part V - KayaKoy, Aphrodisias, Pamukkale

After all that excitement, we needed to recover our energies, so we went back to Villa Rhapsody and had our much needed breakfast by the pool. This family hotel is one that I really must recommend. Located in a quiet and peaceful village, and yet just ten minutes away from the most beautiful beaches. Again, I was sorry to leave so soon ...







After saying goodbye to our lovely hosts, we drove around KayaKoy for a while (the ghost village on top looks really eerie) before heading out to Pamukkale.



Again, the road trip was safe and without major problems (apart from a speeding ticket, but quite well deserved). We took the road up to Denizli, and from there we detoured to Aphrodisias. We had been told that these ruins were almost as nice as the ones in Ephesus (Efes) which we would be visiting soon, but much less crowded (quite true). The ruins are very impressive, there's a well preserved Theatre and Bouleuterion, and the beautiful Temple of Aphrodite, but I was particularly blown over the stadium (the only one I've seen so far) which had a capacity for 30000 people.











It was late afternoon when we finished exploring everything, so we drove off to Pamukkale almost at once.. We wanted to see it by sunset, which seems to be the best time of the day. Pamukkale, or cotton castle, is one of the most known tourist attractions in Turkey. It is a natural formation of white travertine rock, caused by the hot water that falls from the springs above (water temperature of around 35ºC) and which causes calcium salts to be deposited on the hillside and harden to form white pools of varying dimensions. The site was badly damaged by tourism up until a few years ago, when it was declared a World Heritage Site by Unesco, and restoration slowly started.

Another attraction are the ruins of Hierapolis above the pools. Since we arrived so late we didn't go up to see them, and we would be visiting so many ruins during the next couple of days that we decided to skip these. Overall it is an interesting site, but I can't say that it's worth visiting on purpose. But since it was more or less on our direction, it was a great stopover on the way to Ephesus.













For that night we chose to stay at the Venus Hotel, run by friendly Karin and Ibrahim. The rooms are very spacious (we had four beds in our room, and I loved the touch of the bright pink covers ;) and dinner was again delicious. This is another small family hotel, maybe not as good as some of the others we stayed in, but it was also much cheaper and therefore a good value for money. Ibrahim even convinced us to buy one of the tablecloths they had for sale, a great souvenir to bring back home.

part IV - Paragliding over Oludeniz

When I first read that Oludeniz was one of the best places in the world to do tandem paragliding, I knew we'd have to try it. I mean, if we didn't do it now, maybe we'd never have another chance with such ideal conditions, right ? (ok, so that's how I convinced A. to go).

I researched several paragliding companies, and the best one seemed to be Sky Sports, so I asked Jeanne to help me book it. Watching the videos at their site (take off and flight) it all seemed quite easy, so I was not very stressed.





Jeanne had us booked for the first flights in the morning, and we were picked up at 8 AM sharp at the hotel. The flights depart from the top of Babadag mountain at 1700 m, but thermals can actually take you up to 4000 m. The drive up the mountain is made in a jeep on a very bumpy road, and it takes about 1 hour from the beautiful Oludeniz beach. The wind conditions seemed to be perfect that morning, so as soon as we arrived we were given our suits and helmets to put on, and after a 15 minute quick setup we were ready to go.



The pilot goes in the back, and the passenger in front, seated in this sort of soft carrier chair, actually quite comfortable. As you can see by the photos, the launch is made from a very steep terrain going down. I was the first one to go, so when everything was ready I was asked to start running... I did run, but not for long. Just like that, in a few seconds, literally after the first couple of steps we were up in the air ... wow, I can't really describe what's the feeling on being up there. It's so peaceful and relaxing, quite the opposite of what most people would think. It really is, I'm not kidding.



And the view .. well, there's no words for that either, so just see the photos and judge for yourself. The flight usually takes up to 45 minutes, and we were up for about half an hour. We flew over Babadag and the Oludeniz beach (one of the most photographed in the world) which is where eventually we landed.











My flight was quite uneventful, but A. said he wouldn't mind some excitement so they tried some corkscrews as well. Not for me thank you, I was quite happy with the whole experience and would gladly stay up there for the rest of the day, just gazing at the beautiful scenery below.



Landing was also quite easy, as we approached the ground the pilot told me to stand up and start walking, and a minute later we were down on our feet again. I was just so thrilled we'd done it, really really happy. It felt so great that I'm sure this wasn't our one and only time. It's definitely an unforgettable experience I would gladly repeat, and which I absolutely recommend.

All paragliding photos here

part IV - Gemiler Island, Butterfly Valley

From Cirali we drove to Fethyie (passing by picturesque Finike and Kas), and eventually to KayaKoy (or Karmylassos), known as the ghost town. We wanted to visit Oludeniz and the Butterfly Valley, but didn't want to stay in any of the more touristy resorts at the beach, so we chose the lovely Villa Rhapsody instead. Jeanne and Attila were so friendly from the first minute, and they helped me with all the necessary bookings before we arrived, so we were promply dispatched for our private boat trip as soon as we got there.So we drove to Gemiler beach (lovely beach) and from there were picked up and crossed to Gemiler Island (also known as St. Nicholas Island)







Daily boat tours to Butterfly Valley depart from the Oludeniz beach everyday in the morning, but we knew we'd arrive late for that so I was really happy that we could arrange this trip with Regis (hope I got the name right), who besides running these boat trips, is also the official guide (and guard) of Gemiler Island. We hadn't had any lunch, so while Regis was preparing that we went snorkelling for a while. We had only been snorkelling before during our honeymoon in the Seychelles, but I loved it so it was great we could try it in these clear waters again. Near the rocks there's an amazing variety of fish, and we were given some bread to attract them, so in a minute or two we were quite surrounded.

After lunch (and petting all of Regis' cats) we finally headed out to Butterfly Valley. This valley is a protected natural reserve, home to several unique butterfly species, and can only be reached by boat or by a footpath coming from the top (not really advisable as it can be a bit treacherous). At the end of the valley there's a 60m high waterfall, so we hiked up to see that. The waterfall was quite diminished at this time of the year but the walk inside the canyon is worth taking. We even saw a few butterflies, although the best season to see them is in August.







By the beach there's a hippie sort of settlement, very relaxing and casual. I especially loved the library, very original indeed :)







Back on the boat, Regis took us to the blue cove (where I had to take another dive, the water was so amazingly clear), and passed by Oludeniz beach before returning to Gemiler Island. We still had time before sunset so we went to visit the ruins of a byzantine settlement and churches located on the island. The view from the top was amazing, and the sunset quite spectacular.









This is another place I would definitely go back to. Next time, maybe we'll even try one these cruises and visit the ruins of Myra, which we missed this time.
Back at the Villa Rhapsody we were quite exhausted, so after the delicious dinner (and homemade peach ice cream for dessert, so yummy) we badly needed some sleep. After all, the next day we'd have our most radical activity of all, and we'd have to be well rested for that...

More photos:

Gemiler Beach and Island
Butterfly Valley

part III - Termessos, Cirali

From Cappadocia we drove down to Antalya, where the main beach areas are located. According to viamichelin, this itinerary takes about 9 hours and I was bit worried about the long drive. I shouldn't have - although there aren't any motorways, the roads were generally in pretty good condition, and the scenery quite picturesque. There was practically no traffic in most of the roads we passed, and we even found a nice spot to have lunch along the way (a little after we passed Seydesehir, there's a big Petline gas station on the left side with a restaurant and market attached. We had the best - and cheapest - shish kebaps there)





Arriving in Antalya around 4 PM, we quickly decided to make a short stop in the ruins of Termessos before driving down to Cirali, where we would spend the night.

My friend J. strongly recommended we should visit this, and although I grumbled a lot about the steep climb, the view at the top is quite worth it. The theatre in particular is very impressive, and the rest of the grounds are extensive, so we ended up spending a couple of hours there.





From Antalya to Cirali (Olympos) it took us another hour and a half, which means we got there right on time for dinner. I had booked at the relaxing Canada Hotel, where Carrie and the rest of the staff made us feel so welcome. Dinner was by the pool, with so many delicious dishes I can't name them all.



Since we had arrived late that day, we thought we'd start quite early the next morning. After I'd seen Carrie's videos about the Caretta baby turtles hatching on the Cirali beach a few weeks earlier I knew I'd want to go take a look, even if the chances were slim. So we headed out for the beach at 6:30 AM, just in time to watch the sunrise too. Unfortunately we didn't see any baby turtles, but the sunrise was gorgeous, and the sea water was warmer than the temperature outside (I almost went in, but had forgot to pack a towel). The Cirali beach is beautiful, 3 km long and quite unspoiled. I noticed the tree house hotels along the beach, it looked like fun but probably not as comfortable.





After leaving the beach (and quickly buying a towel at the market) we drove to the Chimaera site, to see the eternal flames. It was quite early, and I think we probably woke the guard up, but it was already beginning to warm up. The climb up takes about 20 minutes and is a bit steep, but we eventually made it. The flames are fueled by natural gas vents on the rocky ground, and we have to be careful not to accidentally step on one.



We were quite starving by then, so we went back to the hotel and had breakfast (but first, a quick swim in the inviting swimming pool).



Before heading out to our next destination, there was time to relax for a bit in the comfortably hammocks in the garden. Ah, that was really nice ... I was sorry we didn't spend more time here, but for this trip we wanted to do so much, and there just wasn't enough time for all. Maybe next time, I'm quite sure we'll go back.





More photos:

Termessos
Canada Hotel
Cirali

part II - Cappadocia (cont)

With our feet now on the ground, we were dropped off by Lars back at the Serinn, where we had a much deserved breakfast before heading out to our day tour. When planning this trip I had decided we should at least visit one of the underground cities and hike in the Ihlara Valley. The red tour offered by Rock Valley combined these two activities, plus we had the advantage of having a guide which I think is advisable for the underground city visit (and we met such nice people too - hi Wendy and Brian !)

That was actually our first stop, and soon we were going down towards Derinkuyu. Not a visit recommended for anyone suffering from claustrophobia, since the corridors are quite narrow and sometimes quite short as well (and dark). This particular city has eight levels that can be visited, but with all the tours happening that morning sometimes it was not easy to go from one level to the next.



Our hike in the Ihlara Valley was a more relaxing experience. We visited one of the better preserved abandoned churches, and then hiked until the village of Belirsima where we had lunch by the river. The scenery is quite beautiful, and since a great part of the path is on the shade, it's a good hike to take when it's too hot to do anything else.







After lunch, we headed out to Selime, which is a high point with magnificent views over the Valley.



Our last stop on the tour was the 12th century Agzikarahan Caravanserai. These were structures built along the silk road which would allow merchants and other travelers to rest during their journey.





Later that night we repeated the Old Greek House experience, and the food was just as good. I can't recommend this restaurant enough, it was really one of the best we tried. Oh, and at the end they gave us a tour of the house, which is an invitation worth taking.

These two full days in Cappadocia had been amazing, but it was time to leave for our next destination, and I felt sad we couldn't stay longer. There was so much we hadn't seen but then that's why Turkey is a country you can't visit just once. I would especially miss Eren and the Serinn (and Findick, of course) but I'm hoping we can return one day soon.

Our last breakfast there was memorable (Eren, I'm still thinking about those biscuits and that delicious peach pie), and soon we said our goodbyes.





Before we left, a quick stop by Rose Valley, which seemed like a great spot for some hikes on our next visit (and for watching the sunset too).





More photos at Flickr:
Derinkuyu Underground City
Ihlara Valley
Rose Valley