M-whY

The destination was the Cappadocian town of Goreme (gor-uh-may). Those familiar with Istanbul may recognize I left a large part of the city unexplored. It's intentional; Istanbul is a convenient hub for trains, buses, and flights, and I know I'll be back to plan onward travel. Most of the overnight bus passengers were local Turks, getting off a town earlier. The remaining handful of tourists were dropped off at Goreme's otogar. A guy from the information center was there to greet us.

"Come inside, I will help you arrange accomodation."

There must've been thirty different places to stay at. One of them stood out more than others, having been named Flintstones Cave Pension. The guy rang them up for me, but no one answered - Fred and Wilma must've been out walking Dino. I randomly picked another, who agreed to send transportation.

"The van from Shoestring Cave Pension is here, if you wanted to go there," I told two Australian girls who hadn't made up their mind yet.

"Yeah, why not, we'll follow you."

The rooms were acceptable, the prices rock-bottom (6 TL, approx. US$4.5), so we got checked in and brushed the silt off our beds. Allie and Meri were in the middle of a Middle East tour, and would be continuing overland through Syria and Jordan until they reached Egypt. It may sound like a risky route, but I've met at least half a dozen others doing the same. Two Dutch guys back in Istanbul even had aspirations to cycle to Nepal, taking them through places like Iran and Pakistan. Talking to them was interesting - you meet some real characters while traveling - but I was glad the day they moved on. Showering obviously wasn't a high priority for them and they really stunk up the rooms.

The Australians were much more agreeable. Like myself, they hadn't slept well on the way here. Conversation died out as all three of us dozed off. The girls were still sleeping three hours later when I woke up. Not knowing when they'd stir, I went out by myself to look around.

Cappadocia is on the map for its unique scenery. Early settlers carved homes out of the fantastic rock formations. Most of them appeared uninhabited; Local schoolchildren were probably returning to more conventional homes. Despite being the Cappadocian tourist capital, Goreme retains it's small town charm. No five-star hotels, no flashy nightclubs. A row of cafes and travel agencies did line the main street, but turn into an alley and you'll find prehistoric cars and carts. And the people were exceptionally friendly.

"Where are you from?" "America." "Ah. Welcome to Goreme!"

Goreme's open air museum was about a kilometer out of town. A fine collection of ancient cave churches hacked right out of the rock, many had been decorated with religious frescoes. Exposure to the elements have left many resembling cavemen art, but the better preserved gave examples of what they all used to look like. The museum had very few visitors today - probably a good thing as the churches were tiny. Had it been high season, tour bus hordes would've made things very cramped.

The downside offseason was that everything was closed. Appeared closed, I should say. Later that evening, when Allie, Meri, and I went out in search of food, we passed restaurant after restaurant of empty tables. Lights were on, just no customers. I think it's human instinct (especially when eating) to seek out crowds - a restaurant with no customers gives the impression that something's wrong with it - but tonight, Goreme just wasn't a happenin' place.

"Does this place have pide? Yes? Let's just eat here," suggested Allie.

Kale Terrasse was heated, a bonus as temperatures dropped quickly after sunset. We were about done when a Spanish guy and French girl walked in. Including the sociable young man in charge of the place, that made six of us - enough for a full blown party. Some instruments were brought out and passed around as we gathered next to the stove. And what type of music do a bunch of rhythmically challenged tourists make with a Turkish guitar, a tambourine, some spoons, and a drum? Answer: Cacophonous Cappadocian rock!

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