Cappadocia

The view from my room at the Caravanserai Cave Hotel in Goreme

As a side trip to my visit to Findhorn, I spent 3 days hiking through the valleys of Cappadocia Turkey, a region I thought might make for interesting stereo photography.  So glad I went! 

Ancient abodes in Pigeon Valley

An early Christian crypt

Since at least 1300 BCE, people have carved dwellings in the surrounding hills and hoodoos, here called castles and fairy chimneys.

Whole underground cities, complete with churches, stables, wells and ventilation shafts have been carved in the soft rock, laid down over millennia as volcanic ash.

As well as providing safe sanctuary from marauding armies, these abodes were warm in the winter and cool in the summer!

I took a hike through the euphemistically named Love Valley

Up, Up, Way Up!

A highlight for me was a balloon ride where we rose through the clouds to emerge into bright sunlight, with a view of a distant snow-capped volcano.

The air was actually warmer above the clouds than below!

I wrote an account of my ride with Butterfly Balloons on TripAdvisor.

I wanted photos of Turkish people and they wanted photos of me!

The Turkish people were wonderful hosts, always gracious and willing to accommodate a traveller's needs and make helpful suggestions. Two Turkish men offered me a ride to Avenos, a pottery-making town, where I wandered the markets, snapped lots of people pictures, and visited a school of traditional Turkish carpet making.

A 3D cross-view of carpet-weaving students in Avenos

Wendy, Xiaoyong and Josie Chai

One of the wonderful things about traveling is the chance to make new friends; people with whom you share a special moment in time but might never meet again. Wendy, Xiaoyong and their daughter Josie shared their car with me and were great models for my landscape photography. Such a delightful family! I do hope we meet again some day.

3D cross-view of Love Valley

Capstones on the fairy chimneys around Urgup

Cappadocia is a place that should be on everyone's bucket list. And if you ever want a guide/companion to go with, just let me know!