continued riding the scooter and stopped at a place called Pasabaga, located between Avanos and Goreme.
It seems like this place has interesting rocks.




Zelve Open Air Museum (Zelve Açık Hava Müzesi)

Next, we stopped by the Zelve Open Air Museum, which is also located between Avanos and Goreme.
This place is a valley, and it seems that people lived in caves carved into the rocks on both sides of the valley.
There is also a church.

However, perhaps because it is dry, or perhaps because of the lingering resentment of the former hidden Christians, it is a place that can be a bit mentally draining.




The scooter I rented is broken.

I stopped on the side of the road to check the route, and after confirming, I tried to restart the scooter, but the engine wouldn't start.
It seems the battery that powers the starter motor is running low.
It won't start even with the kick starter.
I wonder if this hasn't been maintained? Perhaps they're being cheap and continuing to use the old battery without replacing it.

In the end, I called the owner of the rental shop by phone.
I'm glad I bought a Turkish SIM card. Although it's a SIM card that only allows internet access, I used Skype to make the call.

The owner of the rental shop first confirmed that the battery was weak and the starter motor wasn't working well. Then, he tried to start the engine with the kick starter, but it wouldn't start no matter how many times he tried. Eventually, he started removing screws and peeling off the cover, and then he started adjusting some wires and even blowing into them. Hey, how long are you going to keep doing this? In the end, he put the cover back on and tried the kick starter many, many times, and finally, it started.My father said, "Press the accelerator a little and kick like me to start it." He tells me to kick on the left side of the scooter, but he tells me to use my left foot, even though I should be facing the scooter with my right foot. I can't do that with such complicated techniques (sweat). Even my father had to kick it many times before it started. Eventually, I couldn't figure it out and it wouldn't start, so my father said, "It should charge the battery if you run it for a while," and tried to let me go like that. Hey, what is that? If it stops working out there, I'll call you again. It's too risky to go like that, so I repeatedly stopped the engine and tried to start it with the kick, but my father gave up and said, "It's okay, just use that car." The car became a replacement car. It would be a hassle to stall again and call my father again (laugh).

So, I finished the rest of the trip in the replacement car (not a scooter), but I couldn't easily stop to take pictures, and it was hard to maneuver because the car body was large. A scooter is better.

Motorcycles are nice, but in terms of maneuverability, a scooter around 125cc seems just right for sightseeing.


Kale Açık Castle

I went to see the Kale Acik Castle, which is nearby, using a car as a substitute for my scooter.
It is a small castle, but its shape is magnificent.


Derinkuyu Underground City (Yeraltı Şehri)

Today, I participated in a one-day tour. It was a so-called "Green Tour" course.

First, we went to Derinkuyu Underground City (Yeraltı Şehri). It's a so-called underground labyrinth.
It seems that it was a place where hidden Christians lived.



From here, I am entering the underground.



A hole that leads from the ground to underground.



Inside, there are round doors that might have blocked the way when the Byzantine Empire or Rome attacked.



As an aside,
The girl who is participating in the one-day tour with me was carrying a copy of "Lonely Planet: Japan" that I believe she borrowed from the Maebashi Public Library (Gunma Prefecture).

I don't understand the idea of bringing a book borrowed from a library on a trip. It's going to get dirty. Perhaps this girl doesn't have the common sense to buy a book if she's going to bring it with her. When I searched, I found people on blogs who openly wrote, "I borrow books from the library to save money." I can't understand people who are that cheap and damage public books. Perhaps the sense of how to use library books properly differs by generation or upbringing. Also, she's a bit of a strange girl; she silently got on the shuttle bus, and she doesn't talk much during the tour. Well, there are many strange people in Turkey, so ignoring them is understandable in a way.


Ihlara Valley(Vadisi)

The tour will next proceed to Ihlara Valley.

This is a valley, and we will hike about 4 km along the river after descending into it.
There are also caves in the surrounding area, and some of them used to be churches.




Kayabaşı (the edge of the Ihlara Valley).

After eating, I headed towards Kayabaşı. This seems to be the edge of the Ihlara Valley.

Apparently, there was a time when they tried to film Star Wars here, but they didn't get permission from the government, so they only took pictures and used them as backgrounds.




Acıgöl Lake.

The next stop on the tour is Acıgöl Lake.




Pigeon Valley (Güvercinlik Vadisi)

At the end of the tour, we stopped at a jewelry store and the Pigeon Valley (Güvercinlik Vadisi) located in front of it.
The arrangement was clever: first, we entered the jewelry store to listen to an explanation, and those who wanted to shop could do so, while others could go and see the valley.

↓ Jewelry store


At the end of the tour, we stopped at a jewelry store and the Pigeon Valley (Güvercinlik Vadisi) located in front of it.
The arrangement was clever: first, we entered the jewelry store to listen to an explanation, and those who wanted to shop could do so, while others could go and see the valley.

↓ Jewelry store


At the end of the tour, we stopped at a jewelry store and the Pigeon Valley (Güvercinlik Vadisi) located in front of it.
The arrangement was clever: first, we entered the jewelry store to listen to an explanation, and those who wanted to shop could do so, while others could go and see the valley.

↓ Jewelry store


At the end of the tour, we stopped at a jewelry store and the Pigeon Valley (Güvercinlik Vadisi) located in front of it.
The arrangement was clever: first, we entered the jewelry store to listen to an explanation, and those who wanted to shop could do so, while others could go and see the valley.

↓ Jewelry store


At the end of the tour, we stopped at a jewelry store and the Pigeon Valley (Güvercinlik Vadisi) located in front of it.
The arrangement was clever: first, we entered the jewelry store to listen to an explanation, and those who wanted to shop could do so, while others could go and see the valley.

↓ Jewelry store


At the end of the tour, we stopped at a jewelry store and the Pigeon Valley (Güvercinlik Vadisi) located in front of it.
The arrangement was clever: first, we entered the jewelry store to listen to an explanation, and those who wanted to shop could do so, while others could go and see the valley.

↓ Jewelry store



At the end of the tour, we stopped at a jewelry store and the Pigeon Valley (Güvercinlik Vadisi) located in front of it.
The arrangement was clever: first, we entered the jewelry store to listen to an explanation, and those who wanted to shop could do so, while others could go and see the valley.

↓ Jewelry store



At the end of the tour, we stopped at a jewelry store and the Pigeon Valley (Güvercinlik Vadisi) located in front of it.
The arrangement was clever: first, we entered the jewelry store to listen to an explanation, and those who wanted to shop could do so, while others could go and see the valley.

↓ Jewelry store


Goreme's hills.

Today, I don't have anything specific to do, so I'm going to take a walk around the hills where my accommodation in Goreme is located.



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