CAPPADOCIA
…getting deeper into the East
9th July - 12th July | 2023
The next morning, the temperatures dropped notably, so we left a bit later than the previous days. We went the boring straight national road to Lake Tuza, one of the largest salt lakes in the world. Actually, it was so fresh today that I had to close all the vents on my Rukka Rimorina (https://luhta.com/global/en/b/rukka-motorsport ) and put on a thin jumper. Lake Tuza was really impressive in size, but also the colours due to the sunlight/reflection. We tried to find the track going across, but we couldn't find it and also we didn't have the time to really look for it as we still wanted to get to Cappadocia today.
Coming closer to Cappadocia we kept on checking the weather forecast as the temperatures remained low and rain was in the air. When we had lunch, just 30km away, we looked for a hotel on google maps where we would try to stay 2 nights to let the worst of the weather pass by. We found the family-run hotel “Kemal Stone House” right in the centre of Uçhisar. After dropping off our luggage we made the most of the good weather and explored the area like the Love Valley and Red Valley. It was really interesting to roam around on our own bikes in this naturally created area. There were (unfortunately) lots for horseback riding, ATV and buggy tours in the Red Valley area, so you had to be really careful.
The next day was for me “an office day” as I have to catch up on the blog, but also get into gear about the shipment of my bike from Greece to Israel, as that is in about 2 (!) months already! It was a good choice to stay in the hotel, as during the day it was indeed raining, some heavy showers even. However, before the rain started James managed to do some bike maintenance and he found a laundry so fresh clothes for us again :-)
The next morning was a really early one: 4h!! By 4h30 we were on our bikes heading towards a spot where we thought we will have a good view. It was just above Göreme, so we could see where they start with the balloons. It was really cool to see them light the gas, as it looked a bit like a light show for us from a distance. At about 5am were the first balloons up - wow, what a magic!!! At some point "hatte ich fast Pipi in den Augen!" About 5h20 we moved quickly above Love Valley to have a different view. That plateau was a hectic place as it is a landing spot. However, so many balloons were out, so you could still take fantastic pictures. It was also interesting to see how accurately they landed the balloons on the trailers! About 6am we went back to our hotel for some sleep, until 8am.
Our next destination is Mount Nemrut, to see the statues at sunrise. After another great breakfast at the Guesthouse, we left towards the East, mainly on national roads. In the area of Elbistan, we searched for a wild camping spot which we found along a river. The track going there was blocked with big boulders but James got both bikes through. After the tent was up, I had to walk a wee uphill to text our mums our locations. On the way back down I went through the farmland and picked a handful of apricots for breakfast. When I was just back, a man came walking over, also from that field. Oh dear, I am in trouble!! It turned out that it was the owner of the land and he went with James to get some more apricots ;-) When they got back, he kept on talking to us, and we had to guess as he had no idea of google translator. I tried to understand the words and type them to find the meaning…not easy! However, it was interesting and we still found a lot out!
That night we both slept like logs, but suddenly I heard somebody outside the tent! It was someone trying to get our attention, and I suspected it would be the landowner. So I woke James up. It was 6h45 and it was the son. He went off with James, so I started to pack away our things from the tent. As It took so long for them to come back, I started to worry, but then after nearly 45 mins, they came back with more fruits :-D
Shortly after came the father & the mother with a friend, so we sat down and started a conversation (thanks to Google translator!).
What a lovely family!! It was such a pleasure to meet them - unfortunately, I cannot remember their names :-(( I should have written them down to memorise them after.
In the end, we left about 11h00 the valley towards Mount Nemrut. Again a lot of national roads to Malatya. On the way there we started to notice the damage of the big earthquake. We were not really aware that we were already that far East. At a petrol station just before Malatya had the chance to speak to a local as he spoke very good English. He confirmed that this is already the area., but I didn't want to get deeper into the subject, as he got already very sad about it.
In Malatya you could see the damage as a lot of houses were taken down, camps of containers or tents for the ones that are left without their homes. All so sad to see!! Especially as it is currently over 30°C!!
However, you could also see that new apartment blocks have already been erected, so hopefully these people will soon have a place they can call home!
After I got the internet data topped up, we headed on to Mount Nemrut. We both are getting really good at Turkish driving style! Just wondering when my horn starts to give up though ;-)
The last 80km OsmAnd app took us over tiny backroads, through really remote villages. The landscape was just breathtaking as such a lovely valley. Unfortunately, also a lot of damage after the earthquake as well, so the tents and bathroom containers were just along the road in the villages. That was really tough to see!! In the winter, surely freezing cold and now scorching hot; these people must have lost all they have got!! So hard to see that!!
Later in the afternoon, we arrived at the village Karduk, where we were lucky that the Guesthouse served us food AND had a free room. We went to bed early as tomorrow even earlier, getting up to get up on the mountain for sunrise. Due to the boy in the guesthouse, departure 3h45!! It is getting earlier and earlier, but that is the last place for an early start!! As it got pretty windy whilst sitting outside the terrace we decided to go 2-up on the BMW. If you are curious, if it was worse the effort to get up so early in the morning, find out next week in our next blog. In the meantime, have a refreshing homemade lemonade ...
Places | Cities:
Cappadocia, Elbistan, Malatya, Karduk (Mount Nemrut).
Driven km | Trip:
Total | Steffi: 12455 km
Information Border Crossings (in July 2023):
./.
Maintenance | Breakdown:
./.
Health issues:
Migraine due to heat (?)
Special thanks to:
Cappadocia to be so magic, especially in the early morning.
The family, landowner of the wild camping spot.