Waking Up
The wake up call came in around 8:45 and the tour company was supposed to pick me up at 9:30. I probably got about 6 hours of sleep, which didn't seem enough since I didn't sleep well the night before. Around 8:15 I got a call from the front desk - the tour bus was here to pick me up. I mentioned I wasn't ready and still wanted to grab breakfast. The woman at reception said not to worry and that she'd ask the driver to make other rounds. I rushed off to eat quickly and was downstairs right after 9:30...the bus was waiting. No one else was in the bus, just me, the guide, and the driver. They were running early and didn't mind waiting. I was kinda irritated they came early, but came to appreciate the fact they ran on time.
Green Tour
When I searched around for tours, most companies offered a Green and Red tour. The prices appeared to be fixed also. Green tour was consistantly 120 TL (around $65) and the Red was 100 TL (around $55). Today would be the longer of the two, the Green tour. Highlights included Göreme panorama, Derinkuyu underground city, Ihlara valley, Yaprakhisar, Selime monastery and Pigeon valley viewpoint. The list might seem long, but many of the tour stops were quick photo opportunities. Two vehicles were used to carry everyone around - a 12 person van and a smaller van that might have carried about 5-6 people Loading and unloading was pretty quick, but some of the stops were spread out.
Göreme Panorama
The first stop we made was at the Goreme panorama, but that stop was quick. We head a quick overview of how the formations were made (combination of volcanic activity and earthquakes) and were given 15 minutes to walk around and take some photos.
Ihlara Valley
Ihlara Valley was one of the first extended stops we made. It took about 30 minutes to get there. Our guide, Saygu, mentioned it would be a 4-5 kilometer hike. He told us not to worry because the hike was beautiful and we'd loose track of time and distance. Along the way we'd explore a cave that was used as a church around the 10th century. Although the tour guide tried to dance around it, I got him to acknowledge it was the Turks who destroyed and disfigured the murals. It wasn't necessarily out of hate though. As our guide explained, Jesus is a prophet in Islam and pictures of prophets are forbidden. After the hike we'd have lunch at a restaurant on the river.
The wake up call came in around 8:45 and the tour company was supposed to pick me up at 9:30. I probably got about 6 hours of sleep, which didn't seem enough since I didn't sleep well the night before. Around 8:15 I got a call from the front desk - the tour bus was here to pick me up. I mentioned I wasn't ready and still wanted to grab breakfast. The woman at reception said not to worry and that she'd ask the driver to make other rounds. I rushed off to eat quickly and was downstairs right after 9:30...the bus was waiting. No one else was in the bus, just me, the guide, and the driver. They were running early and didn't mind waiting. I was kinda irritated they came early, but came to appreciate the fact they ran on time.
Green Tour
When I searched around for tours, most companies offered a Green and Red tour. The prices appeared to be fixed also. Green tour was consistantly 120 TL (around $65) and the Red was 100 TL (around $55). Today would be the longer of the two, the Green tour. Highlights included Göreme panorama, Derinkuyu underground city, Ihlara valley, Yaprakhisar, Selime monastery and Pigeon valley viewpoint. The list might seem long, but many of the tour stops were quick photo opportunities. Two vehicles were used to carry everyone around - a 12 person van and a smaller van that might have carried about 5-6 people Loading and unloading was pretty quick, but some of the stops were spread out.
Göreme Panorama
Goreme Panorama - peak of Aegean Region mountains in background
The first stop we made was at the Goreme panorama, but that stop was quick. We head a quick overview of how the formations were made (combination of volcanic activity and earthquakes) and were given 15 minutes to walk around and take some photos.
Ihlara Valley
Ihlara Valley was one of the first extended stops we made. It took about 30 minutes to get there. Our guide, Saygu, mentioned it would be a 4-5 kilometer hike. He told us not to worry because the hike was beautiful and we'd loose track of time and distance. Along the way we'd explore a cave that was used as a church around the 10th century. Although the tour guide tried to dance around it, I got him to acknowledge it was the Turks who destroyed and disfigured the murals. It wasn't necessarily out of hate though. As our guide explained, Jesus is a prophet in Islam and pictures of prophets are forbidden. After the hike we'd have lunch at a restaurant on the river.
Cave Church Drawing - note the removed eyes
Scenery en route
Lunch was served on the bridge
Derinkuyu Underground City
This was our second attempt to see the Underground City. We stopped by after touring the Goreme Panaramic but left because our guide, Saygun, felt it was too crowded. He insisted there would be less people in the afternoon. Before getting out of the van Saygun asked if anyone was claustrophobic. He went on to explain that here are some tight coordinators throughout the underground city. He wasn't exaggerating - some of the passages were as confined as the Pyramids in Egypt. The underground city housed as many as 20,000 people. The city is believed to be connected to another city about 10km away via underground passage. Although it was getting warm outside, the underground city was chilly. The city was built sometime between the 8th and 7th century BC. The underground city allowed the members to hide. It was hoped that invaders would see the structures above and believe the village was a ghost town. Animals used for food and function were stored below ground.
Cooridors
Narrow stairwells
Stairways
Saygun and me
There were a few other stops, but above were the highlights. Much like in Egypt, there was a tour at a shop that I'm pretty sure involved a kickback to the tour company.
Getting Back
The tour completed somewhere between 7 and 8. Afterwards, I grabbed some chicken and beef kebob from a nearby restaurant. I stopped by the lobby afterwards to setup plans for the next day. Since I liked this tour operation I signed up for the shorter Red Tour. I also signed up for a hot air balloon ride. Pickup for the hot air balloon ride would occur at 5:00am, so it would be an early morning.
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