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CAPPADOCIA - CHIMNEYS, CAVES, CHURCHES AND HOT AIR BALLOONS

19/9/2015

17 Comments

 
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El Nazar Church.  Yes, they've hollowed out a "fairy chimney" and converted it into a church replete with frescoes inside.

T plus 131 - Cappadocia, Turkey

Let's get one thing out of the way.  Cappadocia is everything they say it is and more.  There is enough here to keep one occupied for a week, but unfortunately I only had two days, so everything got a bit compressed.  I did, however, have a car, so that was a major convenience factor - highly recommended for anyone short on time in this place.

It's probably easiest to introduce Cappadocia with photos, because it's impossible to do justice to the surreal scenes here with mere words.  Short note on how the cone-like "fairy chimneys" i.e. unique rock formations were formed:  Volcanic activity millions of years ago deposited layers of ash (of varying hardness and density) all over the region here.  The weathering effects of wind and water over the next million-over years chiseled away at the softer layers, leaving behind the "columns" which we see today.

Some photos from my walkabouts and drive-abouts:

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Interior of the El Nazar "cave church" in the first pic.  Churches like these are scattered all over Goreme and the small towns in the Cappadocia region.  It's truly delightful to discover one hidden gem after another while taking a slow drive on a lazy afternoon.

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Views of Pigeon Valley and its surroundings from Uchisar Castle (on top of the hill of the last pic).  
See how caves are carved directly into the rock face?

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Rock formations in the little valley town of Goreme in the late afternoon.

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The err... rock formations of Zelve.  Talk about phallic symbols.

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The famous "mushrooms" of Urgup.

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The stunningly scenic Ihlara Valley (top pic) and its collection of stone houses and Byzantine cave churches and monasteries.  The last three pics show the interior of the Ala Church, and the ancient apparatus of Bezirhane.  I believe the "corkscrew" like device is a gigantic press - perhaps used to extract oil from seeds.  The bottom pic is of an enormous mill, used to grind grain.  The millstone is the big "disc" of stone on the left.

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The pretty riverside town of Avanos and its feathered residents.

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The underground city of Mazi and its many spooky chambers.

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Goreme Village at Sunset, with Uchisar Village lit up in the background.



And now for the pretty balloon pictures.  No further explanation required.  Enjoy!
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Getting ready for take-off.  5.30am.

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Floating off into the sunrise...

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At first there was one...

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Then there were many...

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Then there were millions.

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Here are a few arty-balloon-silhouette against the sun photos.  I like the last two very much.

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A safe and soft touchdown.  Well done Mr. Pilot.

17 Comments
mel
20/9/2015 12:46:44 am

i am enjoying the photos with smiles :) thank you sze ming, for this wonderful series of cappadocia. loving it! hope you had a great time there!

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Neoh
20/9/2015 03:19:18 pm

Hi Mel! Thanks very much. I was smiling as I was taking the photographs too!

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Chong
21/9/2015 08:32:02 am

l was there 2 years ago and really enjoyed the balloon ride (was lucky as the timing was conducive ie still air). Of course, my photographs were no where compared to yours. It's from my iphone la.

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Neoh
21/9/2015 03:47:42 pm

Hello Chong! Thanks very much! Yeah, it's difficult to capture anything on a phone camera when the light is not optimal ie during sunrise. I will bring you camera shopping when I'm back! Hahaha.

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Sabrina
22/9/2015 09:51:59 pm

Hi, Neoh!

Your Mosquito-cream-sharing friend from Amman is greeting you ;)
Just writing to say hello and wanted to ask you a question :) (Although sorry for asking it in the wrong post).
I wanted to ask about how did you got from Amman to Beirut? Was it a bus and if yes, from where and how much does it cost? Did you passed in any chance through the syrian boarder (means does it require a syrian visa) or you just got directly to Beirut from Amman? I'am planning to go to Lebanon these days and yet don't know how to get there:(

Thank you in advance, Neoh!

P.s. I really enjoy reading your lovely blog, keep writing on ;))

Neoh
22/9/2015 11:59:54 pm

Hello Sabrina!! Wonderful to hear from you :) hope all is well over there. Well, unfortunately there is no way to get to Beirut over land from Amman. So I had to take a flight. It's difficult to get out of Beirut too, and the only way I found was to take a ferry to Tasucu in Turkey.

I asked around and everyone said that the Beirut-Damascus route is too risky at the moment. This is unfortunate because I would have loved to go!

Try skyscanner.net for flight options. It's been a very handy tool for me.

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Neoh
23/9/2015 12:07:56 am

Sorry, I meant it's difficult to get out from Beirut by any options other than flight. The only other way was via ferry from Tripoli in Lebanon to Tasucu in Turkey.

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Sabrina
23/9/2015 04:55:24 am

Thank you for your reply, Neoh) Do you think it is really dangerous to go to Syria now? I was thinking even to do only Damascus))) What do you think about it? Is it oficially forbidden to go there now or just a matter of caution for tourists to be carefull? Is there really any dangeour, war etc.?

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Neoh
23/9/2015 11:32:42 am

Dear Sabrina,

I believe it is still possible to go. I met people who told me that they bumped into others who just came back from Syria. However, you will need to check with the Syrian embassy for details on your visa application. Believe there is one in Amman.

Also, I was told by a Syrian person that the Beirut to Damascus road has many checkpoints where you can be turned back at any time. Perhaps to minimise this risk, you may consider flying into Damascus international airport?

Also, I suppose flying is always safer than travelling by road through a war torn country. On Damascus itself, I'm told that it is not very dangerous there and people are supposedly living normal lives. I was told this a couple of months ago. Hope it is still the case!

chong
23/9/2015 07:48:06 am

l will be traveling to Romania, Bulgaria, Macedonia & Northern Greece known as Balkan Legacies from 12 Oct until 23rd Oct. Hope it's not too late for you to share the camera shopping list by then. By the way, l saw my son purchased a new camera with zoom lens lately. Maybe, l shall borrow his. Cheers!

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Neoh
25/9/2015 04:05:57 am

Dear Chong, I may not be back so soon! But perhaps you can consider the following options:

High-end mirrorless camera with APS-C sensor: Fujifilm XT1 (this is what I'm using currently). Or Fujifilm XT10 (half the cost and the same functionality, just lacking weathersealing).

High-end compact: Sony RX100 iii (there is a mark iv which came out recently, but it's not necessary. The mark iii has a 1 inch sensor which will take beautiful photographs. Zoom is a bit lacking though.) Or Panasonic Lumix LX100 (4/3 inch sensor makes it one of the best low-light performers in this class. Very solid image quality too). Or Cannon G1X mark ii (great option from Canon aimed at the "prosumer". 1.5 inch sensor is almost as large as a DSLR sensor, and it has a great lens. A bit bulky though.)

Middle range compact: Many many choices here, but you can check out the Fujifilm X30, Fujifilm XQ2, Sony HX60V (30x zoom!), Panasonic TZ70 (also 30x zoom).

You'll notice that I'm slightly biased towards Fujifilm cameras, but it's not without reason. They are built so well and have best-in-industry colour reproduction (in my opinion). Images just come out looking fantastic, which is what we all want at the end of the day :)

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Sabrina
23/9/2015 05:33:32 pm

Thank you, Neoh!

Will think about the flight and safest way :)

Good luck on your trips!)))

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Neoh
25/9/2015 04:07:56 am

Sure thing Sabrina! You travel safe, and do let me know if I can be of any help at all.

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Sezim
25/9/2015 02:14:37 am

Woow! What a lovely place!
Very nice photos........
Surely I will think of visiting this place.

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Neoh
25/9/2015 04:10:06 am

Dear Sezim, thanks for your comments! Yup, Cappadocia is one of the most unique experiences I've had on this trip. But you'll need to contend with the huge number of tourists who think the same! I suppose it's not easy to find a world class destination which has few tourists. Kyrgyzstan is a rare example :)

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chong
25/9/2015 07:51:26 am

Neoh, Thanks for the detailed explanations and recommendation. l will surely look into it for better photography. By the way, we will be traveling by Turkish Airlines and shall be in transit at Istanbul. Thereafter, the flight is another 1 hour to my 1st destination and we are not too far away. Ha Ha.

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Neoh
28/9/2015 03:50:42 pm

Happy to help Chong. Let me know if you need further details. What a coincidence you'll be in passing through Istanbul! Pity you don't have time to hop out of the airport for a turkish coffee!

Reply



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