Cappadocia

November 20, 2022 to December 23, 2022

The rather uninspiring ride along the planes of Konya eventually gave way to some peculiar looking rock formations, I had made it into the famous Cappadocia region! Only a few days ago I was along the lush green Mediterranean coast sipping on nar suyu and now I am in this dusty wonderland with huge snow capped mountains in sight. As the miles passed by on the way to Ihlara valley, the rocks got increasingly bizarre with alluring cave entrances scattered across the faces.

I was blown away by the Selime Monastery, the largest religious structure in Cappadocia with an entire cathedral carved into the volcanic rock. Wandering around alone through secret passages in these preserved caves I imagined how life would have been here in the 9th century when a large community of monks populated the region.

Carrying on, the valley leads to a huge gorge. I wanted to go down and explore but the swarms of tourists and the impending darkness put me off. Had just enough time for a delicious kebab, immediately following a stitch inducing 100m climb at 20%. I found a beautiful spot to camp overlooking the gorge and the snow capped mountains in the distance.

The next day, waking up to the incredible view and the long drop down into the canyon I pushed my bike back onto the track to begin a new day. Hours later I was torn whether to take a detour out to a nearby crater lake or carry on to get food sooner, knowing i'd regret it, I cycled up the hill to have a look (it was totally worth it). To my surprise there was a food cart and a friendly man inside who told me of other cyclists passing through just two days ago. To top things off, speeding down the off-road trail leading down from the crater was exhilarating (but probably not so good for the bike)

Another mouth watering kebab in another town, followed by an exploration of the underground city of Derinkuyu. Climbing down endless stairs and rooms to the total depth of 85m I got a small sense of the scale of the city but I was still shocked to hear 20,000 people and their livestock could be accommodated here.

Finally reached the village of Göreme where I had planned to meet Sofia (The Chinese traveller whom I'd met previously in Antalya) for a few days and to rest after the last weeks riding. In our accommodation I also met Lucazs from Poland who was traveling by bike to Pakistan, we hoped to cycle together but he had to rush off to Erzerum early to collect his Iranian visa.

Cappadocia was a perfect place to be at this time, walking through the Red Rose Valley with Sofia was magical. As were the sunsets in the early evening, illuminating the natural sculptures with an even deeper orange hue. As the temperatures quickly dropped in the evening, it was a treat to return to the cosy taverns scattered throughout the town.

The next day which happened to be Sofia's birthday it was time to unload the bike and hit the sandy trails. It makes a world of a difference when there isn't 25kg of luggage weighing you down. Climbing the hills overlooking the small town below was also a breeze, but nothing was as good as bombing it all the way down the trails, weaving past the old caves with the wild west backdrop to admire.

Alas, after the relative comforts of the last couple of days it was time to say goodbye (again) to Sofia and set off into the 50mph wind towards Kayseri.

To be continued...

Today's ride: 195 km (121 miles)
Total: 4,305 km (2,673 miles)

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