Selcuk to Cappadocia

Before coming to Turkey, I was worried about two things: one, that every place would be really smoky and two, that we would get stabbed.  I heard about a guy that got stabbed here once.  But, the minute we arrived, my worries were put to rest.  Turkish people are so warm and friendly.  They are always welcoming and have a wonderful sense of hospitality.  So, I’ve felt really safe and comfortable here.  That is until last night.  Last night was a horror movie.  But, I’m getting ahead of myself.  I’ll start this back where I left off: Ephesus.

Ephesus

If you ever go to Ephesus, you should try to go when it’s raining.  The rain, you see, just adds to the experience.  At least that’s what Brad and I told ourselves as we were slugging along with drenched feet and pants, thankful, at least for the two dollar Istanbul umbrellas that were keeping our heads dry.   Rain has been the scourge of this trip.  But it didn’t ruin Ephesus, it couldn’t.  Ephesus is awesome.  I know I kind of got down on old rocks earlier, but I take it all back now.   It was so cool to be there, pretending to be a Roman, walking to the library in the rain.  In my imagination I am always a rich Roman, but Brad says I would have been a slave.  

Anyway, I can’t tell you much about Ephesus except it used to be Greek, then it was Roman, it’s really, really old, has a huge, enormous theater and a beautiful library façade.  If you’re really interested, you should read more about it here.  For the rest of you, I have pictures:

Bodrum

We didn’t mind the rain too much, because we were headed to the sunny southern coast, but there too was rain.  But once again, circumstances saved themselves with awesomeness.   We had been set up with a place on the coast by Selin, a lady we met in Istanbul.  She gets her own separate post later.  We thought we were going to a hotel, but it turned out we had a whole little house for a few days.  And! When we walked into the house there was a famous chef cooking dinner in the kitchen.  I know that he’s famous because I asked him if he was and he said yes.  But also, it turns out he’s written tons of books and was the personal chef to Mick Jagger and Robert DeNiro.  So yeah, famous, and a great cook!  His was probably one of the best meals I’ve ever had.  Really, really tasty.  We also had great company at the meal, and learned a lot about Turkey.  It was a special evening that set the tone for the rest of our time in Bodrum, which was all about relaxing and eating fancy food.  Also waiting for the sun to come out, which it did, on the day we left.   

our Turkish home 

Byron, the chef, cooked in the house then brought the food to the main kitchen, where there was a dinner for about 30

Byron Ayanoglu

We were accidentally an hour late for dinner, but got to sit with the owners, who were a great source of information and really nice people

sun on the terrace.  finally.

Cappadocia via Ankara
This trip is kind of doing its own thing, like it has a mind of its own, we’re just trailing along.  We never made any solid plans, so while we had the company of Turkish people and world travelers we pestered them about where to go.  Everyone had the same answer: Cappadocia.  And though I’d read about its fairy chimneys and underground cities, it wasn’t really a place I thought we would get to.   But here we are, though, as I suspected, it wasn’t easy getting here.

Our travels to Cappadocia were troubled from the start.  First, our flight was late getting into Ankara, Turkey’s capitol.  Then, all but one tiny and kind of sketchy car rental company was closed.  The guy working was eager to help, but we had a feeling things weren’t going to go so great, and feelings were confirmed when we got into the rental car only to find an empty tank of gas and an already-on engine light.  But it was cheap, so we headed out, even though it was well after midnight.  After filling up at the closest gas station we found out that our credit cards weren’t working, and we didn’t have enough cash on us.  So, we went running around town with the gas station worker in the backseat looking for an ATM.  And it’s true that places always look creepy at night, but central Turkey is a little rough, and I was feeling kind of nervous and just a little scared.  After finally finding an ATM we checked into the hotel down the road, which was huge, elaborately decorated and entirely empty.  It was by far the weirdest hotel I’ve ever set foot in.  It was a strange night.  But we made it.  

Now we’re in Cappadocia, and it's...neat.  I think that's the best work for it.  I will post pictures, you'll see.  We spent this evening eating Turkish pizza and smoking a rose-scented water pipe.  Our credit cards are working again and we are snug and warm in our little hotel.